Paula Paul
Random House - Alibi
April 2015
I enjoyed this -- a different kind of murder-mystery set in England during Queen Victoria's reign. The novel begins with a murdered medium who was contracted to help Her Majesty contact Prince Albert. The local female doctor with her village contacts, along with the local peer, works to solve the crime wherein the Queen herself is implicated.
What's different about this book?
As other reviewers have mentioned, this novel is similar in tone to Winspear's sleuth novels: the time and setting, the quiet tone, a serious crime, and a strong heroine who lives contrary to the expected role of women for the time. What's different is the touch of paranormal (never fully posited in the book, but present enough to add some interest), a bit of romantic interest, and the details of surgery and patients in the rural English setting. I enjoyed the diverse sources of clues that the author crafted: It seemed each of the characters in the novel had something to contribute toward the solving of the crime. And I appreciated that the solution was cleverly embedded in that setting: not a clear giveaway.
What I'll do now that I've read it
This is an easy book to share: Friends and library patrons with diverse interests, of diverse ages, and with diverse reading histories will be interested in this. The pleasant but engaging plot line as well as the setting and characters will appeal to many readers I work with. Not a taut, suspenseful read -- still an enjoyable one.
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