Review of Dark Clouds by Suzannah Rowntree (Miss Dark’s Apparitions 2)

Blurb

A cursed diamond…a cyborg detective…and a gang of would-be jewel thieves in Victorian London!

All her life, Molly Dark has been haunted by the restless dead—and now she’s finally able to do something about it. When the rich and monstrous take what they want, Miss Dark and her crew steal it back. At least, that’s the idea.

In reality?

In reality, the irritable inventor walks out, saying she doesn’t believe in ghosts and has important scientific research to conduct.

The charming ex-vampire prince is only waiting for the perfect opportunity to stab Molly in the back.

The millionaire American prosthete she’s decided to marry is also a celebrated amateur detective hunting for jewel thieves.

And the fabulous, cursed Noor-Jahan diamond isn’t just the key to righting a decades-old wrong—it’s the bait in a fiendish trap.

Miss Dark’s Apparitions continues with a rollicking historical fantasy heist perfect for fans of Leverage and The Parasol Protectorate! Preorder Dark Clouds and rejoin Miss Dark in the haunted streets of 1890s London…

My Review

This book is the second of the series, and it has the distinction of having broken me out of a reading slump. I had enjoyed Tall and Dark so much and always meant to read the rest of the series, which I now have.

Molly and her companions with the exception of Nijam have agreed to help Franz Haber in righting the wrongs that cannot seek the help of the law. When the book begins, they have finished one job, barely, getting into all kinds of trouble without Nijam but they have managed to extricate themselves and finish the job.

Meeting a rich American on the train gives Molly an idea. Her circumstances and the necessity of having to support her sisters have meant that she always wanted to marry money, and Mr. Vandergriff seems like the perfect mark. If only Vasily wouldn’t keep butting in on her dates, claiming he’s helping. Of course, Griff being the nephew of Sir Humphrey Seton’s wife doesn’t help matters because Sir Humphrey Seton is none other than the partner of Molly’s father, who was nearly ruined by him, and who had undertaken to educate Molly at his own expense.

To complicate things, Nijam wants some manuscripts that Sir Humphrey owns, Vasily and Mimi are after the famous diamond, Noor Jahan, that again, Sir Humphrey owns, and Griff is a prosthete who is not above strangling a woman if she suspects her. The Noor Jahan also carries with it a history of blood and murder, and Molly knows that to put them to rest, the gem needs to be returned to its owners. But Griff suspects Vasily, and Molly knows that the former Grand Duke and vampire is only waiting for an opportunity to double cross her.

I loved how everyone has a motive, while Molly just wants to be left alone in peace while she manages to bring her American millionaire to heel. There were several times when I wanted to yell at Molly because everyone could see that Griff is not a good person, but Molly just convinces herself he’s not so bad, that she has to do this. Even her sisters don’t want her to do it, but she feels like she must.

The plot goes on at a spanking pace from London ballrooms to hotels, to the British Museum, to Indian restaurants. I love how Nijam gets an insight into the culture of her father that she had always looked down on. She also has to face the fact that ghosts and imprints may be real, and her rational mind is also shocked to learn that the Indian mathematicians used poetry as their medium. Poor Nijam. Add to it Alphonse Schmidt’s insistence that he doesn’t want to recover his memories, and it’s no wonder she’s feeling completely overwhelmed.

I loved how Molly is such an unreliable narrator, especially when it comes to Vasily. I’m seriously considering shaking her so she would see it for herself, but then I think she needs to learn her own lessons.

But if Vasily doesn’t get a happy ending in this series, I am seriously contemplating murder.

You can find the book here!