a fun cozy mystery indeed! well, as cozy as anything set in Victorian England can be. witty banter and comedy abound!

This was a fun read that was more complicated than I’d initially predicted. With a narrative structure that bounced between a few threads, it kept me engaged and allowed several characters to be substantially introduced and developed.

This is a delightful, cozy mystery which begins a series of Dear Miss Hermione Mysteries. The entertaining mystery takes place in 1885 London, England. When Aunt Adelia begins traipsing about with her new companion du jour, she leaves her two nieces, Violet and Sephora, in the care of Bunty, the housekeeper. Before she leaves, she entrusts her "secret" to her niece Violet that she is the eponymous scribe of the Dear Miss Hermione advice column. Violet is tasked with subbing in for her aunt in this anonymous role which she takes very seriously. Violet feels she needs to investigate when she receives a letter from "Ivy" who claims that someone is trying to kill her and asks Miss Hermione for help sending news clippings of "accidents". As Violet is busy trying ensure the safety of Ivy, she needs to keep her young and immature step-sister from stepping into a mess of her own.

The quest of an affluent young woman investigating a potential crime without a chaperone or adult supervision is reminiscent of the Enola Holmes series, the sister of Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes. Nancy Springer writes a fun series of the young spirited sister of the notable Holmes.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for allowing me access to read this digital book. My review is my honest and unbiased opinion. All comments are expressly my own.

This is the first book in what I hope to be long series. And I really hope book two comes out fast. I absolutely loved, this witty story and loved Violet, even though she is going to get herself into some trouble I can see.

Now I just have to patiently wait for the next book…sigh

I love cozy mysteries and historical fiction. This is a perfect blend of the two. Absolutely adore Violet and really enjoyed the story as well. This one is perfect for those who enjoy a strong female lead and entertaining story.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

When I downloaded this ARC last year, I thought it was a debut novel, as well as the beginning of the Dear Miss Hermione series of historical mysteries. It turns out it’s only the first book published under this pseudonym.

The story is told in first person, past tense, mainly by our intrepid heroine, Miss Violet Manville, a woman of respectable birth and upbringing firmly set on the shelf, as she’s much closer to thirty than to twenty years at the beginning of the story. Her father having died the year prior, and her mother long before that, she and her much younger half-sister, also unmarried, have come back to London to live with their only relative, their paternal aunt.

Expecting, essentially, to remain unmarried and become her aunt’s companion, and for her sister to come out in society and make a brilliant match–as she’s a heiress in her own right, on her mother’s side–Violet’s worldview is shaken off its foundations when she learns, without ceremony, that her beloved aunt is leaving the country for an indeterminate period of time, and entrusting her, Violet, with writing the most popular advice column “in the Empire”.

Beware: Orientalism; mentions of mental illness and suicide; phonetic accents to indicate lower classes; copaganda.

Given the inauspicious beginning, one may believe that Violet’s aunt is careless and neglectful of her charges, but in fact, her confidence in Violet’s common sense and resourcefulness seems, at first blush, to be very well placed indeed. And there’s the added benefit of Bunty’s wisdom.

(Bunty, Aunt Adelia’s long time housekeeper, is a servant in the vein of Lord Peter’s Bunter, both devoted to her mistress, and by extension her nieces, and just the kind of solid and comforting fountain of helpfulness and know-how so prevalent in this kind of stories.)

Alas, Violet is what would be called headstrong were she as young as her sister: going forth without letting anyone know where or for how long, and putting herself in uncomfortable, if not outright dangerous situations, convinced she knows what she’s doing because she had “lived in the Far East with her dear Papa” and therefore can “take care of herself”. (The whiff of Orientalism in these passages is strong indeed.) I grant that she is fairly quick to come up with excuses for being where she shouldn’t; whether they are believable to her audience, however, is doubtful to me, plus she often gives away at least as much as she learns; her self-confidence and daring more often than not felt like feckless recklessness than anything else. And despite all of Violet’s assumed worldliness and the veneer of cynicism one would presume a well traveled woman of her years should have developed, she came across as entirely too credulous, accepting much, if not most, of what others told her, both about themselves and the very much dead Ivy.

