Θανάσιμη αγάπη

Francesca Cahill Deadly #1

by Brenda Joyce, Μαρία Σακκή (Translator)

Νέα Υόρκη, 1902. Τα μεγαλόπρεπα μέγαρα των πλουσίων είναι λίγα μόλις βήματα μακριά από τα επικίνδυνα στενά, από την καρδιά της πόλης. Η Φραντσέσκα Καχίλ, πλουσιοκόριτσο μεγαλοαστικής οικογένειας, δεν είναι μια συνηθισμένη γυναίκα. Αρνείται τις συμβατικότητες κι είναι αποφασισμένη να αγωνιστεί για να επανορθώσει τις αδικίες και τις ασχήμιες της κοινωνίας. Όταν το αγοράκι των πλουσίων γειτόνων της εξαφανίζεται από το κρεβάτι του ένα βράδυ που οι γονείς του είναι καλεσμένοι σε δεξίωση των Καχίλ, η Φραντσέσκα δεν μπορεί να μείνει έξω από τις έρευνες για τη σύλληψη των απαγωγέων, όπως δεν μπορεί να χαλιναγωγήσει και τον έρωτά της για τον καινούργιο αρχηγό της αστυνομίας.

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Mystery, Historical, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Romantic Suspense

474 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Brenda Joyce is the bestselling author of forty-one novels and five novellas. She has won many awards, and her debut novel, Innocent Fire, won a Best Western Romance award. She has also won the highly coveted Best Historical Romance award for Splendor and Two Lifetime Achievement Awards from Romantic Times BOOKreviews. There are over 14 million copies of her novels in print and she is published in over a dozen foreign countries.

A native New Yorker, she now lives in southern Arizona with her son, dogs, and her Arabian and half-Arabian reining horses. Brenda divides her time between her twin passions—writing powerful love stories and competing with her horses at regional and national levels. For more information about Brenda and her upcoming novels, please visit her Web sites: www.brendajoyce.com, www.thedewarennedynasty.com and http://mastersoftimebooks.com.

Reviews

[blueberry · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,25 ⭐​

Pretty decent.

This feels a little different from Brenda Joyce's usual novels, with the romance taking a back seat to the mystery and unfolding over multiple books.

That's exactly what I was looking for at the moment, as I was more interested in the mystery than in an immediate romance. I also know that the series eventually shifts to a different love interest. Even though I like the current hero, I think that change will make the story even more compelling 🤷‍♀️​

[Paganalexandria · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this a long time ago, and discovered a few significant forgotten plot points. All and all, my original rating stands. This is the first book in Brenda Joyce's Francesca Cahill mystery series. This book was a departure from her more well known historical romance novels. Francesca is the beautiful, but secret bluestocking daughter of 1900's industrialist Andrew Cahill. Her mother Julia worries that unlike the other women in the family, she has absolutely no interest in the social whirl or snagging a husband. She would rather spend time and energy participating in organizations that fix societal ills. Eventually, her mother might change her mind when a neighbour's child comes up missing. This keeps throwing Francesca in the socially unacceptable path of New York's Police Commissioner, Rick Bragg.

These two have great chemistry, but there is very little sex in this book. Everything is a tease and surprisingly I don't mind. It's a great palette cleanser after all my recent book porn bingeing. The herione lives in a privileged and insulated existence. Sometimes her quests for leads are exposing the seedier sides of human nature for the first time. I found it hard to keep that in mind, as her eyes welled up with tears over and over. Rick is a solid hero that is a strong alpha,but remains considerate throughout. That does not happen often. Any fan of Brenda Joyce's work will recognize the Bragg name. She has several unrelated novels that feature members of that family.

I would give this 3 1/2 stars.

[Vishous · Rating 5 out of 5]

need this reread ♥

[Maya Rodale]

I love this book and this nine book series so much that if I had three wishes one of them would be go back and reread these for the first time.

Also: #TeamBragg. If you read these you'll know what I'm talking about.

