A Youthful Indiscretion

Author Elizabeth Edmondson’s series featuring with the shadowy but scrupulous British government agent Hugo Hawksworth and the headstrong Lady Freya Wryton always proves delightful. A Youthful Indiscretion: A Novella takes place in between the first novel in the series, A Man of Some Repute, and its sequel, A Question of Inheritance. I’m certain that if I had read the books in order, I would have loved A Youthful Indiscretion, which, like the other books, ends with a cliff hanger. Unfortunately, I read the two novels first, and knowing what was coming put a damper on the read, which was still fun, but not as delightful as it otherwise would have been.

Set in 1953, Freya — with help from Hugo and his Oxford don uncle, Father Leo show more Hawksworth — investigate the mysterious Mary Louise who hints of a marriage to the old earl, Lord Selchester, in a letter dating before the Great War. Who was this woman? And what does it mean to Selchester’s subsequent marriage?

Edmondson’s series is definitely one to read in order. So, if you haven’t yet proceeded to A Question of Inheritance, by all means, read this novella. But if you have, you can safely skip it without missing a thing. show less

This rest of the Very English Mystery series was fantastic, but this just wasn't. Has no plot, no real conflict, no real mystery, no climax, and an utterly predictable conclusion. If you're reading the Very English Mystery series, which I highly recommend, you should read #1, then #2, and skip #1.5 (this book). You won't miss anything.

If you (like me) like the characters in the Very English Mystery series, then maybe you want to read this book, just to visit them again. But honestly, they don't do much very interesting here, and it feels contrived (more contrived than the full-length novels).