A Curious Beginning

 When I got my hands on a copy of this book, I was both ecstatic and terrified. I love the Lady Julia Grey mysteries. They're comfort reading for me (and for my mum!) and I re-read them pretty regularly. Deanna Raybourn had me from the first line of those, so I was pysched about the idea of a new series by her set in London, but very worried that it wouldn't live up to what I loved about Julia or wouldn't feel different enough. There was no reason for me to be worried at all. This was fantastic. I apologize in advance for all of the comparisons with the Julia Grey series, but it's very hard not to compare it to a series I adore by the same author. The characters were fabulous. Even the more minor characters were interesting, and I can't wait to see what else we learn about them. Lady Cordelia in particular seems to hold a few genuinely interesting mysteries, and it is lovely to see a female character besides the main one get some screen time and not be the villain or related to the main character. I'm hoping to see some friendship develop between them in later books. Stoker was simultaneously infuriating and brilliant. The two often go together, but for once he did not feel like a caricature; he has mysteries and interests that I'd like to hear more of, and a past that might cause problems, but will definitely be worth exploring. He's also, for once, slightly more repressed than his female counterpart, which was refreshing to see. Veronica is absolutely wonderful. She reduced me to stitches several times with her forthright manner (especially on certain subjects), and she was rational and brilliant and driven in her own right in a way that I really loved. If Amelia Peabody and Lady Julia Grey had raised a daughter together, I think she might turn out a bit like this, though both would likely shy in the face of her salaciousness, another character trait of hers I found quite endearing as well as unexpected. On the whole, she actually reminds me an awful lot of Amelia Peabody (from Elizabeth Peters' long-running Egyptian mystery series, one of my favorites), down to the whole "designing her own clothes" part. She is sensible and driven by an interest in science and a glorious flouting of those conventions of this rather repressed Victorian time that do not suit her. The romance developing (slowly!) between the two of them was quite interesting. The murder more so, of course. Watching the characters attempt to figure out what was going on was fascinating because, for once in a mystery novel, we were not faced with idiots. The solution was not staring them in the face. In fact, with the exception of the obvious fact that a murder had taken place, the mystery was not staring them in the face. It was very unclear for a bit what exactly they were looking for, but they took that in stride and handled it very well. It was lovely to see them forming a decent partnership and not always tripping over each other. They are both in the habit of hiding things that are probably better shared, but their lack of knowledge of what is important coupled with their short acquaintance gives them reason enough for that, I feel, so I'm certainly willing to forgive it. I was not expecting several of the revelations, and found myself, paranoid as I am, trusting the wrong people at several points. What is probably the most major revelation left me completely shocked, and I am really hoping we hear (quite a bit!) more about it in later books in the series. I miss the lack of paranormal-esque stuff from the Lady Julia Gray books, but these feel like smarter mysteries, with a very similar kind of humor and with characters that I already like quite a bit and could quickly see myself growing to love.  I'll be re-reading this when it comes out properly, and buying my own copy to share with my mum, who adores Deanna Raybourn.  I'm already excited for the next one. I can't wait to see where it goes from here. These (like the Lady Julia Grey books), are going to be insta-buys for me, and that is not something I say lightly. If you liked the Julia Grey books, you're quite likely to love this. If you didn't, you may still like it--it is just different enough (more rational, I'd say) that it is worth it trying it. This comes very highly recommended. This book was provided to me for free by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.