The Mad Hatter’s Son

January 14, 2021 - By Corinne Rodrigues

Mystery novels are fast becoming my favourite genre and I couldn’t pass in the chance to read and review three books from the Anne Collin’s Mystery Series by Helen Starbuck. Today, I’m reviewing the first of these – The Mad Hatter’s son. The Burden of Hate and No Pity In Death will follow over the next few days.

The Mad Hatter’s Son

Curiosity killed the cat, so the saying goes, and it may end up killing operating room nurse Annie Collins. Annie’s estranged friend Libby Matheisen needs Annie’s help to discover what is causing her vague, puzzling symptoms. Unwillingly drawn into her friend’s life, Annie must discover whether Libby is really ill or if there is a hidden agenda. Faced with Libby’s apparent suicide, Annie is unable to stop asking questions to uncover the truth about her illness and death. The answers to these questions don’t come without a price, and pursuing the mystery of Libby’s death threatens to end her life as well. Friends change, love betrays, and the end results are never what you anticipate.

Find out why the BookLife Prize called The Mad Hatter’s Son“An outstanding debut,” and it was the winner of The National Indie Excellence Book Awards mystery category.

Book Details:

Book Title: The Mad Hatter’s Son (An Annie Collins Mystery #1) by Helen Starbuck
Category:  Adult Fiction (18+), 285 pages
Genre:  Mystery
Publisher:  Routt Street Press
Release date:  2018
Format available for review: ebook (Gifted Kinde, PDF), audiobook (audible download)
Tour dates: Jan 13 to Feb 9, 2021
Content Rating: R. Two explicit sex scenes, profanity, medical scenes.

My review

A novel about a tenuous friendship, extra marital affairs, three murders and a a friend who is driven by a quest to resolve the mysterious deaths and begins to act as an amateur sleuth.

I enjoyed reading this somewhat predictable mystery. While I guessed quite early who the perpetrator might be, I had to keep reading to the end to see it I was right!

I think that an author’s task is not to create perfect characters but to create characters that are both relatable and who evoke emotions in the reader. Annie with her naiveite and neediness is often irritating and I wanted to reach within the pages and shake her up at times. But she’s also brave and relentless in her pursuit of the truth.

I’m waiting to see where the author takes us in the next book and how Annie’s character evolves and if anything comes of her relationship with Angel, who clearly loves her!

Overall, the book kept me engaged and entertained.

Buy The Mad Hatter’s Son

Amazon ~ Audible
B&N ~ BAM

Meet the Author:

Helen Starbuck is a Colorado native, former OR nurse, and award-winning author of the standalone romantic suspense novel Legacy of Secrets, and the Annie Collins Mystery Series. She loves mysteries, suspense, romance, and any book that is well written. She’s a huge fan of books with independent, strong, women characters and, as Neil Gaiman says, “…stories where women save themselves.”

Connect with the author:

Website ~ Facebook ~ Twitter ~Instagram ~ Pinterest ~ Goodreads