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A Lamplighter in Larkeney: A Twill and Billings Mystery
It was supposed to be a vacation...
After a lifetime of touring the world with his travel columnist father, Wendell Billings is sick and tired of perilous plots and exotic escapades. Which is precisely the reason he chooses Port Larkeney—a quiet, seaside town along the Irish cliffs.
But for someone determined to have an uneventful holiday, an awful lot of things seem to be happening.
Sure they were invited to a B and B shaped like an enormous Jalapeño, sure the guests seem more and more connected as time goes on...and several people go missing and suddenly a billionaire inventor appears in the midst of a dastardly plot involving one comatose brother, six guests, two robots, and a very very peculiar super weapon…there’s still time for rest and relaxation, right?
Alright, maybe things aren’t quite so peachy. With the help of Katie Twill, a suspiciously sleepy small town detective with a penchant for disco, bell bottoms, and being utterly useless at the best of times, this entirely unSherlockian duo must work together to unravel the secrets of Port Larkeney before the secrets themselves escape forever.
After a lifetime of touring the world with his travel columnist father, Wendell Billings is sick and tired of perilous plots and exotic escapades. Which is precisely the reason he chooses Port Larkeney—a quiet, seaside town along the Irish cliffs.
But for someone determined to have an uneventful holiday, an awful lot of things seem to be happening.
Sure they were invited to a B and B shaped like an enormous Jalapeño, sure the guests seem more and more connected as time goes on...and several people go missing and suddenly a billionaire inventor appears in the midst of a dastardly plot involving one comatose brother, six guests, two robots, and a very very peculiar super weapon…there’s still time for rest and relaxation, right?
Alright, maybe things aren’t quite so peachy. With the help of Katie Twill, a suspiciously sleepy small town detective with a penchant for disco, bell bottoms, and being utterly useless at the best of times, this entirely unSherlockian duo must work together to unravel the secrets of Port Larkeney before the secrets themselves escape forever.
- GenresFantasy
Paperback
Published November 3, 2022
13 people are currently reading
609 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
September 10, 2025
Let's get a couple things out of the way.
"A Lamplighter in Larkeney" is not devoid of strong elements. I think the introduction to Wendell's family and their dynamic is engaging, his relationships with his father and his brother Tim are emotionally resonant, and I like the way his difficult parental relationship parallels Katie's own relationship with her mother. The world is creative, the big plot twist is strong, the writing is witty and got a few laughs out of me, and Amelie Butkus is a talented illustrator. Despite its lackluster pacing, overly sequel-bait ending, and spelling and grammatical errors that absolutely shouldn't have made it to the final draft, I was initially prepared to rate this 3 stars.
However, all of that aside, this book's writing is undeniably racist.
We meet Melati, the pen-pal girlfriend of Wendell's brother Tim, late into the story. She is a dark-skinned (though not in the book's illustration of her for some reason), Indonesian woman whose first language is not English. She is also the only POC in the entire book. And the first time we meet her in-person, she is the butt of a joke that compares her to a monkey.
Here's the thing. Before Melati actually enters the plot, she is characterized as Tim's affectionate, overly lovey girlfriend; the two seem genuinely in love and invested in one another even through letters, and I thought that dynamic was sweet. But the second we meet her in-person, her characterization is aggressive, inhuman, and brutish; Wendell thinks "this girl looked like she'd put you in a headlock before writing about French kissing." To me, she immediately felt like a caricature of a "weird foreign woman," rather than a genuine person. And this problem only worsens the longer she's on-page.
Commonly "grunting", her cheeks coloring with "terrifying bloodlust" (pg. 334) "hulking like a black omen of doom," (pg. 335) sniffing out people like a bloodhound (pg. 361), described by the antagonists as "like a gorilla," (pg. 352), a "monster" (pg. 390) and "an utter abomination," (pg. 394) with several too many reminders that her English is limited and rudimentary (pgs. 366, 368), Melati is defeminized and dehumanized at every turn by the text. The imagery and language used to describe her is animalistic, like she's a gorilla or a dog rather than a girl. And all of this characterization-- bulk, brutishness, derogatory animal comparisons, seemingly inhuman abilities, intellect and verbal articulation that's inferior to that of the the white characters, only existing to elevate said white characters-- is incredibly common racist rhetoric used against both real and fictional people of color. It was a massive letdown to see this book play into these harmful stereotypes as much as it did. This is a book that has a lot of caricatures and comedic characters, but when the caricature you've created plays so blatantly into racist clichés, and she's the only POC in the entire book, I don't believe that's an excuse you can fall back on. This character truly deserved so much better.
