The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective: Secrets and Lies in the Golden Age of Crime

A woman far ahead of her time, Maud West opened her detective agency in London in 1905. She sleuthed for society's finest and wrote up her exploits in newspaper articles that grabbed headlines throughout the world. But was she really who she said she was?

In this enthralling true story, Stapleton interweaves tales from Maud's own 'casebook' with social history and extensive original research, forensically examining the stories Maud West told about herself in a quest to uncover the truth. The Adventures of Maud West, Lady Detective is a deliciously salacious glimpse into the reality of being a female private detective in the golden age of crime.

'Compulsively absorbing . . . delightfully well written, with both sympathy and empathy; it is jaunty, engaging and witty without being arch. A triumph.' Lucy Lethbridge, Literary Review

'Susannah Stapleton's erudite but hugely entertaining debut is a true-life detective story about a true-life detective . . . [an] exhilarating eye-opener of a book.' Spectator

'A glorious, gripping read, constructed just like the detective stories Stapleton so admires, with clues, cliffhangers, blind alleys and revelations aplenty, uncovering the many truths about Maud and her exceptional life.' Charlotte Heathcote, Sunday Express

'Utterly enthralling, often even thrilling' Daily Telegraph