Book Review: ‘A Bitter Remedy’ by Alis Hawkins

This was always going to be a hit for me – a pioneering heroine taking on the exclusively male Oxford University in Victorian times. Yes, yes and yes. Add in poison, intrigue and murder and I’m totally sold.

The story follows the investigation into the death of a solitary undergraduate from Jesus College, Oxford, in 1881. His body is discovered in his lodging house by his landlady – but a search of his possessions yields little but some dodgy-looking proprietary medicines. Both his tutor at the university (Basil Rice) and a headstrong young woman attending lectures at the university (but not allowed – by virtue of her gender – to be a student) suspect that all is not as it seems…

For me – a historical crime fan who verges on the obsessive about the Victorian era – one of the key strengths of this novel is how 1880s Oxford is so vividly-realised and beautifully written. The book is packed with historical detail and even real-life figures – I am now going to be doing a lot of googling to separate fact from (very well-crafted) fiction. There are even contemporary adverts for some really worrying-sounding medicines – so far, so fascinating.

However, the historical detail doesn’t distract from the story – and it is an intriguing murder mystery told in alternating chapters by Basil Rice and Rhiannon Vaughan (called ‘Non’). Both are interesting characters in their own way, although obviously my heart belongs to feisty, brave and groundbreaking Non who is treading a very precarious path in attending Jesus College lectures when many do not wish her to be there – and will look for any excuse to have her barred. She throws herself headlong into academia, murder enquiries and discussions on topics not deemed suitable for young ladies – and I loved her for it.

The gender politics of the time running deeply through the whole novel is – at once – compelling and horrifying. Non is so shockingly out of place in a time when the patriarchal structures are so rigid – and even those open to women’s education assume that Non is only there to catch a husband. Even the AEW (the Association for Promoting the Education of Women in Oxford) are so cautious that one woman doesn’t sully the cause – poor Non can’t win.

This is a well-written and lively novel and one I’d recommend to lovers of historical crime fiction. Non is a character that the reader can easily get behind – and her world is engaging, realistic and vivid. It’s a wake-up call for female readers to see how far we’ve come – and how much we need the Nons of this world to take the brave paths.

I’m heartened to see that this is being referred to on Amazon as ‘The Oxford Mysteries, Book 1’ because I am very much looking forward to see what Rhiannon Vaughan does next.

Thanks to NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

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