Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run, wary partners in search of the villainous truth. Read more reveal his secrets, he is found murdered. The baron offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker-a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered.

This title is due for release on September 1, 2015. Leaves me wanting to read the next in the series. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb.But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Curious Beginning, Deanna Raybourn, Angele Masters, Mystery, Thriller & Horror>Historical, Mystery, Thriller & Horror>Detective Stories. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica Speedwell intends to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry-and the occasional romantic dalliance. When the Baron is murdered, Veronica and Stoker are forced to go on the run from an elusive assailant. When Veronica thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron, he offers her sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker. Veronica Speedwell intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. The witty banter between them throughout the book is one of the things I loved, as it kept the story from being too dark, despite the fact that a murder has brought them together.Description for A Veronica Speedwell Mystery - A Curious Beginning Paperback. While the book is not a romance, this book as the first in a series of Veronica Speedwell adventures, sets up the possibility of one with Veronica teaming up with Stoker, who shares her interest in natural history. I love heroines who “do things,” and while women like her might not have been viewed in the most positive light in the real Victorian era, which championed middle-class ideas of chastity, morality, and family (ideas that do come into play in some way in this book), it is still inaccurate to say that women like her did not exist, especially with the suffragette movement on the rise at this time, and the fact that women would come to embrace greater freedom in the matter of a few decades.

The character of Veronica herself is also wonderful. And while the resolution does feel a bit cliched, it is still a wonderful mystery that will keep readers on their toes, with a side dish of Victorian history. I fully expected a more traditional “whodunnit” type of story, with a historical setting, but was amazed to find a story that links Veronica to a royal conspiracy to either eliminate her or use her to their advantage. This is my first Deanna Raybourn book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Paperback List Price: $15.00.Ī curious beginning indeed. A Curious Beginning. New York: New American Library, 2015.

A curious beginning series