How to Solve Murders Like a Lady by Hannah Dolby

This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first. It can be read as a stand alone book, as it reminds you of everything you need to know from the first book, which is helpful as it was a long time since I read the first. Set in the 1890s, when women were expected just to get married, have children and run a household, the language, the settings, and the personalities are very evocative of the time.

Violet was born a lady, but when her mother disappeared when she was younger, she decided she wanted more out of life than marriage to a man she found boring, and who didn’t share her values. Her father would set her up with ‘suitable’ men and Violet would dispatch them very quickly. When Violet decided that she wanted to be a Lady Detective, and solve the case of her missing mother, she came across Benjamin, another Detective in town, and she found she enjoyed his company and working together. In order to continue doing so, they became engaged so it wasn’t as scandalous them spending time alone together. When the town busybody Mrs Withers is discovered dead after a ball, in mysterious circumstances, Violet feels she has to investigate. She and Benjamin test their detective skills, their friendship – and perhaps more.

This book is amusing, and Violet sweeps you along with her enthusiasm. The relationships are interesting, and very evocative of the time. I really enjoyed the descriptions of Hastings and St Leonards in the 1890s.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6527288606