Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
A Bitter Remedy is the first book in a historical murder mystery series by Alis Hawkins. Released 25th March 2023 by Canelo, it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links.
Academic mystery lovers are in for a treat. Set in the late 19th Century in Oxford, in and around the college, a firmly unrepentant young female academic chafes against the restrictions imposed on her because of her sex (female), her upbringing (unconventional), her cultural origin (Welsh), and her intellectual capacity (head and shoulders above the other (male) students). She has allies, but most of the time they seem to be thwarting her in their belief that she's her own worst enemy in terms of ruffling feathers to force progress. A Gordian knot, indeed, and she's the sword to cut through it.
At its base, it's a historical murder mystery, woven around historical Oxford and the burgeoning forensic knowledge of the times. The story is told around a framework of actual historical events and characters; woven skillfully and seamlessly, so that it's not always clear what elements are fictive and which are real.
The characters are very well rendered and believable. Non's passionate frustration is *palpable* and she's sympathetic and real. The plotting is tight and well paced, and the mystery itself is cleverly constructed and surprisingly complex and nuanced. It's full of pathos, for (unnecessarily inflexible) social constrictions, sex and gender roles, rigid class structure, and the casual cruelty inflicted on those who "didn't belong" or rebelled against the status quo.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 12 hours 58 minutes and is elegantly read by Ffion Aynsley & Iestyn Arwel. The sound and production quality are high throughout the read and the narrators are smooth and extremely well modulated (especially Ms. Aynsley who has a beautiful facility with regional accents and the cut-glass RP accent of the upper echelon voices as well as a range of regional accents and characters of a wide spectrum of ages and both sexes). Mr. Arwel reads with warmth and humour.
Four stars. Very strong. It would be a good choice for public library acquisition or home use. There are two books extant in the series thus far. It would make a nice buddy read or book club discussion. Definitely one that will appeal to fans of C.S. Harris, Andrea Penrose, and Anna Lee Huber.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.