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A World’s End Bureau Victorian Mystery #2
The Outcast Girls
Private investigators Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham get more than they bargain for when they take on a case in a girls' boarding school, in the latest World's End Bureau Victorian mystery.
London, 1881 . Lily Raynor, owner of the World's End Investigation Bureau, is growing increasingly worried. Work is drying up, finances are tight and she cannot find enough for her sole employee, Felix Wilbraham, to do. So when schoolteacher Georgiana Long arrives, with a worrying tale of runaway pupils, it seems like the answer to her prayers. The case is an interesting one, and what could be less perilous than a trip to a girls' boarding school, out in the Fens?
Disguised as the new Assistant Matron, Lily joins the Shardlowes School staff, while Felix - suppressing his worries about his cool, calm employer - remains behind. But there are undercurrents at Shardlowes, and the shadowy, powerful men who fund the school's less fortunate pupils loom larger as Felix's own investigations unfold. Felix can't shake off his fear that Lily is in danger - and soon, his premonitions come frighteningly true . . .
London, 1881 . Lily Raynor, owner of the World's End Investigation Bureau, is growing increasingly worried. Work is drying up, finances are tight and she cannot find enough for her sole employee, Felix Wilbraham, to do. So when schoolteacher Georgiana Long arrives, with a worrying tale of runaway pupils, it seems like the answer to her prayers. The case is an interesting one, and what could be less perilous than a trip to a girls' boarding school, out in the Fens?
Disguised as the new Assistant Matron, Lily joins the Shardlowes School staff, while Felix - suppressing his worries about his cool, calm employer - remains behind. But there are undercurrents at Shardlowes, and the shadowy, powerful men who fund the school's less fortunate pupils loom larger as Felix's own investigations unfold. Felix can't shake off his fear that Lily is in danger - and soon, his premonitions come frighteningly true . . .
256 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 2020
33 people are currently reading
269 people want to read
About the author
Alys Clare
46 books222 followersAlys Clare is the pen name used by Elizabeth Harris for the Hawkenlye series of historical mysteries.
Alys Clare is the pseudonym of a novelist with some 20 published works to her name. Brought up in the countryside close to where the Hawkenlye Novels are set, she went to school in Tonbridge and later studied archaeology at the University of Kent. She lives for part of the year in Brittany, in a remote cottage deep in an ancient landscape where many past inhabitants have left their mark; on her doorstep are relics that date from the stone circles and dolmens of the Neolithic to the commanderies, chapels and ancient tracks of those infamous warrior monks, the Knights Templar. In England, Alys's study overlooks a stretch of parkland which includes a valley with a little spring. The waters of this spring are similar in colour and taste to Tunbridge Wells's famous Chalybeat Spring, and it was this that prompted Alys's setting of her fictional Hawkenlye Abbey in the very spot where her own house now stands.
Alys Clare is the pseudonym of a novelist with some 20 published works to her name. Brought up in the countryside close to where the Hawkenlye Novels are set, she went to school in Tonbridge and later studied archaeology at the University of Kent. She lives for part of the year in Brittany, in a remote cottage deep in an ancient landscape where many past inhabitants have left their mark; on her doorstep are relics that date from the stone circles and dolmens of the Neolithic to the commanderies, chapels and ancient tracks of those infamous warrior monks, the Knights Templar. In England, Alys's study overlooks a stretch of parkland which includes a valley with a little spring. The waters of this spring are similar in colour and taste to Tunbridge Wells's famous Chalybeat Spring, and it was this that prompted Alys's setting of her fictional Hawkenlye Abbey in the very spot where her own house now stands.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
December 6, 2020
A Few of my Favorite Things:
Boarding School, check
English Setting, check
Historical Mystery, check
I really enjoyed reading this story about a female Detective Agency owner going undercover to find out why girls were disappearing from a boarding school for the disadvantageous.
Our lovely main character Lily is attempting to hold her own in a male dominated society placed in 1891 England. As the sole proprietor of a discreet “Inquiry” business she has her work cut out for her. Her assistant was also a joy and had her back the entire time.
While I figured out “who was what” early on, it didn’t stop me from liking the story. It reads like a cozy but the crimes committed are heinous so not light at all.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my advance review copy!
Boarding School, check
English Setting, check
Historical Mystery, check
I really enjoyed reading this story about a female Detective Agency owner going undercover to find out why girls were disappearing from a boarding school for the disadvantageous.
Our lovely main character Lily is attempting to hold her own in a male dominated society placed in 1891 England. As the sole proprietor of a discreet “Inquiry” business she has her work cut out for her. Her assistant was also a joy and had her back the entire time.
While I figured out “who was what” early on, it didn’t stop me from liking the story. It reads like a cozy but the crimes committed are heinous so not light at all.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for my advance review copy!
August 11, 2022
Second book in the series and the writing is good. It has a timeline of activities for each detective, so I needed to keep track of what each found. Only occasional letters or brief meetings to compare and recap. We find out the backstory for Lily. Felix seemed the stronger character in this book. The mystery was good, not expected and was interesting. I just found "everyone's"(family & friends) acceptance of the mystery to be astounding and a bit off putting. Not to say that it couldn't have happened with class differences..... I give the book 3.5*.
