I admittedly approached The Study of Silence expecting something akin to that doyenne of the 1920s murder mystery, the Hon. Phryne Fisher. But save for the money, the era, and the fact they make for fantastic reading, there’s not much comparison to be made between the Misses Fisher and Carlisle.

There’s a heavier feel to Evie’s tale - while it’s ostensibly about a murder, it’s also about Evie herself, and much of the book is devoted to her thoughts on her situation, her family, and her future. With the 1920s being revered as an era of self-expression and growing freedoms, seeing Evie struggle to find her place in the world makes for interesting - and relatable - reading.

Setting the contemplations of our excellent lead aside for a moment, it’s also pleasing to note that the mystery at the heart of The Study of Silence is a still a compelling one. Longfellow was certainly not all he appeared, and suspicions bounce around from one character to another, as secrets are revealed and motives become clear.

A wonderfully realised Oxford rounds off a really quite excellent read, with author Zaidi bringing the streets of this historic university city to life.

The verdict? A great historical whodunit, helmed by an interesting and determined young woman. I'll definitely be looking up the first two books in this series!

Thank you Net Galley. A delightful cozy mystery that had me looking for the first two books in the series. Perfect for a commute.

Wonderful 1920s mystery! I was looking forward to reading this because I like the Daisy Dalrymple series. I haven't read the first 2 books and I'm certainly going to read them now! I can't wait to read more of Evie and Detective Stanton's stories. Great writing style for me to read. Evie was a great character and I liked reading her thoughts particularly when you consider how women's roles were changing in the 1920s.