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cpjeanz's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
rachelmcg2004's review
4.0
UPDATE: I had to DNF this a few months back because ~library returns~ and ~too many books.~
Sigh.
Will definitely return to this sometime, though!
~~~
So, seeing as I've only completed stories 1 and 2 as of yet, I'll save my final review for later. As of yet this anthology is shaping up to be a fine mystery anthology!
Introduction
A fascinating beginning, and a look into these forgotten women's lives. Thank you, Leslie S. Klinger, for bringing these women out of the shadows, because they deserve way more than they have been receiving.
The Advocate's Wedding Day
I positively ADORE this short story! I haven't read one this good in quite some time!
Sigh.
Will definitely return to this sometime, though!
~~~
So, seeing as I've only completed stories 1 and 2 as of yet, I'll save my final review for later. As of yet this anthology is shaping up to be a fine mystery anthology!
Introduction
A fascinating beginning, and a look into these forgotten women's lives. Thank you, Leslie S. Klinger, for bringing these women out of the shadows, because they deserve way more than they have been receiving.
The Advocate's Wedding Day
I positively ADORE this short story! I haven't read one this good in quite some time!
Spoiler
Haunting the lawyer for "killing" his old enemy, and then killing the lawyer himself after tormenting his wedding week is apparently very much my cup of tea.marilynsaul's review
4.0
I almost jettisoned this book. The first few stories were underwhelming and, frankly, boring, likely reflecting my lack of taste for 19th century crime fiction. But I decided to give it another try and am glad I did. Some great stories, ending with best, IMO.
thebooktrail88's review
5.0
Every great crime writer and reader loves Agatha Christie - she is the Queen of Crime,and many writers today are still inspired by her.But what about the writers who came before her and helped her to be able to write as she did? The women who paved the way for MsChristie. Well, this was a lovely set of stories,a good collection of some cosy ones, police led ones, and a variety of crimes and victims too. I hadn't heard of all the writers in the book but that's the delight of a selection box of goodies like this - some you know you're going to like and others you discover and now have more things to enjoy! a great idea to have just female writers and those who helped pave the way for Agatha and every (female) crime writer since. This would make a lovely present for all crime readers!
bookishsteph1's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this collection and how varied the stories and themes are, as well as the variation of authors each with something new to offer with a growing ingenuity in the latter half of the book, particularly shown in one of my favourites, The Blood-Red Cross by L. T. Meade (with assistance from Robert Eustace, a doctor) which uses an excellent bit of science. Some of my other favourites include The Statement of Jared Johnson by Geraldine Bonner, The Regent’s Park Murder by Baroness Orczy and Missing: Page Thirteen by Anna Katharine Green. I also really liked the page of biographical information for each author as an introduction before each story. Very informative.
It is unfortunate that these authors weren’t as popular as Agatha Christie, or didn’t retain their popularity, and I’m glad to have read this book and plan on reading more by my favourites from this collection, but I do have to say that Agatha Christie is still my Queen of Crime and unfortunately, for me, only a few of these stories came close to her writing and intricate plotting (see my favourites listed above).
Well worth a read and it was great finding more female classic crime writers to read! .
It is unfortunate that these authors weren’t as popular as Agatha Christie, or didn’t retain their popularity, and I’m glad to have read this book and plan on reading more by my favourites from this collection, but I do have to say that Agatha Christie is still my Queen of Crime and unfortunately, for me, only a few of these stories came close to her writing and intricate plotting (see my favourites listed above).
Well worth a read and it was great finding more female classic crime writers to read! .
that_little_drop_of_poison's review
1.0
Usually anthologies are a hit and miss for me but this one was 1 hit and 14 misses.
I struggled wirh this book bc those stories are just not as good as we're being led to believe. Apparently there's a reason why those authors were forgotten....
I struggled wirh this book bc those stories are just not as good as we're being led to believe. Apparently there's a reason why those authors were forgotten....
rubenstein's review
2.0
Short story collections just aren’t for me. Jojo Moyes’ Paris for One and Other Stories couldn’t hold my interest; Rebecca Makkai’s Music for Wartime had its bright spots, but felt lackluster as a whole, Margaret Atwood’s Stone Mattress was a DNF. This one is totally on me, going in I KNEW short stories collection and anthologies just aren’t my thing, but I was so hopeful and excited that I didn’t care. ..and that led to another DNF.
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
For the full review and more, head over to The Pretty Good Gatsby!
holtfan's review
3.0
3.5 stars
Once again I think I went in with the wrong expectations. I expected more discussion of the women who wrote detective fiction before Agatha Christie. Instead, I got a collection of mystery short stories written by women (though not necessarily starring women.) Some were quite good. Others I struggled to get into. They were generally engaging and interesting but lacking the historical punch I went in expecting. At the risk of sounding dismissive, there is a good reason most of these are now"in the shadows."
Some of these authors became famous for other books and some became regionally popular but never expanded. Worth a flip through if you want some interesting short stories.
Once again I think I went in with the wrong expectations. I expected more discussion of the women who wrote detective fiction before Agatha Christie. Instead, I got a collection of mystery short stories written by women (though not necessarily starring women.) Some were quite good. Others I struggled to get into. They were generally engaging and interesting but lacking the historical punch I went in expecting. At the risk of sounding dismissive, there is a good reason most of these are now"in the shadows."
Some of these authors became famous for other books and some became regionally popular but never expanded. Worth a flip through if you want some interesting short stories.
avisreadsandreads's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
3.0
Most of these stories feel very dated, but they were still interesting to read. The one I'd say best stood the test of time is the last one, "Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Gaspell, which really packed a punch.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexism
Minor: Racial slurs
brainyheroine's review
5.0
When you think of a collection of mysteries you tend to think of those that are either current authors, or perhaps the ones in collections of stories similar to Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. However Leslie Klinger has done a truly masterful job at piecing together this collection of masterpieces that are not only influential and on par with Agatha Christie, but I'm sure of writers today. Each one has a unique voice, and has been seemingly shadowed by Ms. Christie. However, I do not think that is because they weren't as good, simply that they weren't as popular or perhaps published. During this time period women weren't exactly lauded for their creative writing skills. It is nice to see a diverse collection and that these women's stories are finally being given their credit.