December 9, 2020
Mystery in the Fens
1881, and the World's End Investigation Bureau had a huge win in their previous case but now their work has trickled say to almost nothing. Lily Raynor, owner of the agency is concerned. Felix Wilbraham her only employee is wondering if he'll still have employment. Just as these worries are hurtling upon them they are visited by Georgiana Long, a school teacher, asking them to investigate runaway girls from the school she's been teaching at. Something is wrong.
Shardlowes School is situated out in the Fens. It caters for girls who are either from wealthy families from abroad who are left there until it's finally time for them to return home, or girls who have for some reason or other, been placed by their families out of sight and rarely visited.
Lily goes to investigate in the guise of a new Assistant Matron. Suddenly we see Lily as she once was, a very competent nurse. (This becomes a chance for us to learn more about Lily and her past demons. Almost the more interesting part of this story--uncovering Lily. And that's what lifted this from a four to five star read for me.)
Danger is just around the corner as Lily's investigation deepens. A mysterious organization, the "Band of Angels [which] constitutes a group of influential and affluent philanthropists who provide money for the education of the poor," seems related but how, makes no sense.
Once more Felix exceeds our expectations in his thorough and intuitive investigation, his concern for Lily's safety, and his focused abilities.
Clare has given us an interesting duo and their associates to follow and I'm enjoying every minute. On another note, I particularly liked the cover and what it invokes. I look at that and recall Lily's aloneness at the school and the isolation of the school's location, particularly in winter. Ripe for dreadful doings.
A Severn House ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
1881, and the World's End Investigation Bureau had a huge win in their previous case but now their work has trickled say to almost nothing. Lily Raynor, owner of the agency is concerned. Felix Wilbraham her only employee is wondering if he'll still have employment. Just as these worries are hurtling upon them they are visited by Georgiana Long, a school teacher, asking them to investigate runaway girls from the school she's been teaching at. Something is wrong.
Shardlowes School is situated out in the Fens. It caters for girls who are either from wealthy families from abroad who are left there until it's finally time for them to return home, or girls who have for some reason or other, been placed by their families out of sight and rarely visited.
Lily goes to investigate in the guise of a new Assistant Matron. Suddenly we see Lily as she once was, a very competent nurse. (This becomes a chance for us to learn more about Lily and her past demons. Almost the more interesting part of this story--uncovering Lily. And that's what lifted this from a four to five star read for me.)
Danger is just around the corner as Lily's investigation deepens. A mysterious organization, the "Band of Angels [which] constitutes a group of influential and affluent philanthropists who provide money for the education of the poor," seems related but how, makes no sense.
Once more Felix exceeds our expectations in his thorough and intuitive investigation, his concern for Lily's safety, and his focused abilities.
Clare has given us an interesting duo and their associates to follow and I'm enjoying every minute. On another note, I particularly liked the cover and what it invokes. I look at that and recall Lily's aloneness at the school and the isolation of the school's location, particularly in winter. Ripe for dreadful doings.
A Severn House ARC via NetGalley
Please note: Quotes taken from an advanced reading copy maybe subject to change
October 29, 2020
3.5 stars
Entertaining, but with a few problems.
I really like Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham. Both are bright, ethical, practical investigators who work well together and apart. This current mystery of the missing school girls showed them in top form. The author did a good job with ratcheting up the suspense; I wasn't sure of who the 'big baddie' was until right before the dramatic climax.
I really loved young Marigold; she was an absolute delight. Alas, few of the other girls were more than names on the page. I also admired Miss Long--so courageous! Matron grew on me. However, most of the other teachers were cardboard cutouts (including the minor villain in their midst).
My problems came with the resolution of the mystery--I found the actual crimes to be awful, but the efforts of others to explain it away left me feeling a little squicked out.
I like Lily and Felix enough that I'll keep on with the series. However, I much prefer the author's Gabriel Taverner series.
Entertaining, but with a few problems.
I really like Lily Raynor and Felix Wilbraham. Both are bright, ethical, practical investigators who work well together and apart. This current mystery of the missing school girls showed them in top form. The author did a good job with ratcheting up the suspense; I wasn't sure of who the 'big baddie' was until right before the dramatic climax.
I really loved young Marigold; she was an absolute delight. Alas, few of the other girls were more than names on the page. I also admired Miss Long--so courageous! Matron grew on me. However, most of the other teachers were cardboard cutouts (including the minor villain in their midst).
My problems came with the resolution of the mystery--I found the actual crimes to be awful, but the efforts of others to explain it away left me feeling a little squicked out.
I like Lily and Felix enough that I'll keep on with the series. However, I much prefer the author's Gabriel Taverner series.
December 25, 2020
This is an interesting Victorian mystery drama, set in a London-based detective bureau run by a woman. With a few successful cases behind them, the two operatives, Lily Raynor and her assistant, Felix Wilbraham are lamenting the current slow state of their business affairs and low level of the business bank account. Then they receive a visit from a teacher who presents a rather strange case. It seems that young girls have gone missing from the school for girls where she is employed.
Their new client has read about the World’s End Investigation Bureau and knows about Lily and, above all, believes she is the perfect agent to investigate what is happening at Shardlowes School. Her details are meager but enough for Lily to accept what will be an undercover placement at the school, one which she will fill easily. For the rest of the plot and character development, I refer you to the novel.
