The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective

The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective PDF Author: Susannah Stapleton
Publisher: Picador
ISBN: 9781509867325
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The true story of Maud West, who was one of Britain's earliest female detectives presents a sense of female detection in the Golden Age of Crime. Features cameos from Dr Crippen and Dorothy L. Sayers. 'If you are susceptible to Miss Marple and Harriet Vane you must read The Adventures of Maud West. You will never know the difference between fact and fiction again.' - Jill Paton Walsh, author of the Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane mysteries. 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 both 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.

The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective

The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective PDF Author: Susannah Stapleton
Publisher: Picador
ISBN: 9781509867325
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 0

Get Book Here

Book Description
The true story of Maud West, who was one of Britain's earliest female detectives presents a sense of female detection in the Golden Age of Crime. Features cameos from Dr Crippen and Dorothy L. Sayers. 'If you are susceptible to Miss Marple and Harriet Vane you must read The Adventures of Maud West. You will never know the difference between fact and fiction again.' - Jill Paton Walsh, author of the Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane mysteries. 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 both 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.

The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective

The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective PDF Author: Susannah Stapleton
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
ISBN: 1509867317
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Book Description
'If you are susceptible to Miss Marple and Harriet Vane you must read The Adventures of Maud West. You will never know the difference between fact and fiction again.' – Jill Paton Walsh, author of the Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane mysteries. 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 historical researcher 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 both 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.

The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective

The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective PDF Author: Susannah Stapleton
Publisher: Picador
ISBN: 1760786756
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 372

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Book Description
Maud West ran her detective agency in London for more than thirty years, having starting 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.

Sister Sleuths

Sister Sleuths PDF Author: Nell Darby
Publisher: Pen and Sword History
ISBN: 1526780267
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 255

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Book Description
“A unique and inherently fascinating history that brings a particular aspect of the role of women in law enforcement up out of obscurity.” —Midwest Book Review The 1857 Divorce Act paved the way for a new career for women: that of the private detective. To divorce, you needed proof of adultery—and men soon realized that women were adept at infiltrating households and befriending wives, learning secrets and finding evidence. Over the course of the next century, women became increasingly confident in gaining work as private detectives, moving from largely unrecognized helpers to the police and to male detectives, to becoming owners of their own detective agencies. In fiction, they were depicted as exciting creatures needing money and work; in fact, they were of varying ages, backgrounds and marital status, seeking adventure and independence as much as money. Former actresses found that detective work utilized their skills at adopting different roles and disguises; former spiritualists were drafted to denounce frauds and stayed to become successful private eyes; and several female detectives became keen supporters of the women’s suffrage movement, having seen for themselves how career-minded women faced obstacles in British society. Sister Sleuths seeks to shed light on the groundbreaking women who have worked over the past century and a half to uncover wrongdoing and solve crimes. “The book is well-researched and provides numerous examples of women who either dabbled in investigation or made it their life’s work.” —Historical Novel Society “Absolutely enthralling stuff.” —Books Monthly

The Lady Agnes Mystery

The Lady Agnes Mystery PDF Author: Andrea Japp
Publisher: Gallic Books
ISBN: 1910477192
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 521

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Book Description
Andrea Japp uses her remarkable knowledge of French history to tell an intricate and spellbinding story of a battle between church and state. 'An excellent read' Historical Novels Review 1304. The Church and the French Crown are locked in a power struggle. In the Normandy countryside, monks on a secret mission are brutally murdered and a poisoner is at large at Clairets Abbey. Young noblewoman Agnès de Souarcy fights to retain her independence but must face the Inquisition, unaware that she is the focus of an ancient quest.

Daddy's Rules

Daddy's Rules PDF Author: Rachel Sontag
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
ISBN: 0007257295
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 275

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Book Description
As Rachel's family slowly crumbles under the pressure of a man who refuses to accept his children for what they are, Rachel is forced to ever greater extremes in order to free herself from his crushing grip, in this compelling and beautifully written memoir.