I'm aware that this author wrote this book at seventeen, and had it published at nineteen, and that's a great accomplishment. But she needs to examine her personal biases and think critically before putting a character like this on-page. And though I liked elements of her book, I believe that this one-star rating, and this review, is a truthful expression of my disappointment in this work, and Amelie Butkus's writing, for flagrantly and excessively leaning into ignorant stereotypes. Do better.
"A Lamplighter in Larkeney" is not devoid of strong elements. I think the introduction to Wendell's family and their dynamic is engaging, his relationships with his father and his brother Tim are emotionally resonant, and I like the way his difficult parental relationship parallels Katie's own relationship with her mother. The world is creative, the big plot twist is strong, the writing is witty and got a few laughs out of me, and Amelie Butkus is a talented illustrator. Despite its lackluster pacing, overly sequel-bait ending, and spelling and grammatical errors that absolutely shouldn't have made it to the final draft, I was initially prepared to rate this 3 stars.
However, all of that aside, this book's writing is undeniably racist.
We meet Melati, the pen-pal girlfriend of Wendell's brother Tim, late into the story. She is a dark-skinned (though not in the book's illustration of her for some reason), Indonesian woman whose first language is not English. She is also the only POC in the entire book. And the first time we meet her in-person, she is the butt of a joke that compares her to a monkey.
Here's the thing. Before Melati actually enters the plot, she is characterized as Tim's affectionate, overly lovey girlfriend; the two seem genuinely in love and invested in one another even through letters, and I thought that dynamic was sweet. But the second we meet her in-person, her characterization is aggressive, inhuman, and brutish; Wendell thinks "this girl looked like she'd put you in a headlock before writing about French kissing." To me, she immediately felt like a caricature of a "weird foreign woman," rather than a genuine person. And this problem only worsens the longer she's on-page.
Commonly "grunting", her cheeks coloring with "terrifying bloodlust" (pg. 334) "hulking like a black omen of doom," (pg. 335) sniffing out people like a bloodhound (pg. 361), described by the antagonists as "like a gorilla," (pg. 352), a "monster" (pg. 390) and "an utter abomination," (pg. 394) with several too many reminders that her English is limited and rudimentary (pgs. 366, 368), Melati is defeminized and dehumanized at every turn by the text. The imagery and language used to describe her is animalistic, like she's a gorilla or a dog rather than a girl. And all of this characterization-- bulk, brutishness, derogatory animal comparisons, seemingly inhuman abilities, intellect and verbal articulation that's inferior to that of the the white characters, only existing to elevate said white characters-- is incredibly common racist rhetoric used against both real and fictional people of color. It was a massive letdown to see this book play into these harmful stereotypes as much as it did. This is a book that has a lot of caricatures and comedic characters, but when the caricature you've created plays so blatantly into racist clichés, and she's the only POC in the entire book, I don't believe that's an excuse you can fall back on. This character truly deserved so much better.
I'm aware that this author wrote this book at seventeen, and had it published at nineteen, and that's a great accomplishment. But she needs to examine her personal biases and think critically before putting a character like this on-page. And though I liked elements of her book, I believe that this one-star rating, and this review, is a truthful expression of my disappointment in this work, and Amelie Butkus's writing, for flagrantly and excessively leaning into ignorant stereotypes. Do better.
April 17, 2023
Actual rating 4.5
This was a book I was very excited for and it didn't disappoint. I loved all the characters, the overarching mystery and the charming and eccentric atmosphere of the setting. There was a good deal of familial drama, though not really to the extent I was expecting and lots of good character work. The prose is fun and witty and the world building is well thought out and quirky, without bordering on confusing or annoying.
