A high society amateur detective at the heart of Regency London uses her wits and invisibility as an ‘old maid’ to protect other women in a new and fiercely feminist historical mystery series from New York Times bestselling author Alison Goodman.
Lady Augusta Colebrook, “Gus,” is determinedly unmarried, bored by society life, and tired of being dismissed at the age of forty-two. She and her twin sister, Julia, who is grieving her dead betrothed, need a distraction. One soon presents to rescue their friend’s goddaughter, Caroline, from her violent husband.
The sisters set out to Caroline’s country estate with a plan, but their carriage is accosted by a highwayman. In the scuffle, Gus accidentally shoots and injures the ruffian, only to discover he is Lord Evan Belford, an acquaintance from their past who was charged with murder and exiled to Australia twenty years ago. What follows is a high adventure full of danger, clever improvisation, heart-racing near misses, and a little help from a revived and rather charming Lord Evan.
Back in London, Gus can’t stop thinking about her unlikely (not to mention handsome) comrade-in-arms. She is convinced Lord Evan was falsely accused of murder, and she is going to prove it. She persuades Julia to join her in a quest to help Lord Evan, and others in need—society be damned! And so begins the beguiling secret life and adventures of the Colebrook twins.
REVIEW
I had read THE DARK DAYS CLUB by Alison Goodman a long time ago. I don’t remember much about exactly what I liked back then, but I did like something, because this title caught my attention because it was written by her. Pair that with the fact that it’s set in regency London and that it promises women who don’t behave according to societal standards, and it made for something I’d have to try to get my hands on.
I constantly second-guessed myself many times whenever I thought of putting in a request for this title, because I feel like im running behind on my review copies. I’m glad I took the plunge because it’s the fastest I have read close to 500 pages in a few weeks. This was a lot of fun.
Ladies Gus (Augusta) and Julia Colebrook are twins, single, over forty, and live in a home left to them by their late father. Gus is often at odds with her brother Duffy, the new head of the family, and is bored of high-society life. One day, she offers to carry out a job on behalf of one of her friends to return a favour, and somehow ends up being offered more potentially dangerous ones over time. Tired of being dismissed and overlooked for being an “old maid”, she ropes in her sister and along the way, a very handsome and attractive highwayman, to execute them.
This book is divided into three such “cases” to help women in need, each being more dangerous than the last. I really enjoyed this structure since there was plenty of time to get to know the sisters, and have their relationships contribute to the choices they make over the full story. While Gus and Julia don’t see eye-to-eye on many things, it was clear that they have each other’s best interests at heart. Gus is spirited while Julia is a bit more timid and chooses to pick fewer battles. To me, their sibling relationship was the best part of the story. They disagree, sometimes argue, and eventually make up. They even join forces and deal with their extremely misogynistic brother, and that made for a conversation that left me with a smug smile on my face.
There are plenty of interactions and parts of the book that demonstrate Gus’ struggles with dealing with the restrictions placed upon her as a woman. This is the main theme of the story, but it also touches upon privileges gained through class and race. As the cases the sisters deal with get larger, the author uncovers more and more of this unfairness, and the way that men could choose to abuse their “God-given” armour of male superiority over women. I am quite confident that the author has done her research into the time the story is set in, and strikes a great balance between staying true to it, and yet having a cast of characters with a majority that are resourceful, and can be sympathised with.
Some of the most endearing bits of the story were the ones that showed the support that Gus received from other supporting characters like her friend, and her butler, Weatherly. There’s also a swoon worthy, kind-of-forbidden romance with the highwayman, and the book ends on a note promising more of it in the sequel. The way some things were resolved at the end did seem a bit too convenient, but I don’t care, simply because I had so much fun with it, and because of what it means for the next book. I’m hoping that this one will eventually be made into a movie.
If you want to read about “old maids” living life on their own terms, defying social conventions and helping those in need with daring plans, stakes that get higher with each new case, dealing with scandals, or maybe even finding love in the course of their endeavours, I highly recommend this book.
I received an ARC of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. Quotes are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
LINKS
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Brilliant review! I love the idea behind this one, I’ll definitely be adding to my tbr 😊
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Thank you! I am sure I didn’t do justice to how much I enjoyed it, but it’s very very good and I hope you love it!
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