One thought on “A Lady in the Smoke: A Victorian Mystery”

1. My ARC courtesy of Alibi Random House and Net Galley much thanks My opinions are my own.This seems to be a first novel, but doesn t read like it The people have the prejudices of 1874, and are not merely modern people in costumes I caught no historical errors I d love for my stepfather, the train freak, to read this, but historical mysteries are not his thing The mystery is good, the historical fiction is well done, and if it becomes a series, I d happily read a sequel.

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2. Pretty much everything I want in a historical novel trains, historical detail, secrets, family drama, two lovers separated by society, conspiracy, crusading journalists, women sneaking out of the house, lawyering, and a pickpocket who could give Artful Dodger a run for his money When Lady Elizabeth Fraser and her mother are involved in a terrible train crash, Lady Elizabeth helps the railway surgeon tend to the wounded while keeping her aristocratic roots a secret But everything hits the fan whe [...]

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3. Victorian era romantic suspense sounded all sorts of goodness to me so I snatched this one up and settled in The new to me author did a fantastic job of establishing historical backdrop and an engaging plot from the beginning It slows down in the middle and comes rushing through at the end I was left wishing that it wasn t over and wistfully hoping this is not the last of the author s efforts at mysteries set in that world and with those characters.The story opens with Lady Elizabeth Fraser jour [...]

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4. I d like to first thank Random House, Alibi, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read A Lady in the Smoke A Victorian Mystery by Karen Odden as an uncorrected proof I m relatively new to ARCs and Uncorrected Proofs but NetGalley makes it very easy to request books and to find out about upcoming releases I look forward to writing an honest review about this book Lady Elizabeth Fraser is the well read, well mannered 20 year old daughter of an earl from Levlinshire As the reader is first introduce [...]

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5. Highly recommended The story s not what you expect from a mystery book I would even classify it as a mystery thriller it s very character driven, and I honestly didn t think Odden would be able to tie all the strings together But she did, and I was very pleased with the results.I find that I really like stories set around a calamity, because it brings all sorts of people, professions, mindsets, and life experiences to piece it together I enjoyed the fact that Odden was able to weave her story th [...]

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6. I really enjoyed this novel The story is compelling and grabs you from page one The main characters are very sympathetic and well fleshed out they feel like real people I loved the setting and learned a lot about Victorian era railroads The romance is very sweet with the emphasis mainly on the mystery and family secrets which are slowly revealed Well done and highly recommended

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7. Really interesting concept, but I just could not get into it I prefer adventure and less wordiness in my historical fiction novels It was clear that research had been done, but author failed to communicate any meaningful emotional connection for the reader to grasp The plot seems like an M.A Thesis on British railway history than a novel The dialogue is wooden, the characters have no depth, and nothing in the narrative grabs you.The book also had a very slow start and the ending fell short for [...]

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8. I liked the mystery and the historical detail of the railroads in England The corruption etc it kinda felt like reading an Jane Austen because of the headstrong female main character, who goes against what is normal in her social class.I gave four stars because I felt at times the story kinda slowed and made you question what was happening.

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9. For this author s 1st novel, this was such a great story I do hope very much that it becomes a series because I would definitely read it The characters were wonderful and so human You couldn t help but get invested in their happiness The story itself was so engrossing and interesting Well done indeed.

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10. This is an interesting mystery combined with a quite unconventional romance set in the Victorian era in England One of the things that made this book interesting to me was that it was well researched and worked a large amount of historical detail about the railroads in Victorian England The historical facts were integrated into the story is such a way that they provided a good foundation for the story but did not make it dull or dry.The main character in this book, Elizabeth, was a strong female [...]

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11. A train goes off the rails in 1874, and the aftermath brings together people who ordinarily would never have crossed paths I think I expected this to be much of a muchness with other Victorian set novels, but very quickly learned how wrong I was From the very beginning, as the horrors of the accident are detailed, it was pretty clear that this would be blazing its own trail.Elizabeth Fraser, fresh from her fourth disappointing London Season, has her hands full and than full with her addicted mo [...]

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12. 4.5 Stars This is one of my favorite historical periods to read about And, I loved that it was part of this book I loved the story, the characters and the writing I was not ready for the book to end I had really grown to like these characters and was sad to see the hours and minutes counting down and seeing the time I had left with growing smaller and smaller There was a little bit of everything in this book Drama, secrets, suspense, mystery, romance, bribery, falsehoods, blackmail, murder, sabo [...]

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13. For the most part this was an excellent read although I didn t so much think it was a mystery There was a mystery of a sort, I suppose, but mainly it was a lovely historical romance set in the late 1800s There was a lot of very interesting information about the history of early railroading in England and both the settings and characters were extremely well drawn I would definitely want to read by this new author, so I hope she has a new book out soon Can highly recommend this one.

