The Female Detective

By: Andrew Forrester

Narrated by: Gabrielle de Cuir, Stefan Rudnicki

“Literary ancestor to Miss Marple, Lisbeth Salander, and Nancy Drew.” (The Guardian, London)

First published in 1864, decades before there were official female detectives or female police officers in Britain, The Female Detective features the original lady detective: the determined and resourceful Miss Gladden, known as “G”. She examines crime scenes incognito, tracks down killers, and solves mysteries employing all manner of skill, subterfuge, and charm to achieve her ends while attempting to conceal her own identity from others.

Miss Gladden’s deductive methods and energetic approach anticipate those of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, and she can be seen as beginning a powerful tradition of female detectives in these seven short stories. The Female Detective is sure to enchant a new generation of crime fiction fans.

Public Domain (P)2021 Blackstone Publishing

Historical curiosity but dull

This is an interesting piece of Victorian literary history, but a dull novel. The narrator does a good job of portraying Victorian prudery, moral smugness, and idiotic devotion to duty.

ughh

bad narrator, overdone on the accents and the story just staggers. by the second chapter the news was a better listen.