The Dagger Dance: #bookreview

The Dagger Dance by Elizabeth Bailey is set in eighteenth-century London and Bristol. Bristol is about a 2 1/2 hour west of London. In the 18th century, it would have taken approximately 40 hours to walk from London to Bristol.

Review

Lady Fan has some notoriety for solving crimes. At first, I wasn’t sure if I would like Lady Fan. Wealthy people have a different mindset from those who are not rich. She doesn’t seem to give a fig about social conventions and treats people fairly so I like her. If Jane Austen wrote mysteries, she might have written about a character like Lady Fan.

Lord Fanshawe goes along with whatever keeps Lady Fan happy even when it gets dangerous. Lady Ottilia and Lord Francis Fanshawe are fairly wealthy but they seem like they are decent people. They are definitely not walking or biking to Bristol.

Hemp Roy is employed by the Fanshawes as a footman. He meets a woman from his past, Dorote. Soon after they meet again, Dorote is accused of murdering the husband of her employer. Hemp is desperate to prove that Dorote is innocent so he asks Lady Fan for help. He is hoping to rekindle their romance or at least help her start a new life. She might have ghosted him but he still loves her and cannot stand to see her imprisoned. Lady Fan doesn’t hesitate to help Hemp and begins her investigation with Lord Fanshawe in tow.

There is another storyline involving Pretty, an orphan girl that they have taken into their care. Her grandfather shows up on the doorstep wanting to take Pretty away. Although the Fanshawes don’t want to leave Pretty at this time, they must help Hemp and Dorote.

Recommendation

If you like historical fiction with some mystery or might like a Jane Austen-esque mystery, then The Dagger Dance could be your new favorite book.

If you are a dastardly villain or a perfectly wicked henchman, then this book could keep you company in the hoosegow.

• I received this ebook from NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

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