I mentioned at the top that the book is narrated mainly from Violet’s point of view; there are a few chapters, however, narrated by her half-sister Sephora, and, well…

As far as Violet is concerned, her sister is too spoiled and vain to understand the danger of her position: Sephora will get full control of a sizable fortune in just a couple more years; with a head full of romantic nonsense as hers, she’s a ready-made target for any half-smart fortune hunter with a pretty enough face and address. And, unlike Ms Austen’s Georgiana Darcy, only a penniless older sister and a paternal aunt of small personal fortune and insignificant social standing stand between Sephora and disaster.

And Violet is not wrong. The chapters narrated by Sephora read much like the romantic imaginings of one Anne Shirley, lately of Green Gables; they are almost painful to read in first person narrative, to be honest. What works for a eleven year old voracious reader with unbridled imagination and starving for love, crosses over to secondhand embarrassment for me, when in the voice of a sixteen year old girl who considers herself a young woman capable of making adult decisions about the rest of her life.

Which is not to say that she’s badly written; quite the opposite: these passages prove that Violet sees her sister very clearly. And while there are a few moments there in which Sephora shows her potential to grow into a better version of herself, she has a long way to go, and not much time to do it.

All of which means that, in her aunt’s absence, Violet is dealing with her responsibilities as interim advice columnist, amateur murder investigator, and de facto parent to her much younger, much spoiled, and rather difficult younger sister; not an enviable position from any angle.

As Violet asks questions, past events come to light, making for several viable suspects in Ivy’s murder. The biggest problem for our novice sleuth, who has to rely entirely on after the fact testimonies, as it were, is to learn to strip away her own biases, not just about each potential suspect, but the motivations behind both their actions and their words, in order to separate fact from fancy.

After all, the crime was committed in a small town, with a fairly tight knit community, where all manner of conflicts and frictions lie beneath the placid surface of bucolic peace.And where, as it turns out, there have been other deaths in Willingdale that may be considered unnatural.

Beyond the sisters, everyone else is fairly two-dimensional. Bunty, in the tradition of the loyal servant of British literature, has no interiority; most of the other secondary characters, seen through Violet’s eyes, are by turns potential murderers or innocent bystanders, with very little middle ground; she never considers that people may lie for a multitude of reasons about a multitude of things.

The sense of time and place, on the other hand, were good: fog, pollution, poverty, class divisions, the friction between London and the countryside; the British colonies, still under the iron fist of the Empire, providing people with places to come from and places to go to; newspapers, as they existed during the Victorian era, and so on.

On balance, I liked the mystery aspect of the story quite a bit, in the sense that the answers to all the questions Violet poses are answered without leaving dangling threads, and because it’s essentially a fair play story: the clues are all laid out in the narrative. I did not care much for the structure of the story–did I mention that I found the Sephora sections painful? and I was less than pleased with the introduction of a key character a good three quarters of the way into the book–but Violet did manage to figure things out in the end.

Of Manners and Murder gets a 7.50 out of 10, and I’m making a note to read the second book in the series, the recently released Of Hoaxes and Homicide, soon.

Book 1 in a new series. Violet is assigned by her aunt to take over the duties of being in charge of a Dear Abby style section of the newspaper. When one of the first one she is given is from a previous letter, she does a bit of investigating and ends up going to the funeral of the woman who had feared for her life. Obviously, for good reason. Enjoyed this one, and look forward to reading the next in the series. And hopefully her silly sister gets a bit more smart. Highly recommend.

Super cute novel Love the characters in the setting. It’s an easy read, as well as an enjoyable one. I must have her all those that love cozy mysteries.

I couldn’t wait to dive into this one and I really enjoyed it! If you love historical cozy mysteries then Of Manners and Murder is for you! Violet is an intelligent and independent woman living in England in the late 1800s who takes over, not willingly at first, her aunt’s advice column. Since this is a cozy mystery you can bet she’ll read a letter from someone who’s about to be murdered! I loved the setting and Violet is bound to be a top favorite character for me this year. There are several suspects and not everyone is who they appear to be which adds a layer of complexity to the story. I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this series!

Thank you Minotaur and NetGalley for the eARC of Of Manners and Murder! All opinions in this review are my own.

This is a great start to the new historical mystery series! I loved the Dear Miss Hermoine angle and I can't wait to see how that factors into future mysteries!

The mystery itself kept me guessing until the end! I liked how the author presented a list of suspects right from the beginning so you were already suspicious of certain characters. I liked how everything came together at the end of the novel.

However, I wasn't a huge fan of the cut scenes that followed Violet's sister Sephora. Luckily, it all makes sense by the end, but I liked Violet much more than her sister so the interspersed chapters were something to just get through in order to get back to the real mystery.