There were some good emotional beats. I DID cry.
However, the thing that keeps me from rating the book as a complete 5 stars is probably from the fact, that at least my copy of the novel, had several printing errors that often had to make you guess what the author was really trying to write. I imagine they will be gone in later printings however.
I'm excited to see what Amelie will do next! Definitely worth the read.
Full Spoiler Review will be available on my blog soon.
This was a book I was very excited for and it didn't disappoint. I loved all the characters, the overarching mystery and the charming and eccentric atmosphere of the setting. There was a good deal of familial drama, though not really to the extent I was expecting and lots of good character work. The prose is fun and witty and the world building is well thought out and quirky, without bordering on confusing or annoying.
There were some good emotional beats. I DID cry.
However, the thing that keeps me from rating the book as a complete 5 stars is probably from the fact, that at least my copy of the novel, had several printing errors that often had to make you guess what the author was really trying to write. I imagine they will be gone in later printings however.
I'm excited to see what Amelie will do next! Definitely worth the read.
Full Spoiler Review will be available on my blog soon.
July 14, 2023
This book was great! Several months ago I funded the publishing of this novel on Kickstarter and I’ve been eagerly awaiting its release. First of all, I absolutely adore the style of this novel. It’s a retro-wacky-steampunk-murder-mystery Frankenstein’s monster of a book. The world that Butkus builds is so fun and odd! The level of magic and creativity reminds me of a children’s book, only with much more murder!😌 The illustrations sprinkles throughout are so amazing and well done. For a debut novel of a 19 year old author, this book is amazing! I would only hesitate to give it 5 stars because it has some kinks in pacing and multiple spelling/language errors that make it a bit difficult to follow along at times, but such mistakes are often inevitable in such a long novel. I definitely recommend checking out A Lamplighter in Larkeney and I look forward to more of Amelie’s books in the future!❤️
April 17, 2023
Wonderfully balanced mix of eccentric fantasy fun and realism; With lovable, dynamic characters and a well-paced plot full of mystery and drama. Amelie's art style really blends perfectly with her writing, it enhances the book in all of its unique characters and locations.
Highly recommend to all YA mystery enjoyers, I would love for this series to continue.
Highly recommend to all YA mystery enjoyers, I would love for this series to continue.
September 27, 2023
I backed A Lamplighter in Larkeney on Kickstarter a jam-packed and brilliantly quirky whodunnit. Butkus achieved a great amount of humour and character development - not alone thanks to the charming illustrations littered throughout the book - while keeping the plot moving at the fast pace needed for a good, light-hearted murder mystery.
Unfortunately, the novel suffered due to several stark inaccuracies in the depiction of Ireland that could have been avoided without affecting the overall story. The most obvious was the fact that it is entirely impossible for a police officer to be "demoted" from London to anywhere in Ireland due to the UK and Ireland being different countries. There is also a noticeable lack of reference to any Irish culture bar a vague mention of the Irish language, and the Irish characters had English or English-like names, sayings and in one case Scottish clothes.
If you set a story in a country you are not entirely familiar with, it is very important that an adequate amount of research is done so as to avoid inaccuracies such as these. It felt to me that not enough research was done while writing the novel and for this reason, I had to reduce my review to 4 stars.
Beyond that, A Lamplighter in Larkeney is an extremely impressive debut novel, and I will be keeping an eye out for future literary ventures from Butkus.
Unfortunately, the novel suffered due to several stark inaccuracies in the depiction of Ireland that could have been avoided without affecting the overall story. The most obvious was the fact that it is entirely impossible for a police officer to be "demoted" from London to anywhere in Ireland due to the UK and Ireland being different countries. There is also a noticeable lack of reference to any Irish culture bar a vague mention of the Irish language, and the Irish characters had English or English-like names, sayings and in one case Scottish clothes.
If you set a story in a country you are not entirely familiar with, it is very important that an adequate amount of research is done so as to avoid inaccuracies such as these. It felt to me that not enough research was done while writing the novel and for this reason, I had to reduce my review to 4 stars.
Beyond that, A Lamplighter in Larkeney is an extremely impressive debut novel, and I will be keeping an eye out for future literary ventures from Butkus.
