A Woman of Consequence

Dido Kent, deemed an inevitable spinster at 36, stumbles across a mystery when the body of a beloved governess who disappeared 15 years earlier is found at the bottom of a newly drained pond. The silly coroner rules the death to be a suicide, but Dido soon realizes that the peerless Miss Fenn was murdered.

A Woman of Consequence has even more twists and turns than the previous two novels in the series, Bellfield Hall (published in England as A Moment of Silence) and A Gentleman of Fortune. Dido solves several puzzles -- the nature of the "ghost" that haunts Madderstone Abbey, the true history of Miss Elinor Fenn, the wicked designs of a certain navy sea captain and many more -- in her usual clever and probing way. You will discover show more several surprises throughout the book, especially at the end.

Each of the books in Anna Dean's excellent series stands alone; however, readers might, as I did, enjoy watching the progression of the relationship between Dido and a certain gentleman, Mr. William Lomax. Like others in the Regency era in which the novels are set, Mr. Lomax disapproves of a woman investigating matters considered too "indelicate for ladies." But can he hold out against such a resolute -- and lovely -- woman? Time will tell.

Readers will delight in the determined and clever way in which Dido launches her inquiries. The only mystery left at the end of A Woman of Consequence is how American readers are going to be able wait until the American publication of the fourth book in the series, A Place of Confinement, is published next August! show less

Miss Dido Kent works to solve the mystery of the ghost of the Grey Nun and what part she plays in past and current events.

I really love Dido and her family and friends and I have to say the author is very good at getting me to despise her villains and I enjoy how intricate and cross connected all of her mysteries are, I almost feel as though they shouldn't work, they are so involved and yet in the end the do.

I am finding myself getting a little tired of the back and forth between Dido and Mr. Lomax, their reasons for either getting together or not getting together no longer seem to make sense to me or to even feel in character. It is beginning to feel the same as a TV series will they won't they tease that never ends well. Either have show more them get together or not or at least come up with better reasons for them to keep dancing around each other.

My irritation with the love story aside this is another strong entry in the Dido Kent series and, as usual, I am looking forward to the next one. show less

Once again I skipped most all of the letters Miss Dido Kent wrote to her sister Eliza about the mystery.

Miss Dido Kent is a 30ish "spinster" who has a proclivity for solving mysteries, especially murders.... In this story a young woman has fallen down the stairs of a local ruined abbey after having seen a "ghost". When the pool next to the ruined abbey is drained the skeleton of a missing woman is found and Miss Dido Kent is there to investigate.

What is interesting is her relationship w/ Mr. Lomax... how they disagree on her manner of comportment while investigating the mysteries that surround her, not being that of a "proper" lady, but still care for each other and agree to disagree with each other.

I didn't like many of the characters, show more they just were nasty, but I'm thinking that social mores had a bit to do with how the characters behaved. Other than the characters and the letters, it was a very interesting mystery. show less

Mystery kind of convoluted, but the best part of the book is Anna Dean's comfortable Regency voice. I've never read a modern author who can get so close. After the previous book, I was expecting more strong Jane Austen tributes, but instead there were only a few minor hints toward Persuasion.

Another gripping book in the quartet of books. Beautifully plotted and you have to read every word if you wish to fu;lly understand her thinking and her sly Janeite humour.

A great treat.