Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle has a passion for justice and a highly unconventional obsession with criminal science. Armed with her father’s law books and her mother’s microscope, Myrtle studies toxicology, keeps abreast of the latest developments in crime-scene analysis, and observes her neighbors in the quiet village of Swinburne, England.
When her next-door neighbor, a wealthy spinster and eccentric breeder of rare flowers, dies under mysterious circumstances, Myrtle seizes her chance. With her unflappable governess, Miss Ada Judson, by her side, Myrtle takes it upon herself to prove Miss Wodehouse was murdered and find the killer, even if nobody else believes her—not even her father, the town prosecutor.
With sparkling wit and a tight, twisty plot, Premeditated Myrtle, the first in a series from an award-winning author, introduces a brilliant young investigator ready to take on hard cases and maddening Victorian rules for “young ladies of quality” to earn her place among the most daring and acclaimed amateur detectives of her time or any other.
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“In the tradition of heroines like Flavia de Luce and Harriet the Spy, Myrtle is a fine example of the Victorian scientific female—smart, inquisitive, and fearless. Written with a terrific mixture of humor and suspense, Premeditated Myrtle is a perfect read for any budding detective.”
— Rhys Bowen, New York Times bestselling author
“A saucy, likable heroine shines in a mystery marked by clever, unexpected twists.”
— Kirkus ReviewsBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Elizabeth C. Bunce is the author of the StarCrossed series and the Myrtle Hardcastle mystery series. She grew up on a steady diet of Sherlock Holmes, Trixie Belden, and Quincy, M.E. and always played the lead prosecutor in mock trials. She has never had a governess, and no one has ever accused her of being irrepressible, but a teacher did once call her “argumentative”—which was entirely untrue. Find her online at elizabethcbunce.com.