The Adventuress of Albany [Please see Comment]

Darry Fraser has written several enjoyable and engaging Australian historical novels set around the Murray River region and Victorian Goldfields. In this case, our protagonists begin their adventures in Albany, Western Australia, in 1881 at the same time as the ship HMS Bacchante is in port. On board are Prince Albert Victor and Prince George, midshipmen grandsons of Queen Victoria.
 
The opening is charged with rapid action as Molly Bentley is knocked over in the street. As she lies dazed on the ground, a small boy dashes over to her and pushes a note into her hand. She is rescued by two women and taken to the house of a Mr Leo McRae. The note hints at danger to Molly and maybe also her companion, Mrs Caldicott, who narrowly escapes an attempt on her life. It is apparent someone is on their trail and they must get out of town.
 
Any novel in which characters have more than one name or identity can be problematic and, equally, when there are several convoluted plot threads in which some characters are privy to secret knowedge while others are left in the dark. In this one, we are drip-fed random facts and names in such an erratic fashion that a re-reading of earlier chapters is needed to try and gain a better understanding of what might be going on, who is really who, and how they may be connected to one another.
 
This can be best illustrated in the following plot summary:-
 
Molly Bentley is really Lady Mary Brinkley, a headstrong English aristocrat. She and her chaperone, Mrs Caldicott, are incognito and in Albany for reasons which aren’t fully explained and don’t start to make sense until more than half-way through the novel.
 
The widowed Mrs Caldicott is Molly’s aunt, but is also Lady Colette (Hunter/Groves), who may be on the run from debt collectors, or revengeful in-laws, or someone else, and whose long-term lover, Alistair Dunsford, just happens to be in Albany at the same time as his cousin, Leo McRae.
 
Then there are other mystery individuals, including nurse/midwife, Mrs Sloane, who is curiously handy with a gun and is connected somehow to Alistair and Leo.  Perhaps all of them are under secret orders to watch out for the Princes in addition to the two Ladies. Or perhaps it’s a cover for something else altogether. Alistair knows more than Leo but refuses to enlighten him.
 
Is it possible that any assassination or kidnapping plot against the two Princes is somehow linked to Lord Thomas Cato and his political support for Ireland? (Lord Thomas is both brother-in-law of Mrs C and father of Molly.)
 
Further, although Molly and Leo have eyes for one another, it seems Leo has made a noble gesture to save pregnant Helena Malcolm from disgrace by agreeing to marry her even though the child is not his. It’s possible she may still be in a relationship with the real father of her child.
 
And so on …
 
The real reason why someone is on the trail of Mrs C and Molly finally comes to light and it involves blackmail over a ridiculous "switcheroo" contrivance that reflects a bygone era of Victorian potboiler romance novels. The plot lost all credibility for me at this stage and it was a struggle to get to the end.
 
Negotiating these numerous threads was not helped by the erratic formatting of this particular e-book ARC (Advance Reading Copy) that has more than the usual pre-publication issues with grammar and the text layout. Plus the editing is poor, with over-written and repetitious narrative that needs serious attention. Whether I will try and read this again in hard copy after it properly polished and published, is a moot point.

COMMENT

Technically, I shouldn’t even be doing a review as this ARC clearly states at the beginning:-
 
“UNCORRECTED READING COPY Not for sale, review or quotation. If you would like to review this book, please contact the publisher for a finished copy.”
 
So, why then, did Harper Collins even allow this to be sent out by NetGalley for review in the first place?



 

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