A Curious Beginning

A Veronica Speedwell Mystery

Paperback, 400 pages

English language

Published Oct. 1, 2015 by Titan Books.

ISBN:: 978-1-78565-048-2

(8 reviews)

"London, 1887. As the city prepares to celebrate Queen Victoria's golden jubilee, Veronica Speedwell is marking a milestone of her own. After burying her spinster aunt, the orphaned Veronica is free to resume her world travels in pursuit of scientific inquiry--and the occasional romantic dalliance. As familiar with hunting butterflies as she is fending off admirers, Veronica wields her butterfly net and a sharpened hatpin with equal aplomb, and with her last connection to England now gone, she intends to embark upon the journey of a lifetime. But fate has other plans, as Veronica discovers when she thwarts her own abduction with the help of an enigmatic German baron with ties to her mysterious past. Promising to reveal in time what he knows of the plot against her, the baron offers her temporary sanctuary in the care of his friend Stoker--a reclusive natural historian as intriguing as he is bad-tempered. …

3 editions

Jason Molenda reviewed A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn

Review of 'A Curious Beginning' on 'Goodreads'

3 stars

I enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next in the series. The character Veronica is great fun but seems so modern in her attitudes towards sex that it always seems a little out of place with the victorian setting. The first part of this book was cooking, it moved so fast and light, but then in the second act we got to the circus and the book felt like it came to a stop. It picked up again in the third but I was always a little bummed about how much time was spent at the circus. Still, I enjoyed the interaction between the protagonists and have no hesitation about reading the next one right away.