Audiobook Review: Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C. Bunce, Narrated by Bethan Rose Young

Premeditated Myrtle, written by Elizabeth C. Bunce and narrated by Bethan Rose Young, is a middle grade historical mystery. Twelve-year-old Myrtle Hardcastle has a passion for justice and a Highly Unconventional obsession with criminal science. Armed with her father’s law books and her mum’s microscope, Myrtle studies toxicology, keeps abreast of the latest developments in crime scene analysis, and observes her neighbors in the quiet village of Swinburne, England. When her next-door neighbor, a wealthy spinster and eccentric breeder of rare flowers, dies under Mysterious Circumstances, Myrtle seizes her chance. With her unflappable governess, Miss Ada Judson, by her side, Myrtle takes it upon herself to prove Miss Wodehouse was murdered and find the killer, even if nobody else believes her — not even her father, the town prosecutor. 

Premeditated Myrtle is an engaging mystery set in Victorian England. Myrtle is a very smart, observant girl with perhaps more curiosity than is necessarily good for her.  To be honest, there were a couple moments in the first chapter when I thought this might be the second book rather than the first in the series, but I was soon completely immersed in the story. I liked that Myrtle and Miss Judson were among the smartest characters in the book, but also quite aware of how others thought of them because of their gender, age, and so on. They often used those expectations to their advantage even while being annoyed by them. I thought the mystery was well done, and while I expected one of the twists fairly early on, the way the story unfolded had me doubting myself a bit until the full reveal. I really enjoyed the journey and that there were surprised I was not expecting kept me on my toes through out the majority of the book. I enjoyed the characters and am very interested to see where they all go from here. I really enjoyed that the author included information and resources about historic forensic science in the back matter. Guidance for further exploration- particularly for younger readers- always makes me happy.

Premeditated Myrtle is a charming and entertaining series starter. I am looking forward to seeing what Myrtle and her family get up to next.