A Useful Woman

In the wake of her father's abandonment of her family, Rosalind Thorne has kept a precarious toehold in the upper echelons of society with the aid of her godmother, Lady Blanchard, and by making herself useful to the various ladies of society. Rosalind is adept at creating the perfect guest list for an event or hushing up a potential scandal. But when the body of Jasper Aimesworth is found in the ballroom at Almack's, Jasper's sister Honoria demands that Rosalind find out who is responsible. No small task when several of those who discovered the body along with Rosalind are those dearest to her, including her former beau. The situation is even more complicated when a handsome young Bow Street Runner is put on the case. Will determining show more how the young man died completely destroy Rosalind's position and will she care if it does?

I adored this Regency cozy mystery. Rosalind is an excellent protagonist with a robust back story and the historical details are well-crafted but not so flashy that you can see the author pointing at all the research she did. The mystery was well done as well and the ultimate resolution of the whodunnit was quite suspenseful. If you like cozies and Jane Austen, this is an excellent mix of both worlds. Highly recommended. show less

This is billed as a 'Regency Mystery,' and it is that, but also features a touch of romance.

Rosalind Thorne is barely hanging on to the fringes of the ton, after being disgraced through no fault of her own. Her father's scandalous actions and cowardly escape from London left Rosalind with crippling debt, the care of her overwrought, unstable mother, the loss of being able to marry her love, and more than enough shame to overwhelm most people.

Rosalind decides to hang on to society, and contrives to make herself useful as a means of supporting herself. Having a patroness of Almacks as her godmother is a stroke of luck, and does much to help preserve her reputation and society's acceptance. She transforms herself into a 'Useful Woman,' show more skilled in helping others arrange events and navigate society's hurdles. She is smart, and at times questions whether society is worth caring about or not, however there are a lot of moving parts to her life which make everything more complicated.

In this series introduction, Rosalind stumbles into a situation featuring a suspicious death at Almacks. Loyalty pulls her in conflicting directions, but she realizes that the truth must be discovered.

The characters in the book are entertaining and diverse, including her former love, a frenemy from her school days, a captivating bow street runner, the patronesses of Almacks, haughty members of society and fallen former members of the ton.

The pacing of this book is steady, but never boring. I was hooked early on, and the mysterious plot was satisfying. The ending tied up the mystery, while leaving many things open for further development in future books. I want to know more about her relationships with her 'former' love Lord Casselmain, the Bow Street Runner, Honoria, her sister Charlotte, her godparents, and her other friends and acquaintances. Highly recommended.


**eARC Netgalley** show less

My favorite books are British mysteries, and this one looked very interesting. I honestly was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. It is the first book in the Rosalind Thorne series which is set in Regency London. Rosalind is a young gentlewoman who has come down in the world. Her family used to be part of upper-class society (the haut ton) until her father fell into gambling troubles and turned to embezzlement. Knowing she can no longer marry the man she loves, Devon Winterbourne, she tries to become a useful woman by helping women in society with their problems. The mystery is certainly foremost in this book, but Ms. Wilde also writes romances and there is a romantic triangle at play in this book as well, but it does not overwhelm the show more story.

I found the writing to be excellent and the editing likewise. There were several historical explanations thrown in, but they added to my enjoyment of the book. The book seems to be well-researched and historically accurate.

The clues all there and presented in the flow of the story, but were not blatant. One could have reasoned out the murderer, and I believed I had but was surprised at the end. The plot was suspenseful, but not overly so, but I thought the story moved along nicely. The author does a good job of letting us get to know the protagonist and her motivations.

There are unfinished story lines with regard to Rosalind's family situation and her romantic interests, which make me eagerly anticipate the next book in the series. I highly recommend this book to any one who enjoys historical mysteries with a bit of romance thrown in.

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. show less

Rosalind Thorne has moved down in the world of the ton because of a scandal involving her father, but she's stayed in many peoples' good graces due to the support of her godmother and her ability to make herself "useful" in tricky situations. When a man turns up dead in the ballroom of the famed Almack, she reluctantly gets drawn in to the mystery.

This first in a series is a blend of comedy of manners and mystery, and just a touch more of the former as Rosalind doesn't really agree to start solving the mystery until about halfway through. The pacing could use a little work, perhaps, but a lot of groundwork was laid for a series and I would be interested in seeing how it continues to develop in later books. A fun story with a hint of show more possible romance to come. show less

The characters and plot were fine, but are 2 hunky admirers are required if the audience isn't YA? I was never convinced that anything like the activities of Miss Thorne would be vaguely plausible in early 19th century London, and odd details kept jarring my involvement.

This was a pleasant listen - set in Regency London, it's a mystery related to the vaunted assembly rooms, Almack's. Rosalind Thorne is a penniless former member of the ton who now survives by being useful to society matrons - helping with events, correspondence, etc. There is a lot of detail about society mores and what was allowed and not. I found some of the detail to be a tad much, but overall, this was fine. I don't think I liked it enough to seek out more in the series, though.

3.5 stars

When Rosalind Thorne's baronet father abandons his family, and Rosalind is nearly ruined by the scandal she is saved from disgrace by her god-mother Lady Blanchard.
A few years have passed and she has carved out a 'career' is managing the affairs of society’s most influential ladies.
When a body is found at Almack’s, Rosalind uses her contacts to try to solve the mystery.
Very enjoyable, hopefully there is more to come.
A NetGalley book