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ljwrites85's review
5.0
This book is set in the late nineteenth century when girls, especially orphaned, ones had little or no prospects in Australia. They’re only choice was to set sail to Canada in hopes of finding a husband.
Alyssa Chambers is not like the other girls. She was raised in relative luxury, until her father, a high ranking official, spoke out against the treatment of prisoners in Port Philips prison and then her mother died leaving her alone. Boarding the ship she hopes to get to Canada then back to England to find her long lost relatives.
She is put in charge of a small group of girls whom she grows fond of then one the girls, goes missing.
With the help of Dr Bryson and first mate Mr Kendrick she must find the killer before he strikes again.
I loved this Agatha Christie style mystery. There wasn’t a lot of action but it didn’t need it, the mystery kept me interested all the way through. The setting on the boat helped a lot, the author really got that feel of isolation across and terror of being trapped in the middle of nowhere with a murderer.
Alyssa was a fantastic character too, with a tendency to speak her mind and defend herself, which was not a good trait in a woman back in those days.
There was also a little bit of a love triangle going between Alyssa, Dr Bryson and Mr Kendrick which I enjoyed immensely.
My only complaint was it was quite a short book and I wanted to read more!
I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author.
Alyssa Chambers is not like the other girls. She was raised in relative luxury, until her father, a high ranking official, spoke out against the treatment of prisoners in Port Philips prison and then her mother died leaving her alone. Boarding the ship she hopes to get to Canada then back to England to find her long lost relatives.
She is put in charge of a small group of girls whom she grows fond of then one the girls, goes missing.
With the help of Dr Bryson and first mate Mr Kendrick she must find the killer before he strikes again.
I loved this Agatha Christie style mystery. There wasn’t a lot of action but it didn’t need it, the mystery kept me interested all the way through. The setting on the boat helped a lot, the author really got that feel of isolation across and terror of being trapped in the middle of nowhere with a murderer.
Alyssa was a fantastic character too, with a tendency to speak her mind and defend herself, which was not a good trait in a woman back in those days.
There was also a little bit of a love triangle going between Alyssa, Dr Bryson and Mr Kendrick which I enjoyed immensely.
My only complaint was it was quite a short book and I wanted to read more!
I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author.
faysieh's review
5.0
What a super story! I fairly flew through this and almost read it in one sitting.
The Artemis' Delight sails from Melbourne on its way to Canada with a stop at San Francisco.
On board, as 'agreed' stowaways, out of sight of the few gentlemen passengers, are 22 brides-to-be with their chaperone Matron, Mrs McKenzie.
Alyssa Chalmers is a different breed from the majority of the girls but all of them are orphaned and on their way to find husbands in a new land.
The characters, particularly Alyssa, Emma, Matron, Dr Mark Bryson, Mr Kendrick, Davies, Mr Wainwright and Captain Moore are amazingly well written characters and the history of the times, where women had no standing in society, is so well portrayed.
The descriptions of the ship's passage, a bout of sea -sickness and the lengths that have to be taken to escort the hidden 'cargo' are exceptionally good.
The only trouble is, one of the gentlemen passengers, keen to find out more about the steam engine, stumbles across a girl and then the secret is out.
Someone, but who, is writing entries in a diary, that are full of menace and potential mistreatment of the females on board.
And then Emma goes missing. Alyssa, Dr Bryson and Mr Kendrick combine forces and play amateur detectives in order to solve the mystery.
This is the first book I have read that Carmen Radtke has written and it definitely won't be the last!
The Artemis' Delight sails from Melbourne on its way to Canada with a stop at San Francisco.
On board, as 'agreed' stowaways, out of sight of the few gentlemen passengers, are 22 brides-to-be with their chaperone Matron, Mrs McKenzie.
Alyssa Chalmers is a different breed from the majority of the girls but all of them are orphaned and on their way to find husbands in a new land.
The characters, particularly Alyssa, Emma, Matron, Dr Mark Bryson, Mr Kendrick, Davies, Mr Wainwright and Captain Moore are amazingly well written characters and the history of the times, where women had no standing in society, is so well portrayed.
The descriptions of the ship's passage, a bout of sea -sickness and the lengths that have to be taken to escort the hidden 'cargo' are exceptionally good.
The only trouble is, one of the gentlemen passengers, keen to find out more about the steam engine, stumbles across a girl and then the secret is out.
Someone, but who, is writing entries in a diary, that are full of menace and potential mistreatment of the females on board.
And then Emma goes missing. Alyssa, Dr Bryson and Mr Kendrick combine forces and play amateur detectives in order to solve the mystery.
This is the first book I have read that Carmen Radtke has written and it definitely won't be the last!
sarahs_bookish_life's review
4.0
I have to admit this isn’t the usual sort of book that I would pick up. I tend not to be a big fan of books set in a different century, much preferring them to be set in the modern day instead. I have to say though the book description sounded to good for me to pass up on the chance of reading it, so I did, read it that is.
The whole story takes part on the ship on it’s voyage to Canada where most of the girls hope to be married off and make a new life for themselves. I did feel a bit sorry for them all. To spend time cooped up together for quite a considerable amount of time would have sent me stir crazy. Obviously this is also at a time when women were not seen to travel on their own and in this case they are all accompanied by a matron to watch over them and make sure there are no unsavoury advances from any men on board.
I liked how the girls or should I say young women, all have quite a personality. Alyssa certainly is quite outspoken which is something that would have been frowned upon then. The on board doctor though seems to take quite a shine to her often playfully winding her up much to Alyssa’s annoyance. I also enjoyed the matrons character, who I envisioned to be quite different to the stereo typical ones you would normally see on the telly.