There were times during my reading when I wondered if the story could live up to the building foreboding tone. I believe it did. At times, a bit melodramatic, the novel feels of the time (though the the relationships-it’s always a question how men and women of different eras related, isn’t it). This is a light read for a winter’s day or night. Enjoy.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Their new client has read about the World’s End Investigation Bureau and knows about Lily and, above all, believes she is the perfect agent to investigate what is happening at Shardlowes School. Her details are meager but enough for Lily to accept what will be an undercover placement at the school, one which she will fill easily. For the rest of the plot and character development, I refer you to the novel.
There were times during my reading when I wondered if the story could live up to the building foreboding tone. I believe it did. At times, a bit melodramatic, the novel feels of the time (though the the relationships-it’s always a question how men and women of different eras related, isn’t it). This is a light read for a winter’s day or night. Enjoy.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
December 12, 2021
The use of present-tense in these books was jarring when I read the first book, but I’m used to it now and thoroughly enjoyed this installment of the Worlds End series. The mystery is very different, not one I’ve come across in another series. Aside from the twists and rushed travel around England and Scotland, we get a feel for just how horrible this time period was for women and how diabolical the power-obsessed could be at the time.
A lot of historical mysteries deal with the unsavory parts of life in this time, but few go this hard…and I appreciate Alys Clare/Elizabeth Harris for it.
The relationship development between Lily and Felix is so satisfying…yet I think I was a little sad about one scene between Violetta and Felix. Alas, the tension isn’t as fun if there aren’t other factors like Violetta and Tamáz (I can’t remember his name as I’m writing this, oops).
I can’t wait for the next book to come out!
A lot of historical mysteries deal with the unsavory parts of life in this time, but few go this hard…and I appreciate Alys Clare/Elizabeth Harris for it.
The relationship development between Lily and Felix is so satisfying…yet I think I was a little sad about one scene between Violetta and Felix. Alas, the tension isn’t as fun if there aren’t other factors like Violetta and Tamáz (I can’t remember his name as I’m writing this, oops).
I can’t wait for the next book to come out!
January 10, 2021
Finished this one quickly just in time for football game. I am confused because I was sure I had read the first book in this series but did not mark it as such on goodreads which leads me to believe I abandoned it. So...having been entertained by this second book I will roll back and reread the first.
Such outrageous stuff goes on within this case of school girls being abducted I classify it as gothic, but somehow entertaining.
The detective agency is run by female (former nurse who served in India) with one male assistant, and they are asked to assist in finding missing girls from private school. Upper echelon men fund the school allowing an entry to do their evil deeds. Many train trips for Felix, number two man under Lily, lady in charge. Things get gnarly many times with lots of action.
Library Loan, thanks!
Such outrageous stuff goes on within this case of school girls being abducted I classify it as gothic, but somehow entertaining.
The detective agency is run by female (former nurse who served in India) with one male assistant, and they are asked to assist in finding missing girls from private school. Upper echelon men fund the school allowing an entry to do their evil deeds. Many train trips for Felix, number two man under Lily, lady in charge. Things get gnarly many times with lots of action.
Library Loan, thanks!
November 11, 2020
4.5 stars. This was highly enjoyable. I have read quite a few books by this author from two of her other series and this series, while in its infancy, is definitely my favourite. I read the first prior to its release too and have had my eye out for the next one for a long timeThis was a very interesting if slightly strange plot line and I read it right through in one go. Now I face a long wait for its successor! Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.
October 27, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing for an e-galley of this novel.
I read the first book in this new series by Alys Clare and liked it but was hoping some things would change in this second issue. Those things have not changed and, honestly, the style in which the books are written was not going to change so I really knew that wish wasn't going to come true. The unidentified narrator style kept me from knowing the inner thoughts of both the main characters so Lily and Felix have not made any kind of emotional impact on me. This plot of investigating what is going on at a girls boarding school was interesting but not compelling enough.
Alys Clare writes several other series and I always look forward to reading books from those collections. I will go back to reading those books.
I read the first book in this new series by Alys Clare and liked it but was hoping some things would change in this second issue. Those things have not changed and, honestly, the style in which the books are written was not going to change so I really knew that wish wasn't going to come true. The unidentified narrator style kept me from knowing the inner thoughts of both the main characters so Lily and Felix have not made any kind of emotional impact on me. This plot of investigating what is going on at a girls boarding school was interesting but not compelling enough.
Alys Clare writes several other series and I always look forward to reading books from those collections. I will go back to reading those books.
August 24, 2025
I really struggled to finish The Outcast Girls.
The story and mystery was intense, creepy, sad and strangely very boring. Everyone, EVERYONE, was unlikable.
Lily, who has placed herself in the school as a nurse, came across like a robot with zero personality and zero investigative skills. She repeatedly made illogical decisions that took me out of the story. In the meantime, Felix was out and about investigating the crime offsite and getting further than Lily, who was literally on the property, in the heart of the mystery.
The story and mystery was intense, creepy, sad and strangely very boring. Everyone, EVERYONE, was unlikable.
Lily, who has placed herself in the school as a nurse, came across like a robot with zero personality and zero investigative skills. She repeatedly made illogical decisions that took me out of the story. In the meantime, Felix was out and about investigating the crime offsite and getting further than Lily, who was literally on the property, in the heart of the mystery.
August 2, 2023
I believed that the woman detector would be the story's heroine, representing feminism. However, she ended up being used as bait in the school, while the male associate solved all the secrets. I didn’t like this twist.
