The Hummingbird Dagger

Gr 9 Up–Anstey returns with another historical suspense mystery. England, 1833. Young Lord James Ellerby witnesses a carriage accident and immediately provides aid to an injured young woman. The woman, traveling alone in a coach, in a dirty and torn dress, with multiple injuries and no memories, quickly takes the name Beth and is determined to be a lady of class. All Beth knows is her recurring nightmare of a hummingbird dagger. James, Beth, and the rest of James’s family quickly learn that Beth’s accident was no accident as more suspicious incidents and attacks occur when Beth is near. After avoiding a murder attempt, Beth and James flee to London, where they discover Beth’s condition is tied to the British government and the highest tiers of London society. Anstey balances a suspense-driven plot with deeper character development, which occasionally causes the story to drag. The narrative switches among multiple perspectives, which can be repetitive at the beginning of the story but successfully creates more suspense as the climax approaches. Readers will most likely be drawn to the slow-burn romance between James and Beth, which is appropriate for a Georgian historical setting. Place this book in the hands of Anstey fans who enjoyed her previous novels Love, Lies and Spies and Suitors and Sabotage or fans of Meg Cabot’s Victoria and the Rogue.