Fiona Britton’s debut novel is a quirky 1930s mystery set in Paddington, on the outskirts of Sydney, where La Maison des Fleurs, a gentleman’s house of pleasure run by Madame, stars the gorgeous Violet Kelly “legs up to her armpits and the ‘touchmenot’ look of an English heiress.” Violet grew up in St. Michael’s orphanage, and after a shameful betrayal by her twin sister, Iris, hauled her personal baggage the five hundred and forty-seven steps from the orphanage gates to La Maison’s front door. And never looked back! She doesn’t want to see her sister ever again, but searches for her constantly.

Things are going swimmingly in a life Violet feels she was born into, until one day trouble arrives. Madame, aka Peggy O’Sheehan, sees her shady childhood history catching up to her with the arrival of the brutal gang leader Xiao, who threatens Peggy’s carefully constructed livelihood along with an order to hold a young Chinese woman captive until she is delivered to her new owner. Determined to save the girl from a fate worse than death, Violet plots to hide her in a Chinese farming community. But Xiao’s revenge is swift and lethal, and leads to all sorts of problems involving illegal weapons, drugs, human trafficking, torture and murder.

I enjoyed this novel for the most part, although I admit to not being quite sure who everyone was. Satiric wit dropped randomly into so much cruelty and darkness didn’t always work for me, and I felt the author wavering over what she wants her story to be. However, it’s a fast read with lots of action, multiple plot threads and a cast of characters who will help Violet make her way in the world, as several unresolved issues make a sequel quite likely.

Well this was a pleasant surprise! This book was just fun from start to finish, easy to get lost in, with characters to root for. I hope there will be many more books.

The only minor criticism is that while this was marketed as a Phyrne Fisher-esque romp, there was none of the mystery I was expecting. There was Australia in the 20s, equal parts dark and glittering, yes. An intrepid heroine with a heart for underdogs, always willing to help others, yes. All of which was excellent, but I did always kind of wonder when the mystery would set in. There's a mysterious dark figure to unmask, true, but it just wasn't in this book and I was kind of hoping for a bit more of a case that is solved by Violet and her gang.

All in all, a delightful start to what I hope will be a long series.

A good historical mystery featuring a clever MC and a vivid historical background. Well plotted, solid mystery entertaining
It kept me reading and guessing
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Sydney in the 1930s is well described and somewhat atmospheric. This was a fine enough read but I can't say it was the best or the worst I have read and I didn't really get caught up in the story or attached to the character's. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

2 1/2 stars. Set in the 1930s in Australia, this debut historical mystery/sort of caper does a great job of creating the atmosphere of the harsh life for people, particularly for the lower class and women. But in spite of that, there could be friendship and family. That is strongest part for me of this story.

However, some of the descriptions were overlong and there was too much direction of what exactly the characters were doing. And I didn't connect with Violet.

A mixed bag for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

The pace of this book is too slow for me, and I couldn’t get into it. DNF.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

"An arch, out-of-the-box debut historical crime caper for fans of Phryne Fisher.

A centuries-old curse, a house of secrets and a young woman determined to find out the truth.

Sydney, 1930: In a well-heeled corner of Paddington, just a short distance from the razor gangs of Darlinghurst and Kings Cross, sits La Maison des Fleurs, an upscale brothel run by the indomitable Madame. The star of La Maison is Violet Kelly - beautiful, clever and determined to make something of herself in a world that has already taken so much.

When a former associate of Madame's emerges to claim a long-owed favor involving a kidnapped girl and an ancient curse, Violet is drawn into a risky game of cat and mouse that takes her from dangerous underworld dealings to raucous parties to untold stories about her own past, and, eventually, right into the heart of La Maison des Fleurs. But how much is she willing to risk to save her friends, her home and the life she's come to love? And will it be enough?

Violet Kelly is Agatha Christie with a Beretta tucked into her French lingerie."

A hooker with a good right hook?

thank you to netgalley and publishers for extending the ARC in exchange for an honest review

2.5/5 stars

i LOVE the idea of a 1930s mystery in Sydney in a brothel. so unlike anything i've ever read. and it delivered!!!

i was a little wary. books about exploring poverty and women's issues in books can be written really well or really wrong, but i learned really quickly that this book isn't showcasing the girls as victims, but rather just women working. simple. it wasn't their last resort, and they weren't down on their luck either. finding a place you love and making a living out of it is special, and i loved that this book highlighted that. it was a tight-knit, found-family group of women who were cared for and respected (by the other girls, not always their customers). it was a side of sex work that i've never seen, and that i want to see more of. Madame, the woman who runs and operates Maison des Flerus, cares for each of the girls lovingly and tolerates absolutely no abuse from the men who come and go. they're there to support each other.

with that being said, i have a few issues with this book. the farther i got into the book, the less interested i became and the more the writing became jumpy and almost distracted from the point. violet seems to not run into any conflicts throughout her journey of solving the truth. like honestly, if you're going to write a mystery, the character has to go through at least some trials and tribulation. but we didnt get that. she barely lifted her fingertip throughout the entire investigation. and because of that, whatever conflict violet came into was quickly solved without any effort because something just so happened to show up and solve it for her. that was really annoying

the whole story had so many plot holes that i didn't know what was going on most of them time. some solutions the characters came up with were like a car with a triangular wheels - unable to drive and super clunky.

