The Serpent and the Scorpion

Clare Langley-Hawthorne’s new book featuring Ursula Marlow follows the popular themes of a crumbling empire and the push toward universal (and particularly women’s) suffrage.  Already fascinating subjects, Langley-Hawthorne adds the allure of Egypt and the rising interest in socialist ideas.  This is a well rounded and well researched book that hides many compelling and thought provoking ideas within an interesting mystery.

One of my personal favorite themes in the book surrounds the tension between Marlow’s class and position in society (she is a factory owner) and her socialist leanings.  At the time, it was shocking enough for a woman to be an entrepreneur and it would be easy to think that the author added the socialist theme to plump the plot as it seems incongruous with the character, but the reality is more complex.

There were many rich socialists in the first half of the 20th century and the contradiction between many people’s theories and practices was a reality that provides for a more thorough investigation of gender and class during the Edwardian period.  It also allows the author to explore this division within the women’s suffrage movement, between those that felt that giving wealthy white women the vote would solve society’s problems and those who saw the movement within the context of struggling toward greater equality in general.

The suffragette movement appears to be a popular backdrop within the sub-genre, but I am not complaining; each author focuses on a different aspect of the movement.  Clare Langley-Hawthorne does not make suffrage central in the way that Gillian Linscott does with her Nell Bray series, instead it is used more as a way to help fully develop Ursula Marlow as a three dimensional character, which she is…well actually she might even be five or six dimensional.

Ursula Marlow has a lot going on, and I mean a lot.  She is an emancipated woman of Edwardian England who inherited her fathers factory and has chosen to run it herself.  She is also a socialist member of the Women’s Social and Political Union, with a lesbian best friend and a lover she refuses to marry, an ex she is trying to save, all while being a general adventurer.  There is a lot to Ms. Marlow and she is a fun guide to follow.

The book also touches briefly on Egypt and war profiteering, two themes I wish were explored more fully.  In fact, I could see this book easily accommodating another fifty to a hundred pages (the book is 289 pages).  The research is clearly there and I would have enjoyed longer discussions about Egypt and the partnership between commerce and war; if Anne Perry and Clare Langley-Hawthorne had an authorial baby, it would have perfect soliloquies dedicated to educating the reader on the prominent perspectives of the day.  My only other criticism is that the conclusion of the previous book (Consequences of Sin) is explicitly discussed in the Serpent and the Scorpion so it is a good thing I can never remember things like that but for those of you who have minds like steel traps: beware of the spoilers!  Other than that, I recommend finding and reading this book.

Dance on Blood

This is an amazing series and Nell Bray is one of my favorite protagonists.  Nell Bray is strong, thoughtful and passionate; brave but still highly relatable.  She is an accidental detective but the mysteries always involve her work as a suffragette in London in the early part of the last century.

The suffragette setting is a highly compelling backdrop for Gillian Linscott’s stories and she fully exploits it to add flavour and plot devices to the mystery.  The suffragettes are often only a footnote in the history of this tumultuous time and Gillian Linscott really brings into to focus the frustration and desperation many (mainly white and middle class) women felt during the era.

Because this is a series, Nell Bray can guide us through the different stages of the movement, highlighting the non-homogeneity of the membership’s methods and motivations.  Not glamorized, the suffragette movement is drawn to display the complex decisions and trade offs required to participate in Politics.  The history is well researched and every included detail adds to the story and the reader’s understanding of the time period, which is a true achievement.

Beyond the setting,  the 7th mystery in this series is interesting and complex enough to keep you guessing, or at least interested for those who are blessed/cursed with being able to always guess the murderer right away.  The added layers of Oscar Wilde, Salome and the opera world help to give insight into the dominant values of the time and place and made me want to reread all of Wilde’s work.

Reading these books makes me realize how much we take suffrage for granted, only 30% of Vancouver’s registerd voters went to the polls in our last municipal election.  It is a good thing that people cannot imagine a democracy without universal suffrage but it is sad to think that the work of so many before us might be forgotten.  A mystery that can make me think about all of this while keeping me completely entertained: I would call that a gem.