Won this in LibraryThing First Reviewers Giveaway. Was I supposed to know this character from another book? I am st the point where Marian is accepting marriage. I am bored and wanted intrigue. I think I will put this aside. Or do i skim a bit in search of the intrigue?
Edit: I read more, it got better. I confess, I ended up skimming it. But the tale was just not my cup of tea. Too slow and a poor attempt to sound Victorian.

Not what i was expecting at all. I was envisaging something along the lines of Amelia Peabody - instead it was more Victorian social commentary than high adventure. Granted it involved bigamy, anarchists, The Great Stink, murder and Victorian Family Values, and rattled along at a fair pace (it did involve a last minute marriage - literally), so it fulfilled expectations in that sense but I felt somewhat let down in the high adventure department. An enjoyable holiday read - I shall have to see how the others pan out. (I was reading it at Cley Marshes while the other half was bird watching - I prefer wildlife to be neatly trussed, cooked appropriately and placed on the dinner table.)

{First of 5 (so far) in Marian Halcombe series; historical fiction, Victorian}(2021)

This story is apparently based on the character ‘Marian Halcombe’ in Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White, which I hadn't realised when I requested it; I was attracted by the tagline 'the most dangerous woman in Europe'. Not having read any works by Collins, I didn't have preconceptions with regards to his style of writing or the character. A quick look at Wikepedia caught me up on the story in his novel, which is set in Victorian times. This e-novel is divided into six books although the narrative forms one story rather than separate episodes.

Book 1
In which Marian is courted. (1857): I found it slow going to start with, probably because it's not my preferred genre and Clough utilises a writing style which, presumably, would match the original; it does work, for the most part (I'm comparing it mentally to the Brontës' style though it's been a long time since I've read them), although there is the occasional slight slip. It is written as a selection of journal entries from Marian's diary and letters between herself and her sister or her suitor and mentions a few contemporary books (including references to ‘Arsène Dupin’ which must be a version of Arsène Lupin) and events, which enable the reader to place the story in time. There is a fair bit of nonsense about a woman's place being subservient to a man's (according to society and legal standing) when - I assume - the author has tongue firmly in cheek. It is short but sweet. 3.5**** (could have been higher but for brevity)

Book 2
In which there is a setback to Marian’s romance (1858): The narration (in the first person) alternates between Marian and her brother-in-law, Walter Hartright.
I like this quote:

With an effort I kept my face straight. ‘It was ill done of you, Camlet, to put her into that condition. She wields it like a brace of pistols, ruthlessly exploiting it at every opportunity.’

Book 3
In which Walter Hartright’s detective skills are called upon as there is a further setback.

Clough works the rights (or not) of women and the terrible conditions in gaols in those times into the narrative (although I don’t have enough knowledge to comment on her accuracy but it aligns with the little I do know). It does, for the most part, fit fairly comfortably into the story.

Book 4
In which Marian and Walter investigate further: We read her own written account by the most dangerous woman in Europe. (This would make an interesting novel in itself if Clough were to write it in full, which I’d like to read.) I noticed (and liked) the fact that both Marian and Walter are instrumental in resolving the case.

Book 5
In which Marian and Laura face down danger and Walter’s artistic talents are required.

Book 6
Endings. And beginnings.

I found the story interesting overall and it flowed well, although I still have a couple of questions that weren't answered. I liked the touches of humour interspersed through the story. Clough highlights some of the conditions of Victorian England that no longer exist (for instance the state of Newgate Prison, the miasma caused through London by the rubbish clogging up the Thames - and perish the thought of women asking for the right to vote) although it feels more like information for the present day reader than having impact as it might have done if it had been read in Victorian times. And though Marian is an independent character, she still defers to the rights that men (her brother-in-law and then her husband) have over her actions and property but despite this I still felt she was more modern than, say, Jane Eyre. 'Jane Eyre' (as a character in a book) and Charles Dickens (the author) are referred to a few times in the story; Dickens himself even makes a cameo appearance.

Although historical fiction is not my go-to genre I have the next book, thanks to LT Early Readers, and I am happy to continue with the series.

September 2021
3.5 stars ( )

This first episode of the Most Dangerous Woman series was first released in 2018 with the chapter called A New Journal. All the chapters are now collected, and eponymously titled Marian Holcombe. It’s a rousing historical pastiche that follows up on the characters in Wilkie Collins’s A Women in White. It’s also very much in the spirit of other Victorian countryside sagas such as Alcott’s early novel The Inheritance. Clough’s first in this series is a well-researched tale incorporating British law at the time, with details about life in prison, housing inadequacies of the urban poor, and the travails of middle class pregnancy. It’s also suspenseful, and often very funny. I see that there are a dozen novels in Clough’s Marian Holcombe series coming out, which I look forward to exploring. ( )

It was easy to get swept into this novel, which continues the story of Marian Halcombe from Wilkie Collins's The Woman in White. The adventures Marian goes through here are along themes familiar from The Woman in White: troubled marriages, a woman's position in a marriage, children outside marriage. Like The Woman in White, the story is told through diary entries, notes, and letters, making it feel immediate and engaging. I enjoyed this one and struggled to put it down, but I don't think I'll be seeking out the many sequels. ( )