I keep wondering when a time will come that an Amy Harmon book doesn't enthrall me..... I think that time will be never. I love all of Amy's books, but The Unknown Beloved may rank in the top 3 or 4 of all her books. The story was so captivating.... historical, romance, mystery...... all wrapped up in one wonderful book. I fell in love with Michael Malone and Dani from Chapter 1! And I loved so many other characters throughout the book. The time period really captured my interest, as did how life was in those times. Be sure to read the author's note to see how much is really based on true fact. Amy Harmon always does her homework, and does it well. Oh, and I loved that she mentioned Michael Collins, a character that was pretty prominent in What the Wind Knows. Now I cannot wait to be able to listen to it on audio!!
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union for giving me the chance to read this much anticipated book early!

I think this is my favorite Amy Harmon book to date. Just fabulous. I loved every single word! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the early copy, opinions are my own!

Harmon's latest novel is a historical mystery with a little bit of romance and quite a bit of intrigue. The book opens in Chicago with 10 year old Dani returning home to see police cars outside of her home, her parents laying on the floor of the kitchen, and a young police officer attempting to distract her from the horrific events of he day. That police officer, Michael Malone, arranges for her to be taken to her older aunts in Cleveland.

15 years later, the nation is wrapped up in the mystery of "The Butcher" in Cleveland, and Michael finds himself sent to help with some undercover work. He arrives at his designated room rental to find that it is in the home of Dani and her aunts. Their paths cross again exactly 15 years to the day that they first met each other.

Dani's interest grows in not only Michael but in the criminal investigation, and she wants to be able to use some of her unique skills to help.

I enjoyed the historical aspect of this book as well as the mystery and intrigue. Another great book by Harmon!

serial killer on the loose, supernatural elements and slow burn romance?? all my yes. this book was interesting, the MC can “see” pieces of peoples lives by touching their belongings and she uses her gift to find a killer on the loose. Wild right? I loved the main characters and thier relationship and the sloooooow burn romance. I do think the book could have been a tad bit shorter since some chapters felt like filler but otherwise the story had a good set up and the villain was creepy.

Amy Harmon’s writing is so special. With every book, her stories just get better and better—which is saying thing as I’m in love ahhh all of her work.

I’m a forever fan, and this story in particular is so well down and incredibly swoony. A keeper, for sure.

This book renewed my love for historical fiction. I loved how the author wove together real history with a touch of romance and fiction and sprinkled in some magic. I fell in love with Dani and through her eyes grew to love Michael as well.
I very much appreciated the author’s note at the end where she described where she took liberties in this story. It also opened my eyes to a serial killer I had never heard of before and breaks your heart for the “unknowns.”

The Unknown Beloved by A. Harmon, published by Lake Union Publishing, is a full length stand-alone novel. A history mix of non-fiction/fiction set in the 1920 and 1930ties.
Dani Flanagan spend her childhood in Chicago before being moved to Cleveland after a family tragedy. She grew up with her aunts and at age of 25 she's still living and working with them.
Michael Malone is a former patrolman, now a treasure agent and when he gets assigned to a case in Cleveland karma smiles and both meet again. And this crossing paths is the start of something big, because both possess special abilities that are gonna help tremebdously.
The Unknown Beloved is a slow burn, is a book that stays with me, is on my reread list for sure. I don't have the words to express what this book did to me . I fell in love with story and characters bit by bit. The author is an incredible storyteller that gets me every single time. My all time fav is What the Wind Knows with this a very close second. I highly recommend the book, 5 stars.

This book was entertaining and an easy read. Michael and Dani meet when he is a young police officer and she is a child whose parents have just been murdered, and then again 15 years later in another city. This coincidence is written off as fate I guess. I appreciated the author's note at the end - I wasn't aware how much of the framework for the book was taken from a true story. However, I think it tried to be too many genres - historical fiction, crime novel, romance, supernatural - that it was a little too much. I could have read this book without Dani's abilities, and I'm not sure what we were supposed to take from Michael's seeing an aura around some people - except maybe that it made him more open to understanding Dani.

One other note is that I don't think the title fits well. It's from Twelfth Night, but barely referenced or explained. There is a place where Dani references her "beloved unknowns" - meaning bodies found without a name - but this is hardly the point of the book.There are so many references in the book to Emily Dickinson poems, and there would have been some good choices there. I think this title adds to the confusion about what type of book this is.

A very intelligently crafted mystery book, well thought out and planned in every sense. Although the book deals with a serial killer, there is a sense of hope and positivity in the book which I was glad of!

