Laetitia Rodd and the Case of the Wandering Scholar by Kate Saunders is an historical fiction cozy crime mystery. Now that's a mouthful! Set in 1851, Mrs Laetitia Rodd is a widow in her 50s who earns her living as a very discreet private investigator.
The wandering scholar of the title is the estranged brother of Jacob Welland, and on his deathbed suffering from consumption, Jacob hires Mrs Rodd to find him.
Even though this is the second book in the Laetitia Rodd mystery series and I hadn't read the first (The Secrets of Wishtide) I was still able to read and enjoy this as a standalone.
It was also easy to imagine this as a TV series on the big screen, as Mrs Rodd jumps in and out of carriages, converses with Inspector Blackbeard from Scotland Yard and talks her way into crime scenes and drawing rooms in an attempt to solve the mounting crimes.
As an aside, this novel also put me in mind of She Be Damned by M.J. Tjia as this was set in London in 1863 and also featured a female sleuth.
Laetitia Rodd and the Case of the Wandering Scholar by Kate Saunders is recommended for readers who enjoy a cozy crime mystery within an historical setting.
Carpe Librum!
Hm... maybe... I'm starting to think that I'll never find anyone who can write a really good cozy mystery like Agathe Christie...
ReplyDeleteI think this will give you the 'feel' of an Agatha Christie Davida, but not sure anyone could claim to be as good.
DeleteThat is a mouthful to say!
ReplyDeleteThe title is a bit of a mouthful isn't it Marg? Lol.
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