It was 1914 and when suffragette, Sarah Becket, was arrested in London for defacing a famous painting, it wasn’t her first visit to prison. Her husband Jonathan was a politician and tried to convince her that what she was doing was wrong. But when Sarah discovered something shocking about her husband, she was more determined than ever to carry on with her cause. But being sentenced to six months in prison would be a hard slog for Sarah, especially as she refused to eat. She was force fed with the tube down her throat and into her stomach on a daily basis…
Deborah Cavendish was Sarah’s younger sister and lived in Ulster. Her husband was rarely home and when he was, he wasn’t interested in his wife. Their son Tom was eight years old, and at boarding school so Deborah was lonely with both husband and son away. When Deborah met the trade union leader, James Rankin, and he showed her kindness and care, she fell for his charms. But when Charles Cavendish returned home in preparation of joining the Ulster Volunteer Force, Deborah in turn headed to London to help support her sister.
With Germany intent on creating civil war in Ireland, Charles encouraging the unrest and corruption amassing the government circles in London, the two determined young women had a massive fight on their hands. What would be the outcome for all involved?
I chose Cat & Mouse by Tim Vicary to read simply because I needed a male author for the letter ‘V’. This one has been on my kindle since 2013 so I thought it was time! And wow! What an incredible read! The stories of the suffragettes are well known, also the force feeding by tube which was supposed to be outlawed by the Cat & Mouse Act. With the inclusion in this story of Ulster and the UVF, plus the Germans and their involvement in the lead up to WWI, Cat & Mouse, which is the 1st in the Women of Courage series, was a captivating, enthralling historical mystery which I thoroughly enjoyed. Highly recommended.