If I could choose a time to travel back to it would be the 20s & 30s… I loved how the men and women dressed (especially the women - so beautiful and feminine), the vibe of the time, and how life was lived - simply and with friends and family at the forefront.

So Amy’s latest story took me on a deep dive into all that I love…

What I love about this story is that while it is on the darker side, you have this thread of light woven through the entire story… knowing that if you just hold on to it you will find the light at the end of the tunnel.

That thread is Dani and as the reader we get the immense privilege to see her in all her glory and she weaves her way into Michael’s life - which because of time and circumstances has been dark.

The rich and detailed history that always comes through in Amy’s books is here in this one too. I was absolutely immersed in the 30s as I read and honestly it all played out like a movie in my head!

There is no denying the connection our leading man and lady have as they navigate all that is going on in the seedy underbelly of Cleveland and it just gets deeper and more heady as time goes on.

It’s a beautiful story of hope, despite the circumstances, of deep love and longing that will stay with you long after you have read the final page!

Amy has once again proven that there is no genre she cannot write, no story that she can’t transform from dark to light and that even if she wrote the dictionary I would still pick it up and devour it from start to finish!

4-5 stars

In January 1923 the day before her 10th birthday, Dani Flanagan’s parents are murdered. Officer Michael Malone attends the scene and is kind to Dani. Fast forward 15 years and he is back in Chicago following an assignment overseas and is visited by Eliot Ness who is now based in Cleveland, Ohio. Michael has worked with Ness previously on the Capone case and he now needs Michaels help with the Torso killer, the Butcher of Kingsbury Run. Ness is so desperate for assistance to catch this brutal serial killer he’s already rented Michael a room in Cleveland, in the Czech district . Coincidence of all coincidences, the room is in the home of Dani’s aunts who she has lived with since 1923. In this latest novel Amy Harmon weaves fact with fiction in this fascinating novel.

This is a very well written book, you fly through it as it’s just so easy to read. I love the characterisation which is extremely good. Elliot Ness springs to life before your eyes and his sympathetic portrayal is fantastic. The characters of Dani and her aunts are also good with her aunts making you smile especially in some of the clever dialogue. Michael Malone is also a true character though more shadowy than Ness and I like his character very much too. He’s a complex man, hard-working, intuitive, brave and likeable. The connection between Dani and Malone is done well, it’s like they are intertwined from the start and I love the journey they go on. He seems dark to her light but it goes deeper than that.

This is a great combination of a romance with an intriguing true crime mystery with some supernatural elements chucked in for good measure. I love this element which is done very effectively and believably. The serial killer story is absorbing but far from pretty, the killings are utterly gruesome.I knew nothing about this killer and the novel has led me to reading about it and Ness’ involvement in the investigation. The story builds to tense conclusion and a great outcome.

This is an accomplished historical novel was much more to it than most. It’s a very compelling and absorbing read.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Lake Union for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Review can also be found on *Milky Way of Books*

I never expected Amy Harmon to write a police mystery, but alas I was once again swept by her amazing writing and wonderful characters. It had all these vibes from gangster movies paired with an age gap slow burn romance and two amazing characters I could not bring myself not to root for! Mickael and Dani!

Such an amazing story that kept you guessing and wondering who the real culprit was and adding in Dani's...power you would not be able to guess what would happen next. I also enjoyed the atmosphere Amy Harmon created in this book. The Years of Depression leading up to the Second World war in Cleveland and Chicago felt as if taken from a period film.

There is no book Amy writes that would not pull me into her story. She is a master storyteller who pulls your heartstrings and makes you fall in love with her characters.

Oh Amy Harmon, you are the only author that could get me to read a book that has a serial killer in it. I really had misgivings about starting this and told myself I would put it down if it got to be too much. I mostly only read happy romance novels that have little complications. I shouldn't have worried so much. Harmon adds the reality and truth without trying to freak out her readers. You can tell she wants to teach a lesson and tell a story not shock and horrify people. There was such a sweet undertone of love and hope through this whole book! It is like how I see life. SO much goodness and sadness all mixed together. One of my favorite quotes from the book_-
“It is the things we most want to put down, the things that are hardest to carry, to endure, that give our lives the most meaning. Sometimes our burdens are taken from us. And sometimes we walk away from them. Sometimes, not having that burden might even feel good. We might feel relief. But it doesn’t take long to realize that the things we call burdens are most often ballast. Our burdens give weight to everything we do. They shed light on all that we are. And the moment we lose them . . . we lose everything.”
I Love to lose myself in Harmon's books:} They are always a joy to read.
This book would be PG13 for the descriptions. You can read almost everything in Wiki that is in the book. There is a bit of sexual content. A sensuality to there romance and a love scene that is more about love then descriptions or lust.

