The Undertakers
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- Create Date：2021-12-31 09:51:16
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Nicole Glover
- ISBN：1529102081
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Summary
THE CONDUCTOR'S FILM RIGHTS NOW OPTIONED BY QUEEN LATIFAH
In the exciting sequel to The Conductors， and the second book in the Murder & Magic series of historical fantasy novels set in post-Civil war Philadelphia， Hetty Rhodes and her husband， Benjy face a case bigger and more dangerous than anything they've handled before。
___________________________________
Freedom comes at a cost。。。
Hetty and Benjy have another death on their hands: Raimond Duval， a victim of one of the many fires consuming Philadelphia。 His death is officially declared an accident， but Hetty and Benjy smell something more than just ash in the air。 Their investigations point to a powerful Fire Company， known to let homes in the Black community burn to the ground， but before they can investigate further， Raimond's son， Valentine， is also found dead。
It quickly becomes clear that there is something more here， something that connects Raimond and Valentine to the recent fires plaguing the city， and Hetty and Benjy have never been the kind to step aside。
But this feels larger than the cases that have come before and now their lives hang in the balance。
After all， even the most powerful magic can't hold back the ghosts of the past。
In the exciting sequel to The Conductors， and the second book in the Murder & Magic series of historical fantasy novels set in post-Civil war Philadelphia， Hetty Rhodes and her husband， Benjy face a case bigger and more dangerous than anything they've handled before。
___________________________________
Freedom comes at a cost。。。
Hetty and Benjy have another death on their hands: Raimond Duval， a victim of one of the many fires consuming Philadelphia。 His death is officially declared an accident， but Hetty and Benjy smell something more than just ash in the air。 Their investigations point to a powerful Fire Company， known to let homes in the Black community burn to the ground， but before they can investigate further， Raimond's son， Valentine， is also found dead。
It quickly becomes clear that there is something more here， something that connects Raimond and Valentine to the recent fires plaguing the city， and Hetty and Benjy have never been the kind to step aside。
But this feels larger than the cases that have come before and now their lives hang in the balance。
After all， even the most powerful magic can't hold back the ghosts of the past。
Reviews
Matt
，
Hetty and Benjy are settling into their lives as funeral home owners， but a rash of fires in town keeps them regularly engaging their work as community problem solvers and murder investigators。 All roads lead to the past in this highly engaging sequel。 Warning - you will want book three immediately。
Tim Hicks
，
The blurb says "exciting。" I didn't find it so in the pages I got through。 OK， I hadn't realized it was #2 but the author did a good job of starting this one off so it didn't matter。 First I got lost in the time-jumping。 Then I thought the magic was a tad loosey-goosey。 Constellation 1 gallops， #2 starts fires， 。。。 doesn't seem to cost the practitioner anything to cast it， not much about scalability， range， power， etc。 I frowned hard when we were told that the balloon can be precisely steered be The blurb says "exciting。" I didn't find it so in the pages I got through。 OK， I hadn't realized it was #2 but the author did a good job of starting this one off so it didn't matter。 First I got lost in the time-jumping。 Then I thought the magic was a tad loosey-goosey。 Constellation 1 gallops， #2 starts fires， 。。。 doesn't seem to cost the practitioner anything to cast it， not much about scalability， range， power， etc。 I frowned hard when we were told that the balloon can be precisely steered because of "certain modifications" that Benjy made。 （Who is this guy， Tom Swift？ Super-nice， good magician， engineer， and probably a great baker too。） I thought of Gail Carriger explaining how she did weeks of research to find out whether one could fly from London to Alexandria by balloon， and if so how long it would take。 And， though we weren't told， it seems that they flew the balloon back the way they came， so they must have the ability to go upwind as well as steer。 SO we have a powered airship， not a balloon。 Even fantasy gots rules。 And 。。 too many characters， too much back-and-forth chat， and - as others noted - scenes that left me thinking "what just happened there？" because somehow it felt as if some of the words were missing。 It was more tiring than inspiring。 But I'll just say it wasn't the book I needed at the time， and maybe we just don't fit together。 。。。more
Annemieke / A Dance with Books
，