[Ceki]

A TSTL, whiny and annoying heroine plus the soap opera romance

[Yaseena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good introduction to the Deadly series although I was hoping for a little more.

I've read a few of Brenda Joyce's books before and have mixed feelings about her work. I really enjoyed two of her books in the De Warren Dynasty series and then couldn't stand most of the other ones. I had high hopes for the Deadly series mainly because I was really intrigued with a type of modern, Sherlock-Holmes esque type of romance that featured a woman in the lead crime-solving role. I was also very intrigued by the love-triangle that is featured for the nine book series.

I generally liked the book which centers around the abduction of a little boy who lives next door to Francesca Cahill the heroine. The story is set it New York in 1902, which was also fresh because most historical romances are set in England. I liked getting to know America in the 1900's because a lot of their customs and expectations differ from the staunch class divisions in England society. Of course some things remain the same, but it seemed like women were slightly more free to do and act as they pleased...although that's not saying too much!

The mystery was intriguing and interesting enough to keep me guessing and reading. I was satisfied with who the perpetrator turned out to be in the end although I thought the eventual climactic scene could have been a bit ore climactic.

As for the characters: I waffled between liking Francesca and finding her pretty annoying. She's naive and sheltered and it isn't very endearing. She has a lot of preconceived notions about people, namely her brother, her father, sister and mother and although she's quick to accept new findings she takes everything to heart in a kind of selfish way. Whenever her little bubble is burst she takes it all on herself as if she's the only one affected. Her brother-in-law actually calls her out in a satisfying way towards the end when he tells her to mind her own business. He tells her she's a child and couldn't fully understand the ways marriages work and how relationship are formed - which is totally true. I don't have much love lost for the brother-in-law, but I agreed with his assessment. She's twenty years old, and I understand that she's been sheltered, but she's also a woman of means and education and has a lot of political and social opinions. She supports reforms and improvements to the city so I expected that all her knowledge would lend her a bit of sophistication which she lacked. All in all though Francesca was good enough, I just hope she matures in the next books.

Rick Bragg was an interesting guy, although I'm not sure what I think of him just yet. I knew going in that there would be a love triangle between Francesca, Rick and his step-brother Calder Hart, who Rick hates. I of course am looking forward to getting to known Calder, because I suspect it'll be a little bit of the good vs. the bad. Calder, I hope will be a bit more dark and seemingly dangerous. I liked Rick for the most part, but didn't feel like I got to know his character all that well. Joyce did a good job of incorporating good secrets and intrigue into both the mystery plot, and how the mystery was affecting the characters involved in solving the crime. Good twists throughout.

The writing itself was another irritation. In some places it was good, in others the sentence structure was repetitive and it felt like Joyce either couldn't find good synonyms or had a bad editor. Either way it got distracting and as I read I found myself replacing words with others so that it read better...that weird right?
There were also some cliche sentences, but I wasn't fully sure if they were meant to be phrases that would have suited the time period, or just the way Joyce chose to express herself.

This all may sound harsher than I meant it because I did actually enjoy reading the book and plan to keep reading the series. I just hope that the issues I had with the first in the series will get resolved as the books go on.

Mainly, I hope Francesca grows up a bit and removes the "wide-eyed, innocent" veil from her eyes. The world is complicated woman and it's high time you realized that. Nothing is every easy and her judgments about people and their relationships with one another and the way certain characters chose to react in times of stress made me want to jump in the book and have a serious talk with the girl.

