Point of Honour (Sarah Tolerance)

Rating:
Summary: Pride, Prejudice and P.I.'s
Review: I really can't praise this book enough. Not only does the author interweave Jane Austen's Napoleonic era neatly with a female P.I.'s life--she also tosses in great fight scenes, heart-rending portraits of poverty, perfect dialogue, vicious political sceming and beautiful characterizations. Four characters of special note are her wistful but capable heroine, a loony botanist who inadvertently provides a major clue, a serene ex-farm girl turned sucessful courtesan and the heroine's aunt, a ruthless yet forward-thinking madame. Can't wait for the next in the series, especially now that the Prince of Wales owes our heroine a big favor.

Rating:
Summary: Fresh and Fun 'Regency Noir'
Review: In her afterward, Madeleine Robins describes her own novel as a 'hard boiled' Regency detective story. The disreputable private eye holding onto the vestiges of his code of ethics even while he takes on unsavory divorce cases is translated into Sarah Tolerance. Sarah is a well bred lady who ran off with her fencing master, marking herself as a Fallen Woman. Sarah now takes on inquiries, following philandering husbands for their suspicious wives. The classy dame in distress becomes a handsome nobleman who needs our heroine's help. Our maltese falcon is an Italian fan -- surely not worth all this trouble -- yet someone seems willing to kill in order to reach it before our heroine. I thoroughly enjoyed Sarah, her world (historically accurate in spirit, if partly adapted to the author's purpose), and her adventures. So please excuse me if I offer that I was slightly, very slightly disappointed, based solely on my expectations. Point of Honor remained a superior example of a 'hard boiled' detective novel, rendered fresh by the quality of writing, setting and female heroine. But having read Madeleine Robin's previous novel, the marvelous "Stone War", I waited for "Point of Honour" to blossom into something more, for its insights to transcend its chosen genre in the same way "Stone War" had. Madeleine Robin clearly had fun writing this novel, and the ending left room for a second. I'll look forward to Sarah Tolerance's next case -- and for Ms. Robin to find room within her self-invented genre for even more depth.

Rating:
Summary: Fine historical mystery: a "Hardboiled Regency"
Review: The time is 1810. The Queen Regent is clinging to life while her children, the ineligibly married Prince of Wales and the scandalous Duke of Clarence scramble for position in the event of her death. Sarah Tolerance is a Fallen Woman -- when a teen she fell in love with her brother's fencing instructor and ran away to the Continent. But her lover has died, and she has returned to England. Her reputation is ruined, her father has repudiated her, she is an ancient 28 years old. What can she do? She is taken in by her Aunt, another Fallen Woman, who runs a very successful bordello. But Sarah has no interest in working for her Aunt, so instead she sets up as what we would call a Private Investigator, often turning up evidence for Society women of their husbands' infidelity.

Sarah receives a new commission asking that she retrieve an Italian fan, that may be in the possession of a retired working woman named Deb Cunning. Trux's unnamed boss is willing to offer quite a bit more than the fan is worth for its retrieval. Sarah's job is complicated by the fact that Deb Cunning has likely changed her name. But Sarah soon finds some interesting leads. However, her job is quickly complicated, as it soon seems that this fan is of considerable interest to both sides in the current political wrangle. Worse, a couple of people involved in the search turn up dead -- one is a close friend of Sarah's, the other is a woman she has visited to ask for information -- her visit timed to make her a suspect in the murder.

Sarah finally learns who her real client is -- the handsome, youngish, Earl of Versellion, who is in line to be Prime Minister if the new Regent chooses to back a Whig government. Sarah finds herself greatly attracted to Versellion, all the while exasperated by the paucity of information on the importance of the fan. This attraction deepens when she and Versellion have to go on the run in rural England, apparently under threat of murder.

The novel nicely intertwines political intrigue, an interesting mystery about the real nature of the hidden fan (with a guessable but satisfying solution), romance, action, and a nice ending with an extra twist or two. Sarah herself is an interesting heroine, and I'm glad to know that at least two further novels are planned.

The main appeal is likely to mystery readers first: particularly those who enjoyed the late Kate Ross's Julian Kestrel stories, or those who enjoy Anne Perry's Victorian mysteries. Secondarily, readers of Regency romances may enjoy the book: though it does not follow standard Regency plot conventions, it does have a nice romance at its core. It's a fine historical mystery story, or if you will, a "hardboiled Regency". (Serious historical readers will note that the book is actually set in a slightly altered history.)