Nell Darby’s Sister Sleuths presents a short history of the origins of the British lady private detective and her glamorous fictional counterpart.

It turns out that the history of the lady detective is as much about the story as it is about the job. Newspaper reports of manhunts and captured rogues made for thrilling journalism. Add a lady detective to the mix and you have sensational news. Working in the 1850s, American Kate Warne is considered the first professional female investigator. Her obituary, packed with legendary exploits, was reprinted time and again in Britain, smoothing the way for the independent British lady detective.

Over 17 chapters, Nell Darby looks at the types of assignment undertaken by private inquiry agents, the consequences of the Matrimonial Clauses Act, the connection between actresses, lady detectives, and suffragettes, the popularity of penny dreadfuls and dime novels, and the effect of the First World War on opportunities for women. She also includes brief biographies of the few lady detectives whose stories and cases were recorded.

The problem Darby faces is scarcity of information: “...as is so often the case with women’s history, the archives do not adequately record their lives…” (Ch. 12)

What is particularly interesting is how Darby draws social conclusions from fiction, and how the “young and fascinating” fictional detectives helped prepare the public for real lady detectives. It is also interesting to note how detective agencies recognised the marketing power of the lady detective, leveraging feminine gender.

Though there is significant repetition in this book, Sister Sleuths is a light and informative introduction to a fascinating profession.

Ready for a cool factoid? The first professional British police unit - the Bow Street Runners - was founded by the novelist Henry Fielding.

So, how realistic were those early portrayals of intrepid amateurs assisting stumped police officers? Regarding the nature of their cases: not very. Bread and butter work for private detectives included divorce and family issues, store detective work, missing persons, secret shadowing, will disputes, locating birth certificates, adoption cases, insurance cases, and accident investigation. Not too many locked room mysteries or arsenic poisonings!

Sister Sleuths by Nell Darby will be published by Pen & Sword Books Ltd in January, 2021.

Many thanks to Nell Darby and Pen & Swords Books Ltd. for my advanced reading copy.

Amateur Sleuths

If you fancy a ticklish mystery unraveled by an amateur sleuth, try:

Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth C Bunce: a middle-grade mystery of botany and horticulture.

The Highland Falcon Thief by MG Leonard and Sam Sedgman: a middle-grade mystery in classic whodunit style.