A Curious Beginning (Veronica Speedwell Mysteries Book 1)

I wound up getting into this series a little backwards. After winning an ARC off NetGalley, I was excited to begin my foray into mystery, led by a lady detective. Until I realized that the ARC was actually book 3, and you can’t just jump in anywhere and be all caught up. This is a character-led mystery series more than a circumstance-led one. I read the first lines of book 3, featuring Veronica Speedwell and her companion Stoker, when I realized that these two characters have a world of history behind them, and I wanted to know every little detail. So here I am, frantically attempting to get through all three books and post reviews before A Treacherous Curse comes out on January 16th. Whoops! Wish me luck. Fortunately, reading A Curious Beginning was not at all a chore, proving instead to be a quick, fun read. I instantly fell in love with Veronica, a young woman who explores the world as a lepidopterist, or a butterfly collector. Shrewd and intrepid, Veronica recognizes that this profession is one of the few that allows women to “act out” and roam the countryside unaccompanied, and she does so with particular zeal. I loved that she spoke her mind and admired other women who do the same or hold ambitions of their own. She’s not even shy about the trysts with foreign men she’s had overseas, viewing sexual fulfillment as being equally important for women as it is for men. She even has a self-imposed rule that she will not dally with her own countrymen (Englishmen), both because it would ruin her local reputation and she’s not looking to settle down. The novel opens upon a funeral. Veronica has just buried the last of her two adoptive aunts and readies herself to leave England behind for a moment and go on a much-needed expedition overseas. Before she can, she stumbles upon a man ransacking her aunts’ home and, in true Veronica fashion, runs him off with a concealed blade. When the man tries to abduct her, a German baron appears, helping her ruin the attempt. The baron claims to have known Veronica’s mother, a woman she has never known or seen, but he is forced to be extremely secretive about the knowledge, promising her he will tell her everything when the time is right–but right now she is in grave danger, and he must get her to safety. Veronica doesn’t believe him, despite the previous abduction attempt, and I have to agree with her reasoning. She claims that she is no one special and, aside from the lepidopterist profession, has led an unremarkable life without making any significant enemies of anyone. Plus, she doesn’t know the baron from any other stranger, so why would she believe his judgement? Regardless, seeking a new adventure and a free fare, she accompanies him to London, where he leaves her in the care of one of his friends who owes him a debt, a natural historian named Stoker who is as bad-tempered as he is mysteriously solitary. The baron tells Stoker to stay with Veronica and protect her with his life until he returns to retrieve her. That night, the baron is murdered. Veronica and Stoker do not learn this until a few days later. They manage to bond over natural history, but they butt heads about everything. Stoker is surly, and Veronica is neither scared of him nor hesitant to goad him. Both characters are fascinating separately, but together they add so much entertainment to the page. I could read about them doing literally anything. Both characters can be rash in their own ways, as evidenced by Stoker when he immediately takes Veronica and hides them both at a traveling show, taking the baron’s last request completely seriously. Veronica still believes that the murder has little to do with her and that she isn’t the one in danger, but both she and Stoker become determined to discover who the guilty party is so they can move on and be rid of each other. As more clues come to light, about the mystery and who they both are, they come to trust and respect each other, both as scientists and people, though still arguing and driving each other crazy all the while. I came to love the idea that neither of them have any kind of background as detectives but that they combine their skills as scientists to figure things out. Veronica often leads the charge, making the boldest moves, but Stoker easily holds his own. (The knife-throwing scene and the fight scene are nice.) Even though I’ve never read anything like Sherlock Holmes or Poroit (yet), I imagine this novel could be considered “mystery light” in that, while a mystery is the purpose of the plot of the novel, the characters are actually its driving force, the mystery itself coming somewhat second. Which is totally fine! I believe this could be a good start for anyone who wants to see if mystery is a genre they’re into. For mystery veterans, it may be a bit basic but at least it’s fun. Plus, Deanna Raybourn has a true gift with vocabulary and Victorian-style writing. My dictionary app got a lot of use because she effortlessly offered words that many writers just don’t use anymore–and they weren’t even particularly outlandish. My hat’s off to Raybourn for another reason, too: she gave me another slowburn romance to be invested in. Yes, there is a bit of intrigue between Veronica and Stoker, i.e. a lot of tension. Veronica is lovely and brilliant and not shy about flirting, and Stoker is handsome, also brilliant, and hilariously pent-up. It’s funny to watch Stoker cursing up a storm but then blushing at a passing suggestion from Veronica, his regard for privacy being challenged at every turn. Meanwhile, Veronica is stubborn–remember her no Englishman policy? That’s being tested here–and blithe about things that most Victorian women would never say in mixed company. They clash and mesh in so many interesting ways. And okay, I’ll be honest, if you put both the “fake married” trope and “sharing a bed” trope unabashedly in your novel, I will instantly love it and you because I am, in fact, a sucker. (And she did it so masterfully! Nothing was rushed, nothing was forced! Bless, this is the kind of content I want!) At least I admit it. Overall, the outcome of the mystery was fulfilling while still promising longterm effects related to it down the road. I’m eager for Veronica and Stoker to work together again, to hash out other mysteries, and get into trouble in the process. Which is why I’ve already started the sequel, A Perilous Undertaking. Stay tuned!

