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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Format:Paperback
This was first published in the UK; the title here given is the American edition. Can anyone explain the reason for changing titles? I can understand if the original is not easily understood by non-native readers but in cases such as this it seems totally unnecessary.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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7 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Fabulous period details elevate this book over more typical murder mysteries
1 Feb 2009
Format:Paperback
In this historical mystery novel, Liberty Lane must solve the puzzling murder of a famous dancer in order to save her best friend's sanity and his beloved's life. The story unfolds in Victorian London, and the book is filled with realistic period details and even a few cameo appearances by historical figures (including Benjamin Disraeli). In one scene, Liberty describes the contents of a produce basket received by a typical Victorian family from the family's country estate:
"Like many families in town, the Talbots had produce sent to them regularly .... I knelt down beside [Mrs. Talbot] and helped as she lifted treasure after treasure from the hamper, unswathing them from snow-white napkins: pork pies ornamented with pastry cutouts of leaves and roses, and glazed so brightly they reflected the light; rich fruitcakes with their tops cracking to show insides packed with raisins and cherries; almond tarts and spiced biscuits. ... Four huge hams wrapped in muslin took up the corners of the hamper. ... [E]ven at this time of year there were still apples, wrinkled but sweet-smelling, and a few pears. A deep bed of straw cradled jars of jam and chutney."
Clearly, Peacock has done her research, and this novel's richly imagined setting is what elevates this book over more typical murder mysteries. This book's other advantages include a plucky, likeable protagonist and a well-crafted--and very easy to follow--plot. This isn't highbrow literature, but adult and teenaged fans of mysteries will enjoy A Dangerous Affair.
"Like many families in town, the Talbots had produce sent to them regularly .... I knelt down beside [Mrs. Talbot] and helped as she lifted treasure after treasure from the hamper, unswathing them from snow-white napkins: pork pies ornamented with pastry cutouts of leaves and roses, and glazed so brightly they reflected the light; rich fruitcakes with their tops cracking to show insides packed with raisins and cherries; almond tarts and spiced biscuits. ... Four huge hams wrapped in muslin took up the corners of the hamper. ... [E]ven at this time of year there were still apples, wrinkled but sweet-smelling, and a few pears. A deep bed of straw cradled jars of jam and chutney."
Clearly, Peacock has done her research, and this novel's richly imagined setting is what elevates this book over more typical murder mysteries. This book's other advantages include a plucky, likeable protagonist and a well-crafted--and very easy to follow--plot. This isn't highbrow literature, but adult and teenaged fans of mysteries will enjoy A Dangerous Affair.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Falls short
14 Mar 2009
Format:Paperback
I went into "A Dangerous Affair" cold, not having read "A Foreign Affair." As such, I have to admit that reading the sequel without having read the original novel may in fact have had a negative impact on my reading.
"A Dangerous Affair" is sweet enough as a young adult novel, but I found it wanting in several ways; Peacock's plot is unoriginal, and her characters are often 2-dimensional. As a student of literature and a Victorian enthusiast I held high hopes for Peacock's novel, and was largely disappointed.
However, I would certainly recommend the book for high school students, especially those that can be difficult to engage.
"A Dangerous Affair" is sweet enough as a young adult novel, but I found it wanting in several ways; Peacock's plot is unoriginal, and her characters are often 2-dimensional. As a student of literature and a Victorian enthusiast I held high hopes for Peacock's novel, and was largely disappointed.
However, I would certainly recommend the book for high school students, especially those that can be difficult to engage.
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
terrific early Victorian whodunit
30 Jan 2009
Format:Paperback
In his thirties recently elected to Parliament,"watch dog" Benjamin Disraeli offers Liberty Lane a fee to spy on dancer Columbine, whose disreputable behavior could lead to a nasty highly publicized scandal. Needing the money, Liberty reluctantly agrees. However, someone poisons Columbine with the London police leaning towards rival dancer Jenny as the prime suspect as she and the deceased had a public dispute.
Liberty thinks otherwise, but there is mounting pressure to execute Jenny, already convicted by the public, the media, and the cops, for the murder. To prevent a double injustice of the wrong person being hung while the real killer is free, Liberty investigates ably assisted by Amos the groom. They begin to unravel a series of murky deceptions in which the influential and the downtrodden are tied together in secrecy.
The sequel to A FOREIGN AFFAIR is a terrific early Victorian whodunit that uses real historical persons to anchor time and place. Liberty is an intelligent sleuth and her sidekick Amos serves as a sort of Watson. The mystery is cleverly devised with fabulous plausible spins and misdirections as Caro peacock furbishes an entertaining early nineteenth century investigative tale.
Harriet Klausner
Liberty thinks otherwise, but there is mounting pressure to execute Jenny, already convicted by the public, the media, and the cops, for the murder. To prevent a double injustice of the wrong person being hung while the real killer is free, Liberty investigates ably assisted by Amos the groom. They begin to unravel a series of murky deceptions in which the influential and the downtrodden are tied together in secrecy.
The sequel to A FOREIGN AFFAIR is a terrific early Victorian whodunit that uses real historical persons to anchor time and place. Liberty is an intelligent sleuth and her sidekick Amos serves as a sort of Watson. The mystery is cleverly devised with fabulous plausible spins and misdirections as Caro peacock furbishes an entertaining early nineteenth century investigative tale.
Harriet Klausner
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