August 26, 2020
Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
Lily and Felix are approached by a teacher from a girls' school, Shardlowes. She tells them about missing girls and wants the Bureau to look into the situation and suggests Lily, who used to be a nurse, applies for a job at the school to find out what's happening. Lily takes her up on the suggestion and travels up to the school, even though she has bad vibes. Felix gets help from his journalist roommate who is a font of knowledge.
One of the missing girls is found dead and so is a teacher. Others are missing, are they dead too?
This second in the series is even better than the first, I loved it.
There is an evil darkness behind the scenes, protected by some powerful people and Lily has to face things she really doesn't want to, but she's determined to help the girls. One of them in particular has a special place in her heart; Marigold has many obstacles in her life, but she's a plucky little thing and I would love to meet her again in the next book. I really want to know how she's doing and maybe she could be a character in the series?
A great read, highly recommended!
Lily and Felix are approached by a teacher from a girls' school, Shardlowes. She tells them about missing girls and wants the Bureau to look into the situation and suggests Lily, who used to be a nurse, applies for a job at the school to find out what's happening. Lily takes her up on the suggestion and travels up to the school, even though she has bad vibes. Felix gets help from his journalist roommate who is a font of knowledge.
One of the missing girls is found dead and so is a teacher. Others are missing, are they dead too?
This second in the series is even better than the first, I loved it.
There is an evil darkness behind the scenes, protected by some powerful people and Lily has to face things she really doesn't want to, but she's determined to help the girls. One of them in particular has a special place in her heart; Marigold has many obstacles in her life, but she's a plucky little thing and I would love to meet her again in the next book. I really want to know how she's doing and maybe she could be a character in the series?
A great read, highly recommended!
January 1, 2022
I continue to love the balance and narrative style of these books. I love the dynamic between the two leads. I really enjoy how they solve crimes. I love the slower, larger character arcs. I love that it's not following members of the aristocracy. I just like how these are structured.
February 16, 2021
Alys Clare is a favorite historical mystery writer, and I’ve enjoyed several of her books. Recently I’ve enjoyed the first in this series, The Woman Who Spoke to Spirits, and find the leads, Lily and Felix, likable and intelligent. But I must confess, I think I prefer her other Gabriel Taverner series (most recently, The Indigo Ghosts). In fairness, though, there have been more books in that series, thus more time to establish the interesting setting (early 1600s, Devonshire, former ship’s doctor sleuth) and recurring characters.
Lily, a former nurse, returned from India after a terrible Event (always capitalized in her internal musings, finally revealed here). She felt she couldn’t carry on as a nurse, her beloved family are all dead, leaving her a house, so she started an inquiry agency, and hired Felix. They are both dogged, intelligent investigators, but without a case as the book opens. A Miss Long of Shardlowes School visits, and asks them to investigate missing girls - one, a teenaged girl who apparently left willingly with a man, and posed as his wife in a seaside town, but then disappeared. The other girl was only 11 years old...the police have not been notified, much to Miss Long’s dismay. Lily agrees to take the case, and goes undercover as the assistant matron - replacing the woman who has recently left in a hurry, supposedly to care for a sick relative.
The atmosphere at the school is claustrophobic and satisfyingly creepy - there is a lunatic asylum nearby, a cold headmistress, a sneaky, watchful assistant headmistress, and a palpable feeling of dread among the students - they know girls have disappeared, and they don’t know why. Felix investigates the last movements of the girls, and uses his sources to investigate the shadowy, powerful group that founded the school. The more he learns, the more he fears for Lily’s safety.
I enjoyed the audiobook very much, and definitely want to continue with this series. I look forward to seeing how the relationship develops between Lily and Felix, and if Clare continues to inject what a GR friend refers to as a “woo-woo” element - gothic fear, almost supernatural influence - into the mysteries in this series.
Lily, a former nurse, returned from India after a terrible Event (always capitalized in her internal musings, finally revealed here). She felt she couldn’t carry on as a nurse, her beloved family are all dead, leaving her a house, so she started an inquiry agency, and hired Felix. They are both dogged, intelligent investigators, but without a case as the book opens. A Miss Long of Shardlowes School visits, and asks them to investigate missing girls - one, a teenaged girl who apparently left willingly with a man, and posed as his wife in a seaside town, but then disappeared. The other girl was only 11 years old...the police have not been notified, much to Miss Long’s dismay. Lily agrees to take the case, and goes undercover as the assistant matron - replacing the woman who has recently left in a hurry, supposedly to care for a sick relative.
The atmosphere at the school is claustrophobic and satisfyingly creepy - there is a lunatic asylum nearby, a cold headmistress, a sneaky, watchful assistant headmistress, and a palpable feeling of dread among the students - they know girls have disappeared, and they don’t know why. Felix investigates the last movements of the girls, and uses his sources to investigate the shadowy, powerful group that founded the school. The more he learns, the more he fears for Lily’s safety.
I enjoyed the audiobook very much, and definitely want to continue with this series. I look forward to seeing how the relationship develops between Lily and Felix, and if Clare continues to inject what a GR friend refers to as a “woo-woo” element - gothic fear, almost supernatural influence - into the mysteries in this series.
January 2, 2021
Our investigators, Lily and Felix are too vague in their character formations for me and that's not something I like in a detective. I want fully fleshed out main characters who investigate their clients angle before going on to solve their cases with confidence and this series so far is not very compelling. They are very inexperienced too and in both books strangers show up to hire them and Lily and Felix go blindly into the investigations and in the first book there were disastrous results.