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14. Very enjoyable admirable, forthright heroine caught up in an absorbing mystery that ends up challenging her perceptions of who she is where she comes from Kind, noble love interest Great dialogue inner voice of the heroine Interesting period details about trains, train crashes surgeons who specialize in injuries related to such trauma So glad I gave this author a try I d definitely pick up her next book Clean read Right now 4 17 the Kindle e book is.99 the Audible book is 2.99

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15. This book is closer to 4 stars The plot took a long time to develop though I enjoyed the 2nd half of the book better.

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16. Good mystery Well written I enjoyed it, but the pace felt a little slow I ve been reading thrillers, maybe that s why I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an historical romance with a suspenseful plot.

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17. Gripping This is a totally engaging historical Victorian mystery Lady Elizabeth Fraser is returning from her failed London season to her home The train she is travelling in is involved in an horrific accident Elizabeth is freed from the wreck but cannot escape the carnage she is part of Once safe in a guest house she discovers the handsome surgeon, Paul Wilcox, who had attended her at the disaster site, is operating on the kitchen table with no one to assist him Elizabeth steps up, even though i [...]

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18. 3.5 StarsThe mystery is well plotted There s a big conspiracy concerning the railways which required a lot of distraction to divert attention from it One of the main motive is against Elizabeth s family and things just went full circle after she and her mother found themselves in the middle of another tragic railroad accident The trial was compelling and the investigation provided for a good thrill The romance isn t throbbing with passion The focus is on the case and Elizabeth and Paul s unexpec [...]

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19. l was quite pleasantly surprised by this book, and look forward to in this new series, by an author new to me as well l ve always liked the Victorian Edwardian period in history, and this tells of a woman who longs to be loved for herself, and not her money, which suddenly is about to disappear, it seems The lady in question IS a real lady, but has grit and back bone as well, and is drawn to a surgeon who helps her after a suspicious train wreck I cant wait to see how these characters progress [...]

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20. Pese a que se toma ciertas libertades historicas para narrar la trama es una lectura interesante Creo que me esperaba otra cosa cuando le A Victorian Mystery , pero no me ha aburrido as que me doy por satisfecha.

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21. This book had several stories within the story I couldn t put it down because the book kept revealing new things that made me want to read .

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22. Great book I can totally see Kira Knightly playing the main part I love mysteries and this may have been a little predictable but I still thoroughly enjoyed this book.

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23. Highly recommended It satisfied both my taste for mystery and romance And all the characters were awesome and fully formed.

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24. Four stars and praise for this debut novel from OLT.

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25. A Lady in the Smoke is set in the Victorian era It opens with a horrific train derailment in which Lady Elizabeth Fraser and her mother are both injured and treated by Paul Wilcox, a surgeon employed to help victims of railway injuries As Elizabeth helps Paul treat other injured passengers, she finds herself drawn to him and his purpose something that is lacking in her own sheltered life as a Victorian lady Through Paul, she also becomes aware that the railway accident may be part of a larger pa [...]

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26. Elizabeth, the daughter of an Earl, and her mother, are travelling home from London by train when their train crashes, they both survive, but are taken to a nearby hotel to recover, it is there that she meets a Railway Surgeon and a Newspaperman, they soon begin to suspect the railway crash was no accident, meanwhile the Railway Surgeon is arrested after the death of a patient he attended too, and Elizabeth sets out to try and free him and discover if the railway crash was sabotage Interesting s [...]

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27. Lady Elizabeth Fraser is homeward bound along with her mother after a disappointing fourth Season in London Not only is her mother angry that she has not made an advantageous match, but Elizabeth was largely ignored at the final ball and rumors are circulating about the family s fortunes The train that they are traveling on derails at high speed but Elizabeth manages to get herself and her mother off with the help of a stranger The scene is horrendous, with many injuries and much loss of life Af [...]

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28. A Victorian Mystery, a Train Accident, and RomanceAfter a disappointing ball where Lady Elizabeth saw people whispering about her, she and her mother board a train to return to the their home at Kellham Park Before they reach their station, the train careens off the track in a horrible accident Amid the fire and smoke, Lady Elizabeth pulls her unconscious mother from the train A handsome railway surgeon, Paul Wilcox, finds them huddled in a field and makes arrangements for them to be taken to a [...]

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29. I received a ARC copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review2.5 Stars My overall response to this novel is a resounding, Whatever It had a well thought out plot structure and an extremely well researched historical backdrop But the characters had no color to them, and the experience of reading their story was pretty joyless.The first third of the novel is isolated and boring, the middle section becomes a lesson in economics and the stock market, and the final act is devoted to trial dra [...]

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30. A Lady in the Smoke is a debut novel by Karen Odden brief description Following a humiliating fourth Season in London, Lady Elizabeth Fraser is on her way back to her ancestral country estate when her train careens off the rails and bursts into flames Though she is injured, she manages to drag herself and her unconscious mother out of the wreckage, and amid the chaos that ensues, a brilliant young railway surgeon saves her mother s life Elizabeth feels an immediate connection with Paul Wilcox th [...]

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