frnkn_stein's review against another edition
5.0
So much more than a murder mystery! It's a sensitive and well-researched book about gender, sexuality, feminism and society in late Victorian Edinburgh. It's also got poison, LGBT rep and a romantic subplot that's been building since the first book, and that has me kicking my feet like when I watch 2005's Pride and Prejudice. I have one question and one question only: where is book three!!!! Let Sarah shoot a man!!!!
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
Sarah Gilchrist has found herself a fiancee. To be more precise she has been affianced to the younger son of a friend of her uncle. Miles is dull but acquiescent and he will lend a veneer of respectability to Sarah, however he will stop her medical studies. When one of the maids at his house is murdered Sarah finds herself thrust into another investigation and when her intended father-in-law is also killed Sarah has to act.
I really enjoyed the first of these novels and the second is no different. Welsh has managed to put together a book which shouldn't work but it does. At its heart is a simple detective tale set in late Victorian Edinburgh and at this level the story is sufficiently complex to be really satisfying with a real sense of time and place. What lifts these novels above the more mundane is the feminist slant, not so much to be abrasive but integral to the characters and the story.
I really enjoyed the first of these novels and the second is no different. Welsh has managed to put together a book which shouldn't work but it does. At its heart is a simple detective tale set in late Victorian Edinburgh and at this level the story is sufficiently complex to be really satisfying with a real sense of time and place. What lifts these novels above the more mundane is the feminist slant, not so much to be abrasive but integral to the characters and the story.
shirtypantser's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Classism, Self harm, Violence, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Sexual content, and Sexism
bookish_arcadia's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
lauranisbet's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
eserafina42's review against another edition
4.0
A very enjoyable and atmospheric mystery set in late 19th-century Edinburgh among the first class of women admitted to the university there for medical training, with a headstrong but sympathetic member of that class as the detective.
My main gripe: I was not aware that this was the second novel (it would be nice if they would put something like "In the second offering in the series" at the beginning of the description on the inside front cover, especially if they're not going to list the previous one in the part of the book where they usually put previous books by the author), but while I am going to go back and read the first, while I understand that she probably wanted to provide some context, I felt that the author provided way too much information about it, including who was killed, who the killer was and essentially how it ended - spoiling it to some extent for those who mistakenly started with this one.
My main gripe: I was not aware that this was the second novel (it would be nice if they would put something like "In the second offering in the series" at the beginning of the description on the inside front cover, especially if they're not going to list the previous one in the part of the book where they usually put previous books by the author), but while I am going to go back and read the first, while I understand that she probably wanted to provide some context, I felt that the author provided way too much information about it, including who was killed, who the killer was and essentially how it ended - spoiling it to some extent for those who mistakenly started with this one.
lsoccer12's review against another edition
4.0
Devoured this sequel, great work again from Katie Welsh!
chantedsnicker's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ludwinas's review against another edition
5.0
I should've seen this coming. Already with the first book I started out thinking "oh, historical fiction isn't really my thing", but once again, Kaite proved me wrong! I ended up deeply fascinated by Sarah's story and circumstances, the daily struggle to be taken seriously as a woman, and in the end, even the romance plot.
Wonderful book, would recommend this series to anyone who is into historical mysteries, but especially to those who, like me, are in it for the feminism and end up googling Victorian era clothes as a side effect.
Wonderful book, would recommend this series to anyone who is into historical mysteries, but especially to those who, like me, are in it for the feminism and end up googling Victorian era clothes as a side effect.