September 29, 2023
Peppers, Cheese, and a Teapot
I just don't know what to say. This was unlike anything I have ever read. It was a whimsical and laugh-out-loud mystery that took me on an adventure to a small seaside town that I'll never forget.
I first discovered this via Instagram. I went back and forth on whether or not to back it on Kickstarter (my mom kept insisting it was a scam, but I insisted it wasn't) and finally, it was the stunning illustrations and a sample of the first page that sold me.
The Cover: This is a small taste of just how fantastic the art is throughout the book. I love everything about the cover. It truly depicts all of the elements (whimsy, mysterious, and sinister)
The Writing: I was impressed with this debut novel!! My favorite bits by far were the brief recounts of the Billings' family travels. I could read a whole book just about those! Wendell's witty POV was a pleasure to read. After a bit, the POVs started to change up among the characters. This wasn't bad at first but when the timeline started jumping around it threw me off a couple of times. Towards the end, at the Shaw mansion, I got lost several times and had difficulty visualizing the story.
The Characters: What a wacky and charming bunch these characters were! Katie was my favorite closely followed by Wendell. The villain was perfectly dastardly. The star, The Lamplighter, was an enigma from the start. Most of the cast are way too far-fetched and off the wall to be real, but they absolutely made the story.
The Plot: The PLOT TWIST was out of this world AMAZING! I never in a gazillion years saw that coming!!! It really changed the course of the entire story- an impressive feat. I felt that the solving of the murder mystery was hard to follow at times. Steampunk isn't a usual genre for me so the robotic side of things was sometimes iffy for me. At times it all made sense and then at others, I had no idea what was going on. I honestly liked the story best BEFORE the murder.
The Themes/Messages: Aside from remembering to be careful not to jostle Panamanian Death Peppers, and to never understate the power of disco music, your family may be unconventional but they're your unconventional family. Cheshire them. Love them. And air your grievances in a healthy and non-pepper-harming way.
The Romance: There were hints of an affair at a lingerie store and then said affair was later confirmed.
Content Warnings: Unfortunately, there was some mild language sprinkled here and there, which was disappointing. Some violence, murder, and daring stunts.
Overall: 3.5/4 stars. I really had a good time reading and enjoyed my visit to Port Larkeney. Great for fans of disco music, robots, and giant peppers.
I just don't know what to say. This was unlike anything I have ever read. It was a whimsical and laugh-out-loud mystery that took me on an adventure to a small seaside town that I'll never forget.
I first discovered this via Instagram. I went back and forth on whether or not to back it on Kickstarter (my mom kept insisting it was a scam, but I insisted it wasn't) and finally, it was the stunning illustrations and a sample of the first page that sold me.
The Cover: This is a small taste of just how fantastic the art is throughout the book. I love everything about the cover. It truly depicts all of the elements (whimsy, mysterious, and sinister)
The Writing: I was impressed with this debut novel!! My favorite bits by far were the brief recounts of the Billings' family travels. I could read a whole book just about those! Wendell's witty POV was a pleasure to read. After a bit, the POVs started to change up among the characters. This wasn't bad at first but when the timeline started jumping around it threw me off a couple of times. Towards the end, at the Shaw mansion, I got lost several times and had difficulty visualizing the story.
The Characters: What a wacky and charming bunch these characters were! Katie was my favorite closely followed by Wendell. The villain was perfectly dastardly. The star, The Lamplighter, was an enigma from the start. Most of the cast are way too far-fetched and off the wall to be real, but they absolutely made the story.
The Plot: The PLOT TWIST was out of this world AMAZING! I never in a gazillion years saw that coming!!! It really changed the course of the entire story- an impressive feat. I felt that the solving of the murder mystery was hard to follow at times. Steampunk isn't a usual genre for me so the robotic side of things was sometimes iffy for me. At times it all made sense and then at others, I had no idea what was going on. I honestly liked the story best BEFORE the murder.
The Themes/Messages: Aside from remembering to be careful not to jostle Panamanian Death Peppers, and to never understate the power of disco music, your family may be unconventional but they're your unconventional family. Cheshire them. Love them. And air your grievances in a healthy and non-pepper-harming way.