Historical Mystery set in Australia 1930 featuring an eighteen year old high end prostitute who's drawn into a dangerous game involving a kidnapped girl, an ancient curse and murder.

1/5 stars: This is Britton's Historical Mystery stand-alone which is set in 1930 Australia and features an upscale brothel's eighteen year old star who's drawn into a dangerous game of cat and mouse that takes her from dangerous underworld dealings to raucous parties to untold stories about her own past when a former associate of the brothel's madame emerges to claim a long-owed favor involving a kidnapped girl and an ancient curse. When the madame's killed she'll risk all to save her friends, her home and the life she's come to love. Britton's writing and character work are nicely done. Britton tackles some sensitive topics, so take care and check the CWs. Unfortunately, this just wasn't a book for me; leading me to DNF it at 6%.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group | Allen & Unwin in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

A too perfect 18 year old happily working in the kindest brothel risks everyone she cares about lives to save a young woman from a horrific fate.

First of all, thank you to Net Galley for giving me the chance to read this book in advance of the release date.

As for the book, I can see where the appeal to the book is and I think I myself would've loved this book if it hadn't been so prolonged. It felt like it was moving so slow and I didn't see chemistry between characters. Even the first scene of the book felt like fifteen pages long and failed to give (at least for me) the intrigue needed for me to keep reading. I did just to try and prove myself wrong but it just felt a little weak.

It also didn't help that the book was given to read in a PDF format since i had to be constantly making the font bigger every page and was hard on focusing on just to keep reading and being immersed in the book.

I do think that the writer is talented and the book had a good premise!! Just felt like this particular one wasn't for me, but who knows, I might give a shot to another one.

An incredible book with wonderful characters and a beautiful setting. It will keep you guessing until the end.

The setting for this novel is what drew me in initially: I loved the idea of a mystery set in 1930s Sydney. I was even more keen to read it when I saw the plot revolved around a brothel. It was a combination I’d never seen before, all wrapped up in a cozy little mystery.

The brothel, Maison des Fleurs, was my favourite part of the book. The women who inhabited it showcased an empowering view of brothel life that is seldom explored. These girls weren’t victims, nor were they down on their luck. Sex work wasn’t a last resort for any of them, but a way to make an honest living in a place they loved. It was a found-family of strong women who were well treated and well respected (by each other, if not the rest of the population) for choosing to be independent. It was a refreshing take that I very much appreciated. Usually, women in literature are sold weeping into brothels, or abused and humiliated by its patrons. Not here, where Madame (who owns and runs Maison des Fleurs) watches over her girls and tolerates no cruelty from the men who come to call. Here, women band together and support each other.

Unfortunately, that was where my fondness for the story ended. The farther I got into this book, the more I lost interest. The writing isn’t engaging, and the text gets distracted and frequently interrupts itself. This means the pacing is off and there’s no sense of urgency anywhere in the story. The characters were all fairly one-dimensional, and there are far too many of them. Not a single one had a distinct personality; all were interchangeable. This includes our main character Violet.

Everything is convenient for Violet throughout the book. Rather than having to look for answers to help move the plot or the investigation along, answers show up out of the blue. Violet barely lifts a finger throughout the story, with major plot points being handed to her by other characters, including one character who shows up, is named and contemplated over, and has the sole purpose of leading her to her next destination so Violet doesn’t have to figure things out. We never see him again. Because of incidents like this, conflict doesn’t last. It’s quickly resolved through no effort of the MC, and every time it builds up a sense of urgency, a convenient solution abruptly snuffs it out. What action/suspense sequences do start to form are often side-tracked by rambling thoughts or events that didn’t need to happen. This makes for a fragmented and frustrating read.

The story as a whole has a great many plot holes. Several times the choices characters make seem like square pegs forced into round holes - clunky, messed up, and very obviously a poor fit. The number of times that a houseful of intelligent, grown women consistently shoot themselves in the foot is discouraging.

Final thoughts are these: this book starts out bumpy and never really finds its rhythm. It struggles with transitions and characters are all flat and one-dimensional. The story seems to happen around the main character rather than the main character doing anything proactive. The concept is good, interesting, and unique, but the execution could use some work.

Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this book!

I'm definitely a Phryne Fisher so I was interested immediately. The twists, the turns and the secrets were just *chef's kiss*. It's definitely worth a read

great book it was hard to get into in the beginning but it picked up in the middle and i loved the mystery behind it.
thank you netgalley for giving me this book to review.

I'll admit, Violet Kelly has the potential to patch up a Phryne Fisher-shaped hole in my heart. This is a fun and fast read with a lot of adventure and a just a touch of sexiness. It was easy to get into the story and I was anxious to see how it would end. That said, from the description/blurb, I did expect a lot more mystery. Instead, the "mystery" was solved within a couple of chapters and the majority of the book was our characters figuring out how to get out of trouble. I also felt the story moved too quickly, without giving me a chance to really connect with and get to know Violet and friends, or to revel in the story itself. I started this book excited for the potential of the first in a Violet Kelly series. Instead, I felt there were enough characters & relationships that, aside from the Jade Owl, this book alone should have been split into at least two to get the full depth of the relationships and interactions. Overall, I enjoyed this book, but I really hoped for more from it.