Cindy Anstey

1834. Sophia Thompson wants nothing more than to be one of the famed Bow Street Runners, London's most elite corps of detectives. Never mind that a woman has never before joined their ranks—and certainly never mind that her reclusive family has forbidden her from pursuing such an unladylike goal. She gets the chance to prove her capabilities when an urgent letter arrives from her frantic cousin Daphne, begging Sophia to come look into the suspicious death of Daphne's brother. As Sophia begins to unravel the tangled threads of the case—with the help of a charming young policeman—she soon realizes that the murderer may be even closer to her family than she ever suspected. A twisty tale reminiscent of Jane Austen—with a dash of murder—Deadly Curious is perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco.

Deadly Curious

ghost girl in satin

J'ai deviné l'identité du meurtrier à la page 50... Pourtant, je ne suis pas du genre observatrice. 
Les personnages manquent de "piquant" et de caractéristiques qui nous les rendraient plus attachants. Ils sont sympathiques, mais n'ont pas vraiment de relief. 
J'aime bien le décor et la période, mais j'aurais préféré plus de descriptions pour une atmosphère plus étudiée. Je n'ai pas adhéré à la romance, que j'ai trouvée assez inutile. J'aurais préféré que nos deux protagonistes se lient d'amitié. Le style était simple, agréable à lire.
C'était donc une lecture passable. Je pense que je l'aurais plus appréciée plus jeune.

Heather Harrington

Sophia Thompson has big dreams of becoming the first woman detective of the elite London Bow Street Runners. But in 1834, it's highly unheard of for a woman to seek employment, let alone one as unladylike as the police force. Despite what her family thinks of her unconventional career aspirations, Sophia gets her chance to prove her investigating skills after she receives a distressing letter from her cousin, Daphne, regarding the murder of her brother. Along with the aid of a strapping young Runner, Sophia dives head-long into the case in hopes to uncover the murderer, but the closer the pair gets to the truth, the more the family is met with convenient little "accidents" which leads them to believe the killer is closer to the family than they might've thought.

I really enjoy Anstey's other book, The Hummingbird Dagger, so I was really looking forward to this one, but it fell slightly short for me. Whereas with her other book, I was captivated right from the start, this one dragged a bit. It took a good thirty or forty percent of the book before I really felt it hit its stride. I did enjoy Sophia and her tenacity to live the life she wants no matter what anyone says. I liked her relationship with Jeremy and how it wasn't really at the forefront of the story, but more of a gradual thing that developed. The mystery itself was good and did leave me guessing, though by the end I was able to figure it out. If you're a fan of historical mystery, I'd still recommend because even though it felt a little slow it was still enjoyable.

Deadly Curious

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