The Book Of Echoes

The Book Of Echoes PDF Author: Rosanna Amaka
Publisher: Random House
ISBN: 1473569591
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 384

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Book Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE AUTHOR'S CLUB FIRST NOVEL AWARD, THE RSL CHRISTOPHER BLAND PRIZE and THE HWA DEBUT CROWN AWARD 'A new classic' SARA COLLINS, author of THE CONFESSIONS OF FRANNIE LANGTON 'Impassioned. Lyrical and affecting' GUARDIAN _____________ Brixton 1981. Sixteen-year-old Michael is already on the wrong side of the law. In in his community, where job opportunities are low and drug-running is high, this is nothing new. But when Michael falls for Ngozi, a vibrant young immigrant from the Nigerian village of Obowi, their startling connection runs far deeper than they realise. Narrated by the spirit of an African woman who lost her life on a slave ship two centuries earlier, her powerful story reveals how Michael and Ngozi's struggle for happiness began many lifetimes ago. Through haunting, lyrical words, one unforgettable message resonates: love, hope and unity will heal us all. _____________ 'A searing, rhapsodic novel. Filled with beauty, devastation and the power of ancestral connections that ripple through the ages' IRENOSEN OKOJIE, author of NUDIBRANCH 'A gorgeous book' ALEX WHEATLE, author of BRIXTON ROCK _____________ Readers love THE BOOK OF ECHOES: 'A powerful and honest debut which is going to stay with me for a long time' ***** 'You can feel Amaka's passion rising off the page' ***** 'BRILLIANT, thoughtful and masterfully crafted' ***** 'Oh my goodness, the book itself is even more beautiful and haunting than the cover' *****

Death At Wentwater Court

Death At Wentwater Court PDF Author: Carola Dunn
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 1466820616
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 243

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Book Description
In a series debut from Carola Dunn that is sure to delight fans of the classic British cozy mystery, Death at Wentwater Court brings readers old and new back to the "golden age" of mystery. It's the early 1920s in England--the country is still recovering from the Great War and undergoing rapid social changes that many are not quite ready to accept. During this heady and tumultuous time, the Honorable Daisy Dalrymple, the daughter of a Viscount, makes a decision shocking to her class: rather than be supported by her relations, she will earn her own living as a writer. Landing an assignment for Town & Country magazine for a series of articles on country manor houses, she travels to Wentwater Court in early January 1923 to begin research on her first piece. But all is not well there when she arrives. Lord Wentwater's young wife has become the center of a storm of jealousy, animosity, and, possibly, some not-unwanted amorous attention, which has disrupted the peace of the bucolic country household. Still, this is as nothing compared to the trouble that ensues when one of the holiday guests drowns in a tragic early-morning skating accident. Especially when Daisy discovers that his death was no accident....

When Time Stopped

When Time Stopped PDF Author: Ariana Neumann
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1982106395
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
In this astonishing story that “reads like a thriller and is so, so timely” (BuzzFeed) Ariana Neumann dives into the secrets of her father’s past: “Like Anne Frank’s diary, it offers a story that needs to be told and heard” (Booklist, starred review). In 1941, the first Neumann family member was taken by the Nazis, arrested in German-occupied Czechoslovakia for bathing in a stretch of river forbidden to Jews. He was transported to Auschwitz. Eighteen days later his prisoner number was entered into the morgue book. Of thirty-four Neumann family members, twenty-five were murdered by the Nazis. One of the survivors was Hans Neumann, who, to escape the German death net, traveled to Berlin and hid in plain sight under the Gestapo’s eyes. What Hans experienced was so unspeakable that, when he built an industrial empire in Venezuela, he couldn’t bring himself to talk about it. All his daughter Ariana knew was that something terrible had happened. When Hans died, he left Ariana a small box filled with letters, diary entries, and other memorabilia. Ten years later Ariana finally summoned the courage to have the letters translated, and she began reading. What she discovered launched her on a worldwide search that would deliver indelible portraits of a family loving, finding meaning, and trying to survive amid the worst that can be imagined. A “beautifully told story of personal discovery” (John le Carré), When Time Stopped is an unputdownable detective story and an epic family memoir, spanning nearly ninety years and crossing oceans. Neumann brings each relative to vivid life, and this “gripping, expertly researched narrative will inspire those looking to uncover their own family histories” (Publishers Weekly).

Full Service

Full Service PDF Author: Scotty Bowers
Publisher: Grove
ISBN: 9781611856071
Category : Male prostitutes
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
The wholesome image of America propagated by Hollywood in the 1940s, '50s and '60s is one of the most persistent in popular culture: loving wives, smiling children. But off the set, many of the actors who helped create this image were secretly leading very wild lives, and one man in particular was helping them: Scotty Bowers. At a time when sex outside of marriage was taboo, Scotty built up a reputation as the guy who could discreetly fix you up. Scotty slept with many stars himself, and connected others with his friends. Here, he tells his story for the first time. Scotty came to Hollywood after serving in the Marines in World War II, and began working at a gas station on Hollywood Boulevard. One day, he was approached and picked up by actor Walter Pidgeon, who whisked him off to a friend's villa for the first of many encounters with Hollywood's rich and famous. He developed long-term friendships with stars like Katharine Hepburn and Noel Coward, but he always kept it quiet--until he now provides a lost chapter in the history of the sexual revolution.--From publisher description.