Thank you to Mariner Books and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review。 This does not change my opinion in anyway。 As you might have caught in at the start of the year， I loved The Conductors， the first Murder and Magic book。 I didn't love The Undertakers as much but it was still a good sequel。 The Undertakers takes place a few months after the events of The Conductors。 They have started their undertaking business from Oliver's old place who still sometimes helps them。 Unf Thank you to Mariner Books and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review。 This does not change my opinion in anyway。 As you might have caught in at the start of the year， I loved The Conductors， the first Murder and Magic book。 I didn't love The Undertakers as much but it was still a good sequel。 The Undertakers takes place a few months after the events of The Conductors。 They have started their undertaking business from Oliver's old place who still sometimes helps them。 Unfortunately they aren't getting that much business。 But murder always find its way to their doorstep。 The mystery itself didn't feel quite as interesting until all the puzzle pieces dropped and it seems to hold a connection to their and Jay's background （Jay and Cora being the two who took Hetty in after she escaped as a slave）。 But as always the intricate weaves between Hetty and all the characters around her always hook me in。 Hetty （nor Benji） are very tactical and sometimes that does stand between them and others when a situation arrises。 As most as I enjoyed reading this book I felt that the few chapters we got of the past （with one of the new characters in this book） were messy。 Unlike in the first book it did not feel like we were following a story of their past but snippets of scenes。 It didn't feel quite right。 。。。more
Nelda
，
I read the first book "Conductors，" and though I didn't love it， I thought it had a lot of potential。 When I saw this book， I was hoping that the author expanded a bit more and fixed some of the tweaks I had in my head。 However， it felt like a lot of filler with historical and contextual writing。 The "mystery" still didn't feel like an actual mystery which was some of my faults with "Conductors"。 I also don't like the relationship between Hetty and Benjy。 I completely understand how and why it's I read the first book "Conductors，" and though I didn't love it， I thought it had a lot of potential。 When I saw this book， I was hoping that the author expanded a bit more and fixed some of the tweaks I had in my head。 However， it felt like a lot of filler with historical and contextual writing。 The "mystery" still didn't feel like an actual mystery which was some of my faults with "Conductors"。 I also don't like the relationship between Hetty and Benjy。 I completely understand how and why it's written the way it is， but I still don't like it and hoped for more development on that front as well in book two。 This story did feel a bit much like a reprise rather than a sequel， and I found it hard to push through。 I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Gretchen
，
Second was better than the first。 Still a few too many characters for my taste。 It's just hard to keep up with everyone and where they belong or came from。 Second was better than the first。 Still a few too many characters for my taste。 It's just hard to keep up with everyone and where they belong or came from。 。。。more
Arlene
，
4。5 stars
E W
，
I will admit， I picked up Glover’s first novel in this series （The Conductors） thinking it was something else: I do not normally go in for books about magic。 But Glover’s story was so inventive and engaging， I kept reading and enjoyed it—and similarly enjoyed this second installment， The Undertakers。 It is well-researched and， like all good history-mysteries， conveys a lot of facts in an imaginative format。 The magic element is both part of the entertainment and， of course， a metaphor for the fr I will admit， I picked up Glover’s first novel in this series （The Conductors） thinking it was something else: I do not normally go in for books about magic。 But Glover’s story was so inventive and engaging， I kept reading and enjoyed it—and similarly enjoyed this second installment， The Undertakers。 It is well-researched and， like all good history-mysteries， conveys a lot of facts in an imaginative format。 The magic element is both part of the entertainment and， of course， a metaphor for the freedom and autonomy that had been actively suppressed in slavery。 And preserving the right to exercise that freedom post-Emancipation requires a constant vigilance， as Glover illustrates。 Well done。 。。。more
Clara
，
