Very well written and well researched. As Sara Lodge states in the book, the history of female detectives - and what they means in reality and in fiction - is something I took great interest in. I enjoyed the historical and literary analysis that Lodge takes as her approach in this subject.

The Mysterious Case... is a fascinating history of the Victorian female detective - both the fictional heroines and their real-life counterparts. As a fan of historical mysteries and golden age crime, this provided some interesting and little-known historical context to many of my favourite stories.

Lodge has packed this book full of examples from stage, page, court records, newspapers and more. Some of the close-reading gets a little repetitive after a while: the reader is more interested in the case studies than any analysis of them. But Lodge's enthusiasm for her subject is contagious, making this a thoroughly enjoyable read.

Female detectives in the Victorian era only exist in books. That's how you think. But actually it wasn't all that unusual for women to work in this area. Often as loyalty testers, but also in numerous other cases, women have successfully worked as investigators. This book provides numerous exciting and very well-researched insights into this very special topic. Contemporary illustrations provide information about the image that people had of female detectives at the time. This is sometimes amusing, but it also reflects a certain skepticism towards such independent women. The book therefore offers crime history, female power and historical context. A convincing book on every level that deserves attention.

This was a fun and fascinating read, looking at female detectives in the Victorian era, mostly in Britain, both real - and far more mundane than one might imagine - and fictional, the latter with a particular (and interesting) emphasis on theater presentations. Lodge has an easy-to-read writing style and while the tone of the book is academic, that rarely bogs the narrative down. That said, especially towards the end, Lodge's focus shifts to the US and particularly New York, and where she provided a lot of background information and context for her English female detectives, that feels generally lacking for the US. (Although Lodge does divert into a discussion of female detectives and their connections to female spies during the Civil War in popular literature, which was interesting.)

Overall, a very easy to read and informative work of history; I enjoyed it a ton.

I loved this book far more than I expected to, I am happy to admit. As someone who loves mysteries, I am more than familiar with fictional detectives, but far less so with historical detectives. Enter Sara Lodge’s history!

Lodge has done a fantastic job of incorporating an incredibly wide range of sources, including Victorian novels about female detectives, that really kept me interested. (As an historian, a lot of what I do includes looking at how and where things are written.) And it doesn’t only touch on “detectives” specifically but all of the related roles that women covered, including “searchers”. Lodge’s research very much highlights how important their work was, as they were able to carry out tasks and investigations that men were not.

This approach allows for us to learn more about both these incredible women and the cases that they investigated. I wasn’t expecting for this book to touch on quite so many issues and areas of history, but it only shows why histories like these are so important.

Let’s play a word association game. What’s the first name you think of for “name a Victorian detective”? Hands up if Sherlock Holmes popped into your mind? He might be high in the public consciousness as a famous fictional detective, but in real life, an innocuous, overlooked woman was a far more likely type.
The author starts by giving us a fascinating insight into female ‘searchers’. These were the wives of policeman who held the unpaid role of searching people in custordy. They looked or ‘searched’ for evidence concealed on the person, but not just stolen goods, for they also recorded evidence of bruising and other signs of domestic abuse when a wife accused her husband of maltreatment.
This book is a fascinating read that reveals an aspect of the 19th century world little recognised today: that of the female detective. It was the stereotypical characteristics of women that suited them to the task of being a private investigator. Indeed, many private investigation agencies advertised for females, often to go undercover in lodging houses or as servants, to covertly observe comings and goings, and to seek out gossip.
The author reflects on different aspects of the social history of female detectives in the 19th century. For example, there was a fascination with female detectives in plays and novels. These were often bold characters who intruded on a male world, and thought nothing of cross-dressing to fit in. They delighted and perhaps titillated their audience, and made celebrities out of some of the actresses who portrayed them.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a passing interest in not only 19th century detectives and detecting, but how women were portrayed in plays, novels, and newspapers of the day. I love the idea that a band of resourceful women were able to make a living in a profession that from the 21st century we more strongly associate with Victorian men. But there again, it’s worth taking off those rose-tinted glasses to reflect that the female ‘searchers’ worked unpaid and held their role purely because they were married to a policeman!

