Review of A Peculiar Combination by Ashley Weaver

 I spent a delightful afternoon and evening with Ashley Weaver’s historical novel, A Peculiar Combination, set in London shortly after the beginning of World War II. The characters are quirky and likable, so much so that I’m going to be looking for the next book in Ms. Weaver’s Electra McDonnell series, of which A Peculiar Combination is the first.    

My only quibble, the one bit that stopped me for a second or so, was the use of an anachronistic phrase by one of the characters: “…lose your cool…”, an expression dating to 1966, long after the period of A Peculiar Combination. Most readers won’t notice it. Picky of me? Yes. Make that, “very picky”. I like historical novels but I’m quite often annoyed by a clunky phrase or historical inaccuracy even in novels I otherwise enjoy. Clearly, Ms. Weaver has done a good job of research as well as of plotting and writing.

A Peculiar Combination should appeal to anyone who likes Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs novels. Ms. Weaver’s book is lighter in tone but sometimes one wants dessert, and this is it.

A Peculiar Combination was released on May 11, 2021. I received an ARC from Netgalley for an unbiased review.