I like this series。 I do not love it。 I much preferred the second book to the first， but the series in general suffers from a kind of weightlessness related to the worldbuilding， the characters， and their motivations。 The basic ideas are good and I am along for a somewhat muddled ride in an interesting world。 But the muddled nature of a lot of things makes this book ok but not great for me。Hetty is a likeable protagonist who is incredibly frustrating。 I am generally pretty down for this kind of I like this series。 I do not love it。 I much preferred the second book to the first， but the series in general suffers from a kind of weightlessness related to the worldbuilding， the characters， and their motivations。 The basic ideas are good and I am along for a somewhat muddled ride in an interesting world。 But the muddled nature of a lot of things makes this book ok but not great for me。Hetty is a likeable protagonist who is incredibly frustrating。 I am generally pretty down for this kind of thing。 However I never think it's clear why she says or does what she does。 She can be hot tempered and cruel but without the motivation behind it， she just feels somewhat one note。 I don't get a huge sense of how her and her husband's relationship works beyond: He's super hot， very independent， they love each other。 He's always right？ The found family that Benjy and Hetty find are too interchangeable， I can never keep any of them straight。 They seem tolerant of Hetty's flaws， but otherwise will drop anything and everything for her。 They don't have a ton of other attributes beyond that。Otherwise， people will do things that seem totally unforgivable or insane。 One of the worst examples being: This person might be a target for assassiation， I will leave you a note and leave and say casually， Well take a look at my notes and sidle out the door。 It's more suspenseful， but I am not sure that anyone who was not a sociopath would behave like this。 Similarly， Hetty gets almost killed by a random stranger， who on the next page is like， Oops， my bad， lol。 And that's it？I think the world is cool and each book gets better than the last。 The Conductors really suffered from being too pulled back in time to Hetty and Benjy's Conductor days。 This book allows them to come out from under that weight and do more in their present。 Hopefully the author will continue to allow the characters to come into their own。 I will probably end up reading Glover's next。 However， that will probably be when I have nothing else to read。 But this series has the potential to be so much more than it is right now。 。。。more
Kristin Sledge
，
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。The Undertakers brings us back into the world of celestial magic and married investigators（and undertakers） Benji and Hettie。 When fires are popping up all over the African American neighborhoods can Hettie and Benji find the answer or will their future go up in flames？I honestly adore this universe。 The celestial magic is such an awesome and original system， and integrating it into African American heritage is Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review。The Undertakers brings us back into the world of celestial magic and married investigators（and undertakers） Benji and Hettie。 When fires are popping up all over the African American neighborhoods can Hettie and Benji find the answer or will their future go up in flames？I honestly adore this universe。 The celestial magic is such an awesome and original system， and integrating it into African American heritage is such a treat。 The backstory and pieces of the underground railroad and escaping slavery are great insights that can spark interest and cause younger generations to do their own research on such a brave time in American history。 The mystery in this novel was not as interesting as the previous one（in my opinion） but there is plenty about this series to keep you enraptured page after page。 Benji and Hettie's love is written in the stars（pun intended） and adds a piece of romance for those who love a good couple to ship。Four stars for our star magicians（see what I did there？） I look forward to seeing where Hettie and Benji have in store for them in the future。 I recommend this series for anyone 10+， especially those who are interested in history but like a magical twist。 。。。more
Doris
，
This was an interesting book， with historical facts and events woven skillfully in so that the discerning reader either nods or goes to check facts。 Many of the facts are not readily ascertainable， but I laud the skill with which the author uses them。 I enjoyed the banter between the characters - it made them more real， and gives this reader a reason to like or dislike said character。 The only issue I had was with the resolution of the multiple mysteries， although it was smoothly written。 If I h This was an interesting book， with historical facts and events woven skillfully in so that the discerning reader either nods or goes to check facts。 Many of the facts are not readily ascertainable， but I laud the skill with which the author uses them。 I enjoyed the banter between the characters - it made them more real， and gives this reader a reason to like or dislike said character。 The only issue I had was with the resolution of the multiple mysteries， although it was smoothly written。 If I had to ask for one change， it would be that the characters themselves were not all either challenging or passive - give a few people who are not just side characters that are likeable but tough， brave but not foolishly so。 Some of my favorite characters were of course Hetty and Benji， but also Sy， and the irascible Miss Bernice Tanner。 And I liked that the main duo were willing to change their business sign。 。。。more
