Of manners and murder / Anastasia Hastings.

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Title:

Of manners and murder / Anastasia Hastings.

Author:

Hastings, Anastasia, author.

ISBN:

9781250848567

Edition:

First edition.

Physical Description:

294 pages ; 22 cm.

Series:

A dear Miss Hermione mystery ; [1]

Dear Miss Hermione mystery ; 1.

General Note:

Series volume from publisher's website.

Abstract:

"Of Manners and Murder is the first in the delightful new Dear Miss Hermione mystery series from Anastasia Hastings. 1885: London, England. When Violet's Aunt Adelia decides to abscond with her newest paramour, she leaves behind her role as the most popular Agony Aunt in London, "Miss Hermione," in Violet's hands. And of course, the first letter Violet receives is full, not of prissy pondering, but of portent. Ivy Armstrong is in need of help and fears for her life. But when Violet visits the village where the letters were posted, she find that Ivy is already dead. She'll quickly discover that when you represent the best-loved Agony Aunt in Britain, both marauding husbands and murder are par for the course"-- Provided by publisher.

Subject Term:

Murder -- Fiction.

Murder -- Investigation -- Fiction.

Aunts -- Fiction.

Advice columnists -- Fiction.

Letters -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

London (England) -- History -- 19th century -- Fiction.

Genre:

Historical fiction.

Mystery fiction.

Detective and mystery fiction. (OCoLC)fst01726581

Novels. (OCoLC)fst01921742

Detective and mystery fiction.

Novels.

Available:*

Library	Material Type	Item Barcode	Shelf Number	Status
Searching... Avon-Washington Township Public Library	Adult Mystery Fiction Book Hardback	120791003036029	F HAS	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

"The Matter is far from settled, Miss Hermione. In fact, it has grown grave."1885; London, England. When Violet's Aunt Adelia decides to abscond with her newest paramour, she leaves behind two volatile nieces, one dedicated housekeeper, and a mailbox full of trouble. After years of penning the replies of the most popular Agony Aunt in London, Miss Hermione, Adelia is giving up her authorial pursuits to go all-in on love. And unforunately for her elder niece, Violet, Adelia has left the fate of Miss Hermione in her hands.And of course, the first letter Violet receives is full not of prissy pondering, but of portent.Ivy Armstrong is in need of help like no other: strange accidents have been happening to and around her, and she confides to Miss Hermione that she fears for her life--and even sends along helpful newspaper sketches of her suspects. Violet, as a woman stymied by the repressed feminine lifestyle of her era and wedded first and foremost to good sense and good books, is determined to help Ivy. But when she visits the village where the letters were posted, Willingdale, she finds an unpleasant surprise waiting for her: Ivy is already dead, and one of her mourners may also be her murderer.With a sassy and snobbish sister, Sephora, to care for, a murder to solve, and her own complicated feelings for a certain caddish Eli Marsh to corrall, Violet is almost too busy to dole out advice to the British. Almost.

Reviews (4)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Set in 1885, this witty series launch from Hastings (a pseudonym of Connie Laux, author of the League of Literary Ladies series) introduces Violet Manville, who has been living for a year in the London home of her aunt Adelia. Violet's life is upended when her relative admits to being Miss Hermione, the author of the British Empire's most popular agony aunt column. Adelia adds that she's leaving immediately on a journey of undetermined duration with her lover and insists that Violet take over Miss Hermione during her absence, despite Violet's lack of experience. That new role becomes even more unsettling when Violet reads the letter Adelia wants her to address first, from Ivy, a new bride who sought guidance earlier. Ivy's second missive states that she suspects someone will murder her--and is accompanied by pictures of two men Ivy apparently suspects. Violet traces Ivy, but only after she has died in an apparent accident. Given the letter's contents, Violet resolves to get justice for Ivy by turning detective. Hastings imbues her endearing lead with sufficient depth to make the plot plausible. Allison Montclair readers will be eager for the sequel. Agent: Gail Fortune, Gail Fortune Agency. (Feb.)

Kirkus Review

A letter to a Victorian advice columnist introduces a clever young woman to murder. "Dear Miss Hermione" is just Aunt Adelia to Violet Manville, a practical bluestocking whose younger half sister Sephora's nose is always in the clouds. The two girls have lived with Adelia since their father died. Now, leaving London for a trip to the Continent, Adelia puts Violet in charge of writing her column, confident that her niece's common sense and adventurous spirit make her perfect for the job. While Sephora busies herself falling for a dashing, mysterious man, Violet struggles to reply to a letter from a recently married woman uneasy in her role and fearful that someone's trying to kill her. Although the letter is unsigned, Violet hopes to identify the correspondent. With the help of Bunty, their knowledgeable housekeeper, she discovers that the writer's name may be Ivy and that she probably lives in the Essex village of Willingdale. Newspaper clippings enclosed with the letter concern a vicar, a doctor, a lady, and a member of the gentry. They all seem like unlikely murderers, but Violet sets off for Willingdale to investigate. She arrives just in time for the funeral of Ivy Clague Armstrong, who supposedly fell off a bridge and drowned. Pretending to be an old schoolmate, Violet inserts herself into the group of Ivy's friends and soon concludes that she was murdered. As Sephora grieves when her new love vanishes from London, Violet learns a great deal about Ivy's life, including her mother's rumored madness. A series of surprising revelations leads to a shocking conclusion. The first in a series steeped in Victorian mores offers a dashing heroine and an impressive pile of red herrings. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Booklist Review

In 1885 London, Violet Manville is stunned to learn that her aunt Adelia is the author of a popular newspaper column, written under the pseudonym Miss Hermione, the "agony aunt." She is even more flabbergasted to learn that Adelia wants Violet to take over the column while Adelia traipses off to the Continent with her paramour. Violet is concerned when one of Miss Hermione's correspondents writes that someone is trying to kill her. Deducing that the writer's name is Ivy, Violet travels to Ivy's home in Willingdale but arrives too late, finding Ivy has died, presumably in an accident. Violet doesn't buy it and begins an investigation. At a house party, Violet meets the attractive, mysterious Eli Marsh, who is ready to assist in the investigation, but Violet doesn't trust him. Violet is a conscientious, studious, fully realized character, open to new experiences, including romance. This satisfying cozy, the first in a series, includes tricky plot twists and a beautifully described Victorian setting, framed by details concerning the writing of an advice column.

Library Journal Review

In Hastings's 1885 London, "Dear Miss Hermione" is one of the most popular Agony Aunt newspaper columns, and Violet Manville is shocked when her Aunt Adelia announces she's running off to the continent with her latest beau and leaving the advice column in Violet's capable hands. Although Adelia persuades Violet that she can handle anything that comes up, the first letter Violet receives is from a nervous young wife who claims that someone is trying to kill her. Violet wants to assure her correspondent that it's all in her imagination, so she takes the train to the village where the letters were posted, to talk in person. She's too late, arriving during Ivy Armstrong's funeral. While she investigates the clues Ivy left, Violet's half-sister Sephora conducts a secret romance with a handsome man. When Sephora's suitor disappears, she turns for advice to "Dear Miss Hermione." In a surprising finale, the sisters' investigations converge. VERDICT There are a few twists in this entertaining historical mystery, the start of a new series by the multi-pseudonymous Hastings (author of Murder of a Mail-Order Bride under the name Mimi Granger). A good accompaniment will be Mary Winters's "Lady Agony" mystery Murder in Postscript (a March 2023 debut).--Lesa Holstine