It begins (though it has long since began) with the abduction of a girl (if it is a girl) from Maris House, ancestral home of Sir Edmund Berwick, baronet. Also missing is the child’s nurse, Miss Bibby; has she been taken too, or did she do the taking?
Mrs Bride Devine is engaged to investigate. Private investigation is one of several strings to her bow, along with minor surgery (esp. Boils, Warts, Extractions) and the occasional consultancy for Police Inspector Valentine Rose. Bridie works alone, supported at home by her seven foot tall housemaid, Cora Butter, and in the current case by newly acquired, insubstantial, assistant, the ghost of Ruby Doyle, tattooed seafarer and champion boxer (deceased). Bride does not believe in ghosts but doesn’t let that stop her discussing the case with Ruby, nor of developing affection for him.
The book moves forward in two timelines: the current (1863) where Bridie soon gets on the trail of the abductors; and the past (1841) that tells of nine-year-old Bridie’s purchase (for a guinea) and training as apprentice by Dr Joshua Eames, physician and collector of jars of unusual specimens.
No spoilers here. It all moves forward splendidly with spells of tension, action, and reflection, set in an atmospherically seedy London both wary and dismissive of a female dabbling in medicine and detection. The prose is unhurried, delivering measured portions of gothic locations, colourful characters, and twisting plot. The resolution is uncertain to the end, but credible and satisfying (though Ruby Doyle remains an enigma).
There is a hint of a
sequel, which would be welcome.
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