[Mrs. Y Reviews] In All Innocents by C.A Asbury

Cover pic via Goodreads

I am so fortunate to be a reviewer who has been following a series almost as long as it has been in existence. Today I am doing a much requested and needed review for those following, of C.A Asbury's, "In All Innocents" which is the 4th book in "The Innocent Mystery Series"

To start with, C.A Asbury had no idea I was going to read or review this, it's something I picked up on my own and I read to give an honest review. This was on Kindle Unlimited, and I highly recommend if you have KU that you pick the series up. If you would like to read my previous reviews, please do. C.A Asbury writes some amazing stories so, I'm sure you can tell why I picked this up.

Now onto the first impressions. The thing that had me utterly delighted was that the consistency in the previous stories has remained in this one. The hook for this book was just as wonderful as the previous ones, and I was so happy to get a glimpse into the life of Abi, Nate, and Jake. I was so happy to see the newest member of the Innocent's gang, and she's a wonderful character. She brings a lot of life into the story in subtle ways.

On to the critiquing portion of my reviews, and I am going with a "Whole Story" critique. It's not a major problem, but it is there. The story is not written like a normal 3 or 5 act story. Instead, this is the main story that has two separate stories at the end. The two separate stories intertwine together and feel like an episodic adventure. That's not the critique, I am just explaining so that I can give the point I need to make. My issue is that neither of the two separate stories has a true ending. I think the reason for this is to tie into a fifth story, but I wasn't particularly enjoying how the abrupt endings to both plot points came.

Now, with that out of the way, let me go into what I truly enjoyed about "In All Innocents". First under the "Story Structure, Foundation and Presentation" portion of my reviews, I am pleased with how the story is plotted and structured. Aside from my critique about the missing end caps, the fun part of the main adventure/mystery was a full story and it leads to the other parts. I also was so very pleased with how well it was edited. I don't think I've ever had any issue with anything C.A Asbury writes. I don't have eye bending issues, or problems with punctuation either, and the margins are beautiful. The experience of reading an "Innocent" novel, is just as worth wild as the amazing story in it. That in and of itself is a huge compliment.

Lastly, my favorite thing about "In All Innocents" is the factual realism that is in the story. C.A Asbury writes stories that feel as though they were pulled from the pages of long-forgotten newspapers or dime novels of the Victorian era. Nothing about her writing comes across inappropriate, and she always finds a way to tie a modern idea to something that happened in the past. I love a story that does not preach but is a thoughtful exploration into the past so that I can reflect on the present.

Score
And so with all of that in mind, I am pleased to score "In All Innocents" with a score of 95/100 which is a five-star review on Amazon and Goodreads. This is a great story for anyone who already has read the series, but it also is perfect if you love historical fiction, romance, or stories with a strong female protagonist in a series.