Abigail Pankau
，
A string of fires in Reconstruction Philadelphia has Hetty and Benjy worried。 This might just be another of the bigoted acts means to drive out Blacks from nicer neighborhoods， but they wonder if the fires might be connected to the mysterious death of Raimond Duval a few months previously。 Along with thefts of magical items and rediscovered tunnels that seem to be connected， someone from Hetty and Benjy’s past has returned。 All of these things are too much of a coincidence， and they soon find th A string of fires in Reconstruction Philadelphia has Hetty and Benjy worried。 This might just be another of the bigoted acts means to drive out Blacks from nicer neighborhoods， but they wonder if the fires might be connected to the mysterious death of Raimond Duval a few months previously。 Along with thefts of magical items and rediscovered tunnels that seem to be connected， someone from Hetty and Benjy’s past has returned。 All of these things are too much of a coincidence， and they soon find themselves trying to uncover the larger plot of what is happening in their city and threatening their friends。 This was a very fun mystery， with lots of magic and excitement and some nice character moments too。 The world-building is excellent with its own magic system， and lots of details of daily struggles of non-Whites in Reconstruction Era。 I liked the mystery in this one better than the first book， and it was a joy to see all the pieces come together for the conclusion。 Hoping that there will be more in this series。 。。。more
Kenzie Mills
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Just as good as the first！
ghost-hermione
，
I had this book as an ARC through Netgalley。 I'd read the first one in paper and it was good enough （although riddled with typos and missing words） so i wanted to see if the second was even better。 I also assumed the typos etc were a printing issue so the ebook would solve that。But the second volume is no better when it comes to copyedits - there are missing words， extra words， grammatical mistakes which make it hard to read。 A chapter or so will be fine then you have 3 in one paragraph。。。On top I had this book as an ARC through Netgalley。 I'd read the first one in paper and it was good enough （although riddled with typos and missing words） so i wanted to see if the second was even better。 I also assumed the typos etc were a printing issue so the ebook would solve that。But the second volume is no better when it comes to copyedits - there are missing words， extra words， grammatical mistakes which make it hard to read。 A chapter or so will be fine then you have 3 in one paragraph。。。On top of that， while I love the concept， I find that the murder mysteries are confusing。 It's not that they're convoluted but that we're missing context to piece it together ourselves as a reader， and the facts of the case are not satisfactorily linked。 The characters seem to understand what's going on but as a reader you're left thinking "what just happened？" and "how does that even work" because you don't know all they know and i find that annoying in a mystery。 The magic system is intriguing but it also doesn't seem to follow much of any rules， and I really liked the flashback chapters but that's about it。 The main characters also have conflicts with their friends that make little sense， and they're not as likeable as they were in the first book。 Overall I was expecting it to only get better from a promising debut， but it got worse。 I stopped at around 60% because I don't see me dragging myself through the rest of it。 。。。more
Ahtiya （BookinItWithAhtiya）
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🌟4。5🌟
Bess
，
Oooh can’t wait for the next one！！！
Laurie
，
As much as I loved the first book in this series I think this one might be even better。 Once again Hetty and Benji are right in the middle of murder and intrigue while also trying to build their new business and and work various magical mysteries。 This is such a fun series and I can't wait for the next book。 As much as I loved the first book in this series I think this one might be even better。 Once again Hetty and Benji are right in the middle of murder and intrigue while also trying to build their new business and and work various magical mysteries。 This is such a fun series and I can't wait for the next book。 。。。more
Jelena Milašinović
，
Like its predecessor， Nicole Gover's The Undertakers is a fascinatingly magical murder mystery in addition to being a comfortable， enjoyable feel-good book。 The story is a patchwork of little stories that vary from everyday things， things that happened in the main character's past that connect to the present mystery。 And no matter which aspect the author chooses to focus on in a chapter every topic from the domestic to the thrilling is equally enjoyable to read。 Like its predecessor， Nicole Gover's The Undertakers is a fascinatingly magical murder mystery in addition to being a comfortable， enjoyable feel-good book。 The story is a patchwork of little stories that vary from everyday things， things that happened in the main character's past that connect to the present mystery。 And no matter which aspect the author chooses to focus on in a chapter every topic from the domestic to the thrilling is equally enjoyable to read。 。。。more
