Lady Sophronia writes society news for one of the city's newspapers. She's bored and escapes another tedious ball by finding respite in the library. So she's surprised when other young women also flee to the library. As they talk and complain about their lives, they form a pact to do something they want to do that means something to each woman personally. Lady Sophronia aims to be recognized as a news reporter, not just a society writer.
Detective Jonathan Graham leads a good group of police officers constantly working against the clock to solve murders and other violence. But unfortunately, they solve few crimes because the police have a hard time discovering the identity of the victims. Most murder victims at that time were just buried in a potter's field because the police had no identification or idea of what the victim did in life.
A child comes into the police office and yells for the police to come to see a murdered woman. By the time the police arrive, Lady Sophronia is leaning over the woman, taking notes. Detective Graham is not amused and tries to push the woman aside. However, as a purveyor of everything fashionable, Lady Sophie remarks that the gown is fine but not correctly fitting the deceased woman. Suddenly, Detective Graham realizes he is in deep water; he doesn't know a thing about women's fashions.
When Graham gets nowhere with his inquiries, he asks for Sophie's help. She strikes a bargain to get the exclusive story as soon as the perps are caught. Graham reluctantly allows Sophie to help in the investigation.
At the end of the story, the author explains her reasoning behind writing this series. Too often, women are adversaries in novels. Jennifer Moore wanted to portray women more as she has experienced them, as supporters and helpers to each other. So, that small group of women who met in the library formed the Blue Orchid Society to help each other as they changed their lives. As a nice contrast, Sophie's mother and sister are demeaning and unkind to Sophie.
This is a pleasant, if unrealistic, story about British Victorians.
Detective Jonathan Graham leads a good group of police officers constantly working against the clock to solve murders and other violence. But unfortunately, they solve few crimes because the police have a hard time discovering the identity of the victims. Most murder victims at that time were just buried in a potter's field because the police had no identification or idea of what the victim did in life.
A child comes into the police office and yells for the police to come to see a murdered woman. By the time the police arrive, Lady Sophronia is leaning over the woman, taking notes. Detective Graham is not amused and tries to push the woman aside. However, as a purveyor of everything fashionable, Lady Sophie remarks that the gown is fine but not correctly fitting the deceased woman. Suddenly, Detective Graham realizes he is in deep water; he doesn't know a thing about women's fashions.
When Graham gets nowhere with his inquiries, he asks for Sophie's help. She strikes a bargain to get the exclusive story as soon as the perps are caught. Graham reluctantly allows Sophie to help in the investigation.
At the end of the story, the author explains her reasoning behind writing this series. Too often, women are adversaries in novels. Jennifer Moore wanted to portray women more as she has experienced them, as supporters and helpers to each other. So, that small group of women who met in the library formed the Blue Orchid Society to help each other as they changed their lives. As a nice contrast, Sophie's mother and sister are demeaning and unkind to Sophie.
This is a pleasant, if unrealistic, story about British Victorians.
Brandy D. (better0ffread) reviewed Solving Sophronia (Blue Orchid Society, Bk 1) on + 51 more book reviews
Solving Sophronia by Jennifer Moore is a dazzling tale that takes the reader deep into a Victorian Era London where Sherlock Holmes would feel at home. It is a mystery for the ages with some moxy to boot.
Lady Sophronia shows us how she finds her way in society and truly bucks the system proving that a woman can be more than a pretty face and arm candy for some man. She strikes out on her own against her family's wishes and most of her own society when she goes to work at the newspaper writing for the society column. For Sophie, this is not her dream job but just a steppingstone toward a greater purpose and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
I don't want to give too much away since Moore's creation take you on a journey, a magical one at that. I really enjoyed her spunk and no-nonsense attitude. She really gives everyone a run for their money, and I like that about her. She continually shows that just because she is a woman, she has much greater value and usefulness if they will just give her the chance to show it. In time they realize she is a valued member of the team and come to rely on her in many ways. She is clever and extremely intelligent; she really thinks outside the box in a way that the other characters find new and interesting. This kind of thinking helps them solve the mystery, but not without some tragedy and suspense along the way. Overall, Solving Sophronia is a story that was a fairly quick read that kept me entertained the entire time.
Lady Sophronia shows us how she finds her way in society and truly bucks the system proving that a woman can be more than a pretty face and arm candy for some man. She strikes out on her own against her family's wishes and most of her own society when she goes to work at the newspaper writing for the society column. For Sophie, this is not her dream job but just a steppingstone toward a greater purpose and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
I don't want to give too much away since Moore's creation take you on a journey, a magical one at that. I really enjoyed her spunk and no-nonsense attitude. She really gives everyone a run for their money, and I like that about her. She continually shows that just because she is a woman, she has much greater value and usefulness if they will just give her the chance to show it. In time they realize she is a valued member of the team and come to rely on her in many ways. She is clever and extremely intelligent; she really thinks outside the box in a way that the other characters find new and interesting. This kind of thinking helps them solve the mystery, but not without some tragedy and suspense along the way. Overall, Solving Sophronia is a story that was a fairly quick read that kept me entertained the entire time.