Interesting mystery, good pacing and enough to keep me guessing. I'll read the next ones, if only to fall in love with Calder.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the swirly pastel cover, this isn't a romance. I knew that going in, but was still a bit thrown by all the plot points that seem to be headed in a romance direction but instead fuel a mystery. I'm going to call this a mystery with strong romantic elements, even as no HEA keeps it firmly on the mystery side of the fence.
Francesca is the daughter/heiress of a wealthy industrialist in 1902 New York. She is very naive/sheltered in the ways of the world and in respect to all her social causes. When the son of their closest neighbors is kidnapped, Francesca investigates on her own - usually causing more harm to the investigation than good-and manages to get those blinders of her privilege slipped enough, but not removed, to start to see the world differently. While I admit I appreciated Francesca's character development arc throughout the story, I needed her to get in a bit more trouble for all the investigative problems she caused. I liked it well enough and will read the next few of the series if my library ever gets copies but not enough to go on a search to purchase the next few.

[Cécile · Rating 1 out of 5]

Une étoile pour l'intrigue bien pensée et assez prenante.
Pour le reste, cette RH contient tout ce que je déteste.
Une héroïne aux réactions gamines et insensées, qui veut que tout le monde l'aime et agit sans réfléchir mais qui est censée être hyper intelligente.
Et une romance qui m'a laissé dubitative et qui ne m'a rien fait ressentir.

Mon billet plus complet ici : http://leslecturesdececile.fr/frances...

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai adooooré !!
Il me faut absolument la suite !! Je file me la procurer en fin d'après-midi et j'enchaîne !!

[Mariiine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5*
L'enquête n'est pas des plus passionnantes mais j'aime beaucoup Francesca !

[F.Strand · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

New York, 1902. Francesca Cahill is young, fabulously wealthy, and naturally far more concerned with the plight of the less fortunate than anyone else in her privileged circle. A socially conscious heiress determined to right the world's wrongs. How wonderfully original. To me, it feels like the obligatory premise designed to make a sheltered, privileged young lady both sympathetic and credible when she takes up detective work and goes head-to-head with an experienced, brooding detective. And yet, despite this unpromising introduction, Deadly Love is a genuinely enjoyable read.

The mystery offers enough intrigue to keep the pages turning, but the real attraction is turn-of-the-century New York, from its glittering high society, rigid conventions and delicious scandals to its impoverished neighbourhoods and stark social inequalities.

Joyce weaves the setting beautifully into the story. The social rules, the contrasts between classes, the expectations placed upon women and the rather inconvenient things that happen when someone refuses to observe them all give the investigation its particular flavour. I enjoyed following Francesca through this world far more than I worried about identifying the culprit.

Francesca herself can be rather naïve and immature in her judgements, despite the author's efforts to establish her as a strong, independent heroine. But then, she's only beginning to discover the world beyond her comfortable upbringing. This is the first book in a series, after all, and I'd be disappointed if she had nothing left to learn. The court will reserve judgement.

There's romance, too, although I must confess Rick Bragg did very little to win me over. Fortunately, the romantic thread takes its time, and I was particularly pleased that it didn't follow the most obvious route. It's refreshing to find a heroine whose romantic future isn't settled the moment an eligible gentleman walks into the room, however determined the gentleman may be to make an impression.

As for the prose, it's nothing special, but it's perfectly adequate when the characters, the intrigue and, above all, the historical setting are doing the heavy lifting.

An enjoyable start to a series, with a mystery worth following and a New York society worth revisiting. I may not yet approve of all Francesca's acquaintances, but I'm quite prepared to accept another invitation into her world.

[Gilwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

J'ai hésité entre 2 et 3 pour cette lecture. L'intrigue est bien trouvée et assez prenante, le contexte change (les dessous de la bonne société newyorkaise au début du 20e siècle) d'autres lectures du même acabit, mais l'héroïne m'a filé des envies de meurtres. Dans le genre gamine irréfléchie (alors qu'elle est censée être particulièrement intelligente) qui fond en larmes à la moindre occasion, surtout quand elle est prise la main dans le sac, il n'y a pas pire. Du coup quand on a envie de coller une baffe au personnage principal toutes les deux pages, on profite moins de l'aventure.