The Romance: There were hints of an affair at a lingerie store and then said affair was later confirmed.
Content Warnings: Unfortunately, there was some mild language sprinkled here and there, which was disappointing. Some violence, murder, and daring stunts.
Overall: 3.5/4 stars. I really had a good time reading and enjoyed my visit to Port Larkeney. Great for fans of disco music, robots, and giant peppers.
August 26, 2023
Oh no, prepare to be blabbered on…
To the bizarreness, to the humor—to the strange characters to the secrets—to the penchant for disco to the obsessive compulsive disorder of journalism—to the secret affair to the world’s largest pepper—to the mysterious super weapon to the cold seaside town—to the doomed dinner party to the rodent’s cubed strata—to the homemade bomb to the F clef—this book is up, down, roundabout, left to right, around the corner, beyond worlds. And here’s why….
So, I discovered Amelie Butkus through a series of artistic reels and beautifully crafted artwork. I saw these four words tossed around constantly and I rushed to the store to get A Lamplighter in Larkeney: A Twill and Billings Mystery…. disco, peppers, robots, and mysteries.
Anyway, this book isn’t the typical "a vacation turns into a big old deal" trope, it is so much more than that. It begins with a dysfunctional family who have been pulled along in traveling the world. We meet Wendell Billings, a tired, older teen boy. He, the journalist in the family choose a quiet seaside town along the cold Irish cliffs called Port Larkeney, what could happen…?
BOOM! The food in the Bed & Breakfast is as hot as the average ghost pepper. BOOM! Timothy Billings gets put into a coma. BOOM! A robot gets stolen. BOOM! We meet a narcoleptic, quirky, and delightful woman who’s brain is infected with disco songs and ideas. BOOM! Cheese. BOOM! Mischief. BOOM! Reprimands. BOOM! "Herping." BOOM! The sunspot. BOOM! The hairless ape, the goat farmer, and the personality shifting man. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Hold on, I need to catch my breath. Ok. I’m good. This book is a fun, adventurous, masterfully crafted work of art whilst including actual works of art. Every character has their own status, story, and intricate style. Every approaching plot line is waiting behind the corner to pop and make you screech without being overwhelming or "too much." You see the richness and the satisfaction build up from the first word of "Well…" to the last word of "Port Larkeney Christmas."
I am very proud and happy to state that A Lamplighter in Larkeney: A Twill and Billings Mystery is my favorite book I have ever read—and the best YA book made in 2023. Be proud Amelie C. Butkus. Be proud.
To the bizarreness, to the humor—to the strange characters to the secrets—to the penchant for disco to the obsessive compulsive disorder of journalism—to the secret affair to the world’s largest pepper—to the mysterious super weapon to the cold seaside town—to the doomed dinner party to the rodent’s cubed strata—to the homemade bomb to the F clef—this book is up, down, roundabout, left to right, around the corner, beyond worlds. And here’s why….
So, I discovered Amelie Butkus through a series of artistic reels and beautifully crafted artwork. I saw these four words tossed around constantly and I rushed to the store to get A Lamplighter in Larkeney: A Twill and Billings Mystery…. disco, peppers, robots, and mysteries.
Anyway, this book isn’t the typical "a vacation turns into a big old deal" trope, it is so much more than that. It begins with a dysfunctional family who have been pulled along in traveling the world. We meet Wendell Billings, a tired, older teen boy. He, the journalist in the family choose a quiet seaside town along the cold Irish cliffs called Port Larkeney, what could happen…?
BOOM! The food in the Bed & Breakfast is as hot as the average ghost pepper. BOOM! Timothy Billings gets put into a coma. BOOM! A robot gets stolen. BOOM! We meet a narcoleptic, quirky, and delightful woman who’s brain is infected with disco songs and ideas. BOOM! Cheese. BOOM! Mischief. BOOM! Reprimands. BOOM! "Herping." BOOM! The sunspot. BOOM! The hairless ape, the goat farmer, and the personality shifting man. BOOM, BOOM, BOOM!
