The Hoydens and Mr. Dickens: The Strange Affair of the Feminist Phantom [Hardcover]

William J. Palmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1997

Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens find themselves implicated in the murder of a Women's Emancipation Society member after Dickens's love for the prime suspect comes to light, and the two novelists must consider revealing their own secrets to prove her innocence.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Victorian writers Wilkie Collins and Charles Dickens join forces to solve the murder of a feminist in their third well-crafted adventure. Collins, who narrates, accompanies Dickens to Angela Burdett-Coutts's Home for Fallen Women in the country to retrieve 16-year-old actress Ellen Ternan, acquitted of murder in The Highwayman and Mr. Dickens and with whom Dickens is besotted. They learn that Burdett-Coutts, the owner of one of England's largest banks, has been threatened by an anonymous note. Back in London, they turn the note over to Inspector Field "of the Protectives" but worry more about the Women's Emancipation Society meetings attended by Ternan and the young former prostitute who is now Collins's inamorata. When a young feminist is found fatally strangled at the scene of a robbery at Coutts Bank, Ternan, whose scarf was the murder weapon, is arrested. Aghast, Wilkie and Dickens interview other Emancipation Society members to find the truth. Such eminent Victorians as Florence Nightingale and Dante Gabriel Rossetti make appearances in this highly footnoted caper in which the historical setting and mores get more attention than plot. Palmer exposes the era's sexual double standards through Collins's defense of his and Dickens's illicit love affairs and through his depictions of the lesbian performances put on for upper-crust patrons.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

This is the third in a series of mysteries purported to have been found among the papers of novelist Wilkie Collins' solicitor. Supposedly unpublished journals written by Collins, the manuscripts describe the sleuthing adventures of Collins and his friend Charles Dickens. As in the previous installments, Dickens takes on the role of Sherlock Holmes while Collins narrates the tale and serves as Dickens' Watson. This case is a steamy one with Dickens' lover, actress Ellen Ternan, accused of murder. Set against the background of the Victorian feminist movement (and featuring such "characters" as Florence Nightingale and Marian Evans), the story offers not only a mystery but also a look at some of the more prurient aspects of nineteenth-century London society, including voyeurism and lesbianism. (Some modern readers may be surprised to learn that freethinkers were roaming about during the supposedly straitlaced Victorian era.) Atmospheric and cunningly plotted, this is an absorbing entry in the celebrity-as-detective genre. Ilene Cooper

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 241 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr; 1st edition (February 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312151454
• ISBN-13: 978-0312151454
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,965,618 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Palmer "captures" Victorian England much the way Dickens did, January 17, 1998

By 

Billy J. Hobbs "Bill Hobbs" (Tyler, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Hoydens and Mr. Dickens: The Strange Affair of the Feminist Phantom (Hardcover)

Palmer's third book in this "series" continues to capture Victorian England; he is able to evoke the landscape and atmosphere of the time, of the place, and of the characters. Most don't. Aside from Anne Perry and Michael Crichton's "Great Train Robbery," I have not read such convincing Victoriana and the accompanying hypocrisy. Palmer is able to sustain the reader's interest throughout, particularly with his use of other "real" characters such as Florence Nightingale. He is able to make Dickens quite the human character!