The sordid plot is bad and very predictable. Lily consents to pose as an assistant nurse matron of an unusual girls school where some girls as young as ten have gone missing. Two of the staff have also left unexpectedly along with one of the older students whom has reportedly run off with a traveling salesman. All three have disappeared into thin air, but it's the youngest girls' disappearance that Lily has been hired to investigate and it's in secret because the new English teacher is very afraid of some of her fellow staff members including the headmistress. She is alone and has no one she can trust which is why she decided to use her savings to confide in and hire the World's End Bureau.
Lily is very uncomfortable about being a nurse again, but it's more important to deal with the sinister disappearances so she dons her nursing uniform and travels by train to the Fens which is in the middle of nowhere. In the first book Lily is very secretive about her nursing past and in this book the author does explain Lily's reason for leaving India and I was grateful, but though the situation she was in was egregious the reveal seemed very anticlimactic. I can understand why she'd come back to England, but giving up her nursing career didn't make much sense other than being a plot device for her becoming a private inquiry agent. As far as the plot in this book, it's very obvious from the get-go that something nefarious is going on with the Band of Angels who finance the Academy, but the author complicates the plot with a menacing neighboring private asylum and with the fact that the boarding school is full of unwanted girls. All full-time boarders, their ages range from toddler to seventeen and the majority are disabled or disfigured and all come from mostly wealthy or well connected families or from families who live abroad. Basically all of them have been abandoned. Lily is limited to how much investigating she can do so she starts by looking into the health of the staff and students. She gets lucky when the head matron becomes ill and takes to her bed with pneumonia which gives Lily the freedom to snoop and make friends with some of the students. One in particular named Marigold is of great help. While Lily is undercover on location Felix is in London looking into the Band of Angels and the missing student and teachers. Felix revealed a bit of himself in the last book and though in this book he is very conscientious I still don't like him and he seems to be an opportunist. I did like his part in the investigation and found his progress much more interesting than Lily's, but I still don't trust him nor do I find his relationship with Violet very admirable on either side. I hated the outcome of her lover's story in the last book and it left a bad taste in regards to the author.
Now while the premise of the mystery started off interesting it failed miserably in my opinion. The missing school girl plot has been done a thousand times and I am tired of these kinds of villains in historical fiction whether they're romances or mysteries. The deviant aristocrat, the evil girl's school headmistress and especially the Aristo secret society trope make me sick and I'm just not interested. There is a kidnapping and rescue scenario that is so absurd and it has the most unbelievable elderly lady defending her role in hiding the villain's heinous crimes. I was appalled by the outcome!
I am very good at figuring out mysteries it's one of my superpowers, but this felt a little insulting as to how very obvious everything was, yet the author waited to the very end to give up the "ghost".
There are also a couple of minor characters: a boatman and a ballerina that don't make sense and again the author is too vague about them and though there's been a little explanation they're just plot devices in a book where it feels like the author is stringing me along. Even with all the twisted perversions and the PM showing up, this story is very pedestrian.
The sordid plot is bad and very predictable. Lily consents to pose as an assistant nurse matron of an unusual girls school where some girls as young as ten have gone missing. Two of the staff have also left unexpectedly along with one of the older students whom has reportedly run off with a traveling salesman. All three have disappeared into thin air, but it's the youngest girls' disappearance that Lily has been hired to investigate and it's in secret because the new English teacher is very afraid of some of her fellow staff members including the headmistress. She is alone and has no one she can trust which is why she decided to use her savings to confide in and hire the World's End Bureau.
Lily is very uncomfortable about being a nurse again, but it's more important to deal with the sinister disappearances so she dons her nursing uniform and travels by train to the Fens which is in the middle of nowhere. In the first book Lily is very secretive about her nursing past and in this book the author does explain Lily's reason for leaving India and I was grateful, but though the situation she was in was egregious the reveal seemed very anticlimactic. I can understand why she'd come back to England, but giving up her nursing career didn't make much sense other than being a plot device for her becoming a private inquiry agent. As far as the plot in this book, it's very obvious from the get-go that something nefarious is going on with the Band of Angels who finance the Academy, but the author complicates the plot with a menacing neighboring private asylum and with the fact that the boarding school is full of unwanted girls. All full-time boarders, their ages range from toddler to seventeen and the majority are disabled or disfigured and all come from mostly wealthy or well connected families or from families who live abroad. Basically all of them have been abandoned. Lily is limited to how much investigating she can do so she starts by looking into the health of the staff and students. She gets lucky when the head matron becomes ill and takes to her bed with pneumonia which gives Lily the freedom to snoop and make friends with some of the students. One in particular named Marigold is of great help. While Lily is undercover on location Felix is in London looking into the Band of Angels and the missing student and teachers. Felix revealed a bit of himself in the last book and though in this book he is very conscientious I still don't like him and he seems to be an opportunist. I did like his part in the investigation and found his progress much more interesting than Lily's, but I still don't trust him nor do I find his relationship with Violet very admirable on either side. I hated the outcome of her lover's story in the last book and it left a bad taste in regards to the author.
Now while the premise of the mystery started off interesting it failed miserably in my opinion. The missing school girl plot has been done a thousand times and I am tired of these kinds of villains in historical fiction whether they're romances or mysteries. The deviant aristocrat, the evil girl's school headmistress and especially the Aristo secret society trope make me sick and I'm just not interested. There is a kidnapping and rescue scenario that is so absurd and it has the most unbelievable elderly lady defending her role in hiding the villain's heinous crimes. I was appalled by the outcome!
