Review of The Small Shoe Society

[Ruth Naomi]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Small Shoe Society" by J P Bailey.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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The Small Shoe Society by J P Bailey is a horror story that follows an old man's death request. When Admiral Henry Fleetwood dies, he leaves behind a letter with a frightening appeal. At 13 years old, Lord Henry's twin sister, Mary Fleetwood, was murdered, and her body was hidden by their mother. Fleetwood urges his attorney, Mr Dreadful, to find remains of Mary's body and bring them home. This is a secret that Henry has kept for so long. While at it, a small pair of red shoes is the key to opening a door of a wicked society, hence the book's title. This tiny pair is capable of ruining Fleetwood's family. What does Dreadful uncover?

I admired numerous things in the story. There's a detailed map provided by Lord Henry Fleetwood in chapter four that Mr Dreadful was to follow in pursuit of the former's dying request. Furthermore, I enjoyed Mr Dreadful's personality. He was loyal, courteous, and saw to it that he had accomplished Lord Fleetwood's request. He went to extreme lengths that even most servants couldn't for their masters.

Additionally, there are many historical words employed in the book. Sometimes I did not comprehend the meanings of some terms, so I made searches on the internet. I learned a couple of new words accordingly.

Despite the book being barely 100 pages, the author frequently withheld information that made me wonder what would happen next. The suspense kept me alert while making me produce streaks of sweat, not knowing what would follow.

Nonetheless, I despised a few things. One, the math in the story does not make sense. Lord Fleetwood was born in 1817 and died in 1897. When you perform the subtraction, he passed away at age 80. In the book, however, it is written that he died at 70 years. I found that a bit contradictory.

Moreover, Bailey employed different points of view to narrate the story, and majorly in Mr Dreadful's perspective. In the beginning, while switching from the third person point of view to Mr Dreadful's, I experienced a hard time catching up with the tale. On that account, I rate the work three out of four stars.

There were very few errors; consequently, the installment is professionally edited. The narrative was gripping from the beginning, especially with Mr Dreadful's amiable nature. Being the first book in its series, I hope to devour the sequel. I recommend it to audiences who fancy reading historical fiction, ghost stories, or both.

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The Small Shoe Society
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[Chinaza Nnabuenyi]

What was the content of the letter of the old man? I want to know.

[Elisa Joy Ocasla]

I’m not really a fan of horror stories as I can’t deal with horrific scenes that halt me from sleeping well. However, this is a very detailed review that everyone may opt to read it.

[Amy Luman]

I love happening upon the first book in a series. In addition, Mr. Dreadful’s name seems appropriate. Thanks for the great review!

[Nkgchidimma080]

Horror movies are full of suspense and thrillers,I would love to read up this book,nice review.

[Courtney Hughes]

Great review! You were thorough and honest about how the book made you feel. I like a good murder mystery and, what sounds like, a puzzle! I like quick reads sometimes so maybe the second one will be quick too!

[Joyjen]

A well written, smart and amazing review. it's really engrossing hence I would like to read this book to find out more about it. Especially about
the small pair of red shoe and the secret kept by Henry.
A great review.

[NetMassimo]

Historical fiction isn't my kind of stuff but I like good horror stories, so I tend to read the ones set in the past as well and this one seems engaging despite the problems you pointed out. Thank you for your great review!

[shamspradhan]

This book sounds amazing, I always love suspense though I think the switching of the points of view maybe be hard for me to understand