This is a solid sequel to Death by Silver. There is still no steam here, and while there is some focus on Julian and Ned's relationship, this is first and foremost a mystery. Anyone looking for romance and smex will need to either look elsewhere or adequately adjust their expectations before diving into this. The mystery here had several layers to it and took awhile to untangle them all. The suspects were many, and the motivations just as numerous. It was fun following along as Ned and Julian tr...

Really quite delightful, apart from the heart-eating magic thief.

Absolutely cracking murder mystery/magic/gay romance. Lovely alt-Victorian background with a really well worked out magic system and interestingly flawed characters. Just a huge delight of a read, I enjoyed every minute.

A Death at the Dionysus ClubBy Melissa Scott and Amy Griswold4.5 starsNed Mathey and Julian Lynes are old school chums. They also might be in love with each other. The emotional bass line of this beautifully crafted novel is how these two men, without any support from the society around them, negotiate creating a life together. What I love most about this book is the fact that this crucial theme is rarely the overt focus of the story. It is ever-present, but delicately interwoven into the comple...

4.5 stars

I think I love this book even more than Death by Silver.Same quality writing (still, there are a few pesky typos, but who cares, they are just that - typos), with amazing characters. Take Dolly Hall, for example. He dies in the very beginning of the book, but his presence is palpable all the way through the end. Challice, the poor soul. Stuck in a straight marriage, thinking himself an abomination at the same time longing for family and kids. There is not much of him in this story, either, but I...

Truth in advertising requires that I divulge that there actually is not a death at the Dionysus Club at all. There is a "molly club" known as the Dionysus Club (frequented by one of our MCs, Julian Lynes); and there are also deaths aplenty (assuming you don't require Jack the Ripper numbers), BUT, there actually isn't a death at the club. The club and the death(s) never actually overlap, except as a starting point for a series of rather unique deaths, as well as to show us in a delicately explic...

Nasty and SweetThis is a nasty piece of work when it comes to the deaths in the title. Let us not quibble, for the methods of demise are not described, just presented as indecipherable facts by medical examiners, Scotland Yard, and our intrepid hero MC's, metaphysician Ned Mathey and private detective Julian Lynes, best friends and now rather steady lovers.This one moves at a swifter pace than the previous one in this series--perhaps because there are more deaths and more suspects to chase. But

4.5 starsAn absolutely wonderful read that makes me wish there were more books in this series. Ned and Julian need an HEA.

I'm blown out of the water by this. I had been a little reluctant to get involved in it, because the plot was striking me as "Oh another magical Victorian steampunk thingie" and Melissa Scott, while a fine writer who is enjoyed by many people, has never really worked very well for me.I'm so, so glad I did. The premise may not be astoundingly original, but it's seldom so well handled, with an excellent grounding in Victorian sensibilities. Nothing get short shrift here. Not the mystery, not the r...

My goodness that was good. With a rousing finale. I normally am not a big mystery fan, but it’s a shame this series never continued. Love the characters. And it’s so intelligently written.

Holy hell, this was an absolutely magnificent follow-up to the first Lynes and Mathey novel! Far, far better than its predecessor, the murder mystery was engaging, bizarre and thrilling this time and I wasn’t bored at any point or felt my thoughts wander. Our two friends slash romantic partners, an investigator and a metaphysician, have become one of my favorite duos in a very short time, their relationship feels organic and natural, unsentimental and believable.The writing is excellent, fresh a...

This was even more enjoyable than the first one. While the first book did have a murder that was committed with magic, the motive could still have been from a regular mystery. This one has magic and murder much more intertwined and the plot simply wouldn't work in a non-fantastical world. That means the solution wasn't quite as predictable this time.The atmosphere also feels much more Victorian than Death by Silver (and don't we all love some proper Victorian fog? With perhaps some sinister (vie...

Holy heck.Okay it's now 3am, and I stayed up reading this because leaving the metaphysical issue mid-resolution would have kept me up anyway. I rather like my metaphysical issues resolved so the more paranoid parts of my mind can't agonize on "but what if they ARE real, and out there, and going to get you?" which it rather will anyway, but getting myself to the resolution hopefully will help mitigate that. Thomas Harris by way of Hannibal (TV) rather hit the nail on the head when Alanna said fe...

I'm a big fan of Melissa Scott's Astreiant series, so I didn't hesitate to read Death by Silver when I found it, and as soon as I had I was desperate for a sequel. And now there is A Death at the Dionysus Club - hurrah! I don't know the second author, Amy Griswold, at all outside of these two books (and must clearly remedy that), but one thing I love about Scott's Astreiant is her world-building, and the world inhabited by Ned Mathey and Julian Lynes is just as wonderful. It's an alternative Vic...

After demolishing the second novel in this brilliant series I am left truly left wanting more. Ned Mathey and Julian Lynes are old school friends and lovers in victorian England. The book is extremely special because the authors craft these two men, who must navigate creating a life together in a world that will never see them as lovers. But this crucial theme of the book is overlooked and is definitely not the overt focus of the novel. it is ever present but interwoven into the complex action o...

Fantastic sequel to Death by Silver.Ned and Julian as a couple are getting there, and the magical mystery in this book feels slightly more complicated.The feeling of an other worldly London is beautifully evoked, as is the society that Julian mainly, but now by association Ned, inhabits. I loved the language , some minor niggles -sidewalk instead of pavement ? Ned and Julian work beautifully as detectives and romantically, and the removal of some of their relationship doubts pleased me no end.Th...

I do declare this second book is even better than the 1st one Death by Silver (Julian Lynes and Ned Mathey series Book 1) in this series. As in the 1st book, I enjoy the well crafted setting of Victorian London. I love that the writers have taken the guys' British reserved romance, restrained by the times, to a more realistic level where they are forced to examine their feelings if what they have is to survive. Both guys are such charming characters, Julian the more rebellious one with less rega...

Loved it. Hope there is more to come in this series.

Just as good as the first book. Great magical mystery, and the romance is lovely. I wish there were more of this - as it is, I will give The Astreiant series a try instead. ETA: I finished listening to the audiobook and if anything, I like it even better now. I adore Julian and Ned, and while there is suspense and drama, it has a very understated feeling to it that I just love. I still haven't gotten around to reading the Astreiant series but I will start it during my holidays.