She Be Damned: A Heloise Chancey Mystery (Pantera Press 2017) is the debut novel for writer M.J. Tjia (also known as Mirandi Stanton Riwoe, author of the award-winning novella The Fish Girl). This novel is a complete departure from her literary novella. It is a crime story set in the 1800’s in London, with a strong female protagonist and a rich cast of characters, both suspects and victims.
The year is 1863, and Heloise Chancey is a determined, capable, thoroughly likeable and delightfully naughty courtesan and professional detective. Prostitutes are being murdered in London; not only murdered, but brutally dismembered, their sexual organs removed. When Heloise is called upon to investigate the disappearance of a young woman from a good family, she fears the worst – that somehow this girl has also fallen victim to the killer. With the aid of her Chinese maid, Amah Li Leen (who also has a voice in the novel through occasional interjections in first person), and her retinue of servants and assistants, Heloise goes undercover in an effort to unearth the perpetrator. But as with all good mysteries, nothing is ever simple: those she suspects turn out to be inept rather than evil; those she trusts begin to act suspiciously; those she discounts are implicated; and those she relies upon betray her. The plot thickens as the body count rises.
This is a wonderful romp; a page-turning and suspenseful thriller. Despite its dark content and sober crimes, it manages to be a playful and entertaining story, mostly because of the engaging characters with whom we empathise and to who we warm. Heloise is a charming and confident heroine; a strong woman living in a male-dominated world where women are expected to be quiet and submissive. Heloise turns this trope on its head, surprising and delighting with her forthright manner, her nerve, her sharp wits and her wicked sense of humour. And in fact many of the other female characters also use their feminine wiles as a source of strength rather than weakness. The power they hold over men – particularly their sexual power – is not insignificant.
The many small details of the time are recreated with colour and life – the smells, sounds and visceral experiences of daily life bombard our senses and immerse us fully in noisy, uncomfortable scenes. The poverty of the underclass, the absurd wealth of those at the top, the power some wield over others, the exposure of the vulnerable.
If you enjoy a good crime story with a memorable setting and an unforgettable lead character, written with a wry sense of the ridiculous, and dialogue that is clever, cutting and funny, then you will enjoy this book. I look forward to the next in the series!
She Be Damned – M.J. Tjia
