Heather’s Bookshelf: The Fat Badger Society
Author: Dawn Harris
Released: 04/13/14
Genre: Historical Fiction
“When researching for his book, naturally we came across a few crimes over the centuries. Of those where we found proof, most obvious suspects were every bit as evil as they had appeared. But one or two were completely innocent.”
“The Fat Badger Society” introduces Lady Drusilla Davanish, an intelligent, twenty-seven year old, single heiress, in 1794 England. The story begins with an assassination attempt on King George who is visiting Drusilla and her family at the time of the attack. Someone close to her is killed in the crossfire and Drusilla is drawn into the mystery of who has set out to kill the king and start a revolution.
Drusilla’s invited to speak with William Pitt, the first Lord of the Treasury, to discuss enlisting her help in catching a French spy- a member of the Fat Badger Society. One of her houseguests is suspected of the crime and Drusilla is asked to get close to this man so that he might let his guard down around her and reveal his true intentions. Drusilla reluctantly accepts the mission and begins her investigation.
The story quickly evolves more in to a whodunit type of tale with several interesting suspects all with their own motivations and backstories. Drusilla’s investigation also tests her relationships with her friends and her love interest, but she’s determined to find out the truth. A couple of well hidden clues reveal the true culprit by the end of the novel, so keep your eyes open if you are to find the traitor before Drusilla does!
Trigger Warning: violence, murder
Overall, I enjoyed this little trip back in time. The author did a great job of immersing the reader in the past- from the language used to the traditions explored- it felt authentic. The premise itself was also interesting in that it seemed that this fictional whodunit could have actually been a real life mystery in the past (the story is fictional, but as the author states, similar societies were known to exist during that period). I also enjoyed Drusilla’s relationship with her Uncle and the budding romance within the main story. The ancillary characters (and suspects) are also well developed, each with their own personalities and interests. However, while I found the first 2/3 of the novel to be well paced, I thought that the final 1/3 was a little clunky. The reveal of the culprit was great, but then the explanation was repeated shortly after. I also thought that some of the characters reactions and actions were a little odd near the end. The ending was satisfying in that it wrapped up the main mystery and setup a couple of plot points for future tales. I would love to see what ends up happening with Drusilla and her decisions for the future.
This story is part of a series entitled “A Drusilla Davanish Mystery”. This review was given as a stand alone.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A trip back in time develops into a whodunit that gets a little muddled at the end.
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