I am very good at figuring out mysteries it's one of my superpowers, but this felt a little insulting as to how very obvious everything was, yet the author waited to the very end to give up the "ghost".
There are also a couple of minor characters: a boatman and a ballerina that don't make sense and again the author is too vague about them and though there's been a little explanation they're just plot devices in a book where it feels like the author is stringing me along. Even with all the twisted perversions and the PM showing up, this story is very pedestrian.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 5, 2021
I simply adore this series and I do hope there is more coming, especially with such an ending. I got my wish from the 1st book - to have more interactions between our two investigators.
This book, apart from being a mystery novel in a Victorian setting, carries a few important messages on what life was for women back then but also how (and if indeed much) it changed. A bit of dealing with personal trauma, a bit of old tales being brought alive and, as always, a fair share of wealthy men doing whatever they like.
I'll definitely be looking for the next one!
This book, apart from being a mystery novel in a Victorian setting, carries a few important messages on what life was for women back then but also how (and if indeed much) it changed. A bit of dealing with personal trauma, a bit of old tales being brought alive and, as always, a fair share of wealthy men doing whatever they like.
I'll definitely be looking for the next one!
November 28, 2024
The only problem with a novel revolving around a secret - in this case, something horrible is happening at a boarding school for unwanted daughters of the rich - is that the big terrible secret can never possibly live up to the hype. This novel was gripping, and the two main characters are distinctive and interesting. Lily is a smart investigator, and her nursing skills add an extra layer to her character. The development of the novel works until the final unraveling, which (in my mind) only kind of makes sense - and then there's a secondary subplot that I couldn't make heads or tails of. I can imagine reading more books in this series, but going into them not worrying too much about the solution.
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
November 16, 2022
I really like this series so far and look forward to book 3. What I'm not fond of is the style that allows long explanations between important conversations--dropping to go from A to C and stopping comment lengthily on the fauna of B. But the stories are very interesting with good twists and turns for a good mystery.
Didn't think I'd like another boarding school for girls story, but this one was different.
Didn't think I'd like another boarding school for girls story, but this one was different.
May 30, 2021
This is so well written, with great characters and a story that moves pretty fast that it hooked me in completely. If the story was more believable I would have given 5 stars.
November 30, 2020
The Outcast Girls by Alys Clare
A World’s End Bureau Victorian Mystery #2
Interesting, intriguing, and informative this was a book well worth reading. It worked well as a standalone story although at some point I may want to read the first book in the series.
What I liked:
* Lily: investigator, nurse, returned from India, business owner, compassionate, good friend, intriguing
* Felix: investigator, good friend, outgoing, caring, warm hearted, interesting
* The unflinching look at treatment of women in India by the British troops – I learned from this story and then learned more after researching the topic a bit more.
* Marigold: sweet, intelligent, a wonderful child, strong, caring, capable – hope she gets the medical help she requires
* The writing, twists, and turns
* The way the investigation transpired
* The flashback to Lily’s past and why she gave up nursing and left India
* Some of the supporting characters that I want to know more about
* That my suspicion about the missing girls was not quite spot on
* The relationship between Felix and Lily as they worked together
* Tamáz: not much said about him in this book – would like to know more about him
* That it felt of the time and historically accurate
* All of it really except
What I didn’t like:
* The things I was meant not to like including issues in India, the reason girls went missing, coverups, the way girls were regarded in the school…
* Being reminded of how cruel some can be
Did I enjoy this book? After I got into it, I did
Would I read more in this series? I believe I would
Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4 Stars
A World’s End Bureau Victorian Mystery #2
Interesting, intriguing, and informative this was a book well worth reading. It worked well as a standalone story although at some point I may want to read the first book in the series.
What I liked:
* Lily: investigator, nurse, returned from India, business owner, compassionate, good friend, intriguing
* Felix: investigator, good friend, outgoing, caring, warm hearted, interesting
* The unflinching look at treatment of women in India by the British troops – I learned from this story and then learned more after researching the topic a bit more.
* Marigold: sweet, intelligent, a wonderful child, strong, caring, capable – hope she gets the medical help she requires
* The writing, twists, and turns
* The way the investigation transpired
* The flashback to Lily’s past and why she gave up nursing and left India
* Some of the supporting characters that I want to know more about
* That my suspicion about the missing girls was not quite spot on
* The relationship between Felix and Lily as they worked together
* Tamáz: not much said about him in this book – would like to know more about him
* That it felt of the time and historically accurate
* All of it really except
What I didn’t like:
* The things I was meant not to like including issues in India, the reason girls went missing, coverups, the way girls were regarded in the school…
* Being reminded of how cruel some can be
Did I enjoy this book? After I got into it, I did
Would I read more in this series? I believe I would
Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC – This is my honest review.
4 Stars
September 4, 2020
This was a real page turner with very engaging characters. I hadn’t read the first in the series but this didn’t spoil my enjoyment, I found it difficult to put down. The story just flowed along, the mystery unfolding slowly, little snippets to keep me guessing. Lily and Felix run an investigation business. Lily had been a nurse and some of her background story is told. Felix is obviously an attractive man and enjoys older women. Felix obviously comes from a monied background given the school he attended, even though he hasn’t much money himself. There is some humour in the descriptions but also the feeling of tension and danger. There are some interesting secondary characters, Felix’s flatmate, the enigmatic boatman and the housekeeper. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
March 5, 2021
I got this eARC from Netgalley in exhange for a honest review
Had high hopes for this one beause it seemed so intruiging and interesting. The characters were meh and sort of bland wich dragged the story down.In the end it just wasn`t for me.
