Laetitia Rodd and the Case of the Wandering Scholar by Kate Saunders is a cozy, old-fashioned murder mystery set in 1850s England, starring a quick-witted, middle-aged detective with a dry sense of humor and a reputation for treating her cases with the utmost discretion. Mrs. Rodd, as she's known, is the widow of an esteemed archdeacon, and as such she has connections to vicarages all across the country. This comes in useful when she is hired by wealthy businessman Jacob Welland to investigate the whereabouts of his brother. Joshua Welland was a student at the University of Oxford but suddenly dropped out and disappeared. Jacob is on his deathbed, so time is of the essence.
Laetitia Rodd is a practical heroine, so she maintains a flexible approach to the easily shocked, Victorian sensibilities of the time. Soon after she arrives in Oxford and begins her search for Joshua, a series of scandals rocks the vicarage where Mrs. Rodd is staying, briefly throwing her off course. Saunders juxtaposes the picturesque British countryside and Mrs. Rodd's charming North London neighborhood as backdrop, while her heroine sets about exploring possible links between the missing scholar and the disquieting secrets uncovered in Oxford.
Saunders, an author, actress and journalist, has expressed a fascination with the work of Charles Dickens, and her work is clearly influenced by that great writer. She introduced Mrs. Rodd in The Secrets of Wishtide, and this second book in the series works well as a stand-alone and a delightful reintroduction to a female investigator. Readers of historical whodunits are sure to enjoy her company. --Shahina Piyarali, writer and reviewer