Such a great book. Makes for a wonderful read. I can not wait to read more from this author. I love books like this.

Dear Laura is a not-quite linear mystery surrounding the death of Theodore Crozier; whispers of an alleged affair between the titular Laura and her brother-in-law Titus buzz about the household. Inspector Lintott investigates the crime, interviewing the household, sifting through the innuendos to find the truth. The solution to the crime seems to be a trope used in Victorian mysteries, which to me seemed a convenient cop-out. The structure of the story bounces between the past and present with little indication that a shift in time has occurred - the reader needs to be extra attentive to keep track of the narrative. The dialogue tries too hard to emulate that of Victorian times, to the point of throwing in Cockney slang and some terms that would require a visit to Wikipedia to understand its context.

Enjoyable, but sometimes hard to follow.

I've never heard of Jean Stubbs and assumed that this was a new release and not a re-release. The story was good for the most part and was generally well written but it was just a bit mediocre. The characters were fine but nothing was impressive about it. The 'twist' was fine but it was kind of obvious and I had my suspicions from the beginning. There are better Victorian crime fictions out there but this is a fine read if you are starting out or want to try a slightly unknown author.

A quite enjoyable read, with solid historical background. The intrigue well developed and kept me guessing till the end. I will read another book by the author in the future.

Just okay. This book has some interesting and unexpected turns but overall it was just okay. There was some odd jumping backward and forward in time that caused a bit of confusion.

Inspector Lintott must solve the mystery of the death of the deadly beloved Theodore. He has left behind a faithful wife, a brother two sons and a daughter. He has also left behind a deep dark secret. Did this secret become known and cause his death? Lintott makes his way through a maze of stories, from the servants, wife brother and friends. Whom is he to believe?
Well written, great characterization. A compelling storyline.

An enjoyable and entertaing historical mystery.
I loved the characters and the well researched historical background.
The plot was engaging and the mystery was good, it kept me guessing till the end.
I look forward to reading other books by this author.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for this ARC

Oh, not again. Take my favourite premise: London, Victorian times, mystery and upstairs-downstairs... and make the most boring concoction.
It was supposed to be murder mystery. At least this is how book was described before I chose it. However, after reading 1/4 of it I am yet to be mysterised...
Characters are interesting. The situation within family cliche but fine: bored wife, rigid husband, handsome brother-in-law...
I am sorry, but I did not get to the mystery and to the Inspector's entrance. I just could not find it in me.

what an amazing book. Loved it from beginning to end
I loved the authors style of writing and will be looking for other books by this author.
I would recommend this book to friends and family

Is this her only chance? Laura dislikes her husband Theodore but she has nowhere else to go so she will just have to stay in this unloving marriage. Now that he is sick she prays that the end will come quickly but he recovers for a time then he suddenly falls ill again but this time he won't be recovering. But the police think that he was poisoned and they will stop at nothing to find the killer. But who wanted him dead that much? Laura just wants things to settle down so she can be free and give her the children all the love that they need but her brother in law Titus is a problem. He is always in debt and she fears that he won't be able to keep the company going. How can she make sure that everything works out they way that she wants?
The police have started to look into Theodore's life and they find out that he was involved with someone else but it isn't what they were expecting so they think that he might have decided to take matters into his own hands. He would never would have recovered if his secret got out is it that simple? And is there more to the relationship between Laura and Titus, did they kill him together so that they could be together? Or is that just a rumour that one staff member wants everybody to believe. Will it ever end so that Laura can just continue with her life? A good read. I was lucky enough to receive a copy via Netgalley & the publishing house in exchange for my honest review.

Dear Laura is about a family with secrets and it takes place in England in the late 1800s. Laura is the wife of the wealthy Theodore Crozier. Theodore dies suddenly and questions regarding his death arise, along with suspicions about the relationship between his wife and his philandering brother Titus. An inquest into Theodore’s death resulted in the discovery of a lethal quantity of morphine in his body and it is up to Inspector Lintott to discover the truth of what happened.

There were things I liked about this book and things I did not like. Sadly my dislikes outweighed my likes.
I liked the plot. It was creative and probably innovative when this book was originally published, particularly the twist at the end.