Had high hopes for this one beause it seemed so intruiging and interesting. The characters were meh and sort of bland wich dragged the story down.In the end it just wasn`t for me.
January 2, 2025
Beyond amazing!
December 4, 2020
In the 1800s London Lily Rayner is the owner of an investigation Bureau. Unusual for this time Lily is an independent business women with an employee called Felix. They will both become involved in one of their most perilous endeavours when they are asked to investigate the disappearance of girls at a boarding school funded by the Band of Angels. Lily’s past in India is something she has not come to terms with and finds it will hold her back in her investigation. The setting and characters in this timeline appeals. The mystery could be ramped up a stage in the next in the series.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher Seven House in return for an honest review.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher Seven House in return for an honest review.
January 4, 2021
Not as good as the first one. The story was a bit far fetched. But the characters are good and I will read the next one.
October 21, 2025
2025: It's been 4 years since I read this book, and I didn't even realize I was re-reading it until I was starting another review of it mistakenly under the #3 book in the series, which I haven't yet read.
2021: It was a challenge to decide on a rating of 4, when I was considering 3.5, not possible in GR. It's the second book in a series of Victorian mysteries involving a private detective agency (World's End Bureau) owned & operated by Lily Raynor, a former nurse who returned from India after an unspecified trauma. I enjoyed the first book in the series, & was looking forward to the next. The author does keep much of the style of a Victorian novel, & it's true to the era & society in England. I have read books in other of the author's series, such as the Gabriel Taverner books.
The plot is intriguing, although it seemed to unfold slowly at first. I think it is better to read the first book before proceeding to this one, but not strictly necessary. I was pleased to find that Lily's actual experience in India that led to her return to England & establishing a new career was revealed part way through the book, and in a way that fit with the plot.
After finishing the book, it's good to go back to read the prelude, which didn't seem that connected to the story when I first read it.
By the end of the book, one realizes the complexity & horror of many of the issues of the era, such as the treatment of "superfluous" and/or inconvenient children & women. Unfortunately, many of them continue into our current times.
I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes Lily & her assistant Felix in the next book.
2021: It was a challenge to decide on a rating of 4, when I was considering 3.5, not possible in GR. It's the second book in a series of Victorian mysteries involving a private detective agency (World's End Bureau) owned & operated by Lily Raynor, a former nurse who returned from India after an unspecified trauma. I enjoyed the first book in the series, & was looking forward to the next. The author does keep much of the style of a Victorian novel, & it's true to the era & society in England. I have read books in other of the author's series, such as the Gabriel Taverner books.
The plot is intriguing, although it seemed to unfold slowly at first. I think it is better to read the first book before proceeding to this one, but not strictly necessary. I was pleased to find that Lily's actual experience in India that led to her return to England & establishing a new career was revealed part way through the book, and in a way that fit with the plot.
After finishing the book, it's good to go back to read the prelude, which didn't seem that connected to the story when I first read it.
By the end of the book, one realizes the complexity & horror of many of the issues of the era, such as the treatment of "superfluous" and/or inconvenient children & women. Unfortunately, many of them continue into our current times.
I'm looking forward to seeing where the author takes Lily & her assistant Felix in the next book.
December 2, 2020
Alys Clare is a prolific and able writer of mystery novels, many of which I've enjoyed. The Outcast Girls adds to the pleasures she's previously brought to readers. The central characters are Lily Raynor, owner of the World's End Detective Bureau, and her employee (and admirer) Felix Wilbraham. Lily, a former nurse with no desire to return to that profession, nonetheless agrees to pose as the matron's assistant at a school for girls that has experienced a series of disappearances—and that seems to be taking these disappearances very lightly.
The novel moves back and forth between London and the fenlands location of the school, and the settings contrast starkly with one another adding to the novel's tension. Clare keeps a sense of menace present without being heavy-handed. And Lily's inner strength and her nursing skills are well up to facing that menace.
If you enjoy novels with a hint of the supernatural, you will enjoy The Outcast Girls.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.
The novel moves back and forth between London and the fenlands location of the school, and the settings contrast starkly with one another adding to the novel's tension. Clare keeps a sense of menace present without being heavy-handed. And Lily's inner strength and her nursing skills are well up to facing that menace.
If you enjoy novels with a hint of the supernatural, you will enjoy The Outcast Girls.
I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own.
October 31, 2020
I really enjoyed the first book in the World's End Investigation Bureau, a Victorian mystery series. This one, for some reason, was less intriguing.
The new case at a girls boarding school sounds good, and The Outcast Girls was OK, but I did not find it as interesting as I hoped. The title World's End Investigation Bureau and the Victorian setting appeals to me, and since I liked the first book, I'll give the next one a try.
Read in August. Blog review scheduled for Nov. 11.
NetGalley/Severn House
Historical Mystery. Dec. 1, 2020. Print length: 256 pages.
The new case at a girls boarding school sounds good, and The Outcast Girls was OK, but I did not find it as interesting as I hoped. The title World's End Investigation Bureau and the Victorian setting appeals to me, and since I liked the first book, I'll give the next one a try.