Celia
，
Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review！I almost didn't finish this book， because something about the beginning just couldn't keep my attention。。。 But I'm glad I went back and gave it a second chance。 I enjoyed THE CONDUCTORS， but somehow felt as if I had been dropped into a party where I barely knew the hosts' names for the first chapter or so of THE UNDERTAKERS。 One of the things that kept me coming back and kept me around to finish THE UNDERTAKER Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner books for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review！I almost didn't finish this book， because something about the beginning just couldn't keep my attention。。。 But I'm glad I went back and gave it a second chance。 I enjoyed THE CONDUCTORS， but somehow felt as if I had been dropped into a party where I barely knew the hosts' names for the first chapter or so of THE UNDERTAKERS。 One of the things that kept me coming back and kept me around to finish THE UNDERTAKERS was Glover's obvious attention to detail and care for Reconstruction-era Philadelphia。 This is the kind of historical fantasy that even I can get into， when it's a genre that usually doesn't do it for me！The magical mystery here won't be too much of a surprise for readers of mystery， so I can easily imagine this being a comfort read for genre fans。 There's enough going on （tons of characters， multiple plots that may or may not converge， flashbacks to fill in the reader and clue them in to what's coming next） that sometimes I had to pause and think back as to whether a character or （mis）adventure mentioned had actually come up in THE CONDUCTORS or if it was something new and merely an aside。Glover clearly has enough content to make this an extensive series， and I hope she gets the opportunity– and maybe fleshes out some of the other cases that are mentioned so we can see more of these side characters。 Sy-focused novella maybe？ Ella-focused novella？Good recommendation for those mystery-lovers who want a little more magic and a little more history in their murder intrigues。 。。。more
Groucho42
，
A bit of a sophomore jinx; but not terrible， just flat。 Hetty and Benjy are hunting down why some magical arson's are happening and fall into a bigger plot that involves an enemy from the war years。 The core plot is ok， but the villain thread is too standard。 Meanwhile， the ancillary character advance only slightly。 A bit of a sophomore jinx; but not terrible， just flat。 Hetty and Benjy are hunting down why some magical arson's are happening and fall into a bigger plot that involves an enemy from the war years。 The core plot is ok， but the villain thread is too standard。 Meanwhile， the ancillary character advance only slightly。 。。。more
Victoria Colotta
，
My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A captivating fantasy grounded in rich historical detail with a little murder on the side。THE UNDERTAKERS brings us back into the world of the Murder & Magic series with more cases for Hetty and Benjy to solve。 In this sequel， Glover manages to maintain the same freshness and uniqueness as she weaves together another brilliantly conceived story。 Filled with richly developed characters， this novel continues to have a wonderful blend of a historical mystery with fant My Highly Caffeinated Thought: A captivating fantasy grounded in rich historical detail with a little murder on the side。THE UNDERTAKERS brings us back into the world of the Murder & Magic series with more cases for Hetty and Benjy to solve。 In this sequel， Glover manages to maintain the same freshness and uniqueness as she weaves together another brilliantly conceived story。 Filled with richly developed characters， this novel continues to have a wonderful blend of a historical mystery with fantasy elements。 The way the author weaves everything together is so seamless that there is never a moment where it doesn’t read as being honest or true。 Even with the magic used by Hetty， Benjy， and their friends， the narrative is grounded in the time period， the issues being brought up after the Civil war， and the characters themselves to deliver a compelling mystery。 To say that I am in love with this series is an understatement。 I binge-read both books within a week and could have read more。 With magic， murder investigations， hidden treasure， and a historical setting， it checks off every box for me。Reviewer Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。Highly Caffeinated Rating of… ☕ ☕ ☕ ☕✦ ✦ ✦ ✦Follow the Art， Books， & Coffee: Website | Facebook Group | Instagram✦ ✦ ✦ ✦ 。。。more
Mary Carter
，
Hetty and Benjamin find the sapphires。
Allison
，
