How To Solve Murders Like A Lady by Hannah Dolby

 

Violet Hamilton is still on her quest to become a Lady Detective. When she overhears a heated conversation she doesn't realise that it is going to lead to murder and put her own life at risk.

Back in June, there was lots of praise on Twitter/X for How To Solve Murders Like A Lady by Hannah Dolby. Victorian cosy crime sounded right up my street but I didn't want to jump in with the second book in a series so went back and read the first book, No Life For A Lady, which introduces us to Violet Hamilton. You don't need to have read the first book to enjoy How To Solve Murders Like A Lady as you'll easily understand Violet's character as you read. What the first book will do is explain the mystery surrounding Violet's mother, which plays a part in this second book, and also give you an understanding of her relationship with Benjamin Blackthorn, her fiance.

From the opening pages, we see that Violet is as independent and unconventional as ever as she solves a case involving stolen goats. The apparent silliness of some of the crimes investigated is one of the highlights of the story, pointing to a far gentler time. 

Violet is constantly pushing boundaries from her outfits through to her activities. In her need to enhance her skills as a detective she learns how to ride a bicycle and how to shoot. Based on the conclusion of the book I think hand-to-hand combat is high on her list for the next skill to learn. Not all of the barriers that Violet pushes against are through choice, sometimes it's because of a predicament she has found herself in.

Despite the silliness, there is a serious side to the story. Societal norms for women in the Victorian era were strict, to step out of line risked having your reputation tarnished and being shunned by society. It was believed that women were less intelligent than men and that their minds were far more delicate and easily corrupted. I was filled with outrage over the idea that men made all the decisions concerning a woman, including sending her to a "spa" for treatment if she didn't obey the normal rules of polite society. Medical treatments, particularly for well-to-do women who deviated from the norm, were experimental and shocking.

The tone of the writing is perfect. The reader still gets an idea of stilted Victorian society with all its unwritten rules without the over-descriptive language. Some lovely underused words popped up, such as rambunctious, discombobulated and indubitably; how I wish these were still in everyday use.

I do hope that there will be a third outing for Violet, I would love to see what she gets up to next.

Author Details

Hannah Dolby's first job was in the circus and she has aimed to keep life as interesting since. She trained as a journalist in Hastings and has worked in PR for many years, promoting museums, galleries, palaces, gardens and even Dolly the sheep. She completed the Curtis Brown selective three-month novel writing course, and she won runner-up in the Comedy Women in Print Awards for this novel with the prize of a place on an MA in Comedy Writing at the University of Falmouth. She currently lives in London. You can follow Hannah on Twitter @LadyDolby