I'm blown away by how much I genuinely loved this book. Only Amy Harmon can make this reader love a genre she'd never read.
So many facets are covered. You've got mystery, murder, history, Harmon's trademark style and romance. It checks all the boxes for an amazing journey.
I loved the realism. The factual plot points Amy took meticulous care to relay with dead-on accuracy.
What really pulls the story together though is this authors ability to weave her fiction magic wand with pieces of the past. Aside from the obvious, you will not be able to distinguish between what her creative mind imagined and what actually happened.

Set in the 30s when America was broke, starving and fighting to keep its head above water, a serial killer is loose in Cleveland.
A renowned investigator is assigned an impossible task. He needs help. He needs a ghost. Someone to blend, get information and save the city and his career.
Fate is fickle and the man with many alias's won't know what hit him when she waves her altering hand. Somethings are meant to be and the heartache to them is worth the journey once you finally get there.
Even the hardest man will fall when when all the pieces click into place.

A fabulously addicting read you won't be able to put down once you stop.

The Unknown Beloved by Amy Harmon is an excellent historical fiction that kept me enthralled from beginning to end.

I have loved every book from Amy Harmon that I have ever read and this is no exception.

She has a sheer talent incorporating true events, historical fiction, romance, mystery, suspense, and gripping narratives that keep me forever coming back for more.

Pair that with an unforgettable character cast, and how can one not fall in love?

Dani is such an amazing character, and I loved her storyline and development. Just awesome!

Such an excellent book that I cannot recommend enough.

5/5 stars

Highly recommend for any historical fiction fans.

Thank you NG and Lake Union Publishing for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 4/19/22.

Another incredible masterpiece from Amy. I knew this was one of the books I wanted to read first this year. As always, her storytelling just blew me away!

I can’t decide if I love Amy’s historical stories more than her fantasy or contemporary stories. There’s something to love about every genre she writes in, but I think I love the historicals the best because Amy has this uncanny ability to incorporate factual historical information into her stories that I just eat up. I LOVE learning about historical figures, and this time around we are treated to the indefatigable Michael Malone, a treasury agent who worked under Eliot Ness in the pursuit of taking down the famous gangster, Al Capone. He worked undercover for eighteen months in Capone’s camp before taking the infamous mobster into custody. That’s what Michael does, he works tirelessly to bring justice, but this has created a very solitary life which worked perfectly for him because he’s a loner who didn’t feel like he fit into his family or his marriage.

Dani Flanagan is one of my favorite Amy characters. She reminds me a lot of Fern Taylor from Making Faces, one of my most favorite contemporary reads from Amy. She has quite a distinct persona that Michael is very drawn to, even though she is fifteen years younger than him. She also has a very special talent, and she uses that talent to give names to the indigent dead she tends to each day.

I don’t know how Amy does it. With each story she writes, whether it’s historical or fantasy or contemporary, or whatever, she creates the most wholly complex tale that sucks me in from the first page. I totally lose myself in her storytelling. It is fascinating how she can make the most mundane thing that happens daily be something so extraordinary to read about. But she does it every single time.

There’s a suspense element to the story, as Michael is called to Cleveland to help Eliot Ness solve a string of murders that have been happening. And this is where he runs into Dani Flanagan again, having first met her fifteen years earlier on the very worst day of her life. After having witnessed Dani’s special talent firsthand, Malone knows she may be the one and only person who can help him solve these heinous crimes. And so, begins the journey of Michael and Dani, two people who manage to find the beauty in each day all while totally immersed in the ugly and brutal world of a serial killer.

I so loved this story. I loved the supporting cast of characters and I loved being immersed in yet another amazing story that I won’t soon forget. I don’t care what Amy writes, I will jump at the chance to read it!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Amy Harmon has worked her magic again. The Unknown Beloved has all the thrills of a murder mystery deftly woven with historical detail and a heart-melting romance. As tough as true crime, as tender as a first kiss . . . storytelling magic!

This book is fantastic. It is part historical fiction, part mystery and a sprinkle of supernatural. Right up my alley.
I simply couldn't put it down. The writing was fantastic. Amy Harmon has this gift where even if nothing happens in the plot you still feel compelled to read more. The main characters are well fleshed out, the romance was believable and cute and the historical part was very interesting since I knew nothing about the butcher of Kingsbury Run.