Hold on, I need to catch my breath. Ok. I’m good. This book is a fun, adventurous, masterfully crafted work of art whilst including actual works of art. Every character has their own status, story, and intricate style. Every approaching plot line is waiting behind the corner to pop and make you screech without being overwhelming or "too much." You see the richness and the satisfaction build up from the first word of "Well…" to the last word of "Port Larkeney Christmas."
I am very proud and happy to state that A Lamplighter in Larkeney: A Twill and Billings Mystery is my favorite book I have ever read—and the best YA book made in 2023. Be proud Amelie C. Butkus. Be proud.
December 28, 2023
A grand mystery a wonderful take on a classic detective duo
August 8, 2023
Well gee, THANKS Amelie Butkus. Because how else am I supposed to find a book like this again? Where else can I find a book with murderous Baroque Robots and peppers and impulsive note-takers?
In all seriousness though, I haven’t read a book this whimsical, fun, FUNNY, and heartstring-pulling since I read A Series of Unfortunate Events as a kid. This is like if that series finally grew up with my to the young-adult genre.
This book is immersive in its setting, wondrous in its world-building, and yes-I-just-snorted-out-my-drink laugh inducing. Look at the first page and you’ll be sold, but stick around and you’ll be trapped in an alluring mystery that will have you thinking about more than just the laughs.
In all seriousness though, I haven’t read a book this whimsical, fun, FUNNY, and heartstring-pulling since I read A Series of Unfortunate Events as a kid. This is like if that series finally grew up with my to the young-adult genre.
This book is immersive in its setting, wondrous in its world-building, and yes-I-just-snorted-out-my-drink laugh inducing. Look at the first page and you’ll be sold, but stick around and you’ll be trapped in an alluring mystery that will have you thinking about more than just the laughs.
October 2, 2023
This book has some series-of-unfortunate-events-vibes. It was fantastical and a little ridiculous, which I enjoyed! I thought it was a stand alone novel so I’m a little dissatisfied with the ending, but otherwise entertaining and full of surprising twists!
April 22, 2025
i enjoyed the characters and the illustrations
i dont think i like a multi-perspective narrative? i read it all in the same day but still felt confused at times
i dont think i like a multi-perspective narrative? i read it all in the same day but still felt confused at times
August 30, 2023
I will admit, this book took me a long time to really get into. Not because the book itself was bad, I think I just struggled to immerse myself in the story in the beginning. Once the actual investigation started, the story became a lot more enticing and I found myself wanting to know more about who did the crime and who was considered a suspect.
I did enjoy reading this book, it just took a long time. I LOVED the art spread throughout the book and I LOVED some of the twists at the end (no spoilers here). I verbally gasped during a certain reveal, which definitely added some bonus points.
Overall, I would say it's a 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding it up to four because I love this author and I can't wait to see what she does next.
I did enjoy reading this book, it just took a long time. I LOVED the art spread throughout the book and I LOVED some of the twists at the end (no spoilers here). I verbally gasped during a certain reveal, which definitely added some bonus points.
Overall, I would say it's a 3.5 stars, but I'm rounding it up to four because I love this author and I can't wait to see what she does next.
May 16, 2023
I was thrilled when I finally received this book and it lived up to all my expectations! It was a delightfully charming book and is definitely one of my new comfort reads. The art was amazing and I loved the style. The characters never failed to make me smile and I can’t wait for the story to continue!
April 30, 2024
The pictures made this book feel, kinda like an elevated middle grade novel. The plot was genius! The lighting gun stealing souls, Sebastian Shaw being able to turn a person into a machine, Wendell and Katie's dynamic?! The whole town is famous because of a gaint pepper😂, the same gaint pepper shielding citizens during the massive storm?! All of it was so fun, and the humour was genuinely laugh out loud funny.
My issues with 'A Lamplighter in Larkeney' take place with the copious amount of spelling and grammatical mistakes. I couldn't read more than 5 pages before a misspelled word, repeated word, or a sentence was missing a word right in the middle. It was constantly taking me out of the story.
Secondly, this book felt just a tad too long😬. We didn't really need mechanical lizards, in my opinion. The author overly explained occasionally, which made the book 10 - 20 pages longer than it needed to be.
