Set in Sydney’s Kings Cross and Paddington areas in the 1930’s, Violet Kelly And The Jade Owl is a delightful mix of tongue-in-cheek humour and the more sobering aspects of poverty, hardship and crime. I loved Violet, a feisty and imaginitive prostitute with a large bag of tricks to entertain her gentlemen callers. She’s a strong character and definitely a drawcard for La Maison Des Fleurs, where she commands top dollar for her services. Violet has an excellent supporting cast, including her long-lost twin sister Iris, whom Violet describes as a “scheming shrew” early on in the story. While this story is written with a light touch, the main theme involves a particulary nasty criminal, who has arranged for a stunningly beautifyl Chinese prostitute to be brought to Sydney so that he can kill her slowly and painfully for his own entertainment. Violet and her friends are determined to save Shen and their endeavours are very cleverly eecuted. This story moves at a clipping pace and has been a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Set in Sydney in the 1930’s, Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl is an engaging cosy historical mystery from Fiona Britton.

Barely a year after she walked out of the orphanage in which she was raised, Violet Kelly is happily installed in the finest room of La Maison des Fleurs. Among Madame (aka Peggy O’Sheehan), the house staff, as well as her fellow ‘wicked’ women, Violet has found the home she never had. All of which is placed in jeopardy when Madame is forced to a repay a debt to brutal local gangster, Xiao Zhu, by harbouring a terrified young Chinese woman with a Jade Owl, the harbinger of death, padlocked around her neck, intended as payment to a mystery man of base interests.

When, at Violet’s urging, the denizens of La Maison des Fleurs decide to protect Shen rather than hand her over, they make enemies of both Xiao and the mystery man. The ensuing drama leads to some frightening consequences, tense moments, and a deadly confrontation for Violet and her friends. I liked the main plot, though I thought the pace was a little uneven. Britton also leaves a few story threads dangling, presumably to be picked up in a sequel, including a slightly incongruous touch of romance for Violet.

Violet is an appealing lead character. Despite a bleak childhood, and her unconventional profession, she is idealistic, kind and determined. Violet’s relationship with her estranged twin sister is an interesting twist. I liked the supporting cast too, particularly Madame’s thirteen year old niece, Bunny who serves as a maid in the brothel.

The Paddington brothel, La Maison des Fleurs, is an unusual but entertaining setting for this genre. There are some references to sexual activity though nothing particularly explicit. Generally, Britton has established a good sense of time and place in the novel, touching on social circumstances such as The Great Depression and Sydney’s Razor gangs.

I enjoyed Violet Kelly and the Jade Owl, it was a quick read with a strong cast, and I feel there is potential to this series.

An interesting book set in Sydney in 1930, a time when life was very hard for the lower classes, there was a lot of serious crime, and Chinese immigrants had a very bad name. Violet Kelly solves her problem of being poor by getting a situation in an upper-class brothel, but problems come her way anyway.

Th author creates great atmosphere and a number of very likeable characters. Parts of the story are very tense, and the treatment of women in particular is quite brutal. I enjoyed the story but was not totally involved in it, I think because I never developed any kind of relationship with Violet herself. I ended up preferring her sister, Iris, and I do not think that was the author's intention.

Still a good story with an interesting, historical setting, and definitely worth a read.

3.5★
“‘Girls like you end up working on their backs,’ the Sister had told her. ‘Wilful girls. Wicked girls.’ This from a woman who couldn’t keep the excitement from tugging on the corner of her lip when called upon to dole out the Sunday beatings.”

Just because Sister doled out Sunday beatings doesn’t mean she was wrong. Violet Kelly and her twin, Iris, were given to the orphanage by their mother at birth, and when the book opens, Iris has disappeared and Violet, as predicted, is earning a living at La Maison des Fleurs in Paddington, an inner suburb of Sydney.

The madam is Madame, an Irish woman who affects a French accent, throwing in the occasional French phrase, who took Violet in and taught her some of the tricks of the trade. Violet is gorgeous and a quick learner.

“The strategy worked. Now, some months later and well into the winter of 1930, Madame had noticed a pleasing surge in the takings of the house. Violet Kelly was quite simply raking it in.”

Albert is the local butcher’s apprentice, who was also raised in the orphanage with the twins, and he has stayed close to Violet. We know early that Iris got out of the orphanage somehow but left Violet and Albert behind, never contacting them again. Violet claims to be angry and unforgiving

“But the thoughts came creeping back: was Iris sitting in a pretty room, reading the newspaper, searching for her sister? Was she the head of a smart household, admired by a dashing husband for her cleverness, her kindness, her fine manners? Was she a model citizen, fair and wise? Violet hated to admit it, but she wanted to know. Desperately.”

They are twins, after all. The times were as harsh in Sydney in 1930 as in the rest of the world. People were camped in parks and open spaces (not unlike they are now, a hundred years later, sadly), living on rabbits (not today) and whatever they can steal. Violet and Albert are lucky to have landed on their feet (or back, in her case) and know it.

When Xiao Zhu, a powerful Chinese business identity from Madame’s past, arrives with a delivery, the story takes a dark turn. Madame is stunned to see him.

“Xiao Zhu spoke quickly, before she could recover herself sufficiently to demand an explanation for his unexpected appearance. ‘Ah, good. You’re here.’ He raked his gaze over the expensive carpet, the fine glasswork of the chandelier. ‘I hardly recognise the place . . . or you.’ Now she felt his gaze travel her body, taking in her garnet necklace and the fine lace trim of her dress. ‘I believe they call you Madame now.’

He turned away abruptly, ending any opportunity she might have seized to question him. He opened the front door and nodded to someone waiting in the street.

Madame peered over his shoulder. Two men were bundling a cloaked figure from the back of a sleek black saloon car parked on the street in front of the house. She saw a flash of scarlet embroidered slippers as the figure stumbled up the steps towards them.

Xiao pulled the cloaked figure into the hallway and closed the front door again. The hood of her cloak fell away and Madame found herself staring at a beautiful young girl: an almond-eyed Celestial, whose face was etched with fear.

Madame steadied herself against the wall and opened her mouth to speak, but instead a ragged cough escaped her lungs.”

I’ve quoted this long passage as only one example of the general writing style. It feels like scriptwriting. If you’re interested, go back and read it as stage directions. For me, it gives the sense of a simplified story written for young people. It’s descriptive but spelled out. It’s something that I noticed so often that it interrupted my reading. When a completely unbelievable (to me) romance was introduced, I pretty much skimmed the rest.

I liked the original premise of the story, and I think the history, language, and mood seem appropriate for the time. I reckon there are young readers who could really enjoy getting a taste of historical fiction with this. The sex scenes, and there are a few, are described but not erotic or sensational.

For other readers, I don’t think Phryne Fisher has anything to worry about.

Thanks to NetGalley and Allen and Unwin for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.

Move over Miss Fisher! Violet Kelly is going to be huge!
I enjoyed it immensely. It is a fresh take on a cozy that I really enjoyed - the concept was fun, engaging and it has a strong set up for a series. I found the dialogue a little weak in some parts and the love interest was 'insta love' which I just hate. I wish she'd left out the love interest completely as I was so invested in the friendship circle of Kelly and her gang.