Traditional Fantasy

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper is a whimsical story about a man who has recently lost his wife and finds a mysterious charm bracelet while clearing out her belongings.

Arthur is a man of routine and habit and finds the discovery odd because he thought he knew everything about his wife, including the jewellery she owned. A phone number engraved on one of the charms begins a journey that takes Arthur through adventures while he discovers the life his wife had led before they met, one filled with exotic travels and interesting people.

The clues that link one charm to another were done in a believable way and the characters he encounters are each interesting in individual ways, though not always what you might expect. One of the strengths of the book is Arthur's development as a character himself and how it affects the dynamics with the people closest to him.

The end was a surprise, but I liked the way it was done. This was a very entertaining read and I'll look for more stories from this author.