Following a humiliating fourth Season in London, Lady Elizabeth Fraser is on her way back to her ancestral country estate when her train careens off the rails and bursts into flames. Though she is injured, she manages to drag herself and her unconscious mother out of the wreckage, and amid the chaos that ensues, a brilliant young railway surgeon saves her mother’s life. Elizabeth feels an immediate connection with Paul Wilcox-though society would never deem a medical man eligible for the daughter of an earl. After Paul reveals that the train wreck was no accident, and the inspector who tried to prevent it dies under mysterious circumstances, Elizabeth undertakes a dangerous investigation of her own that leads back to her family’s buried secrets. Not only are her dowry and her reputation at stake; Paul’s very life hangs in the balance when he is arrested for manslaughter. Now Elizabeth must risk everything for the man who has found a place in her heart. As the trial draws near, and Parliament prepares for a vote that will change the course of the nation, she uncovers a conspiracy that has been years in the making. But time is running out to see justice done.
Ok but not believable as a Victorian mystery But for two major aspect, I enjoyed this book. PRO: It was interesting to learn about the railroads in the UK but the language that the author used was far too modern, with the heroine using terminology that is sometimes late 20th century. CONS: The things that really drove me crazy was that the heroine knew, or picked up VERY quickly, business and finance and there was NO WAY in the 1870s that any victorian woman would have known anything of it, nor cared. I only gave it three stars because…
Long-dead father inadvertently causes train wreck! Karen Odden’s <i>A Lady in the Smoke</i> was utterly charming. After being recently disappointed by works such as <i>Jackaby</i> and <i>A Foreign Affair</i>, I was starting to wonder despondently if there was any good young adult Victorian detective fiction recently being written at all. Karen Odden, to my delight, proved me wrong. The heroine, Elizabeth, is courageous and even reckless sometimes, but she is also wise and compassionate. She isn’t the irritating…
Very good debut historical mystery. This has just about everything I look for in a historical mystery: 1) Excellent use of the historical setting; 2) Lots of intrigue, both political and financial, with murder and sabotage involved; 3) Secrets and lies within family relationships; 4) Courtroom drama; 5) Even a sweet romance.Â