Mad Miss Mimic
1872. Leonora Somerville is an heiress with a stutter. The only time she can talk without stuttering is when she mimics others, something she seems to have no control over. Her strange outbursts have caused havoc, scaring away female friends and male suitors. Thus, Leo mostly stays silent. Leo lives in London with her sister, Christabel, who is possibly addicted to the special laudanum potion her husband, Dr. Dewhurst, makes. Christabel is a social climber now trying to find a husband for Leo. The rich and handsome Francis Thornfax begins courting Leo; he is not put off by Leo’s silence or stuttering. Nor is Tom, the clever assistant to Dr. Dewhurst who pops in and out of Leo’s life. London quakes in fear of the violent Black Glove, an organization apparently opposed to the opium trade. Thornfax, Dr. Dewhurst, Tom, and Leo’s journalist cousin all seem somehow linked to the deadly group.
Henstra is effective in evoking the world of Victorian England. Leo is a dynamic character. Lacking self-confidence at the beginning, Leo’s strong sense of right and wrong causes her to step forward when needed. Clues enabled me to guess what was happening with the black glove, the opium trade, and the men involved before Leo, but I didn’t know what she would do or how it would all play out. The climax is exciting, and the romance satisfying. Leo is seventeen, and the book is apparently targeted at the young adult audience. This surprised me, not because it would be inappropriate for teens, but because it is just the sort of adult historical novel I seek and enjoy.
