Devi Nair
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by Fiona Hampton ā± Duration: 9 hours š·ļø Publisher: Books on Tape / Random House Audio
A locked room mystery wrapped in corsets, with a heroine who'd rather read crime reports than practice the planoforte! How can I not get intrigued? Beatrice Steele is the kind of heroine you'd root for quietly. She's clever, observant, and absolutely out of step with her oh-so-proper world. Her curiosity about crime felt refreshing, even rebellious, but I couldn't help arguing with her over her life choices. I mean, girl, you spent half the novel carefully guarding your secret passion for true crime, and then walked directly into the crime scene like you owned the place. Make it make sense!! I get the appeal of finally having your moment. I do! but the logic didn't hold up, and that niggled at me throughout.
Fiona Hampton's narration sold me on the setting. Julia Seales is clearly having the time of her life poking fun at the Regency convention, and it shows. The world of Swampshire is delightfully absurt. Names that telegraph exactly who these people are, social rules that border on performance art, and a cast of characters that feels like Austen wrote them after one too many brandies. The romance with Vivek Drake sneaks up on you in the best possible way.
Where the story lost me was in its pacing. Just when I was leaning in, the mystery kept getting politely interrupted by balls, suitor assessments, and ongoing saga of Louisa's marriage prospects. I understand why. That's the whole comedic tension of the book. But it all felt a little too well-mannered for its own good. The killer reveal though! I didn't see that one coming, and that earned the book a significant goodwill. A satisfying final chapter does a lot of heavy lifting for a book.
Would I recommend it? If you've ever wished Bridgerton had a body count, this is your book. It's witty, it's absurd in all the right ways, and the killer reveal alone makes the slower middle worth sitting through. The audiobook narration is a genuinely great match for the material. I had fun, I just wasn't obsessed, and I probably won't be picking up the next Beatrice Steele adventure. But for a one-time romp through murderous Regency England, it was absolutely worth your 9 hours.
š§ Listened in audio š¢ Narrated by Fiona Hampton ā± Duration: 9 hours š·ļø Publisher: Books on Tape / Random House Audio
A locked room mystery wrapped in corsets, with a heroine who'd rather read crime reports than practice the planoforte! How can I not get intrigued? Beatrice Steele is the kind of heroine you'd root for quietly. She's clever, observant, and absolutely out of step with her oh-so-proper world. Her curiosity about crime felt refreshing, even rebellious, but I couldn't help arguing with her over her life choices. I mean, girl, you spent half the novel carefully guarding your secret passion for true crime, and then walked directly into the crime scene like you owned the place. Make it make sense!! I get the appeal of finally having your moment. I do! but the logic didn't hold up, and that niggled at me throughout.
Fiona Hampton's narration sold me on the setting. Julia Seales is clearly having the time of her life poking fun at the Regency convention, and it shows. The world of Swampshire is delightfully absurt. Names that telegraph exactly who these people are, social rules that border on performance art, and a cast of characters that feels like Austen wrote them after one too many brandies. The romance with Vivek Drake sneaks up on you in the best possible way.
Where the story lost me was in its pacing. Just when I was leaning in, the mystery kept getting politely interrupted by balls, suitor assessments, and ongoing saga of Louisa's marriage prospects. I understand why. That's the whole comedic tension of the book. But it all felt a little too well-mannered for its own good. The killer reveal though! I didn't see that one coming, and that earned the book a significant goodwill. A satisfying final chapter does a lot of heavy lifting for a book.
Would I recommend it? If you've ever wished Bridgerton had a body count, this is your book. It's witty, it's absurd in all the right ways, and the killer reveal alone makes the slower middle worth sitting through. The audiobook narration is a genuinely great match for the material. I had fun, I just wasn't obsessed, and I probably won't be picking up the next Beatrice Steele adventure. But for a one-time romp through murderous Regency England, it was absolutely worth your 9 hours.