Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey ARC Book Review

Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey takes the readers back in time to 1834 England. Sophia Thompson wants to become a Bow Street Runner and despite the fact that women aren’t employed as Detectives in London’s most elite detective squad, she is confident in her ability to solve a crime to sway this popular practice.

A letter from her cousin, Daphne, urging her to come and help solve the unsolved murder of Daphne’s brother gives her the perfect chance to prove her capabilities. With minor accidents like prevented falls, poisonous gifts, mysterious shots fired and more people dying with each passing day, not to mention the inept Constabulary looking at her own Uncle as the murderer or blaming poachers, Sophia soon finds herself facing a brazen, determined and very dangerous killer. With the help of the young Bow Street Runner, Mr. Jeremy Fraser, she has to find the murderer before any more people die.

I enjoyed myself following Sophia as she unraveled each twisted thread of the mystery. Her partnership with Jeremy Fraser was a delight to read. While the romance isn’t a primary topic in the book, their mutual love for detection and determination to catch the killer had me engaged throughout.

The author paints a vivid and realistic picture of England of 1800s and the readers will be able to visualize each scenario easily. The writing is simple, fluid and engaging. This is the first book by Cindy Anstey that I have read and after enjoying it, it certainly won’t be my last.

The plot is well-planned and while I solved the mystery of the killer midway in the book, there were still twists in the story that surprised me and kept me engrossed till the very end.

“Does Sophia get her wish of becoming a Bow Street Runner?” was another question that had me intrigued and the ending left me smiling in delight. The author has left hints of this book becoming into a series, and I am hoping we get to read more of Sophia’s mystery solving adventures in the future.

My only complaint is that the characters weren’t given a depth that would have made them real to me. Be it Andrew, the murder victim or the Thompsons or Daphne and her family or even Jeremy Fraser, everyone felt rushed and more caricature than real. Only Sophia’s character is given a depth and that too, not up to its full potential. I wanted to connect with these people and feel like I belonged but for now, I just felt like a spectator to the drama.

Overall, Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey is a book more suited to young readers. It is light, easily solved and while entertaining still a long way from being a mystery for the fans of Agatha Christie as it says in the blurb. This was my first historical YA mystery and I enjoyed reading it. I give it 4 out of 5 stars because despite the areas of improvement, it still is an enjoyable one time read. Njkinny recommends this book to young lovers of mystery and people looking for light mystery books.