A very rare five stars from me. Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold have written a literate, Conan-Doyle-worthy detective story, set in a carefully crafted Victorian London that rings true in every particular. I'm a cultural historian by profession, and very particular about language and detail in historical novels. Additionally, Scott and Griswold have created not only a complicated murder mystery, but have woven into it a powerful back story about a British public school and the abusive practices t...

Very enjoyable fantasy, nicely written, with terrific magic system and a fun murder plot. I found the romance a bit undercooked, with a lot depending on the old communication failure thing, but this was a pleasure to read in general. The price point is a bit steep for the market, mind.

I just finished this book and rushed to write a review. I loved it--the storytelling was tight, the murder mystery compelling, and the characters so endearing I can't wait to revisit them in the next book. I could go into detail, but I'll just say that if you like Whyborne & Griffin or KJ Charles's Magpie Lord series, you are going to adore this book.

I really enjoyed this sort of historical-sort of alternative world mystery story. Death by Silver is set in a world where Metaphysics (magical arts) is part of every day living. Ned runs his own practice and helps people find solutions to their magical problems. He is consulted by the father of the guy who made his life hell in school and later on when the father is found dead he is consulted by the police to help solve the crime. He seeks help from his best friend and private investigator Julia...

Solid writing; a few typos don't count. An excellent historical with a dash of magic. Non-romantic relationship (not for the lack of interest on both MCs part), mystery suspense and scenes of past abuse dominate this story.The two MCs-wizard-detectives do get together closer to the end, but as far as I recall all sex scenes fade into black.5 stars for a great historical fantasy mystery-suspense :D

Ned Mathey, a metaphysician, needs every client he can get, so he can't refuse checking whether silver in Mr Edgar Nevett's house is cursed. The man is the father of Victor Nevett, a boy who bullied Ned at school. Edgar Nevett is soon murdered by a cursed silver candlestick. Ned gets help from Julian Lynes, a private detective and an old friend. Both have to deal with their unpleasant memories of their school days.Judging by the cover and the blurb, you would expect this to be lighter than it is...

Well, this was really good. A classic detective novel, with a proper mystery. Magic as an everyday occurrence, and a sweet romance..Mainly the romance takes a back seat to the detection, and that worked really well. There was miscommunication and misunderstanding from both of the MC's but it was in keeping with the time (not that I would actually know that !) . The flash backs added real depth and understanding of the characters.Small marks deducted for usaism's (sidewalk etc) in a book set in B...

Mini-review: Paranormal historical mystery duology with an m/m romance subplot, and I *loved* both characters and the worldbuilding. The second book was even better, IMHO, because the threat they were facing was so frightening. Highly recommended! Content warning, though, for remembered physical and sexual abuse at boarding school.

3.75 starsThis was the exact right book at the right time for me, and I am so glad I picked it up. (Yay Bingo!) The focus is on the investigation, and the guys do a solid, competent job in a way that feels very realistic even though this is a world with everyday magic practitioners. The magic is very grounded into the reality of that time period, so it still feels very much like a historical. The romance is definitely the subplot but it carries a lot of weight, and there's something about it tha...

This is very much a if Agatha Christie wrote magic story*. In other words: this is everything I always wanted. To make me even happier, the magic isn't just some unoriginal 'wave a wand and say the magic word to make a thing happen'. Even though this magic requires wands and words, it does so in a very different way than one is used to from Ye Olde Fantasy Novel. Since the story was basically a whodunit I did guess the culprit roughly 2/3 through and I don't think you need to be terribly knowled...

I tried reading this some years ago and got bored and stopped. I tried again this week, and was able to keep going. Not sure why it didn't work last time. Maybe it was my frame of mind, or admittedly, the somewhat sedate narrator on the audio version.It was an interesting, albeit not very super thrilling mystery. (I haven't read these authors before- maybe they don't do thrilling? There were two scenes on the thrilling-meter. The MCs are sympathetic and although you wan to smack them around for

Death by Silver could have easily been written by Anne Perry if she ever turned her pen to Victorian urban fantasy featuring gay male lead characters. Yes, it's just that GOOD.This is the kind of mystery one can curl up with a cup of tea, some scones and a fluffy blanket. Even without all the magickal hijinks, Death by Silver stands as a classic English murder mystery. The authors have done a smashing job of capturing the manners and morals of a Victorian London that easily could have been if ma...

The magic system is casually magnificent!I like the methodical way they solve the mystery but it is slow-paced at times. And so many telegrams!

3.5 stars. It’s well written, clever and to the point, and I really like this kind of historical Victorian England with a magical/supernatural twist. I also really enjoyed the start of the novel, placing us in the middle of our two main characters’ insecurities about their relationship (even though the drama relied a bit too heavily on them unable to talk to each other), instead of witnessing the start of a romance. In fact they seemed more to base their relationship on friendship than romantic

Death by Silver by Melissa Scott & Amy Griswold is a fantasy mystery with an unquestionable steampunk flavor that does not overwhelm the world-building, yet offers enough magic and subtle details to give this story set in a recognizable Victorian London, a very distinct atmosphere. There is quite a lot to enjoy in this well executed fantasy mystery with its delicious twists and turns, red herrings, murders by magic, personal struggles and a question of the heart.The absorbing mystery drives the

Alternate magical London, where old school friends the detective and the magician team up to solve a rather obvious murder, and resolve their mutual pining along the way.Enjoyable, though lacking that special something. This made me think about genre. Which, believe me, is unusual – I have zero interest in the whole "but what does genre mean? Is it real?" thing. But here you have a blend of alternate history/fantasy with M/M romance. I started the summary above by writing "M/M" and then deleting...

This was so much fun! Ned and Julian are charming, and watching them edging toward a relationship while trying to solve a murder and confront the ghosts of their past is endlessly entertaining.

A fun mystery with a really interesting magic system built around magic being more or less part of every day life, but still specialised. It also got quite dark in the last 20%, in a way I wasn't quite expecting... Otherwise, I quite liked both characters, though the romance suffered from egregious use of the miscommunication trope: literally every problem Ned and Julian had could have been solved if they'd just had a single conversation about their feelings.

Ned Mathey and Julian Lynes have been each other's best friend and support through their younger boarding school years at St Thomas and then briefly at Oxford before diverging life goals and social circles separated them.Ned is a metaphysician (read here arcane magical arts graduate) whose fairly new private practice caters to folks who need ‘special’ solutions to their life’s problems. Ned has regular features, a good build, plays and loves sports, and is considerate of others’ feelings and tho...

Fans of Melissa Scott and Lisa Barnett’s Point series, and the series’ two protagonists, Nico and Philip, will find themselves in both familiar and unfamiliar territory in this newest Scott novel, Death by Silver, co-authored with Amy Griswold, just released by Lethe Press. There are two clever men, a love affair and its complications that needs sorting, magic, a mystery that needs solving, dangerous antagonists, and a richly developed, detailed, and nuanced world, and language that is graceful