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The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective
Secrets and Lies in the Golden Age of Crime
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The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective
$2499
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Ideal for readers fascinated by women's history, true crime, social history of early twentieth-century Britain, and fans of detective stories seeking a real-life heroine. Also recommended for those interested in biographies of remarkable, pioneering women.
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See moreThe enthralling true story of the curious life and career of Maud West, one of Britain's first and best-known female detectives.
The enthralling true story of the curious life and career of Maud West, one of Britain's first and best-known female detectives.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Maud West ran her detective agency in London for more than thirty years, having started sleuthing on behalf of society's finest in 1905. Her exploits grabbed headlines throughout the world but, beneath the public persona, she was forced to hide vital aspects of her own identity in order to thrive in a class-obsessed and male-dominated world. And—as Susannah Stapleton reveals—she was a most unreliable witness to her own life.
Who was Maud? And what was the reality of being a female private detective in the Golden Age of Crime?
Interweaving tales from Maud West's own 'casebook' with social history and extensive original research, Stapleton investigates the stories Maud West told about herself in a quest to uncover the truth.
With walk-on parts by Dr Crippen and Dorothy L. Sayers, Parisian gangsters and Continental blackmailers, The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective is a portrait of a woman ahead of her time and a deliciously salacious glimpse into the underbelly of 'good society' during the first half of the twentieth century.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Terrific ... a brilliant literary sleuth tracks down a real one, uncovering a flabbergasting hidden life along the way. – Lissa Evans
Deliciously entertaining, meticulous and affectionate ... Criminally good. I loved it. – Mel McGrath
A powerhouse of a book ... sweet and wonderful company, absolutely determined to discover the truth. – Judith Flanders
Maud West is a gloriously English eccentric – think Miranda Hart meets Margaret Rutherford – brought to life by present day sleuth Susannah Stapleton. – Sean O'Connor
Dogged sleuthing revealing a little-explored sliver of life between the wars. I loved it. – Kate Colquhoun
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781509867325
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 20 February 2020
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Picador
Illustration: Integrated b/w photographs
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 26.0mm
Width: 130.0mm
Height: 197.0mm
Weight: 268g
Pages: 320
About the Author
Susannah Stapleton, a former bookseller at Wenlock Books in Shropshire, studied archaeology at the University of Birmingham and has worked as a freelance historical researcher for over twenty years.
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