Quant à la romance, elle reste pour le moment légère et mon antipathie pour Francesca Cahill m'a un peu empêchée de vraiment m'impliquer. Cela dit, j'aime que le love interest ne soit pas sans failles (et se trimbale une ou deux casseroles) et je dois avouer avoir fini quand même par m'émouvoir sur la fin (c'est le côté mini drames et épreuves à venir, je n'y résiste pas ^^).

Je ferai une tentative avec le second volume, en espérant que Francesca grandisse un peu d'ici là.

[Özlem · Rating 3 out of 5]

Çok uzun zamandır başlamak istediğim seriye sonunda cesaretimi toplayarak ve İngilizce okumamı geliştirerek başlamış bulundum. Şu ana kadar 6 kitabını bitirdim ve oldukça güzel ilerlemeye devam ediyor. Okuduklarımı her kitaba göre ayrı yorumlayacağım. İlk kitaba gelirsem:

Öncelikle kitap bir yönüyle diğer historicallerden tamamen ayrılıyor. Historicaller çoğunlukla 18. veya 19. yüzyıl, az biraz da orta çağ döneminde geçer. Bu seride zaman 20. yüzyılda geçmektedir. Bu farklılığı sevdiğimi söyleyebilirim.

İlk kitaba büyük beklentilerle başlamıştım fakat bazı yönden çok hayal kırıklığına uğradım.

Baş karakter Francesca'yı 25-26 yaşlarında, kendine özgüveni oldukça yüksek, duygusal olarak güçlü ve kararlı bir kişi olarak gözümde canlandırmıştım. Maalesef özgüven kısmı hariç hiç düşündüğüm gibi biri çıkmadı. Francesca'nın asıl yaşının 20 olması bana ilk darbeyi vurmuş oldu. Hal böyle olunca 20 yaşındaki birinden kendini ağırdan ifade etme durumunu bekleyemem.

Sanırım bir kitapta ilk kez baş erkek diye tanıtılan bir karakteri o şekilde hissetmedim. Francesca'nın romantik ilgisi olan Rick Bragg bana mıymıy konuşan, biraz sıkıcı, duygusal anlarda ne yapacağını pek bilemeyen biri gibi geldi.

Joyce'un De Waranne serisini okumuş biri olarak oldukça şaşıracağım durumlar okumayı bekliyordum. Kitap 2/3'lük kısım boyunca bunu bana veremedi. Anca kaçırılan çocuğun annesi olan Emily Burton hakkında 1-2 sır ortaya çıkınca "İşte görmek istediğim Joyce bu!" dedim. Sanırım sonraki kitaplarda da şaşırtıcı olaylar beklememem lazım. Gerçi bu sefer bu duruma pek takılmam. Çünkü historical serilerinde genelde her kitapta farklı karakterlere değinilir. Bunda ise 9 kitap boyunca baş karakter değişmiyor ve onun yaşamını daha göz önünde bulunduruyor.

Doğruyu söylemek gerekirse Francesca ve Rick ikilisinden çok, diğer karakterler daha ilgimi çekti ve daha sempatik geldi. Örneğin Francesca'nın kardeşleri Connie'nin ve Evan'ın hikayeleri daha hoşuma gitti ve ileride neler yaşayacak çok merak ediyorum.

Normalde polisiye tarzı kitaplarla aram hiç yoktur. Fakat Joyce'un ilk kitapta polisiye kısmını iyi kotardığını düşünüyorum. Karakter gelişimlerine zaten diyecek bir sözüm yok. Çoğunlukla yarattığı karakterleri ve hikayelerini beğeniyorum.

Kısacası baş karakterler beni biraz hayal kırıklığına uğratsa da dedektiflik hikayesi bakımından serinin güzel başlamış olduğunu düşünüyorum.

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely HATED this book! I dislike having to be so negative about any book, but I can't lie.

The main character, Francesca Cahill is the most idiotic, clueless, selfish, thoughtless dumbass it has ever been my misfortune to come across. This woman does things and makes choices that would without question have gotten her killed before this book was one-third of the way through. Honestly, I wanted to drag her into a room and leave her locked in there, after slapping her across the face and telling her to think about someone else - ANYONE ELSE - besides herself and her own thoughtless wishes just one time.

