Some secrets are better left buried | Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey | Review + Giveaway

A twisty tale reminiscent of Jane Austen—with a dash of murder—Cindy Anstey’s Deadly Curious is perfect for fans of Kerri Maniscalco and Agatha Christie.

Deadly Curious Cindy Anstey Publication Date: June 23, 2020 Genre: YA Historical Romance, Mystery

Some secrets are better left buried…

1834. Sophia Thompson wants nothing more than to be one of the famed Bow Street Runners, London’s most elite corps of detectives. Never mind that a woman has never before joined their ranks—and certainly never mind that her reclusive family has forbidden her from pursuing such an unladylike goal.

She gets the chance to prove her capabilities when an urgent letter arrives from her frantic cousin Daphne, begging Sophia to come look into the suspicious death of Daphne’s brother.

As Sophia begins to unravel the tangled threads of the case—with the help of a charming young policeman—she soon realizes that the murderer may be even closer to her family than she ever suspected.

Review Review copy provided by the tour organizer thru NetGalley

What reason would a young lady with a genteel upbringing have in pursuing a career with the elite corps of detectives?

Zero marriage prospects.

When her uncle was sentenced to the colonies, Sophia Thompson’s Season was cancelled and the family’s reputation took a downturn that her future was compromised. Or as compromised as it could be when, in those times, a young woman’s future was either have a proper husband and run the household and have a family or spend the rest of her life attending to their mother or living off a small stipend from an inheritance or their brother’s generosity.

But Sophia Thompson was obstinate that she if she won’t get her Season, then she might as well have a career. With her heart set on joining the ranks of the Bow Street Runners (inconceivable!), she was looking for a chance to prove her capabilities.

And an alarming letter from her cousin asking Sophia for help in looking into her brother’s murder would just be the right point in jumping her career off.

One running theme in this series is that the heroines are intelligent and headstrong, wanting to explore more of their worth than what their current circumstances are giving them. They want to use their talents and skills for more than house management and raising family. Not that there’s something wrong with domesticity, but I feel like the books are trying to convey that the young women could be strong and soft at the same time. A career and a family - a girl could be one of the boys.

This is common/popular trope in most historical romance fiction, but academic research and history established that women have been awesome and bad-ass since the ancient times but we all know that popular history tends to be written leaning more into the masculine side.

But what I also liked in Cindy Anstey’s books is that the love interest, while noticing the fair countenance of the main character first, is more attracted to their drive, mind, and personality.

I deemed Sophia and Jeremy’s romance to be more adorable and cute that I would sooner coo and pat their heads than swoon.

I figured out the one behind the murder about halfway through. And I would advise the two to consider another career choice. But what was interesting is to find out what the motive was, what the culprit’s history as to have a reason to murder that particular person.

I still love the setting and a peak at the local history from the perspective of landed gentry. I loved finding new terms I haven’t encountered before, i.e. haberdashery, oriel windows, Vandyke beard, poaching and the laws pertaining to it, that I was deep into a chain-google-search. Which landed me in reading a lot about something other than the drama of the royal family during the Georgian period.

P.S.

Let's talk about Sophia's dad who, while not as awesome as Dad Andrew, Uncle Leonard, and Uncle James of Love, Lies and Spies (see review), was still a father who supported his daughter in her chosen path.

About the Author

Whenever she is not sitting at the computer, throwing a ball in the backyard, gardening or reading, Cindy can be found–actually, not found–adventuring around the world with her hubby.

She has lived on three continents, had a monkey in her yard and a scorpion under her sink, dwelt among castles and canals, enjoyed the jazz of Beale St and attempted to speak French.

Cindy loves history, mystery and… a chocolate Labrador called Chester.

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