An illuminating deep dive into the world of Victorian female detectives, this book offers a rich exploration of characters who broke societal norms and laid the groundwork for future crime fiction heroines. With well-researched analysis and fascinating details, it sheds light on both familiar and obscure figures, showing how these early portrayals challenged conventional views of women's roles in society. A must-read for fans of mystery and literary history alike, it reveals how the evolution of female detectives in fiction reflects broader shifts in gender roles and the perception of women in public life.

This book unearths the forgotten history of real Victorian women detectives, comparing their often deceptive work with the sensational, popular image of the female detective in fiction and drama. The book explores their roles as both unacknowledged working-class laborers and feminist icons in the murky underworld of Victorian society.

This thorough, well-researched book is an interesting look at the role of women in the early British police force and as private inquiry agents. While a scholarly work, it’s written in an accessible style and full of information that will appeal to a lay audience.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I have been a fan of the Sherlock so this was fantastic to learn more about the Victorian female detective and it was very interesting and informative to learn the truth.

A really interesting subject matter with some less well known names but it is presented as a research paper, and so was a little too dry and meandering for me. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A somewhat interesting look at the real history behind women employed in the 19th century as "detectives," which can mean several things within the fields of investigation and police work. With its length, it started to feel somewhat repetitive in making its main points. It's fairly academic in tone and provides a broad overview of the subject, with brief forays into the specific careers of real and fictional detectives. I wanted to like it more than I did, but it felt a bit dry to me.

I never tire of this subject matter and am always looking to learn about new-to-me authors and characters in the genre. While I generally enjoyed and appreciated this book, I was occasionally put off by the writer's frequent insistence that no one (besides her) has ever heard of these figures. I grant they are lesser known and deserve more attention, but even an amateur enthusiast like me knew several of these 'unknowns.'

This was a delightful read, entertaining but also I really learnt a lot about Victorian women investigators. I had not even considered that women would have been so active in such fields. A super read.

This was a fascinating book exploing the early days of women in the world of detective work- both in fiction and reality. Sara Lodge makes an impressive argument that women were involved in police work long before they 'officially' began being counted as police women, and it was these women who perhaps became the inspiration for the 'female detectives' of the early fictional stories.

Stories of female detectives were being sold by the 1860s, with the detectives donning disguises and blending into the background as servants to gather the proof needed to solve their cases because, the stories argued, it was easier for women to hide in plain sight than men. Often (possibly a case of wish fulfillment?) these fictional detectives were saving women from cruel husbands and bad marriages, accidental bigamy, or other abuses that they didn't see coming, but which the law couldn't protect them from. I loved how Lodge was able to find 19th century plays of female detectives where the women became early action heroes- beating the villanous men and police alike to save the day, with frequent disguises, cross-dressing, guns, and the physical ability to protect both themselves and their clients.

But as much as these heroines of the stage were looked up to, real life detectives occupied a murkier reality. As divorce became more common, many were involved in gathering evidence against spouses - and sometimes creating that evidence. At a time when public and private spheres was undergoing a shift, the private detective's role itself was being defined, and the women in the profession tended to take the blame if things went wrong.

Brilliantly researched and well-written, this is a book for any mystery lover to read. If you think the lady detective begins with Agatha Christie, think again!

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

The book had some strong points. The cases discussed are fascinating and compellingly written. The book also provides a great overview of life back then. And there was some clever wording that kept me appropriately amused. I also loved the visuals in the book. To me the only downside was the frequent less-than-conversational tone of the book when discussing sociology. Thank you to Netgalley and Yale University Press for the advance reader copy.

Behind its intriguing title, The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective is a captivating and very well-researched analysis of women sleuths in 19th-century Britain and America. Sara Lodge made it not only accessible but also entertaining—she knows how to play on words!—and the various illustrations she used enhance her investigation. By the time I finished the book, my perception of female detectives had completely changed.