I did not like the manner of writing. Ms. Stubbs clearly has a firm grasp of how “civilized” and “upper-crust” Victorians spoke, but I personally struggled with maintaining interest during the first third of the book because of the writing style. The manner of writing was so verbose that it was nearly incomprehensible at times. I had to concentrate to get the gist of her sentences and to keep up with her narrative. It became easier in the last two-thirds of the book – either because I finally learned how to read/comprehend her writing or the writing style eased up a bit with the arrival of Inspector Lintott in the story. I read my share of Victorian era novels and approximately 200 books in general each year, so I’m not inexperienced in various writing styles. Yet this book seemed overly difficult to me to read. I think the book would have been better served with a more succinct, even simple, narrative. A more succinct narrative would have also shortened the book and improved it in my opinion, as it felt a bit tedious, repetitive, and overlong.

This book is what I call a “surface read”. Everything about the story was on the surface - there was no emotional depth for me, no connection with the characters. In general, none of the characters were likeable, save perhaps the little daughter Blanche and the young kitchen maid, but they weren’t a significant part of the story. I really wish there had been more of an emotional connection with any of the main characters. I wanted to root for someone, and I liked the plot, but I just did not have a vested interest in any of the characters. A “surface read” in and of itself isn’t a bad thing, but for me they never result in more than a 2 or a 3 rating.

This book was first published in 1974 and was an Edgar Allan Poe Award® Nominee for Best Novel according to Goodreads.com. I feel a little bad about my comments on the book since it was apparently at least well received enough in 1974 to be nominated for the Edgar Award. I just personally don’t feel like it would hold up to scrutiny today in comparison to the myriad other mystery novels available.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Sapere Books for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Dear Laura is a Victorian mystery that introduces the engaging, but shrewd and perceptive Inspector Lintott.

Surprisingly, Detective Lintott doesn't really make an appearance until about half way through the book. The first half of the book introduces the characters in the house hold of Theodore Crozier. Crozier, his wife, his brother, and the household servants are presented in both current situations and situations which provide background for the characters.

Initially, Theodore Crozier's death is thought to have been caused by an aneurysm, but anonymous letters imply something else. Suicide? Murder?

When the cause of death comes into question, Scotland Yard's Inspector Lintott is called in. He has an interesting interview method and good insight into character, but he also finds himself reconsidering some of his opinions as he learns more. He doesn't stick with first assumptions, but alters his investigation with new information.

What I particularly loved about him is when he made a comment completely in keeping with Victorian values, but later, despite his initial response, begins a deeper understanding of the situation. Even today, men have opinions about women and their place, and many are incapable of seeing past the views they have adopted. Lintott is no feminist, but he allows a change in his attitude and convictions because he examines his opinions. He may not approve, but he comes to understand certain situations.

The twist at the very end is not exactly a surprise, but I was never certain that it would end as I sometimes expected.

I thoroughly enjoyed this historical mystery and Inspector Lintott and was surprised to realize when I finished that the book was first published in 1974. One advantage to any historical novel is that it is less likely to feel dated. :)

NetGalley/Sapere Books
Historical Mystery. 1974. Nov. 1, 2018. Print length: 267 pages.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

Theodore Crozier is found dead it may be suicide, or was it his dutiful wife Laura and beloved brother Titus.

A good (clean) whodunit which leaves you guessing until the end.

3☆

3 stars

It is 1869 in Wimbledon, England and Inspector John Joseph Lintott responds to a call of a suicide. Or, is it a case of murder?

Theodore Crozier is the name of the dead man. He was the owner of Crozier Toys and he was a very difficult man to like. While his death appears to be suicide, (how does one give himself an aneurysm?), nasty letters are revealed that point to Crozier’s wife Laura being involved with Crozier’s brother Titus.

Inspector Lintott begins to suspect murder. The family doctor is ferociously protective of Laura and it got me to wondering. Lintott patiently (sometimes), ferrets out clues and reaches his conclusions.

The servants are a hoot. They all seem to have active schemes afoot.


