Warning: this book unnecessarily throws in an incest-rape storyline as a “plot gimmick” that is brushed aside and not explored or utilized in any kind of meaningful way.
What spends 99% of its pages as a completely innocuous, slightly intriguing (if a bit slow at times) mystery takes a disastrous last minute turn rendering it useless for all of my purposes. Although I was able to guess most of the ending, I was still basically entertained. It was a book I would certainly have considered putting on the shelf in my classroom for mystery fans to peruse.
That said, I kept seeing hints about a really dark twist. I chided myself at one point because there was nothing else in the story to suggest that my suspicions would be true. Until they were.
I refuse to even waste my time talking about a book that stoops to using incest rape as it’s “big twist.” It wasn’t used to make a statement or to teach a lesson. It was cheap and disgusting, and completely unnecessary and this book should be avoided at all costs. I will definitely be putting the author in my “do not read” list.

This book/audiobook is perfect for any fan of Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple, only if Miss Marple was set in 1850s. It also gave me Endeavorer and Scarlet & the Duke vibes which called to my PBS Masterpiece soul. There were a lot of twists & turns, yet it had the feeling like we were discussing the case over a cup of tea. Very entertaining but it was more something I listened to causally, it wasn’t one of those stories that have you in a chokehold to finish.
The narrator was good. She wasn’t amazing, but she was far from the worst. At times her voice & accent reminded me of Emma Watson. But most importantly, she didn’t pull me out of the story.

The Mystery of the Sorrowful Maiden by Kate Saunders is a good mystery. This is the third book in the series and the first one I am reading. The main character is believable and human. I really like when characters are a bit flawed and charming. I like this era and the plot and mystery is fun. I will go back and read the first two books to see where Laetitia Rodd began as a private detective. Sasha Higgins narrates the audiobook and does a perfectly fine job, but she would not be put on my list of favorites.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Thank you to Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for the arc audiobook!

I am always up for a murder mystery, so when I saw the cover and read the description, I thought this would be a perfect addition to my to-read list.

Before even starting the book, just knowing it takes place in the theater district and neighborhoods of the mid-1800’s, I was looking forward to picturing it in my mind.

This is not the first book in the series of private investigator Laeticia Rodd, but it was where I have been introduced to the character.

It started a bit slow and there are so many twists and turns, it does make you doubt your thoughts. It is mentioned in the description that rivalries will put the families of Romeo and Juliet to shame, but it was more over-the-top in its back and forth.

Looking back on the book, I wish the settings had been a bit more descriptive to really put me there. The language gave the old fashioned and proper feel, but with it taking place in the theater, it could’ve added to the scene to be as descriptive as set decorations can be.

Do not be fooled by the description either; it is a bit darker than just straight forward murder (as bizarre as that may sound), but the author does include a trigger warning in the voice of her protagonist before getting into the topic fully for readers. Not to give anything away, but the very end wrapped everything up quite quickly.

This is the 3rd in the series of the Laetitia Rodd Mysteries.
This is my first read in the series, and I think it went fine as a stand-alone, though the first two might explain more of how Mrs. Rodd has such a close relationship with the police inspector with the year being 1853!

Mrs. Rodd is a widow of a clergyman, so she is not unaccustomed to dead bodies as she was called upon to help with final funerary preparations in her prior role as wife. The body that is discovered in a theatre is thus a curious intrigue just as she has been requested to help an actress and wife of a famed actor in their divorce settlement. Not believing in coincidences, as she points out frequently, Mrs. Rodd delves into the mystery only to uncover some unsavory truths that put her decorum to the test. When another person ends up dead, the deeper family drama unfolds in a most theatrical way.

I tend to overlook any impossibilities of relationships, such as the police inspector giving so much leeway to Mrs. Rodd, in fictional tales. While some aspects of the theatrical life in the mid-1800's is very likely true, this is not meant to be a historical fiction, and I had no issues with the connections. I rather enjoyed Mrs. Rodd and her practicalities, though her Victorian decorum and shock of the lack of it inside of the theatre did get a little old. I found her character to be interesting, and I may have to look up some of the back list to catch up on her story a bit.

The mystery that began the story became a complicated subplot of the entirety. I listened to the audio of this one and wonder if my brain needed to take it slower! I listened to the first half twice because I thought I must have missed something. Perhaps that means I was totally taken in! I'll go for that. There were lots of entanglements and assignations (which is a term rarely heard these days!), and it did become hard to keep track for a bit! This was definitely not a super simple cozy mystery. Lot's of layers and revelations in the end that did have me surprised.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen to this audio which should be out on December 21, 2021. If you enjoy a cozy mystery and are ready for some serious soap-opera drama and twists, then definitely put this on your list!

I listened to the first book in this series, The Secret of Wishtide, so I could get a feel for the characters before picking up this book. I found that the main character and armature sleuth, Laetitia Rodd, is a smart cookie who helps the local police detective solve crimes.

In this latest installment, Laetitia gets involved in solving a murder that takes place in the Victorian theater.

The Mystery of the Sorrowful Maiden by Kate Saunders is full of the same clever writing and mystery set up as the other books in the series. There are several potential murderers so that kept it interesting throughout. I also really enjoy Laetitia’s relationship with her brother.

I didn’t care for the setting as much. The Victorian theater is not a particular interest of mine, so it wasn’t as entertaining as the first Laetitia Rodd mystery I read.

Overall, another great installment in this entertaining mystery series.

The narrator: Sasha Higgins has a crisp, clear accent and did an excellent job bringing the character of Laetitia Rodd to life.