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A review by holtfan
A Useful Woman by Darcie Wilde
4.0
I had my doubts after the patently absurd introduction but this was actually quite a fun novel. I have quite the weakness for Regency cozy mysteries and this one did not disappoint. (Even if it did throw in a love triangle and borderline insta-love which...sigh.)
The story follows Miss Rosalind Thorne, who hangs on the outskirts of society doing odd jobs and keeping scandals at bay in exchange for social currency and a network of favors bestowed and owed. When she discovers a dead body at Almack's, the patronesses put her in charge of hushing it up. But the murdered man's sister has other ideas, and when you throw in a former fiance and dedicated Scotland Yard officer, further secrets are bound to get uncovered.
The book reminded me of [b:A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder|36630895|A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #1)|Dianne Freeman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511198988l/36630895._SX50_.jpg|58394698] but the characters in A Useful Woman appealed to me more. Despite a desire to veer into the absurd and a perchance for romantic entanglements that made me arch an eyebrow, the book does a fairly good job with historical accuracy and keeps things going at a fast pace. I will definitely be reading the next one in the series.
The story follows Miss Rosalind Thorne, who hangs on the outskirts of society doing odd jobs and keeping scandals at bay in exchange for social currency and a network of favors bestowed and owed. When she discovers a dead body at Almack's, the patronesses put her in charge of hushing it up. But the murdered man's sister has other ideas, and when you throw in a former fiance and dedicated Scotland Yard officer, further secrets are bound to get uncovered.
The book reminded me of [b:A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder|36630895|A Lady's Guide to Etiquette and Murder (A Countess of Harleigh Mystery, #1)|Dianne Freeman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1511198988l/36630895._SX50_.jpg|58394698] but the characters in A Useful Woman appealed to me more. Despite a desire to veer into the absurd and a perchance for romantic entanglements that made me arch an eyebrow, the book does a fairly good job with historical accuracy and keeps things going at a fast pace. I will definitely be reading the next one in the series.