Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook

December 1, 2023

Maude Horton's Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook

After being informed of her sister's death while on an Arctic voyage on the ship Makepeace, Maude Horton demands answers about what happened to Constance. The ship was supposed to be searching for an Arctic explorer who went missing with his ship, but Maude discovers that there was another purpose for the voyage. Meanwhile, Edison Stowe, the Makepeace's scientific officer, is deeply in debt and concocts a scheme to make a great deal of money by capitalizing on the Victorian fascination with murder and executions.

This is a well-researched historical novel about revenge, but the plot moves slowly. Much of the book is spent setting up the final scenes and a lot of time is spent explaining little-known aspects of Victorian life. It reminded me of The Square of Sevens in that way. Learning about the Victorian fascination with executions and that there actually were excursions to watch executions outside London was quite interesting. There are some gaps, since we don't find out what happened to a number of the characters or the fate of the rubies that Stowe was after. Sensitive readers should be aware that there are a number of scenes of animal cruelty. 

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

In the Victorian age, executions were a source of public entertainment