Of Hoaxes and Homicide (Dear Hermione #2) By Amanda Hastings- Summary

Goodreads summary (review below) Of Hoaxes and Homicide (Dear Hermione #2) By Amanda Hastings:

The second in the delightful Dear Miss Hermione mystery series from Anastasia Hastings—when you represent the best-loved Agony Aunt in Britain, fielding questions from both irate housekeepers and heartbroken mothers is par for the course…

“Dear Miss Hermione—what is a mother to do?”

Sensible Violet Manville and her very ladylike half-sister Sephora are absolutely bored, thank you very much. And though neither of them would ever admit it aloud, they’re missing the thrill of playing detective.

So when Violet receives a letter from “A Heartbroken Mother” sent to her alter-ego, the Agony Aunt known to the world only as Miss Hermione, her pulse can’t help but quicken. The daughter in question has gotten caught up in a cult: the Hermetic Order of the Children of Aed. Rumors of human sacrifices, mystical doings, and a ghost in the ruined Alburn Abbey where the Children pray have gripped the public consciousness, helped along by a series of novels about the group, written by the mysterious Count Orlando, and clearly this girl has fallen prey.

Miss Hermione’s investigation soon collides with very real life when Violet discovers that the runaway daughter in question is Sephora’s dearest friend, Margaret. Violet sets off to the Children’s compound in Nottintham to convince her to return to London. But with the dashing-but-frustrating Eli Marsh running around and a member of the Children found poisoned to death, Violet and Sephora—along with their ever-trusty housekeeper Bunty—may have more intrigue than they can manage.

Of Hoaxes and Homicide (Dear Hermione #2) By Amanda Hastings-Review

I loved the first book in the Dear Hermione series, Of Manners and Murder, and highly anticipated the follow-up. However, I didn’t think it would work when I found out a cult would be involved in a whimsical, historical fiction mystery. I was absolutely wrong and couldn’t be happier about it.

Amanda Hastings does a brilliant job getting to the seriousness and harmfulness of cults while maintaining the fun feel of Of Manners and Murder. In Of Hoaxes and Homicide, she digs into how cults draw people in, brainwash them, and then lead them astray. Additionally, she discusses the charismatic personality of a cult leader and the ramifications when someone realizes what they’ve become. And want out.

‘I was under a spell. Don’t you see?’ She clutched my arm with both her hands and turned in her seat, the better to let me see the spark of conviction in her eyes. ‘I must have been. I heard Master speak, you see. In London. And something about him… it must surely have been witchcraft… something about him fascinated me.’

Moreover, the impact cults have on loved ones surrounding those who decide to go down this dark road. All of this is handled with the necessary seriousness that it demands. Amanda Hastings does a phenomenal job pulling it all together and spinning it out with due reverence. 

Thank you to Minotaur Books and Dreamscape Audio for an advance copy of Of Hoaxes and Homicide by Amanda Hastings, releasing on January 30th.

With all of this going on, the fun, fast-paced feel from Of Manners and Murder is never lost. Violet and Sephora continue to grow their character arcs. They are the best of sisters/friends despite their opposite personalities. Violet is the serious and sensible one, and Sephora is more concerned with society, clothes, and the fanciful.

With them, the plot shines through with all the adventure and wit you would expect. Along with the distraught souls reaching out to Miss Hermione, Violet gives them due diligence. *I should note that Of Hoaxes and Homicide can definitely be read as a stand-alone.*

‘A brokenhearted mother has asked for Miss Hermione’s help. I cannot know what to tell her if I don’t research the problem.’

Amanda Hastings shines in the dialogue and narratives throughout Of Hoaxes and Homicide. Jumping from the serious to the hilarious, to the suspenseful, and everything in between.

Thinking had never been one of Margaret’s strengths. She squeezed her eyes with the effort.

As a bonus, Dreamscape Audio does a brilliant job producing Of Hoaxes and Homicide. Everything is appropriately labeled, and the narrator does a brilliant job.

Overall, Of Hoaxes and Homicide is a suspenseful tale spun with danger, suspense, a cult, and some light romance. It is a tribute to the time period (1880s London) and the fight that women (and the different classes- through Bunty, the housekeeper) must put up to get anywhere with society.