When it is Georgian History Month on the blog, you have to feature a fantastic Georgian mystery! Outside of the Regency, there are actually relatively few historical fiction and mystery novels set in the Georgian period. (Ditto for period dramas…) So when I find a wonderful one, I have to share it. For this week’s Book Bite, we are chatting about A Novel Disguise by Samantha Larsen!
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an Advanced Listening Copy in exchange for an honest review.
A Novel Disguise, Samantha Larsen
When Miss Tiffany Woodall assumes the identity of her half-brother after his death, she realizes she isn’t the only one with a secret to hide in this historical series debut, perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Sherry Thomas.
1784 London. Miss Tiffany Woodall didn’t murder her half-brother, but she did bury him in the back garden so that she could keep her cottage. Now, the confirmed spinster has to pretend to be Uriah and fulfill his duties as the Duke of Beaufort’s librarian while searching Astwell Palace for Uriah’s missing diamond pin, the only thing of value they own. Her ruse is almost up when she is discovered by Mr. Samir Lathrop, the local bookseller, who tries to save her from drowning while she’s actually just washing up in a lake after burying her brother.
Her plan is going by the book, until the rector proposes marriage and she starts to develop feelings for Mr. Lathrop. But when her childhood friend, Tess, comes to visit, Tiffany quickly realizes her secret isn’t the only one hidden within these walls. The body of a servant is found, along with a collection of stolen items, and someone else grows mysteriously ill. Can Tiffany solve these mysteries without her own disguise being discovered? If not, she’ll lose her cottage and possibly her life.
Why You Should Read This…
If I am being honest, I was not 100% sold on the blurb- it seemed like a lot going on for one novel. However, I could not have been more wrong about that!
Larsen skillfully weaves the many layers to this story together and tackles many issues at once. Yes, we’ve got a murder to solve. However, we’ve also got Tiffany’s burgeoning career (as her brother), her romance, and quite frankly, her standing in life as a whole. Just when I thought that I could not be more invested in the story, Larsen introduces another element that pulls me in even further.
What really set this novel apart for me was Tiffany as the protagonist. It is so rare to see a single woman older than 25 in any sort of historical fiction, and she has a rich, full life on her own at 40. I know that the Pride and Prejudice clip where Charlotte Lucas is talking about being 27 with no prospects is going around social media, but Tiffany makes it clear that her prospects are not solely related to romance. (Though the romance in this book is quite sweet!)
Marni Penning’s narration is a delight. She brings so many characters to life and makes each person we meet unique.
This is a fantastic mystery but also simply a wonderful piece of historical fiction, and it is one of my favourite new books of 2023!
Is A Novel Disguise on your to-read list?
Cheers,
The Historian
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