A Study in Revenge is the second book by Kieran Shields that features Percival Grey and his adventures in 19th century Maine. Filled with wonderful detail about the time period and combined with good characters, the story is an interesting mystery. 

Unfortunately the story lags a little; it really seems like this story is an extended appendix of Shields’ first book in the series, The Truth of All Things.  This makes this story unenjoyable unless you have read the previous book.   

Because the writing is good and the characters and time period are well-researched, the book should appeal to fans of the historical mystery/crime drama, but the first book must be read to understand or enjoy the second.

Content Analysis:

Language/Profanity:  2 religious exclamations; 21 mild obscenities; 2 religious profanities; 2 derogatory names; 2 scatological words.

Violence/Gore:  Character is murdered with a hand gun, later body is exhumed and burned–gory and descriptive in nature; character is murdered by long range rifle shot; several hand to hand fight scenes (mainly fist fights), one fight with a knife: characters are beaten badly and one is stabbed; re-accounting of a previous investigation in which a character commits suicide by lighting themselves on fire and then jumping off a cliff, non-descriptive; neighborhood is destroyed by a flood killing several people; accounts of battles in the Revolutionary War.

Sex/Nudity:  Several romantic or flirtatious scenes among adults; one reported sexual encounter without explicit details.

Mature Subject Matter:

Murder, blackmail, racism, slavery, U.S. Civil War, bigotry. 

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Smoking and drinking by adults.