The Death of Me (Heloise Chancey Mysteries)
This Victorian mystery revolves around a series of bombings in London, which may have been loosely pulled from the Fenians’ Clerkenwell bomb plot in late 1800s. Courtesan and private detective Heloise Chancey has had two unsuccessful attempts made on her life (plus a third one when someone else is mistaken for her, hence the title). Recruited by the War Office to investigate, Heloise moves into cramped, grubby lodgings with an abusive landlord, of whom she becomes suspicious, and his battered wife. The plot involves a number of twists and turns with false leads thrown in.
The author’s prose is highly descriptive, her fgrasp of time and place well-researched and I certainly sympathised as Heloise tries to stomach the ‘damp, pongy’ fish served nightly by the landlady. However, I was puzzled by the dual narrative with Heloise’s maid, Amah, because it felt as though the two stories would combine into an ‘aha’ moment at some point, but they don’t, and Amah’s harrowing experiences are somewhat invalidated by credulity-stretching coincidence and unconvincing minor characters. That said, the author does a good job of leading the reader in circles but would succeed better without the tongue-in-cheek, quick-draw American and the uninspired Inspector. Heloise is an unusual character, but she didn’t hold my attention, probably because she finds herself in a plot which lacks tension and suspense. I would encourage readers not to rule out She Be Damned and A Necessary Murder, however, as they have much more gripping plotlines. This one is an afternoon’s read with some humour intermixed with drama, and a certain caricature-like feel to the villains.
