A solid mystery that makes good use of it's historical setting. We have the expected exploration of gender roles. It also dips it's toes into the class system and the importance people place on reputation and public perception. The setting is strong, though that may be a hindrance for some readers since it relies so much on an appreciation and understanding of history.

This is a fun middle grade mystery with just a touch of paranormal to give it a twist. Violet is a girl in a time when girls (and even adult women) were dismissed and thought of as lesser. When her father is accused of a terrible crime, Violet and would be murder victim Oliver must team up to solve the case. They're joined by Violet's dog Bones, who may have some extra senses of his own.

I thought this was pretty well paced and I liked that Violet wasn't willing to be quiet or sit back while injustices were committed. She's a strong person and I think she could go on to great things. The bits of ghosts were fun and Bones steals the show a couple of times. I did think the mystery seemed too easily solved and could have been a bit more complex, but it was still an interesting story and I'll be checking out the next book when I can!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own. Thank you to Harper Collins Children's and NetGalley for the copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. As with all children's books, I'm no longer the intended audience, but I retain my deep love of them anyways.

A Case of Grave Danger is a middle grade Victorian mystery following Violet Veil, the daughter of an undertaker. Although she's kept out of the family business, which is deemed inappropriate for a young girl in her era, Violet remains fascinated with the world around her, and she's determined to become a detective when she stumbles across a young dead boy who turns out to be not-at-all dead. Dead set on uncovering the mystery of who attempted to murder him, Violet and her dog Bones set out to clear the name of her father, who is accused of attempted murder.

Violet generally seems likeable, and she has a unique ability to gain feelings and impressions from the dead - but this doesn't feel very central to the story. Middle grade readers who like detective protagonists may get a kick out of this one, but overall I felt the pacing was a bit slow, and some of the narration a bit stiff, even for the victorian setting.

As a reader who loves mysteries, but nothing too terrifying, I really enjoyed this book!

I loved the main character Violet. I think she is just the kind of girl detective who will appeal to young readers. I also love how much this book includes historical information about the Victorian era, especially the trials faced by girls and women at the time.

I was hoping for a bigger reveal at the end of the story, but the plot was fun overall. We see a lot of young (and older) readers who love mysteries at my library, and this is a fun new series that will be popular among our patrons.

A Case of Grave Danger is a fantastic middle-grade book about a girl who sets to solve a mystery and hopefully get her dad cleared of serious charges. The mystery is really solid and will keep you wondering why the events happened. The characters are wonderfully written with a strong young female lead named Violet and her sidekick Oliver. The graveyard atmosphere is spot on, you can really picture what the author is writing about. The bad guys are mysterious enough to make it quite a thriller as well. I absolutely loved everything about it. The writing is fabulous and just wait until you see the illustrations. Perfection!

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with the eARC of this title in exchange for my unbiased review. 😄

Violet longs to become her father's apprentice at their Undertaker shop. She finally gets the chance after his father is jailed and she meets Oliver, the corpse of a boy who is supposed to be dead, in the graveyard. Can Violet and her dog Bones help Oliver solve his own murder case?

This is the first book in a new middle grade detective series with a dash of historical fiction. I would say this is one of those cozy mysteries with elements of magical realism. The pacing of the story was great, I never felt like it was too rushed or slow moving. The storyline is unique with lots of twists and turns that keep you turning the pages to see what unfolds. The time period was depicted accurately. It showed how police hangings and women being undervalued was common during the time the book takes place. The characters were done well, you really sympathize with Violet and are rooting for her from the beginning. I loved the value placed on friendship in the book and Bones, Violet's dog, is the best sidekick ever! I love when books have an animal sidekick. I also love the message of the story: that you can become anything you want despite what others think if you work hard enough at it. Overall, this was a great first book to start off the series.

This is a great book for younger readers. Even though it has spooky elements, it is not too scary for bedtime stories or young readers. I also think people of all ages would enjoy this, even adult readers. As an adult reader, I really enjoyed this one and I love the morals a lot of middle grade books tend to teach.

A fun fast-paced gothic infused murder mystery filled with plenty of adventure and intrigue.

When a supposed to be dead boy, Oliver, turns out to be very much alive, Violet Veil daughter of a family of undertakers agrees to take on the case of solving who tried to murder the boy. Only problem is the boy was one of a slew of murders (all the others were successful), a slew which her father is framed for. After his arrest Violet and Oliver find they have a limited amount of time to find the real culprit before her fathers trial to hang begins. Along with her trusty side-kick, her greyhound Bones, and the help of a few voices beyond the grave, the kids find themselves on the trail of a mysterious woman they dub "the black widow". Filled with a delightfully macrabre elements, this is a perfect dose of victorian sleuthing with hints of the supernatural, and a wonderfully feminist young female lead.