I wouldn’t class this as a crime thriller as the story is told at a much slower pace of which I feel is needed for the setting and type of story it is. It is very much one of murder mystery and reminded me slightly of Agatha Christie’s, Death On The Nile with it being set on a ship which means the murderer is still on board and it’s down to the people on board to work out who the villain is.
The Case of the Missing Bride is a charming and intriguing read. For a slower paced read it still had me engrossed, so much so that I read it in two sittings. Definitely one of those sort of books that you will be glad you take a chance on if it’s not your usual kind of read.
The whole story takes part on the ship on it’s voyage to Canada where most of the girls hope to be married off and make a new life for themselves. I did feel a bit sorry for them all. To spend time cooped up together for quite a considerable amount of time would have sent me stir crazy. Obviously this is also at a time when women were not seen to travel on their own and in this case they are all accompanied by a matron to watch over them and make sure there are no unsavoury advances from any men on board.
I liked how the girls or should I say young women, all have quite a personality. Alyssa certainly is quite outspoken which is something that would have been frowned upon then. The on board doctor though seems to take quite a shine to her often playfully winding her up much to Alyssa’s annoyance. I also enjoyed the matrons character, who I envisioned to be quite different to the stereo typical ones you would normally see on the telly.
I wouldn’t class this as a crime thriller as the story is told at a much slower pace of which I feel is needed for the setting and type of story it is. It is very much one of murder mystery and reminded me slightly of Agatha Christie’s, Death On The Nile with it being set on a ship which means the murderer is still on board and it’s down to the people on board to work out who the villain is.
The Case of the Missing Bride is a charming and intriguing read. For a slower paced read it still had me engrossed, so much so that I read it in two sittings. Definitely one of those sort of books that you will be glad you take a chance on if it’s not your usual kind of read.
tonikayk's review
5.0
I woke up at 4am to read the ending. A fantastic cast of characters and eloquent statements on the constrictions of the 1860s and the barriers for women, especially intelligent, and strong women all wrapped in a search for honor, justice, and truth. The characters were so real that this morning I'm still worried about Rosie.
thequietgeordie's review
3.0
At the beginning of the book, we are introduced to Alyssa and her travelling companions. They are to travel from Australia to Canada to seek husbands. It is a church sponsored initiative, and the girls are travelling with a Matron. They are to stay below decks, as only a select number of crew and none of the guests know they are travelling. Of course, they can’t stay hidden forever, and then one of Alyssa’s new friends goes missing and she is determined to find out the truth – with the help of some of the crew.
The story is told from three characters perspectives – Alyssa Chalmers, Dr Mark Bryson and a mysterious diarist.
Alyssa is a likeable character. She’s not afraid of speaking her mind and standing up for what she believes in, but she’s equally quite happy to obey the polite society rules of the times. Alyssa tells the story for a view into life for the girls.
Mark is also a likeable character – he is concerned for the safety of the girls, and at the same time is one of the people who stands up for them when they are discovered by accident. He is a good negotiator for the girls against the Captain. He’s also the main investigator of the story.
This is a very slow moving but enjoyable read. The Missing Bride of the title doesn’t go missing until about halfway through, but it’s enough of a page turner to keep you wanting more.
The story is told from three characters perspectives – Alyssa Chalmers, Dr Mark Bryson and a mysterious diarist.
Alyssa is a likeable character. She’s not afraid of speaking her mind and standing up for what she believes in, but she’s equally quite happy to obey the polite society rules of the times. Alyssa tells the story for a view into life for the girls.
Mark is also a likeable character – he is concerned for the safety of the girls, and at the same time is one of the people who stands up for them when they are discovered by accident. He is a good negotiator for the girls against the Captain. He’s also the main investigator of the story.
This is a very slow moving but enjoyable read. The Missing Bride of the title doesn’t go missing until about halfway through, but it’s enough of a page turner to keep you wanting more.
barbarahowe's review
3.0
This is more successful as a historical novel than a mystery, as it casts a light on an obscure bit of history. The story follows a group of young women -- mail-order brides, essentially -- on a ship traveling from Melbourne, Australia to Canada during the American Civil War. They are hidden away in steerage, as the men in charge don't want the first-class passengers (all male) or the majority of the crew to know they are there. How well can this secret be kept on a months-long voyage? Not very well at all, and it's amusing to watch the efforts of the captain and his officers to keep the women segregated (to preserve their reputations, of course) and the ease with which both the women and men flout the rules.
As a mystery it wasn't very gripping. The plot was straightforward, and the cast of potential murderers insufficiently distinguished it was essentially a random and uninteresting pick as to which one did it.
The book is rather short and lightweight as historical novels go, with three point-of-view characters: Alyssa Chalmers, the best educated of the young women, Mark Bryson, the ship's doctor, and the unnamed and villainous diarist. Throughout the story Bryson is referred to by his first name, while all the other men are referred to by their last names. It wasn't clear if that was because he's a POV character, or if the author was telegraphing that he was the love interest. In either case, it was irritating. So were the numerous typos. A good story deserves a better job of editing than this one got.
As a mystery it wasn't very gripping. The plot was straightforward, and the cast of potential murderers insufficiently distinguished it was essentially a random and uninteresting pick as to which one did it.
The book is rather short and lightweight as historical novels go, with three point-of-view characters: Alyssa Chalmers, the best educated of the young women, Mark Bryson, the ship's doctor, and the unnamed and villainous diarist. Throughout the story Bryson is referred to by his first name, while all the other men are referred to by their last names. It wasn't clear if that was because he's a POV character, or if the author was telegraphing that he was the love interest. In either case, it was irritating. So were the numerous typos. A good story deserves a better job of editing than this one got.
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