Tuesday 24 November 2020

#BlogTour Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Hellenic Abduction by Columbkill Noonan

Today it's my turn on the BlogTour Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Hellenic Abduction

About the Author

Columbkill Noonan is the author of the best-selling Barnabas Tew series, which features a proper British detective from Victorian London who ends up solving mythological cases for gods all around the world. She was was born in Philadelphia and grew up in the suburbs of Baltimore, Maryland, and teaches Anatomy and Physiology at a university in Maryland. Her writing is mostly speculative fiction (especially stories that involve mythology, or the supernatural, or any combination thereof). Some of her work is a bit on the spooky side, but usually there is a touch of humor (who says the afterlife has to be serious?) 

When she's not teaching or writing, Columbkill can be found with her rescue horse (whose name is Mittens), hiking in the woods, or doing yoga of all kinds (aerial yoga and SUP yoga are particular favorites). She is an avid traveler, and can't wait to get back to seeing the world again. 



About the book

Zeus is used to getting what he wants...but that was before he met Barnabas Tew!

Barnabas and Wilfred, the unluckiest detectives ever, are happily enjoying their time in India, working on mastering their emotions, and learning how to do all sorts of interesting yoga poses. They're having a splendid time, and feel as if they've finally found some peace in their lives. Everything changes, though, when Zeus suddenly whisks them away from their idyllic retreat and demands that they solve a case for him.

Having no choice, they reluctantly accept the job, but quickly come to realize that nothing is as it should be. Zeus' motives are suspect from the beginning, the rest of the Greek gods and goddesses are untrustworthy at best, and Barnabas' temper hasn't improved at all during his time in India. And, most importantly, who is the mysterious lady who keeps popping up just when they need her? Is she friend, or is she foe?

To make matters even worse, both Barnabas and Wilfred have unresolved feelings of their own. Can they settle their own emotional affairs, once and for all? Will they figure out what's right and what's wrong in this topsy-turvy world of lies, intrigue, and trickery? Or will the Greek gods and goddesses prove too much for them?


Review

Barnabas isn't exactly the king of charm. I'd actually go as far as to say that in the direst of moments he often rocks the boat a little too much, which is when he needs Wilfred to steady the waters. This is especially dangerous when their next client turns out to be the king of the gods himself - Zeus.

He doesn't take too well to the backtalk and when people point out that he might be just be a tad sexist and the job he has for the peculiar sleuthing duo might be a bit on the dubious side, and that's without the side note of peddling young princesses for the great Zeus, he gets a bit cranky.

Noonan combines mythology with a quirky odd couple who tend to fall into their cases with a Victorian era colonialesque charm, if you can call it charm. It's a entertaining box of mixed chocolates. You just never know what you're going to get when you flip the page. 

I kind of liked the way Noonan makes a point without taking a foam finger and pointing straight at it. There is a fine line between good and bad, a reputation and the reality of a person and their character. Barnabas may seem like a pain in the behind, but he has the best intentions. The moral of the story he will tell is that sitting on a pedestal does not automatically make you an upstanding citizen and sometimes someone has to take a stand.

Buy Barnabas Tew and the Case of the Hellenic Abduction at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer. Publisher: darkstroke books pub date 17 Nov. 2020. Buy at Amazon com.

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