Biddy's irrepressible nature is apparent from the very start . she is one of the most likeable protagonists I have encountered in a long time . It's rare to encounter descriptive skills as good as this. At every point I felt I could see, hear, smell and taste what was going on . This novel takes in historical, Gothic and crime ficiton in a clean, easy sweep and manages to pack in cultural and culinary observations without once disrupting flow or timing . There's a great sense of the book being a complicated and daring recipe; both the timing and the proportions of each ingredient needed to be exactly right to produce the best result. Bailey's recipe has worked perfectly. I was cheering for the heroes, booing for the villains and feeling disappointed as the end of the book crept up on me.

AN APPETITE FOR VIOLETS is a terrific novel . a must-read for anyone who enjoys a full, flavoursome and hearty story.