Point of Honour

Point of Honour (2003) Madeleine E. Robins

Point of Honour is a mystery novel set in Regency London. Sarah Tolerance is a Fallen woman, and as such she has few venues open to her that would allow her to make a living. The most common “career” for a fallen woman was prostitution, and indeed Sarah’s aunt has taken this path, and become one of the more well-to-do Madams in London. However, Sarah has chosen her own path, and has become an agent of inquiry, Most of her clients are well-to-do women who want to know what their husbands are doing, but latest client wants her to find a lost article–an Italian fan.

What I particularly liked about this story was the effort that was put into making Sarah’s situation believable. The past that would have allowed Sarah to become an agent of inquiry is–although unexpected–still believable. Especially the consequences of that past. But Sarah’s situation was still such that she was able to survive as an agent of inquiry, for multiple reasons set out within the story.

The mystery was wonderful. The story took many different twists and turns, most unexpected, but almost all believable within the context of the story and the characters. Indeed, halfway through the book, the story reached what I had assumed what would be the conclusion of the story, but clearly was not.

Sarah herself was a wonderful character, although one that I am sure can be appreciated only by the modern reader. She is strong willed, and does what she wants, and yet recognizes that there are consequences for those actions.

The secondary characters were also very well done. They were distinct and recognizable from one another, which is always a plus in any story. It’s frustrating to have one secondary character blend into another, and I always enjoy it when an author is as good with her background characters as with her primary characters.

Additionally, this book is fantastic from the first paragraph.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Fallen Woman of good family must, soon or late, descend into whoredom. Indeed, a maidservant or seamstress might eke out her wages with casual prostitution, but a gentlewoman of damaged virtue is so often lacking the resources that dedicated harlotry is her necessary fate.

How’s that for an opening line?

The one thing that annoyed me, however, was the fact that although we were close enough to the main character to know her thoughts and feelings, she is still referred to as Miss Tolerance, which just bugged me. I didn’t think about her as Miss Tolerance, but instead as Sarah, so I kept wondering why the author was referring to her so formally.

Okay, one other thing that bugged me: I could not remember the name Gregor Mendel. I could dredge Punnett squares out of my memory, but not Gregor Mendel. (Mind you, the setting of the story pre-dates Mendel’s work, but it was annoying just the same.)

Now mind you, I love historical mysteries, so I was already predisposed to enjoy this story. But in addition to a setting I adore, Point of Honour also provided strong characters, a complex mystery, and good writing. If you like historical mysteries, then you should enjoy Point of Honour.
Rating: 8/10

• Browse the archives:
  
• Aunt Dimity’s Death » »
• « « Runaways Vol 4: True Believers