A Lady Author Accused of Murder

Lady Amy Lovell is unique in 1890. Not only is she a suffragette, she writes crime novels. She is also unmarried at twenty-four which upsets her father. When Mr. Ronald St. Vincent, asks for her hand, although they are hardly acquainted, she isn’t eager to accept. However, her father pushes her until she agrees.

When she receives an anonymous letter accusing her fiance of conducting illegal activities, she knows the engagement must end. She breaks with him, but then he arrives at her house in a tremendous state. She puts him in the library to calm down, since she is expecting Lord Wethington to arrive to loan her a book.

Before Wethington arrives, she reenters the library to find St. Vincent on the floor with a knife in his chest. Wethington arrives in time to notify the police and calm her hysterics, but the police quickly form the impression the she’s guilty. After all, she just ended her engagement. Since the authorities appear to be unwilling to pursue the case, Lady Amy enlists Lord Wethington to help her solve the case.

I thought this would be a book I would love. I enjoy historical mysteries and here was one with a lady sleuth who is also an author. Unfortunately, although the plot is interesting, the pace is slow with lots of repetitive actions by the main characters. The ending came with a twist, but again it wasn’t very surprising.

I liked Lord Wethington. He was a calm, intelligent person who tried to keep Lady Amy’s enthusiasm within bounds. I didn’t relate to Lady Amy. She seemed rather silly for a lady who was a suffragette as well as an author.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.