Found family continues to be the backbone of this Reconstruction-era historical fantasy series。 It's a living history with both sweeping narratives and clever details to show the scope of the period。 It just happens to include the extra feature of celestial magic with side helpings of poisons and enchantments。 I was amused by the addition of baseball on broomsticks to the ambiance in this one。 It's also a mystery with a cipher， many interconnected personal histories， stolen magical objects， and Found family continues to be the backbone of this Reconstruction-era historical fantasy series。 It's a living history with both sweeping narratives and clever details to show the scope of the period。 It just happens to include the extra feature of celestial magic with side helpings of poisons and enchantments。 I was amused by the addition of baseball on broomsticks to the ambiance in this one。 It's also a mystery with a cipher， many interconnected personal histories， stolen magical objects， and murders most foul。One thing I appreciate about this book is the representation。 In addition to a mostly Black cast， the series also shines a light on many queer identities， boasting atrans man， two men in a long-term， committed relationship， and the glimmerings of a sapphic romance on the horizon。 Another strength is our bold protagonist， Hetty。 She knows her strengths and isn't afraid to take action。 She's also fiercely loyal and stubborn， qualities both cherished and cursed by her friends。 I also appreciated seeing the growing pains in the group in this book。 Hetty struggles with feeling distanced from her loved ones and insecure about being left out of secrets and confidences。 There were some other aspects of the book I cared for less。 It felt more like a reverberation of aftershocks from the first book at some points than an event of its own。 There was also a lack of romantic tension now that the questions from the first book have been resolved， and that was a big part of the draw for me。 Finally， I appreciate the complex mess of clues in our murder mystery for keeping things from getting too obvious， but they were a bit convoluted and hard to follow at times。 I think it diminished any sense of urgency and stole the thunder from its own big reveal。You're a fan of historical fantasy that has a critical eye and a great cast of characters， you'll find this series worth your while。 。。。more
Jessica
，
I was provided a free copy of this from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 This is the sequel to The Conductors。 Set in a post American Civil War time where magic is common， although also feared， we are once again following Hetty and Benjy as they run their business and work to solve the mysteries that seem to follow them！ Some of the same struggles I had with the first one （that I gave four stars） were also present here。 There are A LOT of characters。 And it is often hard to keep trac I was provided a free copy of this from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review。 This is the sequel to The Conductors。 Set in a post American Civil War time where magic is common， although also feared， we are once again following Hetty and Benjy as they run their business and work to solve the mysteries that seem to follow them！ Some of the same struggles I had with the first one （that I gave four stars） were also present here。 There are A LOT of characters。 And it is often hard to keep track of who they are， what their motives might be， and their history。 I also struggled with the quick wrap up of things。 There was a lot going on to be wrapped up so quickly。 I enjoyed the relationship between Hetty and Benjy， and enjoyed the growth of the relationships with their friends。。。 But again， everyone seemed to be a suspect and hiding things！ 🤣I would definitely recommend reading the first to get more of the back story of the characters， and if you enjoy it， then give this one a try too。 It was published last week， so it's available now for purchase！ #NetGalley #TheUndertakers 。。。more
laurel [the suspected bibliophile]
，
I dunno how to rate this one。 It felt like a lot of filler and the mystery was very easily wrapped up。 Which is disappointing because I absolutely adored the first one， but this one felt like much the same story but longer and more convoluted （and quickly solved）。I did， however， appreciate the sheer amount of research that went into this book （Glover has this incredible talent for bringing 19th century Philadelphia to life）， and I loved the queer inclusion spread so thoroughly through it。Full RT I dunno how to rate this one。 It felt like a lot of filler and the mystery was very easily wrapped up。 Which is disappointing because I absolutely adored the first one， but this one felt like much the same story but longer and more convoluted （and quickly solved）。I did， however， appreciate the sheer amount of research that went into this book （Glover has this incredible talent for bringing 19th century Philadelphia to life）， and I loved the queer inclusion spread so thoroughly through it。Full RTC。I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review 。。。more
Caitie
，
