Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fine historical mystery: a "Hardboiled Regency", October 28, 2003
The time is 1810. The Queen Regent is clinging to life while her children, the ineligibly married Prince of Wales and the scandalous Duke of Clarence scramble for position in the event of her death. Sarah Tolerance is a Fallen Woman -- when a teen she fell in love with her brother's fencing instructor and ran away to the Continent. But her lover has died, and she has returned to England. Her reputation is ruined, her father has repudiated her, she is an ancient 28 years old. What can she do? She is taken in by her Aunt, another Fallen Woman, who runs a very successful bordello. But Sarah has no interest in working for her Aunt, so instead she sets up as what we would call a Private Investigator, often turning up evidence for Society women of their husbands' infidelity. Sarah receives a new commission asking that she retrieve an Italian fan, that may be in the possession of a retired working woman named Deb Cunning. Trux's unnamed boss is willing to offer quite a bit more than the fan is worth for its retrieval. Sarah's job is complicated by the fact that Deb Cunning has likely changed her name. But Sarah soon finds some interesting leads. However, her job is quickly complicated, as it soon seems that this fan is of considerable interest to both sides in the current political wrangle. Worse, a couple of people involved in the search turn up dead -- one is a close friend of Sarah's, the other is a woman she has visited to ask for information -- her visit timed to make her a suspect in the murder. Sarah finally learns who her real client is -- the handsome, youngish, Earl of Versellion, who is in line to be Prime Minister if the new Regent chooses to back a Whig government. Sarah finds herself greatly attracted to Versellion, all the while exasperated by the paucity of information on the importance of the fan. This attraction deepens when she and Versellion have to go on the run in rural England, apparently under threat of murder. The novel nicely intertwines political intrigue, an interesting mystery about the real nature of the hidden fan (with a guessable but satisfying solution), romance, action, and a nice ending with an extra twist or two. Sarah herself is an interesting heroine, and I'm glad to know that at least two further novels are planned. The main appeal is likely to mystery readers first: particularly those who enjoyed the late Kate Ross's Julian Kestrel stories, or those who enjoy Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries. Secondarily, readers of Regency romances may enjoy the book: though it does not follow standard Regency plot conventions, it does have a nice romance at its core. It's a fine historical mystery story, or if you will, a "hardboiled Regency". (Serious historical readers will note that the book is actually set in a slightly altered history.)
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Alternate history Regency romance political intrigue mystery, July 10, 2006
This review is from: Point of Honour (Mass Market Paperback)
Or perhaps it's a murder-mystery, spy-thriller, historical-romance alternate history. Difficult to say which aspect is the most important!
Robins' Regency England is not quite ours - there's a Queen Regent rather than the Price of Wales being named regent, and a few other political and social differences as well. Since part of the plot hinges on the actions of the Queen Regent and of the Prince of Wales, this is an important item. If you're someone who reads historical novels for their accuracy, be aware that this will NOT fit into Napoleonic wars of Patrick O'Brien's books, or the parties at the Prince Regent's Brighton pavilion, or other bits of history that many readers look for. Even the demimonde that is the setting of much of the book is not quiiiiite the same.
It should also be pointed out that it's not really a romance - not in the same sense that books marketed as Regency romances are. While there's a love interest, and it's the Regency period, there will be relatively little of the pleasantly trivial dialogue and naive double-entendres that readers of the usual Regencies expect. It's not about the young ladies making their comings-out, and the balls and country house parties, or even about the governesses and the whole servant thing, that provide the background for many romances. In fact, the rather frank settings in both our heroine's aunt's brothel and others, may turn off those who are looking for the usual light romance.
That said, if you are prepared for the differences, this is a top-notch book. Looking for the minute differences that make it an alternate history provides an enjoyable challenge; they political intrigue and murders are as fascinating as any historical novel and better done than many. Our main character is a strong person who makes you want to know more about her (and there is a second volume in the series, Petty Treason.) And the ending is done in a classic murder-mystery style that is satisfying whether it's in Agatha Christie's countryside, or a city a century earlier, or in modern-day settings. The mystery plot line (which I won't rehash here, since other reviewers have already told you enough about it) is the strongest part of the book, and that's saying a lot given how interesting the other aspects are.
If I had to try and draw a comparison, I'd say this is closer to the historical vampire novels of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro than any other single comparison I could name, even though there are no fantasy elements in this book. The sense of depth of the settings, and the author's emphasis on the personality of the characters, are similar in their intensity.
I will be awaiting a third volume; I only wish authors could write 'em as fast as I read 'em!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fresh and Fun 'Regency Noir', August 17, 2003
In her afterward, Madeleine Robins describes her own novel as a 'hard boiled' Regency detective story. The disreputable private eye holding onto the vestiges of his code of ethics even while he takes on unsavory divorce cases is translated into Sarah Tolerance. Sarah is a well bred lady who ran off with her fencing master, marking herself as a Fallen Woman. Sarah now takes on inquiries, following philandering husbands for their suspicious wives. The classy dame in distress becomes a handsome nobleman who needs our heroine's help. Our maltese falcon is an Italian fan -- surely not worth all this trouble -- yet someone seems willing to kill in order to reach it before our heroine. I thoroughly enjoyed Sarah, her world (historically accurate in spirit, if partly adapted to the author's purpose), and her adventures. Madeleine Robin clearly had fun writing this novel, and the ending left room for a second. I'll look forward to Sarah Tolerance's next case -- and for Ms. Robin to find room within her self-invented genre for even more depth.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