“A Curious Beginning” tells the tale of one Veronica Speedwell (an amusing name), who is on the path of discovery as to her own origins, whilst trying to discover just who murdered the gentleman who escorted her into London, and the companionship of Mr. Stoker. When we first meet Veronica, she is an unlikeable character, and doesn’t really improved upon acquaintance (that’s ok though, as the story itself is an entertaining one.) Part of the issue with Veronica, is that she is a modern cougar in a Victorian twenty-something’s clothing. It is rather jarring to read an historical story in which the character is as anachronistic to the era as she is, and it doesn’t help that the character in question is the one narrating the story. This gave the book a feel much like that of Alan Bradley’s Flavia de Luce series; in which it is immediately apparent that the author isn’t British, even though the narrating character is. I found myself reading the book as though it were a steampunk fantasy, and that Veronica herself was more of a comedic caricature than a real lady of the era, which gave the book a great deal more readability, and made Veronica a much more appealing character. I still didn’t care for her very much, but now I could enjoy her eccentric behaviour without being so torn as to the anachronism of it all. The book itself was rather well written, and if the story was somewhat unbelievable, it did make for an entertaining read with several other characters who proved to be quite interesting. First there is Stoker, with his mysterious past and extraordinary abilities, the fact that he is frequently shocked by Veronica is amusing. I am intrigued to know more about just what happened in his past. Then there is Lady Cordelia, another managing female, she has an air of sadness about her, that makes her just as intriguing as Stoker. A few other characters add some fun flavour to the book, and give it a rather unconventional historical flair. All in all, this was an enjoyable mystery. The lead characters are hugely flawed, but then, that is part of their charm and mystique, and I think that excuses those who disliked the story because they couldn’t enjoy Veronica. The story itself was over the top, but only in the very best Victorian fashion itself. This is one I recommend for those who enjoy mysteries with a little steampunk flair. You might not enjoy it as much if you’re a fan of historical accuracy, but if you can suspend belief, you’ll find an amusing book with a pair of entertaining characters, and a riveting (if implausible) story.

In some ways this story wasn't as I expected it to be. Deanna Raybournn is a master of words. She puts together dialogs that are witty, full of confidence, exasperating but never boring. The author's main characters (Lady Julia Grey in her first series, and Veronica in this one) are seemingly strong and eloquent, sometimes dramatically frustrating so. They (the main characters) meet men that are also dominant but accept the woman the way they are (at least after a while), making the conversations between them so satisfying. What I didn't expect was that the story was even faster paced. The author had me moving through places and situations that kept changing so quickly that I couldn't bare to put the book down, but still had to read very carefully less I miss something. Some of the places visited were strange--but still fitting. The story was well told. I admittedly enjoyed every moment of reading. And for me, a bonus was that even though Veronica was very much her own self, I still felt the presence of Amelia Peabody lurking!

Fãs de Bones e Castle que gostam da estética vitoriana precisam ler esse livro! É 2023 e eu tenho muito mais séries literárias iniciadas hoje do que jamais terei séries concluidas provavelmente na minha vida. Felizmente esse não é o caso de Veronica Speedwell. Comprei esse livro em junho de 2021, em um mês li os 7 livros que até então tinham sido lançados, dia 07/03 desse ano saiu o oitavo livro da série, e após reler meus dois volumes favoritos da série (o 1 e o 4), li o oitavo no mês do lançamento. Sem dúvida não são uma obra prima da literatura, não serão um clássico em alguns anos, mas os livros são muito divertidos, os personagens são cativantes, o humor me encantou, e os mistérios são instigantes. A série é principalmente de mistério/aventura, e o romance está em segundo plano, é um slow burn beeem slow, é bom não esperar um romance histórico tradicional com sexo explicito porque demora uns bons livros para o casal ficar junto, e quando ficam o romance é fade to black. Recomendo muito para quem é fã de Castle e Bones porque a vibe é a mesma, você vai torcer por anos pelo par romântico, comemorar cada flerte como se fosse uma grande vitória, mas ao mesmo tempo se divertir muito com o elemento central que é cada mistério que a Veronica e o seu companheiro vão ser levados a resolver (cada livro tem um caso diferente, então até a natureza procedural/procedimental está aqui). Esse livro especificamente é uma ótima introdução da dinâmica dos personagens, as habilidades e falhas de cada um (sim, a veronica é teimosa como uma mula, se irritar com ela faz MUITO parte, a admirar também), boa parte da história se passa em um circo ambulante, e o cenário circense logo de cara evidencia o tom lúdico que permeia todos os livros da série. Recomendo muito darem uma chance para A Curious Begining!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has all entertainmening elements suspense, humour, romance. I had already read part 3 and 4 of this series and was well aware of the main suspense. But it was a terrific read. Not to mention the huge crush which I have developed for Stoker.

Absolutely loved reading this book. An easy read that transports you back in time to London in the 1800s .

The edges of the book are faded.