The writing style of this book is off-putting. I couldn’t really get into it, but gave the author three stars for her effort. I like the way the author describes Victorian England with its law and quirks. I also liked Inspector Lintott who can be very firm in his questioning when the situation calls for it, but also seems to have a measure of humanity. I read a lot of historical fiction and this book just didn’t measure up to my usual standards. It was interesting and vaguely entertaining, but didn’t really capture my interest.

I want to thank NetGalley and Sapere Books for forwarding to me a copy of this book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Time for another book review, time for another classic mystery. Though actually I’m not sure that merely reissuing a detective novel, in this case from the 1970s, necessarily makes it a classic and to be honest some of the oldies have lasted better than others.

Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh on Dear Laura by Jean Stubbs, because it does have a lot to commend it. It’s a historical mystery set in late Victorian times. Wealthy but emotionally cold businessman Theodore Crozier is dead and his death wasn’t the result of natural causes — but was the overdose of morphine in his system accident or murder? Theodore’s relationship with his wife, Laura, is cold, distant and unemotional, and her relationship with his wayward younger brother, Titus, is anything but. The servants are divided and Inspector Lintott of Scotland Yard is there to unravel the mystery.

As I say, there’s a lot going for this book. It’s well-written and the characters are cleverly-drawn. The author paints a terrific picture of a society whose conventions force those of all classes to accept what is expected of them and illustrates that the rich can be as miserable as the poor. The plot is clever, with plenty of twists and turns, although for me it had a less than satisfactory conclusion, and I didn’t particularly like any of the characters, which can make a book a hard read.

Where it fell down for me is in the solving of the mystery. The book is the first in a series featuring Inspector Lintott but apart from whisking across the narrative very fleetingly early on, the detective doesn’t make an appearance until almost half way through. The rest of the book is scene-setting which, while necessary up to a point, seemed rather out of balance. And the investigation itself consisted of Lintott talking to everyone involved and coming to a conclusion — no spoilers but…

Perhaps it’s down to the expectation we have detective fiction but, for me, if the investigating officer is the main protagonist (and he or she has his name on the cover) then he or she needs to be at the heart of the book from the beginning. I thought there was too much back story and not enough detecting and, as a result, I couldn’t really engage with Inspector Lintott in the way I feel I was meant to.

Thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book, in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Sapere Books for a review copy of Dear Laura, the first novel in a projected series to feature Victorian police officer, Detective John Joseph Lintott.

Theodore Crozier of Crozier Toys dies unexpectedly from a brain haemorrhage, leaving his brother Titus, his wife Laura and his three children mourning his loss. Until anonymous letters accuse Titus and Laura of conspiring in his death. When an exhumation discovers fatal levels of morphine Inspector Lintott is sent to investigate.

There is much to admire in Dear Laura but it didn’t capture my imagination and I found it slow, heavy going in parts. I think it will appeal more to readers of historical fiction than crime fiction aficionados like myself. It is very informative on the Victorian era with explanations of the laws and mores of the time and paints a vivid picture. Mostly though it is an examination of the Crozier family dynamic and what led to Theodore’s death with all the requisite twists, turns and lurid secrets. I must admit that I guessed many of them ahead of the reveal which spoiled the read a little but my main complaint is the format which has an alternating timeline, in that a statement is made and the timeline switches to an event in the past to illustrate it. I wouldn’t say it’s confusing as the switch is apparent but it’s alienating as it interrupts the flow of Inspector Lintott’s investigation.

I like Inspector Lintott who is a comfortable man, able to induce confidences but also able to instil fear when required. He has a lot of common sense garnered over his many years of service and yet, he has his weaknesses.

I think many readers will enjoy Dear Laura which is a solid read, it just didn’t overly appeal to me.

In Victorian London,Theodore Crozier, businessman, has been found dead. Initially thought to be a natural death, suspicions are raised and whispers about a relationship between Mrs Laura Crozier and her brother-in-law Titus are brought to light. It falls to Inspector John Joseph Lintott to investigate.
An enjoyable mystery and an interesting exposé of Victorian domestic life.