****4 Stars****
As a huge fan of historical mysteries, I was excited to receive this ARC for review. I thought the description of the story was intriguing. I can honestly tell you that I was not disappointed! From the start I noticed 2 things; the first being well developed characters. There was no apathy toward any of them really, you despised the jerks and you loved the heroine, I never felt like they lacked anything. The second was the author’s research into the time period. This novel is set post-Civil War, in Kansas, during the Victorian period. The author did a fantastic job of illustrating the class divide, structure and customs of the time period.
While I found at least 2 of the characters practically reprehensible, there were several more that I completely enjoyed, however, I can’t help but have fallen in love with Hattie. She is a remarkably written woman. I particularly like that the author wrote her to be a strong, independent, self-sufficient woman in a time period that authors commonly write women to be weak and needy, and often uneducated in worldly matters. Hattie handles herself with class and dignity, gives the illusion that she knows her place, and as it happens, this illusion puts her in a better position to get the information that she needs to solve the murder, especially after her employer is arrested for murder!
All in all, I will say that Anything But Civil should be high on your TBR shelves. It was a roller coaster of twists and turns, where there are tons of suspects and little in the way of clues. It will keep you guessing until the very end! I will definitely be checking out the author’s first novel, A Lack of Temperance, and eagerly anticipate the third in the series.
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