Hope for the Innocent

by Caroline Dunford

'A Sparkling and witty crime debut with a female protagonist to challenge Miss Marple' - Lin Anderson

'Impeccable historical detail with a light touch ' - Lesley Cookman, The Libby Sarjeant Series

'Euphemia Martins is feisty, funny and completely adorable' - Colette McCormick, Ribbons in Her Hair

'A rattlingly good dose of Edwardian country house intrigue with plenty of twist and turns and clues to puzzle through along with the heroine of the book, Euphemia Martins' - Booklore.co.uk

Hope to Survive - the second edition of the exciting spy thriller Hope Stapleford Mystery series!
_______________


Oswald Mosley has awoken fascist sympathies among the British aristocracy and, in London, socialites are gathering for the start of the Season.

Enter astute, Oxford graduate Hope Stapleford, whose quick wit, love of books and keen observations set her apart from her peers. Her rebellious friend, Bernadette, has persuaded her to take part in the Season, and Hope expects little more than a round of dull engagements and dreary introductions. But when an innocent, young debutante goes missing from their very first house party, feared to have been kidnapped or worse, Hope's curiosity is piqued. With Bernie and their new acquaintance, the amiable rogue Harvey, Hope soon finds herself thrust into a web of political intrigue that threatens the very heart of the nation...
_______________



'... evokes the period and class structure beautifully, while at the same time being a rollicking good read and a mystery unsolved until almost the final page' ***** Reader Review

' An interesting plot and good character development ' ***** Reader review

' As always Caroline Dunford writes a great story, I look forward to seeing how Hope's storyline will evolve ' ***** Reader review

'This has got to be one of the best writers of mystery books' ***** Author review

Genres: Mystery

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 23, 2020

About the author

Like most authors I did several jobs before I settled down to writing full time. I've been a journalist, a development officer, and a psychotherapist. I am a novelist, short story writer, mentor, tutor and playwright.
Throughout my life I've been fascinated by people - to the extent I even did a psychology degree before training in psychotherapy. I firmly believe that we all make sense of the whole through narrative- even if it's only the one inside your own head.
My Euphemia Martins Mysteries are inspired by my maternal great grandmother, who left a life of luxury to go into service.
However, everything I do inspires me. The best way of me to make sense of what often seems a very chaotic world is to tell stories. And in those stories I'm always asking questions.
Recently my play Burke has gone into its third production. It tries to make sense of what Burke and Hare, still the UK's most successful (?) serial killers did what they did. How they started.
You'll find traces of questions like this is the Euphemia stories where I often explore why people can and do do unpleasant things.
But - and this is a big but - I also believe that if you want to look at the darker side of human nature you must also pay homage to the lighter side, the truly selfless and generous acts that all humans are capable of doing.
And you need humour. Life can deal all of us harsh knocks and laughter is one of the greatest weapons in our armoury - along with love.

Reviews

[Eibhilin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was intrigued by this book due to the cover, the title and the writing style, and it turned out to be a really good choice!

The book follows Hope and her friend Bernie as they investigate a murder, along with Harvey: Hope is the main character, and she's an intelligent, independent minded Oxford graduate who makes a good strong character to follow. Bernie is her rebellious friend who's also clever, but has less common sense at times, and Harvey is someone that they meet in the course of the investigation.

There is also a series of books with Hope's mother I think. :)

I loved the writing style of the book! It reminded me of the Jeeves and Wooster books by P.G. Wodehouse, and Hope has a very distinct voice, ( it's written in the first person).

I really want to read more of the series now!

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope for the Innocent is the first in a new series from Caroline Dunford. It is set just before the Second World War begins and features Hope Stapleford who is the daughter of Euphemia Martin, the heroine of many of the author's previous novels.

Hope is a graduate of Oxford and her friend Bernie, daughter of the American Ambassador, has persuaded her to take part in the debutante season. Hope expects this to be a round of rather dull social engagements but things take an unexpected turn when one of the other debutantes goes missing. Hope decides to investigate what has happened to her and gets herself involved in all kind of drama!

Hope put me in mind of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, albeit a much younger, feistier version. Like Miss Marple she has become a bit of an amateur sleuth. Her sidekick Bernie is a bit useless but with her father being the American ambassador she can come in handy for opening metaphorical doors. I did rather like lovable rogue Harvey too, very different socially from the women but a useful man to have around. I enjoyed the style of the writing, and felt the sharp dialogue captured the feel of the era.

With attempts made on some characters' lives, kidnappings, blackmail, drugs, gangs, fascist demonstrations and affairs, this Debutante season is not quite the civilised time you might think. There may be a few bumbling would-be criminals but there are also a few more ruthless ones and Hope's very life could be in danger!

