Book Review: Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Anastasia Hastings (Dear Miss Hermione #2)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Violet and Sephora, engaging mystery

Cons: Plot could have been a little stronger

The Bottom Line:

Letter points to cult

But is killer in the group?

Fun second story

Dear Miss Hermion, Will You Join a Cult?

I thought the Miss Hermione series was a fun idea for a series.  The first book was good, and I was looking forward to seeing what author Anastasia Hastings would do with the second book, Or Hoaxes and Homicide.

This series takes us to 1885 London where Violet Manville has taken over the Dear Miss Hermione column from her aunt.  The column is an advice column for those who are looking for proper social etiquette or relationship help.  She is keeping her new job a secret from almost everyone, including her half-sister, Sephora, even if the two of them got involved in the first case that Miss Hermione had to solve.

It's been a few months since that case wound up, and both sisters are becoming bored with their return to regular life.  Not that they are willing to admit that to each other.  So Violet immediately takes note when Miss Hermione receives a letter from “A Heartbroken Mother” asking what to do about her daughter, who has become involved in a cult and gone to live with them.

As Violet does a little investigating, she quickly realizes that the letter writer is someone she knows.  In an effort to learn more, she goes to visit the cult on their property outside a village a train ride away from London.  She hasn’t been there long before someone is murdered.  Can Violet figure out what is going on?

The first thing to know about this book is that the story is told in first person point of view from both half-sisters.  While these changes don’t necessarily happen at chapter breaks, they do happen at scene breaks and are clearly identified, so I never had an issue knowing who was narrating.  It also helps that Violet and Sephora rarely share scenes in this book.

The author uses this device to great effect since Violet can’t be everywhere she needs to be to solve the case.  But by using both sisters, the characters can learn all they need to know.  The story was engaging and kept me reading, although it could have used a bit more.  I had several things figured out early, although I didn’t have it all pieced together until the very end.

The characters were part of the reason I got lost in this story.  Violet is a fun main character, and I enjoyed many of the characters she was getting to know as well.  Sephora is mostly interested in society and fashion.  She walks that line between annoying and funny, although she is mostly on the funny side.  I liked seeing the growth in both Violet and Sephora and their relationship here.

Of Hoaxes and Homicide kept me happily turning pages until I reached the end.  If you are looking for a fun historical mystery, you’ll be glad you picked this one up.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.