Violet Hamilton is a spinster – an unmarried woman in her late 20s during a time when society did not view that term favorably. However, the moniker doesn’t bother Violet that much. What does bother her is the mysterious disappearance of her mother Lily about ten years prior. Even now, she still doesn’t have a clue as to what happened to her. Taking matters into her own hands, she decides to hire a detective to investigate. But when Frank Knight begins to display questionable behavior while on the case, Violet starts to wonder if she chose the right person for the job – or if she should have resurfaced the case altogether. No Life for a Lady by Hannah Dolby follows Violet as she rebels against late-1800s English society and pursues the answers she desperately needs, and discovers who she is along the way.

After Lily’s disappearance, the original investigation eventually went cold, and soon no one seemed to care. Even Violet’s father declined to pursue it, bitterly accepting that Lily simply left them, and that there was no point in trying to find her. In fact, he is more intent on seeing Violet married. But each time he introduces a suitor, Violet hilariously finds a way to deter their advances. In truth, Violet never intends to marry, and she makes that very clear. It also doesn’t help that ever since her mother’s disappearance, Violet’s friends and acquaintances stopped socializing with her, fearing that somehow any ill luck related to the tragedy is contagious. Even so, Violet focuses on what’s important – finding out what happened to her mother.

Fearing that she may have made a mistake by hiring Mr. Knight, Violet finds another detective – the young Benjamin Blackthorn. While he insists that he is done with detective work, Violet somehow convinces him to not only assist her, but to also let her take on prospective customers for him. Soon enough, Violet finds that she rather enjoys detective work, and decides that is what she will pursue in life. Yet, she can’t help but notice Mr. Blackthorn’s “manliness” and the confusing effect it has on her. Eventually, Violet pursues answers for matters unrelated to her cases.

Violet Hamilton is such a fun, new type of character in historical fiction. Just her inner monologues alone would make the book worthy of any reader’s list. No Life for a Lady is charming, adorable, and entertaining. Even though the pacing was a bit slow to begin with, it quickly picks up the more Violet’s life spins. Even so, I loved her tenacity and wit, and rooted for her until the end. I also loved meeting all the characters – even the scuzzy ones. And any time Benjamin and Violet were in a room together, my eyes were glued to the page. 

Hannah Dolby joins us for a Cantina Conversation to talk about her book. She discusses her favorite parts of developing the story and future projects. Keep an ear out for an upcoming episode of The Nerd Cantina Show podcast and preorder No Life for a Lady, available May 9.