Of Manners and Murder (A Dear Miss Hermione Mystery) by Anastasia Hastings
Of Manners and Murder (A Dear Miss Hermione Mystery) by Anastasia Hastings
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery & Thrillers
Format: Kindle
No. of Pages: 297
Date of US Publication: 7 February, 2023
My Rating: 3.75 Stars
My Thoughts
A Victorian era cozy mystery? Please. A Victorian era cozy mystery that’s the first of a new series??? Pleeeeeeese! As much as I love a hardboiled mystery sometimes nothing but a cozy will do.
Violet and her younger sister live with their aunt, whose secret identity is that of Miss Hermione, a most popular advice columnist/agony aunt. This comes to light when the aunt decides last minute to take a vacation with her love, and leaves her column in Violet’s hands, assuring her that she had no idea what she was doing when she first started, and that Violet is most capable and will have the guidance of her assistant, as needed. Violet’s first letter is that of a young woman, recently married, who fears that someone is conspiring to kill her. Violet decides to travel to the woman’s village to speak with her further about this, but she arrives to learn that the young woman is deceased. Unable to keep her original plans, Violet investigates in this smartly written and very enjoyable series start. Violet is likeable, the series is quick paced, I found the sister to be annoying, but I will hope for future character growth. All in all, I really enjoyed this one and will read the next.
I think this will be excellent in audiobook form. Recommended.
Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the DRC!
Description
Of Manners and Murder is the first in the delightful new Dear Miss Hermione mystery series from Anastasia Hastings.
"Evokes the shocking revelations of Wilkie Collins, the social acuity of Jane Austen and the comic melodrama of Oscar Wilde."—Wall Street Journal
1885: London, England. When Violet's Aunt Adelia decides to abscond with her newest paramour, she leaves behind her role as the most popular Agony Aunt in London, "Miss Hermione," in Violet's hands.
And of course, the first letter Violet receives is full, not of prissy pondering, but of portent. Ivy Armstrong is in need of help and fears for her life. But when Violet visits the village where the letters were posted, she finds that Ivy is already dead.
She'll quickly discover that when you represent the best-loved Agony Aunt in Britain, both marauding husbands and murder are par for the course.
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