Overall, this is a quick cozy mystery and I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

Adelia runs an advice column called Dear Miss Hermione. One day Adelia quits her role as Miss Hermione and leaves her advice column to her niece Violet. As Violet starts to take over her role as Miss Hermione, a rich woman named Ivy asks her for help. She suspects her husband is planning to kill her. When Violet decides to investigate, she learns that Ivy has committed suicide. As Violet digs deeper, she realizes instead of a suicide, Ivy may have been murdered. Can Violet find out who murdered Ivy and why?

Violet was an amazing heroine. She was very resourceful and determined. She was a very competent sleuth. I also liked Violet's compassion and willingness to help others. Therefore, Violet made an engaging woman to root for.

The other main character is Violet’s sister, Sephora. I found her to be an insufferable character. She was very selfish and annoying. Therefore, I found her storyline to be very unnecessary. I wished that the novel focused solely on Violet and not Sephora. I still disliked her even after I finished the book.

Overall, this book is about secrets, sisterhood, and betrayal. I really liked all the characters and found them to be very compelling except for Sephora. There were a few times in which I thought the plot was a bit too far-fetched and unbelievable. It took me a while to get into because the story and the mystery both seemed silly. Yet, I had to let go of the story’s silliness in order for me to truly enjoy the novel. Thus, if you are willing to let go of common sense, this novel is very entertaining. I also found the romance to be unnecessary and should have been included in the next novel. Overall, it was a very engaging and fast-paced novel! I recommend this novel for The Lone Fox, Murder at Mallowen Hall, and Lady Helena Investigates!

Thank you, NetGalley, publishers, and Anastasia Hasting for gifting me a copy of Of Manners and Murder in return for my honest review.

3.5/5 stars

1885: London, England. When Violet's Aunt Adelia decides to abscond with her newest paramour, she leaves behind her role as the most popular Agony Aunt in London, "Miss Hermione," in Violet's hands. And of course, the first letter Violet receives is full, not of prissy pondering, but of portent. Ivy Armstrong is in need of help and fears for her life. But when Violet visits the village where the letters were posted, she finds that Ivy is already dead. She'll quickly discover that when you represent the best-loved Agony Aunt in Britain, both marauding husbands and murder are par for the course.

I would like to start out my review by sharing that I am a massive cozy mystery fan! I think that played against this book for me. There was nothing special here for me. If unlike me you haven't read a lot of cozy mysteries, especially Victorian cozies. but also a 3.5 out of 5 is still a really good rating for me!

With that out of the way, I want to share what I did like. Who doesn't love a strong no-nonsense female lead who sticks to her guns? I love strong female leads and this one does not disappoint. I also really enjoyed Anastasia Hastings's writing style and I thought it was very well written.

If you haven't read a lot of Victoriana era cozies then I would recommend this book to you!

Thank you St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for e-ARC of the book.

Aunt Adelia is away on an adventure with her new love interest and leaves her niece Violet with an important task - to be "Miss Hermione". It all looks easy - respond to letters and give smart advice until Violet receives a letter from Ivy. Ivy fears for her life and asks for help. Violet can't ignore it and decides to visit Ivy but she is too late - Ivy is dead.

This book was out of my comfort zone as I don't really like settings in the Victorian era. The style of writing corresponded to the time period. I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it - characters, descriptions and the murder mystery.

I really enjoyed this Agatha Christie type book! Set back in the 1800s London, Miss Hermione is what we’d now call an advice columnist who gets mixed up in a suspected murder! I loved trying to figure out what happened and trying to connect all the storylines. I really liked the main character as well. In the end, the ‘whodunnit’ was a little predictable, but the getting there and ‘why’ behind it was something I didn’t see coming. Overall, this was a good cozy mystery!

I enjoyed this, but it does slow down a bit after the whirlwind of the beginning. There is a lot of information gathered about the list of suspects and once you get past the halfway point it picks up again.

Violet is thrust into the role of Aunt Hermione by her Aunt Adelia. Aunt Hermione is the most popular Aunt Agony in all of London, Aunt Adelia has secretly filled this role but is leaving it in her niece Violet's hands so that she can take off with her newest paramour.

The first letter she receives immediately grabs her attention. Ivy Armstrong needs help and fears for her life. When Violet travels to the village where the letters were mailed, she discovers that Ivy is already dead.

Using the information Ivy sent to Aunt Hermione, Violet sets out to discover what really happened to Ivy.

