No One Would Do What The Lamberts Have Done by Sophie Hannah

This novel is unlike anything I’ve read before. It’s a book about a book, told by an unnamed writer who recounts the outrageous story of the Lamberts: Sally, Mark, their children Rhiannon and Tobes, and their beloved dog, Champs. But Champs isn’t just a pet. In Sally’s eyes, he is more than family.

The trouble begins when a policeman arrives at the Lamberts’ home with shocking news. Champs has been accused of biting Tess Gavey, their prickly neighbor. Devastated, Sally is swept into a bizarre escape party organized by Corinne Sullivan, another eccentric neighbor. From there, everything spirals wildly out of control.

The Gaveys are portrayed as overreacting, callous, and repulsive, but it’s the Lamberts, with their chaotic, surreal, and magnetic antics, who steal the show. Honestly, they deserve a movie series of their own. Their ridiculous adventures make the whole situation feel even crazier.

What fascinated me most was Sophie Hannah’s balancing act. So much of the story feels painfully real, yet just as much is deliberately distorted, filtered through the lens of an unreliable narrator. I was constantly asking myself what’s true, what’s fabricated, and who can be trusted.

This was my first Sophie Hannah novel, and despite the mixed reviews I’d seen beforehand, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Her writing is sharp, playful, and unnerving all at once. For its originality and wit, I’d give it 4.5 ⭐

A Beautiful and Terrible Murder by Claire M. Andrews

Set in 1872, this story takes us to Oxford University, divided into two colleges: All Souls, reserved for the most brilliant men chosen once a decade to compete for Queen Victoria’s favor with Sherlock Holmes and James Moriarty among them. And Lady Margaret, where women finally gain a foothold in academia.

At the center is Irene Adler, living a double life as Isaac Holland. The illegitimate daughter of opera singer and courtesan Elena Adler, Irene is unwillingly brought from France by her father into the shadow of the Moriarty name. Despite the suffocating misogyny of the era, she rises as one of Oxford’s sharpest minds.

But brilliance soon gives way to horror. Students begin to die one by one, their deaths increasingly suspicious, rattling Oxford to its core and casting a heavy fog of dread. Someone is framing both Isaac and Holmes, and Irene suddenly finds her every move under scrutiny. Red herrings abound so many that at times I felt overwhelmed, even as the pacing kept me turning the pages. Holmes doesn’t stand out much here, but that’s understandable given the focus.

Overall, A Beautiful and Terrible Murder delivers atmosphere, suspense, and intrigue in abundance. Though the sheer number of red herrings may test your patience, the tension of Irene’s double life and the gothic Oxford setting kept me hooked until the end.