Highly recommend - will definitely be shortlisting as a perfect fall read for young readers (grades 3-6, most probably grades 4-5). Also enough cross interest to appeal to both boys and girls.

Not for me, personally, but I can see this appealing to kids who like mysteries, a bit of the macabre, and historical fiction. It appears to be part of an intended series

Violet Veil's father is a funeral director, but, she is never going to go into the business herself, because she is a girl, and this is Victorian England.

But, she is going to be a detective, no matter what anyone has to say about it, and the mystery she has to solve is who keeps killing all these people, that keep showing up at their mortuary. And one turns out to be very much alive, a young boy, Oliver, so doesn't remember anything before he was hit over the head and thought to be dead.

Overall, I liked Violet. She was very insistent, and her dog, Bones, is very keen on helping her solve the mystery, as is, of course Oliver.

Oh, and did Mention that Violet can sort of communicate with the dead. She feels their feelings, when she visits their graves. This is touched upon several times in the novel, but we don't get to see it *really* help to solve any mysteries, which I hope it will be as this is just the first in the series.

It was a shame there were no plot twists, which, as an adult, I am quite fond of in mysteries. Once Violet figured out who it was, that was that. Other than capturing her and getting her to confess.

It was all a little slow, once she figured out who did it, even though she hadn't yet figured out why.

<em>Thanks to Netgalley fro making this book available for an honest review. </em>

This is a Middle Grade Historical Fiction, and this is a Violet Veil Mysteries series. I have to say I really loved the Violet character, and the other characters in this book brings the time period and the story to life. The storyline in this book was so good, and I think it will so bring to light how little power/say women/girls had during the time period this book takes place which is something young girls needs to how and remember how much times as changed. I have to say I also love how true this book shows the time period which police and hangings as well. I normally do not love historical fiction middle grade because they do not show the time period well, but this book did really well. I really loved the mystery in this book. This is kindof a Middle Grade Cozy Historical Fiction book. There is also a little Magical Realism tossed into this book. I have to say this was a very fun read that pulled me into the story. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks) or author (Sophie Cleverly) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Plot: Historical Mysteries are something I'm always drawn to, so when I saw this MG book on NetGalley, I knew I had to read it! And I'm happy I did! This was a wonderful mystery, with a truly difficult to figure out culprit. The book had a hint of the paranormal (No spoilers for people who haven't read it!), but was otherwise a regular mystery, that I really enjoyed reading!

Characters: Violet was a great main character! And I liked all the supporting characters, as well.

The Cover: I really like it!

Overall: This was an excellent beginning to a new MG series, that I will eagerly anticipate reading more books from! I definitely recommend reading it!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

This book was a ton of fun! The book has so many spooky qualities and they all just come together in a fast-paced murder mystery that you are sure to love! Violet is an undertaker's daughter, who can talk to the spirits of the dead. Unfortunately, she lives in a time where girls are more decoration than useful. When her father gets arrested for murder she gets to break out of her “just a girl” box society has put her in and use all her wits, ghostly connections, and the graveyard behind her house to solve the case, find the real murder, and set her father free.

This is a great book for any mystery lover and would be perfect for some spooky Halloween reading. I can’t wait to see what Violet gets up to next!

Violet’s family is in the undertaker business, from arranging funerals to burying bodies. Violet has always wanted to be more involved with the family business but since she is a girl, her family won’t allow it. One day when a boy who is suppose to be dead wakes up in the coffin, Violet’s life turns upside down. Next her father is accused of murdering people and arrested and now it is up to Violet and the newly awoken boy (Oliver) to find out what is really happening and free her father. Violet will have to do her own investigation about the mysterious woman in black who keeps appearing while also evading police watching her and navigating in a world where she is seen only as a “girl”. Along for the journey is her trusty sidekick Bones (her dog) and new friend Oliver. This was a fun and spooky mystery story perfect for middle grade readers! I had fun reading it and loved Violet as a protagonist. She was strong willed, never gave up, and continued to stay true to herself despite society telling her that she was only a girl.

*Thanks Netgalley and HarperCollinsChildren’sBooks for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

My 10 year old daughter loves this book! We both love a strong, smart female lead and that combined with a fun mystery to solve made a great book! The illustrations were also beautiful and added to the story nicely. My daughter has already asked for her own copy of the book and we are looking forward to more books in this series!

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Fun and wild adventure. A great journey with feminist undertones.