Truthfully, I would not have even finished this book, because I was gritting my teeth at the cluelessness of Francesca's every action, but I wanted to know how it ended and what happened with the kidnapping, but it was painful to get through this book, and I skimmed a lot of the second half of the book to try to miss at least some of Francesca's bone-headed decisions and completely self-involved choices. She literally sticks her nose into, or creates major problems for, everyone she interacts with, including the people she professes to love. I imagine some readers might believe the story she tells about "I just want to help" but I was not buying it. Francesca did what Francesca wanted to do at every turn, and while she has justifications up the wazoo for the things she does, she came across to me as willful, thoughtless and selfish and I could not stand her!

Needless to say, I will NOT be reading future installments of this series. One interaction with Francesca Cahill was more than I ever wanted.

[シ Pen*Cil シ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cette série dénote vraiment parmi les A&P. J'ai pris beaucoup de plaisir pendant ma lecture.

Son héroïne fraiche et téméraire est un régal. Féministe avant l'heure, elle donne l'impression d'être presque promise à un grand destin tellement elle semble avant-gardiste. Mais pour autant, Francesca est et restera cette jeune femme quelque peu fleur bleue, surtout quand il s'agit de Rick Bragg.

Mais honnêtement, qui pourrait le lui reprocher? Ce héros de prime abord sans aspérités se révèle peu à peu, montre des failles, un passé tumultueux et douloureux, mais également une capacité à faire complètement tourner la tête et le coeur de la belle Francesca. J'ai eu un petit coup de coeur pour ce chef de la police au physique de rêve et à la personnalité renversante.

L'histoire est très bien menée, dans un cadre délicieux du New York des années 1900, et l'intrigue a titillé ma curiosité du début à la fin.

Je ne regrette donc absolument pas d'avoir le tome 2 dans ma PAL, je vais me faire un plaisir de le lire sous peu.

Bref, un A&P qui mêle habilement intrigue policière, héros anticonformistes mais très attachants, et jette les prémices d'une belle romance. Il n'en fallait pas plus pour que je fonde...

[Noemí · Rating 2 out of 5]

Por un lado, la trama atrapa. Por otro, la protagonista, con un intelecto supuestamente superior, resulta bastante tonta. La historia deja bastante de lado el romance (poquísimo sexo para lo habitual en este tipo de novelas) para centrarse más en lo detectivesco. Supongo que irán desarrollando la historia de los dos protagonistas a lo largo de las distintas novelas que compongan la serie, pero dudo que tenga paciencia para leerlas. Aun así, no me ha disgustado.

[Thea · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am very disappointed with the heroine's character (or lack thereof).
This is a not a romance story, there was never a chemistry between the 2.
Again, the most irritating, stupid, annoying heroine ever written. I had a terrible headache reading her POV.

[Marilyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is the best Brenda Joyce has ever written. Unfortunately, her publisher cut the series off leaving many fans dangling for a denoument. A final book is now expected out in 2011.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book because it was different from what I normally read, and it kept you guessing the whole time.

Francesca, our heroine, is a 20 year old society woman who wants to be part of reform. She is secretly attending college and is part of many leagues (though the book doesn't mention her attending them during the two weeks or so that the entire novel takes place over). Her curiosity and desire to help, draw her into the investigation of an abduction after she finds a letter left by the abductor. I liked Francesca, but she does some dumb things. I tried to remember that she is a young sheltered woman, but so many things she did were not well thought out. The entire book is from her perspective, and at times, the writing was hard to follow. I think Francesca grew some, but I still found her "curiosity" to be rather nosey and pushy. She goes places and does things she knows she shouldn't putting herself in danger and in some cases possibly jeopardizing the investigation. It's hard to think of her as a sleuth, more of someone who stumbled onto things. I also found her constant breathlessness around attractive men to be annoying. She claims not to be interested in romance then gets all out of sorts around attractive men.