Read in August. Blog review scheduled for Nov. 11.
NetGalley/Severn House
Historical Mystery. Dec. 1, 2020. Print length: 256 pages.
September 27, 2020
This is the 2nd book in the Worlds End Bureau Victorian Mystery series, it is 1881 Lily Raynor the owner of the investigation bureau is worried about work drying up after their big case 9 months ago which she though would solicit more work for her and her employee Felix Wilbraham. But then in walks schoolteacher Georgiana Long who is concerned about girls going missing at Shardlowes the boarding school she works at which is located in the Fens far enough away from everything that the girls aren’t just running away. Lily goes with Georgiana undercover as an assistant matron which is a nurse which she was before she started the bureau. The old nurse left abruptly to care for a sick mother supposedly and there was an English teacher that Ms. Long replaced that left abruptly as well because they both feared something that was going on at the school. Lily goes to the school and investigates there meanwhile Felix is following the leads and investigating the disappearances of an older student Esme Sullivan who was found with a man and was supposed to get the train back to the school but instead headed to Portsmouth never to be seen again, as well as what happened to Genevieve Swanson the old English teacher and Carol Graves the assistant matron.
This was a really intriguing mystery and it was really interesting to read about this organization The Band of Angels whose mission is to alleviate poverty and ignorance which purportedly has among its patron’s dukes, princes and other rich individual which was supposedly completely above board but which has some questionable patrons attached to it who were doing some questionable things. I really loved that a woman was in charge of the agency and that there was no talk of Felix being in charge since he was a man and that she knew what she was doing being a strong and capable woman who was a good investigator. This was a really good read and I love historical mysteries but especially those set in the Victorian age which is my favorite time period to read about. While I haven’t read the first book in the series, I understood what was going on and there wasn’t any references I didn’t understand.
Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.
This was a really intriguing mystery and it was really interesting to read about this organization The Band of Angels whose mission is to alleviate poverty and ignorance which purportedly has among its patron’s dukes, princes and other rich individual which was supposedly completely above board but which has some questionable patrons attached to it who were doing some questionable things. I really loved that a woman was in charge of the agency and that there was no talk of Felix being in charge since he was a man and that she knew what she was doing being a strong and capable woman who was a good investigator. This was a really good read and I love historical mysteries but especially those set in the Victorian age which is my favorite time period to read about. While I haven’t read the first book in the series, I understood what was going on and there wasn’t any references I didn’t understand.
Thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book in e-book form. All opinions in this review are my own.
September 14, 2020
I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of The Outcast Girls, the second novel to feature Lily Raynor, proprietor of the World’s End Bureau, and her assist Felix Wilbraham.
London 1881. The success of their first case is not converting into cases or money and Lily is worried, then Georgiana Long arrives with a case. She is a teacher at Shardlowes school in the Fens and is worried that three young girls have gone missing from the school in the 18 months she has worked there. Not only that, there is a bad atmosphere in the school and she wants it investigated. Lily goes undercover as assistant matron and Felix conducts his enquiries.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Outcast Girls which has an interesting, if not entirely difficult to discern, plot with action, tension and emotion. Apart from the prelude, which only becomes relevant at the end of the novel, it is told from Lily and Felix’s points of view. I liked this approach as both are tackling the same crime from very different angles with Lily concentrating narrowly on events in the school while Felix roams the length of the country looking for context.
I like the atmosphere in the novel which is tense and dangerous. It adds an extra layer of creepiness to set it in the Fens, an area rife with legends and tales of bad intentions, whether human or supernatural, in the bleakness of winter. The danger to Lily is continually emphasised, initially simply as feelings but later backed up by example.
The plot is well thought out and designed as it gradually builds to a logical conclusion. I liked that the author added a little extra mini plot to this conclusion as it is the one that provides the most satisfaction as the main plot, while providing some resolution, is a touch inconclusive. This is the way of the world.
Lily and Felix continue their very amicable and close working relationship. There are hints that Felix might want more than friendship but I have no idea what Lily thinks.
The Outcast Girls is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
London 1881. The success of their first case is not converting into cases or money and Lily is worried, then Georgiana Long arrives with a case. She is a teacher at Shardlowes school in the Fens and is worried that three young girls have gone missing from the school in the 18 months she has worked there. Not only that, there is a bad atmosphere in the school and she wants it investigated. Lily goes undercover as assistant matron and Felix conducts his enquiries.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Outcast Girls which has an interesting, if not entirely difficult to discern, plot with action, tension and emotion. Apart from the prelude, which only becomes relevant at the end of the novel, it is told from Lily and Felix’s points of view. I liked this approach as both are tackling the same crime from very different angles with Lily concentrating narrowly on events in the school while Felix roams the length of the country looking for context.
I like the atmosphere in the novel which is tense and dangerous. It adds an extra layer of creepiness to set it in the Fens, an area rife with legends and tales of bad intentions, whether human or supernatural, in the bleakness of winter. The danger to Lily is continually emphasised, initially simply as feelings but later backed up by example.
The plot is well thought out and designed as it gradually builds to a logical conclusion. I liked that the author added a little extra mini plot to this conclusion as it is the one that provides the most satisfaction as the main plot, while providing some resolution, is a touch inconclusive. This is the way of the world.
Lily and Felix continue their very amicable and close working relationship. There are hints that Felix might want more than friendship but I have no idea what Lily thinks.
The Outcast Girls is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
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