Thank you so much to the author and St. Martins Press for this ARC to review.

It’s 1885 and if one wants advice, especially women, they write to Miss Hermione, an advice columnist. Needless to say, when Violet learns that the identity of Miss Hermione is her Aunt Adelia, she is surprised; that surprise grows when Violet is asked to take over as Miss Hermionie so her aunt can go on a trip. Jumping in with both feet, Violet reads her first letter from a woman named Ivy. Ivy believes someone wants her dead and when Violet travels to the village where Ivy lives, she finds that she is too late, Ivy is dead, and Violet is determined to uncover the truth of what happened.

Of Manners and Muder, the first in the Miss Hermionie series, is a fun little mystery. I liked the characters, especially Violet; she is a strong, independent, determined woman. It is a fast-paced novel for the most part, and it kept me hooked right from the start. While most of the story is told from the perspective of Violet, there are also some chapters narrated by her sister Sephora. While I liked seeing the events through the eyes of more than one character, I honestly disliked Sephora. She is shallow, superficial, and concerned only with finding a man; I hope her character improves in the subsequent novels in the series.

This one ended up being a miss for me. I couldn't get into the the mystery and I didn't care for the heroine in this one.

I enjoyed the writing style and the characters in this story. The author brought all the details of the mystery together nicely toward the end.

The love interest (or what seems the potential for one) comes in almost toward the end of the book, but I liked that the author wrote it that way. The story was more focused on the main character solving the mystery and she didn't have a potential suitor throwing her off her tracks early one.

If you enjoyed Pride and Premeditation you'll enjoy this book.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Violet Manville and her half-sister, Sephora Manville, have moved to London to live with their Aunt, Adelia Manville. Violet is studious, serious, and well-mannered. Sephora inherited her mother's fortune and is younger, more interested in parties, men, and enjoying all that is London. Their Aunt Adelia is rather a free spirit and writes the most popular agony column, Miss Hermione. Another stalwart of the household is Bunty, Adelia's housekeeper and confidant.

Neither Violet nor Sephora knew of Adelia's writing of the agony column in Woman's Place magazine until Adelia requested Violet take her place as the author while she was on vacation. No one actually deals with Adelia in person so a change of author wouldn't be noticed. Also, there are several layers of misdirection between the magazine where the letters are sent before they arrive at Adelia's study. Violet is stunned but has very little time to adjust as Adelia heads out the door.

Sephora is devoted to the column often reading the bits she believes Violet needs to live by. Naturally, Violet will adhere to Adelia's request to keep the secret from her sister. Violet's first letter is from a woman who had previously written so the first step was to read the previous letter and advice and move on to the recent letter. Only this time, the writer believes someone is trying to kill her. Included with the letter is a newspaper article from a local paper with the photos of three people circled.

Violet is concerned and she and Bunty look over both letters and, once they believe they have a name for the writer, Ivy Armstrong, and a village, Violet takes a train to talk to the woman about her fear. On arrival, she learns that the woman she seeks is currently at the churchyard. It's no joke to learn the woman fearing for her life is dead and she has arrived just in time for the funeral.

Not deterred, Violet determines to discover if Ivy was indeed murdered. Her investigation is rather haphazard. It did however gain her some clues, a list of suspects, and a disappointing measure of misogyny mixed with social customs that limit women's ability to act to protect themselves.

The characters in Of Manners and Murder by Anastasia Hastings were people that fit in their time period and were well-defined, quirky, and interesting. I'm hoping readers will be able to meet them again in future books. The plot was multithreaded, totally engrossing and, even if you figure it out before Violet, it is still well worth the time. There's some interesting and witty dialogue, some humor, and instances of social mores that seem silly to our modern sensibilities.

As a warning, there are some truly horrific instances of abuse of women that happened quite frequently during this time period. Not really physical abuse but societal injustice that is abuse when looked at it from where we are now.

This is the first book in a new cozy mystery series set in the late 1800's. As we are introduced to Violet and her family, we learn she is the "stable" one so her newly inherited job as an advice columnist should not be difficult. But her first letter asking for advice is a young woman being stalked and in fear for her life. When Violet tracks her down, only to learn the young woman is dead froman unfortunate accident, we have to wonder......
This is a really good cozy mystery. Yes, some of the events could not have happened as they are described during this era, but this is fiction and the story moves quickly. I believe Anastasia Hastings may have a hit on her hands.