"This mystery-solving business is rather fun， even if it's a bit dangerous at times。"A good second installment of this series。 These books are something that I've never encountered before and I'm glad that I picked them up！ I think that Nicole Glover mixes post-Civil War era history and magic well。 I love some history and like that Hetty and Benjy take it upon themselves to help everyone in their neighborhood in Philadelphia。 I highly recommend this series！ "This mystery-solving business is rather fun， even if it's a bit dangerous at times。"A good second installment of this series。 These books are something that I've never encountered before and I'm glad that I picked them up！ I think that Nicole Glover mixes post-Civil War era history and magic well。 I love some history and like that Hetty and Benjy take it upon themselves to help everyone in their neighborhood in Philadelphia。 I highly recommend this series！ 。。。more
Zamora Logan
，
It felt great to get back to the world of Hetty and Benjy Rhodes！ One of the things that Nicole Glover does amazingly well is creating and developing characters that are easy to fall in love with and relate to。 As this book developed I appreciated learning more about Hetty and Benjy and seeing their relationship continue to bloom。 Another angle I appreciated from Nicole Glover is the attention to detail historically and in the crafting of the mystery。 Kudos to her for all of her research and not It felt great to get back to the world of Hetty and Benjy Rhodes！ One of the things that Nicole Glover does amazingly well is creating and developing characters that are easy to fall in love with and relate to。 As this book developed I appreciated learning more about Hetty and Benjy and seeing their relationship continue to bloom。 Another angle I appreciated from Nicole Glover is the attention to detail historically and in the crafting of the mystery。 Kudos to her for all of her research and not weighing this next chapter down with too many details。 I fully recommend this book and cannot wait to see where this and Nicole Glover goes in her writing。 。。。more
Vivian
，
2。5-star readI thoroughly enjoyed reading THE CONDUCTORS and had been looking forward to reading and reviewing THE UNDERTAKERS。 However， I found this story just plodded along， dragging quite a bit in too many places to hold my attention， and the plot and sub-plots were too convoluted to follow at times （or it just wasn't interesting enough to follow）。 The only good thing， if there is a good thing about this story， was getting to know Hetty and Benjy a bit better。 This story simply didn't hold my 2。5-star readI thoroughly enjoyed reading THE CONDUCTORS and had been looking forward to reading and reviewing THE UNDERTAKERS。 However， I found this story just plodded along， dragging quite a bit in too many places to hold my attention， and the plot and sub-plots were too convoluted to follow at times （or it just wasn't interesting enough to follow）。 The only good thing， if there is a good thing about this story， was getting to know Hetty and Benjy a bit better。 This story simply didn't hold my attention very well and felt rather "meh" by the end。I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Deonna
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Review for the Netgalley ARC。 Out now！One thing Nicole will do is take me along for a ride。 I will say I didn't really read the synopsis going into this。 I was just excited about there being a sequel; however， I definitely think I would've helped me processed the story a little better。 Nevertheless， I enjoyed the adventure as much as the first one。 This one was even a little more sinister than the first。 I really enjoyed getting to understand the sigils a little better and how Celestial magic an Review for the Netgalley ARC。 Out now！One thing Nicole will do is take me along for a ride。 I will say I didn't really read the synopsis going into this。 I was just excited about there being a sequel; however， I definitely think I would've helped me processed the story a little better。 Nevertheless， I enjoyed the adventure as much as the first one。 This one was even a little more sinister than the first。 I really enjoyed getting to understand the sigils a little better and how Celestial magic and Sorcery differ。 I helped frame the story for me as we didn't much of that in the first book。 I'm still a little confused on how the sigils work and what each of them exactly mean but I guess that just might end up being a Google search since they relate to astrology。 There's a lot of moving parts to this story， as well as the first one， that honestly keep the reader guessing and just makes you sit back and enjoy the ride。 I had no clue what was going to happen next the entire time and I was delighted。 Of course， I loved the character and relationship development of Hetty and Benjy。 I think they are my favorite couple I've ever read about。 Their marriage is so simple yet passionate。 The way they work together as equals and fight and protect each other so eagerly and passionately is delightful。 Benjy makes me swoon so much。 His energy is very much silent but deadly。 These elements really made great storytelling （almost as good as Hetty） and really engrossed the reader in their journey。 There were moments， however， when things felt clustered and unrelated。 During the middle of the book， I got rather confused because I felt like a lot of things where happening at once and it took away from the main plot line-the Duvals' death。 Most of things come back up in the end of the novel， but I think it would've been better to just mention them in passing rather than go into great detail because my brain was rattled。 There seems to be hints at a 3rd book at the end so maybe those loose ends will be tied up once again。 Overall， I enjoyed yet another adventure with Hetty and Benjy and I'm excited for another one。 。。。more