With the mystery being solved not by the police but by Hope and her friends, and with some warm, gentle humour, this book fits neatly into what might be called the 'cosy crime' genre. It's not a genre I usually read but I enjoyed this very much. I found it be an an engaging and entertaining read. With the epilogue seeming to set Hope up for more adventures, I'd certainly read more featuring this likeable character.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I discover books by complete chance, and this was one I picked up in a tourist shop. I was pleased to find that it was the first in a series of three (at the moment) and after beginning the first I was keen to track down the others. I also discovered that the author has written an entire series about one of the characters, so that should keep me going. I was attracted to this novel because it tells the story of Hope Stapleford who is a young woman who has recently graduated from Oxford and is poised to begin a Season in London. Her timing is interesting; it is 1939 and there are those who keep an eye on international politics who are convinced that Britain is on the bring of another War. One of those people is Hope’s godfather, Uncle Eric, who seems to really know what is going on in many ways. Not that Hope is keen to be presented at Court and enter into a frantic social scene, but she has been warned to start assert her independence from her parents who live an apparently quiet life in the Fens. When Bernadette, or Bernie, the daughter of the American Ambassador in Britain and Hope’s friend from college begs her to “do” the Season with her, Hope agrees, if only to keep her lively and troublesome friend out of trouble. Then the mystery begins…
When Hope and Bernie discover a crying girl in a garden, they quickly become acquainted. As they are all invited to the same Ball that evening, Bernie insists that Charlotte accompany them. When they arrive, Hope discovers an unusual waiter called Harvey, before she seeks out the library. Meanwhile the far more volatile Bernie has lost sight of Charlotte, and it seems that she has indeed disappeared from the Ball, possibly in the company of a somewhat notorious young man. While the scandal becomes front page news, Hope soon becomes convinced that there is more going on than first appears, and soon recruits the friendly and able Harvey as an assistant to follow any leads on the disappearance. It soon seems that there is more substance to the situation, and when they set off on a trip to Brighton their varied discoveries colour their investigation. In the turbulent world of pre war politics no one is quite what they seem, and dangers await the inquisitive.
The writing in this book is well paced and captured my interest from the start. Hope tells the story in her own voice, and while she seems a quick thinker, is only gradually emerges that she has skills in concealment that appear to have been taught her by her unconventional godfather with the blessing of at least her mother. It is not an immensely literary book, but is certainly enjoyable and despite certain events, is quite an easy adventure with elements of wartime thriller. Hope does get into tricky situations, as pursuing suspects in full evening dress is only one example of her colourful narration. This is a super read for fans of the bright woman in the interwar period novels, of which there are so many examples. There is a large element of the detection of mysteries here, but the crime seems to extent further than greed, and into murky waters of which Hope is only beginning to appreciate. This is a lively and fast paced introduction to a fascinating series, and I look forward to more adventures with Hope and indeed a certain Euphemia.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read - with a caution that you get massive spoilers for the Euphemia series. It's nice to see a different era of history reflected and to hear some different voices. I liked the build up to the second world war being mentioned throughout, I look forward to there being many more in the series

[Fiona Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hope Rose Stapleford is as irrepressible as her mother, Euphemia Martins. This new series by Caroline Dunford beginning just before WW2 evokes the period and class structure beautifully, while at the same time being a rollicking good read and a mystery unsolved until almost the final page. It sets the scene for stories yet to come and I can't wait to see what Hope gets up to during the war.

[Terri Rowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an interesting and entertaining story, plus Hope Stapleford is an engaging heroine. I enjoy her dry humor and her honest reflections on herself and those around her.
I also enjoyed the way this introductory book in this new series-can stand on its own-but it has ties or roots to another series by Caroline Dunford that I thoroughly enjoyed-the Euphemia Martin series.

[Elizabeth Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good start to a new series

An interesting plot and good character development, although I do hope Bernie becomes a little more mature as I find her rather irritating.

Looking forward to the next book.

[Zoe Fletcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed the mystery part of this book but at some points I found it to be a slow read and how it jumped to the conclusion of who it was was way too fast! But I enjoyed this book as it was set in the 30s which I loved!

Spice: n/a

[Kitty Russell · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm sorry, I didn't enjoy it. The period elements felt cliche and hacked on, the main characters were unlikeable and the conclusion was unsatisfying. Nobody seemed like a real person to me and a lot was convoluted and/or irrelevant.

[David Gilchrist · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in this new series, very well written, very funny and set in a different era. I will read more of Hope when they become published.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was solid and I quite enjoyed it. The copy I had was riddled with spelling and grammar errors though….

[Jan Edwards · Rating 3 out of 5]

First in a humorous cosy crime series - Hope Stapleford is an Oxford graduate whose family decide needs to be presented at Court as a mature debutante. Inevitably, at her very first event of the Season, Hope is dragged into the mystery of a missing society belle that she and her American pal Bernie dive headlong into solving.

This a light read with a quirky cast and humorous internal dialogue.

On occasion Hope's character did feel more 'In The Fifth at Malory Towers' than 'experienced 1939 graduate', but despite that Hope For The Innocent romps along at a satisfying pace and makes for a pleasant way to while away an afternoon.

[Leah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring! this is probably one of the worst books I have read, I personally think if it wasn't for the character Harvey I would of never finished this book! Nothing happens, we spend to much time in her thoughts than action, Firstly it takes nearly half the book to announce the murder. There's no action in the book, we want to see her investigating, finding out secrets to find this girl, not read her thoughts. Honestly Harvey feels like the main character as there's more interest in him, as a mysterious character that finds out all the information and turns out he can be many things, He's the interesting one! And the ending! oh my, would like to know what will happen next or give a clue to why she was killed. Hopefully the Next book will be more interesting and have more action in.......