This new series immediately reminds me of two other female detectives in or around the Victorian era: Eliza Scarlet of Miss Scarlet and the Duke, a 2021 Masterpiece Theatre mystery drama; and Francesca Cahill of the Deadly series by Brenda Joyce (both excellent, btw). Unlike Eliza and Francesca, Fiona Mahoney calls herself a Post-Mortem Sanitation Specialist--someone who cleans up after murder scenes--with a penchant for sleuthing. Fiona's childhood friend was a victim of Jack the Ripper not long after having moved to London, so she has a score to settle. Her line of work puts her in the prime position of following Scotland Yard investigations and collecting clues of her own.
The murders are rather gruesome but we're talking Jack the Ripper stuff here. And the men in Fiona's circle--detectives, coroners, writers, gangsters and assassins--all respect her brilliant mind and value her opinions if not always her methods, and are rather protective of her. How refreshing!
I like seeing both the strong and vulnerable sides of Fiona. She doesn't try to be a superhero though nor is she a wilting flower. She simply wants to catch her friend's killer, come to grips that her ex-fiance chose the church rather than her, and make sense out of a burgeoning attraction for a colleague. I think I'm gonna rather enjoy Fiona's future adventures. 4 stars.
The murders are rather gruesome but we're talking Jack the Ripper stuff here. And the men in Fiona's circle--detectives, coroners, writers, gangsters and assassins--all respect her brilliant mind and value her opinions if not always her methods, and are rather protective of her. How refreshing!
I like seeing both the strong and vulnerable sides of Fiona. She doesn't try to be a superhero though nor is she a wilting flower. She simply wants to catch her friend's killer, come to grips that her ex-fiance chose the church rather than her, and make sense out of a burgeoning attraction for a colleague. I think I'm gonna rather enjoy Fiona's future adventures. 4 stars.
