By Victoria Hamilton
Stories of masked avengers sweeping to the rescue of the unfortunate bring to mind swashbuckling heroes and adventure as they take down dastardly fiends. A genteel young woman in London circa 1810, as such, makes the premise all the more intriguing.
Victoria Hamilton’s A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder delivers adventure amid the most treacherous of characters.
Our protagonist, Miss Emmeline St. Germaine and a like-minded group of women set out to rescue young scullery maids from the hands of their lecherous employers, at a time when women had little voice or power in Regency society.
After a masked Emmeline rescues one such child just as her employer – a well known knight – is about to rape the youngster, she becomes an unnamed suspect in the man’s murder.
Emmeline’s investigation into finding the real murderer(s) are paramount before she and her mission are exposed. The investigation and subsequent discovery will change her life forever.
This is no cozy lighthearted read. It’s sad and at times difficult to read not just because of the subject matter but also the pace, which can drag on at times.
The first in a new series from Hamilton, AKA national bestselling author Donna Lea Simpson, I’m hopeful the next installment isn’t quite so heavy.
I received a free egalley of A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder courtesy of Beyond the Page Publishing, through NetGalley. This review is fair and impartial.
Victoria Hamilton’s A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder delivers adventure amid the most treacherous of characters.
Our protagonist, Miss Emmeline St. Germaine and a like-minded group of women set out to rescue young scullery maids from the hands of their lecherous employers, at a time when women had little voice or power in Regency society.
After a masked Emmeline rescues one such child just as her employer – a well known knight – is about to rape the youngster, she becomes an unnamed suspect in the man’s murder.
Emmeline’s investigation into finding the real murderer(s) are paramount before she and her mission are exposed. The investigation and subsequent discovery will change her life forever.
This is no cozy lighthearted read. It’s sad and at times difficult to read not just because of the subject matter but also the pace, which can drag on at times.
The first in a new series from Hamilton, AKA national bestselling author Donna Lea Simpson, I’m hopeful the next installment isn’t quite so heavy.
I received a free egalley of A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder courtesy of Beyond the Page Publishing, through NetGalley. This review is fair and impartial.
Order online or buy now at your favorite independent bookstore. Mine is Sellers Books and Art in Jim Thorpe, PA.
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