Deadlier Than the Pen: A Diana Spaulding Mystery

In a new series by Kathy Lynn Emerson we enter the world of New York's Newspaper Row. Protagonist Diana Spaulding is a widow who must support herself. There are not many opportunities open to women in 1888. Diana is given a job to write for the Independent Intelligence by a brother of a friend. Her hopes are to be a serious journalist, but editor Horatio Foxe has the idea that scandal and gossip is the ticket to higher newspaper sales. Her new assignment is to dig up dirt on horror author Damon Bathory. Two female journalists have murdered and Bathory seems like a plausible suspect. As Diana launches her investigation into Bathory's life, she is inexplicably drawn to the man which is a problem if he is a possible murderer. Kathy Lynn Emerson has created two extremely likable characters with a lot of chemistry together. The set up of the characters and story were very compelling. The early part of the story was a real page-turner. The book started to drag a bit in the middle especially with the introduction of the theater troupe characters. There was a bit too much going on that extraneous to the story. This was a very promising debut of a new series that looks to be as good as the DOWN UNDER series.

Deadlier Than The Pen is a truly riveting mystery is set in the crime ridden world of 1888 New York City where more than a dozen newspapers are locked in a sometimes violent competition for their share of the reading public and someone has murdered two journalists. Diana Spaulding is a newspaper reporter assigned by her editor to find out just who or what is behind these killings. Could it be handsome Damon Bathory who has made his name as an author of horror fantasy fiction? Kathy Lynn Emerson is an accomplished author and Deadlier Than The Pen is her most imaginative mystery yet!