Spunky Sally is a prostitute in London eking out a living in one of the few 'trades' available to single independent women of her time and social status. As we go through a typical day with her, she picks up some atypical clients...each of whom have mysterious motives. Turning back to the street that night, she runs into Digger, valet to debonair Julian Kestrel, a gentleman of the upper classes. Dipper happens to be her brother and sees that she's run into some trouble with one of her clients, so takes her home to clean her up. Kestrel, returning early, supports Digger's efforts to care for Sally. After a conversation with her in which he realizes that she has picked up a little more than the prearranged pay for her services (Sally likes to pick her clients' pockets for their handkerchiefs), Julian discovers a mysterious letter that Sally had not been aware she had picked up as well. The letter leads the three on a rescue mission of what seems to be a woman of refinement and means who has fallen prey to a sexual predator. They arrive at the reformation house for loose women too late, however; the woman who sent the letter, "Mary," has allegedly committed suicide the night before they begin their investigation. Further investigation reveals a complex network of ties between the individuals in the reformation house and the dark underbelly of the sex trade as Sally and Julian explore their unusual relationship.Definitely a great read. Julian continues to be a fun character, and Sally adds quite a bit of spark to the proceedings. Highly recommended for fans of historical mystery.
Another gem; I loved it almost as much as Cut to the Quick.One night, a prostitute name Sally Stokes picks up three separate men. She swipes a handkerchief from each of their pockets in the hope of selling them later. After a bad run-in with John #3, whom she refers to as 'Blinkers', she runs into her brother, who just happens to be manservant to one Mr. Julian Kestrel.Kestrel discovers a letter hidden in one of the handkerchiefs. Problem is, he's not sure which handkerchief it came from and, of course, there is no name on the letter (that would be just a little too easy, wouldn't it?). The letter is a desperate plead from what is clearly a woman in trouble. The woman is soon tracked down, but there's another problem: she's dead. Her death is written off a suicide, but Kestrel thinks otherwise. With the help of Sally and his manservant Dipper, Kestrel tries to discover who had the letter and what their connection was to the mysterious woman, and more importantly, who was the killer?.A Broken Vessel was a great fast-paced historical mystery novel. There were so many twists and turns that you're not sure which way is up until the very end. Just when I think I have down the culprit, my mind is soon changed, and I'm suspecting someone else.So far, this is a strong series and hopefully it'll just get better.
Do You like book A Broken Vessel (1995)?
A disappointing sequel to Cut to the Quick. Much of the plot and narrative are spent away from the delightful Kestrel; as a secondary character, he feels more like a caricature than anything else, and (view spoiler)[I thought his attraction to and subsequent physical relationship with Sally was completely unconvincing, felt out of character, and really detracted from the book overall (hide spoiler)]
—sharon
Meh. The mystery was OK, but I really didn't buy the relationship between our hero, Julian, and Sally, the prostitute sister of Julian's valet. It seemed kind of icky all around, given the power and class differential. And the part where the valet figured out they had slept together, and was HAPPY about it because it made him and his boss kind of like blood-brothers in some way? Eww. I'm also not a big fan of the Dr. MacGregor character. He's too much a caricature, and he doth protest too much (about everything) every time he makes an appearance, which I think his supposed to make him lovably irascible, but ends up just making him seem whiny.
—Lorena
Julian Kestral is such a dandy that his style is copied everywhere, but his true gift is in sleuthing. When his valet's sister stumbles upon a chilling letter, he takes the case. The mystery is twisty and dark, and solved through a combination of legwork, wit and courage. I love the dialog in these books, which is snappy but always feels natural. The relationships between characters are my favorite part. Dipper and his master, Kestral, live together in a wonderfully symbiotic way, and his sister's cocky, forthright addition to their dynamic is adorable to read. Rare among mystery series, the characters from the first book's mystery (Dr.MacGregor, Philipa) pop up again in this book, which makes everything feel more realistic. (After sharing such intense emotions and experiences, it seems unlikely that they would all fall out of touch, just in time for another mystery to pop up, as generally happens.)
—Wealhtheow
