Premeditated Myrtle

by Elizabeth C. Bunce

Libby audiobook 8 hours

Read by Bethan Rose Young

Published: 2020

Genre: YA historical mystery

 

There was a lot to like about this book! Interesting characters, lots of clues, intelligent vocabulary, . . . but main character Myrtle irritated me. It wasn't the vocal work, which was great! It was the clueless lack of awareness of other people (age-appropriate, but still irritating).

 

My quickly jotted notes in the car include "Myrtle - clueless, irritating, precocious . . . NO BOUNDARIES!"

 

The footnotes throughout the story were fine. I thought this would be an excellent book for advanced readers who are ready for a more intellectual challenge without the more mature content that often comes in middle school books.

 

The "Morbid Myrtle" nickname and the "mean girls" phenomenon were applicable to today's social dynamics. Set in the 1890s, I like Miss Judson's observation that "there are Aunt Helenas and LaRue (last name) everywhere." Yes, there are mean people everywhere and in every time.

 

I liked Miss Judson quite a bit. She's so much more than a governess! I like her sketchbooks, her calm, her curiosity, and her Socratic questions. The book definitely should have had more happen between her and Mr. Hardcastle (Myrtle's father).

 

The actual mystery of how their neighbor Mrs. Wodehouse died is at the heart of the story. I guessed the real culprit early on but enjoyed the development of the story. It just bothered me how often Myrtle was impulsive or rude. It was cool that she was observant, curious, and wanting to be an investigator rather than just a silly Victorian girl. It took me a few chapters to realize that the quotes at the start of each chapter were from her! "The Principles of Detection by H.M. Hardcastle" - SHE was Helen Myrtle (named after the awful aunt Helena) Hardcastle and she aspired to be a Sherlock Holmes.

 

I enjoyed it but don't plan to read others in the series. Myrtle is just not my kind of detective, though she is clever and the clues in this book were delightful. I think the law clerk was my favorite character after Miss Judson. And Cook.