I did like Rick Bragg, the police commissioner. I don't really think his role in the book aligns with a police commissioners role, but I acknowledge it was a different time and a new job for him. There wasn't a lot of explanation for what Bragg was doing between clues being found. We know he interviews people, but his perspective is never explored. I do like that he isn't perfect. He has skeletons in his closet that are pretty big.

I thought the two lead characters complimented each other, and it was overly romantic. They had afterall just met.

Overall, I liked that I couldn't quite figure out who the culprit was until towards the end. There were several characters that felt off to me, and they did turn out to be bad in their own ways, but it took a while to put it together. I would re commend this to someone looking for a historical gilded age mystery.

I'm interested to see how the characters develop in the sequel.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Francesca Cahill the daughter of a wealthy business man lives in New York a self-proclaimed blue-stocking she wants nothing than to right wrongs and defend the innocent. When a neighbor boy goes missing Francesca feels it is her duty to find the kidnapper when she stumbles across a clue. Thrown into a world opposite her own she meets police commissioner Rick Bragg together they help track down the kidnapper while trying to avoid their growing feelings for each other. As Francesca follows her heart she finally realizes what she is meant to do with her life. I’m a sucker for a quality romance novel and Brenda Joyce doesn’t disappoint this is the first of a series and the writing is really well done and story is captivating. Unlike a lot of romance novels that focus more on the relationship between the main characters this book actually focuses on the story.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF 20%

One of my biggest pet peeves in romance novels is a heroine that recklessly charges into a situation that she is in no way skilled or knowledgeable to handle. I mean if she's thrust into an impossible situation and forced to adapt, that's great, but willfully endangering herself and others makes me mad every time.

I can already tell that the heroine is going to be TSTL and wildly immature. She was petulant when the hero apparently had the audacity to ignore her, and the theories she blurted out about the kidnapping were infantile. Even her passion for charity and reform was done in the most obnoxious way possible. What does she even contribute to the story?

[Nightwitch · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be "overwrought." The author is a nineties romance novelist, and this book reads like a nineties romance novel. The heroine is incredibly dumb and constantly putting herself into dangerous situations, everyone is over-dramatic about everything, and there are about a billion Big Misunderstandings which could have been resolved by, well, people not being dumb or over-dramatic. I was really excited about the setting, but found the book itself nearly impossible to get through. Will not, obviously, be continuing with the series.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun! Suspenseful! Romantic (but not dirty). It doesn't make you think. It's not intellectual, and the book isn't one I would rave about to anyone, but it was just perfect nonetheless. It's perfect to read when you want something mindless and easy.

[Jo-Anne Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was captivated by the story and could easily relate to the feelings Francesca Cahill had for Bragg. The title of the book suits its plot. I'm not in a rush to read the next book in this series, but I enjoyed the characters in this book.

[Sorhija · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just discovered this series, great first book !!

[Clarisse · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Lisa Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good beach book. Read it when first came out 2002, and re-read in 8/2021; so enough time for plot twists and turns to be surprise again in this romantic / suspense / thriller set in 1902 NYC.

[ShyAnn64 · Rating 3 out of 5]

The year is 1902. The place is New York City. It is a world of huge mansions and society balls, but only footsteps away are the city's darkest back alleyways. It is a time of glamour and wealth—scandal and corruption. One cold winter night, a little boy is kidnapped from his own bed while his parents attend a neighbor's elegant ball. And Francesca Cahill, the daughter of the soiree's host, stumbles across the ransom note. Determined to help in any way she can, Francesca soon is involved in the high profile police investigation—while helpelessly falling in love with New York City's newly appointed police commissioner, the powerful and enigmatic Rick Bragg.

Francesca and Bragg begin to search for the answers to a shocking crime. At stake is a little boy's life. As the duo is plunged into a web of corruption, secrets, and lies, Francesca's own life begins to slowly but surely unravel—until a series of stunning truths are revealed, each taking her more deeply into the heart of true danger and even truer passion...