Louise
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3。5 stars - I was instantly intrigued by the idea of a historical fiction book， set in post-Civil-War Philadelphia， focusing on two people who had， in the past， led slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad， but with a twist - magic！ The Undertakers is the second book by Nicole Glover in her Murder and Mystery series （the first one is The Conductors） but can be read as a standalone。 Of course， as with any series， you will miss some of the backstory and nuances if you haven’t read the first 3。5 stars - I was instantly intrigued by the idea of a historical fiction book， set in post-Civil-War Philadelphia， focusing on two people who had， in the past， led slaves to freedom via the Underground Railroad， but with a twist - magic！ The Undertakers is the second book by Nicole Glover in her Murder and Mystery series （the first one is The Conductors） but can be read as a standalone。 Of course， as with any series， you will miss some of the backstory and nuances if you haven’t read the first book， but you’ll be fine either way。In this alternate history， Blacks were capable of doing “celestial magic”。 I loved how practitioners of celestial magic， including the main characters， Hetty and Benjy Rhodes， were able to flick their fingers and conjure a celestial being: a dog， a bull， a hunter， among other constellation-based figures。 Each constellation seemed to be chosen for a particular purpose/skill to fit the need of the moment。 They could also set protective wards around both things and people。There were a few “interludes” set before and during the Civil War to explain Hetty and Benjy’s backstory and to provide background on what was happening in the main story， but the main action takes place in the summer of 1871。 The story is a bit convoluted and dragged a bit， but I still enjoyed it。 I loved all the relationships that Hetty and Benjy had: Oliver， the embalmer; Darlene， the artist; Penelope， the potion-maker; and so forth。 They are a perfect illustration of the concept of “found family。” The story is tied up nicely and the book ends on a note that makes me think that Glover has a third book planned for this series。Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book。 All opinions are my own。 。。。more
Anne - Books of My Heart
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This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。3。5 heartsI really enjoyed The Conductors。 I have always loved stories about the Civil War and the Underground Railroad。 I would read these books in order as The Undertakers continues the story。The main character and point of view is Hetty （Henrietta）。 She and her husband， Benjy， are magic users。 They are settled in Philade This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart Review copy was received from NetGalley。 This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review。3。5 heartsI really enjoyed The Conductors。 I have always loved stories about the Civil War and the Underground Railroad。 I would read these books in order as The Undertakers continues the story。The main character and point of view is Hetty （Henrietta）。 She and her husband， Benjy， are magic users。 They are settled in Philadelphia。 She used to be a dressmaker and he， a blacksmith。 Now they have opened a funeral home with their friend， Oliver， assisting。 But really what they want to do is solve mysteries and murders。There are plenty of murders happening。 I felt a little disjointed both by so many characters， and the flashes of scenes from the past。 Eventually， it does all tie together; the murders are related to a family they saved。The Murder and Magic series has much to offer with its unique point in history， right after the Civil War， and the complex magic systems。 I love the relationship of Benjy and Hetty。 The two of them love their adventures and solving mysteries and setting things right for others。COYER #12 Read a book with a diverse character （POC， disabled， LGBTQ+，etc） as Main character。 Hetty and her husband， Benjy， are black， as are most of their community。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Undertakers
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Undertakers&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Undertakers&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0