Governess
Flora Maguire is sailing home to England with her young charge
Edward on the Minneapolis. Nervous at being on a ship with
only first class, she stays in her cabin, but when she finds
a body on deck she is not content with it being regarded as
an accident. There is something suspicious about this death
and she is keen to get to the bottom of it; she couldn’t
prevent the early death of her mother, but maybe she can find
justice for this victim. Befriended by motor enthusiast Bunny
Harrington, she soon sees him as more than a fellow sleuth,
but surely the last thing she needs is a dalliance with a
gentleman?
This is hopefully the first entry in a new series, and it
has all the elements of a good mystery. The setting of a luxury
ship mimics the closed setting of a country house, and if
you enjoy reading classic era whodunits such as Agatha Christie,
then this ought to appeal. Flora makes a sympathetic heroine,
keen to indulge in a spot of sleuthing and have as enjoyable
a time as possible despite her servant status. There is an
element of romance, but this never holds up the action and
adds to the interest, as does the attention to period detail.
Set during the 1900s, the author conjures up a time when people
were bound by their station in life, but at the same time
a new century with new possibilities. Bunny’s motor
car is a metaphor for this, symbolizing change, progress,
and chances denied to earlier generations, just as cantankerous
Mrs. Penry-Jones stands for the past. There is teasing plot,
all of which is difficult to guess with more than one victim,
red herrings galore, and pressure on the sleuths to discover
whodunit before their eight days at sea are up. Ms. Davison
has also created a diverse group of characters, all of which
seem to have something to hide, and I was sorry when I had
turned the last page. I hope we will be seeing more of Flora.
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