A Dangerous Duet by Karen Odden

What else could be happening behind the scenes at The Octavian except piano playing and entertaining of every sort?

Nell played there to earn money for tuition to the Royal Academy even though her policeman brother didn’t know about it and wouldn’t approve.  Too many shady characters in that building and not safe to be walking back alone at night.

Nell was definitely getting herself into something dangerous, and she didn’t know it.  Nell heard so many different stories about what each person was like and what was going on that it was difficult to know who was telling the truth.

One thing that did happen was that one of the actresses was badly beaten and her partner was no where to be found.  Other incidents occurred too to make Nell and her brother wonder what was going on.

With the beating of the actress, the missing actor, and the death of a policeman, Nell’s brother had his doubts about one of his fellow policemen.  He believes there is a snitch at Scotland Yard.

Meanwhile, Nell is learning things aren’t as “clean” as they appear at The Octavian.  Was she getting herself into danger she didn’t know about?  Nell was taking chances being dressed as a man in a place that wasn’t as safe as she thought.

A DANGEROUS DUET was part learning about the lifestyle of folks in the Victorian era as well as learning that people actually haven’t changed behaviors that much over the years.  

Living in the Victorian era actually wasn't safe in many respects, and the lack of today's conveniences such as cars and sanitation makes you happy you live today.

The suspense was enough to keep you guessing and doing some detective work of your own.  Nell’s involvement was not the best decision on her part.  She was dealing with a dangerous group of thieves.

I enjoyed the characters, and Ms. Odden’s writing style was detailed and interesting.

If you enjoy mystery, secrets, and the Victorian era, A DANGEROUS DUET will be an appealing read.  4/5

This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher and Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.  All opinions are my own.