Last night I started reading a book I have had for a while: The Penguin Book of Victorian Women in Crime edited by Michael Sims. Sims is the author of The Story of Charlotte's Web and he was here last year at a book signing event that I attended as I am a great fan of E.B. White.
As I was browsing on the internet for other books Sims might have written, I came across Victorian Women in Crime and decided it was right up my alley. I do love a mystery. And here we have short stories and parts of novellas that feature women detectives and maybe a female crook or two from the days when Sherlock Holmes roamed the streets of London.
In the first story, private detective Mrs. Paschal dons a disguise as a lady's maid to gain entry into the Belgravia household of the Countess of Vervaine to find out how she is really supporting her lavish lifestyle.
I admit I am not a fan of short stories, but will sometimes make an exception for a compilation of who-done-its. And don't you just love the cover? Imagine tracking down miscreants in those long skirts and a feathered hat!