I'm a fan of classic detective fiction, especially that which features women detectives, so when I saw this book, I did not hesitate. I was not disappointed! It's a fascinating read, which features not only the history of women as detectives and their place in society, but also how women detectives were portrayed in fiction and in the theater and how those portrayals impacted what was expected of women detectives and how they were viewed. Women were working in the newly formed police departments sooner than one might think, often due to family ties of some sort. A male detective's wife, for example, might have responsibilities in the police station itself, whether it was searching/guarding female prisoners or doing some detective work in the field, going into situations that male detectives couldn't easily or usefully access. Later, the role of women detectives evolved and expanded. It was interesting to read about how women detecting became part of the New Woman movement in Britain and how women often used acting and/or journalistic skills to find success as detectives. As a result of their investigative work, societal problems, such as domestic violence, sexual assault, fraud, and more were dragged out of the shadows and into public awareness. I particularly liked the ways that Lodge tied the different strands of her narrative together, showing how novels and theater, journalism, police work, and private detectives all impacted one another. If you're a fan of classic detective fiction, women's history, the history of Britain in general, the history of theater, or the New Woman movement, or just someone who thinks this sounds like an interesting topic (you'd be right!), I can highly recommend this book.

I am so thankful and grateful to Sara Lodge for bringing to light the amazingly talented Victorian female detectives whose work was important to this field, but whose names where lost or emitted on purpose in order for them to be forgotten. I look forward to reading more on this topic and looking into the books referenced in this book. Thank you Sara Lodge!

In 1888, the Manchester Weekly Times claimed, “If there is an occupation for which women are utterly unfitted, it is that of the detective.” Yet, as Sara Lodge demonstrates here, women had already been operating in the field, largely unseen and undocumented. Lodge’s exploration of Victorian women in police work, both in fiction and reality, reveals a fascinating hidden history. These women not only participated in detective work but also served as inspiration for the “lady detectives” in the growing detective fiction genre. This trend fascinated and unsettled the Victorians in equal measure.

Lodge uncovers a vast network of women who worked off the record in various roles within law enforcement. There were “watchers” who conducted surveillance, “searchers” who frisked female suspects, and “writers” who served legal documents. These roles were particularly appealing to working-class women because they offered excitement, secrecy, and employment at a time when opportunities for women were limited. Respectable-looking women were especially suited for some of these tasks, as they were less likely to arouse suspicion. However, the work was not without its dangers. Margaret Saunders, a freelance detective, earned the nickname “Clubnose” after sustaining injuries during her career, which also saw her attacked with molten lead while pursuing criminals.

Lodge also highlights the tension between women's roles in detective work and societal expectations of feminine propriety. Female detectives were often employed in divorce investigations, which led to accusations of unscrupulous behaviour. One American journalist in 1878 criticized these women as being willing to do anything, even manufacture evidence, to succeed in their work. The Barrett divorce case of 1892 offers a scandalous example of this, where a female detective was sentenced to hard labor after luring a woman into adultery as part of an investigation.

Female detectives were often seen as more emotionally invested in their cases than their male counterparts, with persistence and intuition being key strengths. Frances Power Cobbe, an outspoken feminist, even proposed an all-female police force in 1888, arguing that they could outperform their male colleagues, especially in the hunt for Jack the Ripper. Cobbe imagined a band of women detectives closing in on the notorious killer, a fantasy far removed from the male officers’ failed attempts to go undercover in women’s clothing, which often led to public ridicule.

Fictional female detectives, like Anne Rodway and Dora Myrl, also embodied traits such as cleverness and resourcefulness, rather than relying on physical strength. These characters were popular and offered readers a vision of empowerment, though Lodge points out that their stories often glossed over the harsh realities faced by real women detectives. One notable historical figure is Kate Warn, who worked for Pinkerton’s Detective Agency in the 1860s and was celebrated in a fictionalized obituary that greatly exaggerated her exploits.

Lodge’s research also touches on how publishers capitalised on the public’s fascination with female detectives. Books like Revelations of a Lady Detective featured provocative cover art that hinted at a rebellious and unorthodox lifestyle, though the actual stories were tamer. This blend of fantasy and reality continued to blur the lines between what female detectives could do and how society perceived them.

Overall, Sara Lodge’s book sheds new light on the overlooked contributions of women to policing in the Victorian era, revealing a complex and intriguing history.

A really interesting subject, but the writing here was a little too dry and meandering for me to really get what I wanted out of this.