[BlackKat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dans des collections exclusivement destinées à la gente féminine comme « Aventures & passions » de J’ai lu, il faut dépasser les gros clichés de « lectures pour fillettes en mal de romance » car de nombreux auteurs aujourd’hui bien connus, tel Nora Roberts, ont démarré dans ces collections. Et comme dans tout les styles, on y trouve aussi bien de la daube mal cuite, comme des mets des plus fins!

Je précise que la série des enquêtes de Francesca Cahill a fait l’objet de nombreuses rééditions et que les titres changent parfois… Ce premier tome s’intitule Un odieux chantage mais on peut également le trouver sous le titre La note mystérieuse.

Maintenant, faisons connaissance avec Francesca Cahill. Vingt ans, d’une très bonne famille new-yorkaise, abhorre les bals, préfère s’instruire, d’ailleurs elle s’est inscrite en secret pour suivre les cours du Barnard College (université réservée aux femmes et fondée en 1889, pour la petite note historique) et s’intéresse vivement aux réformes politiques de sa ville.

Bref, c’est un bas-bleu.

Le terme bas-bleu est devenu péjoratif pour désigner les femmes « savantes », celles plus enclines à cultiver leur esprit que leurs atours, même si l’intelligence n’empêche pas la beauté.
À une époque où la misogynie règne en maître, où l’éducation des femmes n’était pas une priorité, que l’implication féminine dans la vie politique était une totale hérésie et que les réunions mondaines brillaient davantage par le badinage que par les discussions intellectuelles, Francesca est considérée comme une originale excentrique dont on ne recherche pas la compagnie.

Et Francesca, aussi cérébrale soit-elle, souffre de ne point briller en société et de ne pas être appréciée pour ses charmes alors même que ses sorties dans le monde l’ennuie à mourir. C’est un paradoxe qui agite notre jeune fille, soumise de surcroît à la pression familiale et sociale…

Mais elle n’en est pas effacée pour autant. Avec un brin d’effronterie et de curiosité insatiable, la jeune fille ingénue arrive à se fourrer dans des situations improbables et dangereuses quand elle se met en tête d’enquêter en solo sur l’enlèvement d’un enfant. Elle se découvre un talent d’enquêtrice, certes, mais elle est loin d’en avoir toute l’expérience et la maîtrise… et ses maladresses vont fortement agacer Rick Bragg, le nouveau préfet de police…

Les personnages sont intéressants et reflètent très bien la société du tout début du XXème siècle. Entre hypocrisie mondaine, course au beau parti et libertinage ambiant malgré les obligations et conventions sociales, l’auteur décrit fidèlement une société où les clivages, les mariages arrangés et les alliances politiques sont prédominants. Loin de nous endormir à renfort de champagne, cigares et dentelles, l’auteur emmène le lecteur côtoyer également les bas fonds de la ville où la misère, la maladie et la violence règnent.

L’enquête policière est classique, efficace et bien menée. Le suspens tient bon jusqu’aux dernières pages. Le final, sans être explosif, est très intéressant.
Le flirt qui s’amorce entre nos deux personnages principaux est léger et cocasse parfois. L’équilibre entre romance et enquête est bien respecté.
Les personnages secondaires sont également très attachants, entre les membres de la famille Cahill ou le petit gars des rues, Joël.

Donc, je dirais que c’est une bonne petite série bien sympa alliant romance et enquête sur fond historique du début du siècle.
De la légèreté, certes, mais point trop n’en faut pour ma part sinon la lassitude et l’agacement devant la naïveté d’une jeune femme d’un autre siècle s’installent rapidement.
Mais une lecture divertissante et rafraîchissante ne fait jamais de mal entre deux thrillers sombres et angoissants!

[Leichelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read and I am looking forward to the next book in the 9 book series. On to Deadly Pleasure....