What if the talented Brontë sisters decided to put their incredible imagination and intelligence to practical use and solved a mystery? It's 1845 and the Brontë children are all back in the parsonage with their father at Haworth. Their reunion has given them the intellectual peace they desire and they spending evenings in the dining room writing and talking. The sisters, Charlotte, Emily and Anne, have every intention of putting aside social convention and living lives that they choose -- free from male overbearance. Their brother, Branwell, is typically off at some particular debauchery nursing a broken heart and spirit, while the young women laugh and argue. But it is Branwell who brings them the news that will set them on a great adventure, detecting, when he informs them of a "bloody and awful killing" that has apparently taken place in nearby Arunton. It seems that the lady of the house, Elizabeth Chester, had disappeared from her bedchamber leaving behind her son and a stepson - and a great quantity of blood. There's no sign of the body at Chester Grange and the Brontë sisters are at once intrigued. They just so happen to be acquainted with the governess there, Matilda French, who happens to be a friend. There's nothing to be done but to go see for themselves and visit their acquaintance in order to help. In this way, the sisters embark on a secondary career and set their writing aside to solve the case. NO SPOILERS.
This was just lovely! The writing was excellent and the author did a great job giving each of the Brontë sisters her own personality. It was a time when women were subjugated completely, property of their fathers or husbands, and these women are having nothing to do with being put in such a place. The novel stays true with many facts about their life and times and, though them being "detectors" is probably a bit of a leap, the device serves the story quite well. A large cast of secondary characters is brought to life and there are many layers to this mystery. I totally enjoyed it and definitely will look forward to another installment in this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is meant to be the first in a series featuring the Brontë sisters. Read in order!
Genre - mystery, historical fiction
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