Otherwise, it's an incredible first book, and I'm excited to read more!
Finished 11:28pm
My issues with 'A Lamplighter in Larkeney' take place with the copious amount of spelling and grammatical mistakes. I couldn't read more than 5 pages before a misspelled word, repeated word, or a sentence was missing a word right in the middle. It was constantly taking me out of the story.
Secondly, this book felt just a tad too long😬. We didn't really need mechanical lizards, in my opinion. The author overly explained occasionally, which made the book 10 - 20 pages longer than it needed to be.
Otherwise, it's an incredible first book, and I'm excited to read more!
Finished 11:28pm
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2025
Charming and whimsical and an absolute gem! It reads like a childhood cartoon in the best way.
The characters are exaggerated yet familiar, the world is a blend of realism and (science)fiction and something one can easily get into.
The story surprised me positivly! The mystery was nicely set up and unraveled. It took turns I didn't expect and went down a more dark path than I initially thought. The ending was satisfying and yet it leaves me wanting more Twill&Billings mysteries!!!
The writing reads easy and while there are some errors in it, it's forgivable, given that this book was originally a kickstarter, including the signed copy I own.
I can definitely recommend it.
The characters are exaggerated yet familiar, the world is a blend of realism and (science)fiction and something one can easily get into.
The story surprised me positivly! The mystery was nicely set up and unraveled. It took turns I didn't expect and went down a more dark path than I initially thought. The ending was satisfying and yet it leaves me wanting more Twill&Billings mysteries!!!
The writing reads easy and while there are some errors in it, it's forgivable, given that this book was originally a kickstarter, including the signed copy I own.
I can definitely recommend it.
May 31, 2024
I found the setting, story, and characters utterly delightful and entertaining, with enough complexity to keep you curious and invested the whole way through! It's very original and super imaginative, while at the same time feeling cozy and familiar.
I did find it difficult in some moments - particularly towards the end - to properly visualize what was happening, which caused the finale to feel a little less satisfying, and a little confusing (hence the 4 stars...).
However, I would certainly look forward to reading another Bill and Twillings mystery, or another story by this author!
I did find it difficult in some moments - particularly towards the end - to properly visualize what was happening, which caused the finale to feel a little less satisfying, and a little confusing (hence the 4 stars...).
However, I would certainly look forward to reading another Bill and Twillings mystery, or another story by this author!
July 9, 2024
I was lucky enough to have the chance to support Amelie and get a signed book with a bookmark and two postcards. I will teuly treasure my copy after how much I loved this story. It's eccentric, action-packed, mysterious, creative, a little silly, and above all - a super fun read!! I recommend this to everyone who loves getting lost in fictional worlds as I found this to be very immersive! The mystery aspect really does make it difficult to put down, and I was able to find a little bit of myself in a lot of the characters! I cannot wait for the sequel :)
September 5, 2025
What a fantastic new world to dive into! I picked up a hardback copy while in Morro Bay, CA at a cute little coffee shop called Top Dog. Both the book and the coffee shop are excellent. :)
I loved the creativity of the author as well as the drawings of characters as they are introduced into the story. It's a little bit steampunk, a little bit fantasy, and a lotta bit interesting. I hope the author writes more of this series!
I loved the creativity of the author as well as the drawings of characters as they are introduced into the story. It's a little bit steampunk, a little bit fantasy, and a lotta bit interesting. I hope the author writes more of this series!
November 20, 2023
Bought this book because of the illustrations, but stayed because of the story ! It is a great mix between murder mystery, and comedy. It's quirky and the perfect read for fall season and rainy days. Loved it !
January 4, 2025
i never read this but i've seen enough of the racism <3
August 24, 2024
Begrudging and reluctant hero Wendell Billings is paired up with whirlwind small-town detective Katie Twill in this humorous mystery adventure. My favorite thing about this book was the writing—it’s witty, funny, and sarcastic. The author has self-illustrated drawings interspersed throughout the book and they added another layer of charm to the story. The drawings and the story reminded me of Laika Studios movies (i.e. Boxtrolls, ParaNorman), so if you’re a fan of those I would definitely check this book out!
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