A curious beginning - Deanna Raybourn

London, 1887. As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry—and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime.

But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker—a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. But before the baron can deliver on his tantalizing vow to reveal the secrets he has concealed for decades, he is found murdered. Suddenly Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant, wary partners in search of the villainous truth. 

My thoughts:

Was Veronica a woman of her time? No. But then why would she have to? There are always rebels. She had wit, courage and a no nonsense attitude. She loved butterflies and was an avid collector, and financed her trips with that. Oh and she had affairs, but only with foreign men who can not tell the tale.

She lives with her aunts (and now there are no aunts left). A mysterious man shows up and tells her she is in danger, she does not care, but goes away with him. And she ends up with another mysterious man called Stoker. He was rather brooding, had secrets in his past and a chip on his shoulder. I could see them end up together, since they could fit.

But the story! Yes there is danger. Who killed the Baron? Who is after Veronica? Who were her parents?

At first I read and enjoyed the book, but then I become even more hooked! I Needed to know who here parents was. It turned into a nailbiting one for me, I was so curious. It's a good mystery, and I even woke up a bit early to finish it the next day.

Conclusion:
Mysteries, danger and a woman ahead of her time. Interesting tale, I wonder what happens in the next book. 

Cover

Not for me. But still good and it fits

Paperback, 320 pages
Expected publication: October 2nd 2015 by Titan Books Ltd
Veronica Speedwell Mystery #1
Historical mystery
for review