It's remarkable how men react when women break the rules... but the people of Hastings are about to discover, women can be remarkable too...
1896. At 28, Violet's father is beginning to fear she will never marry. But every suitor he puts forward, she finds an increasingly creative way of rebuffing.
Because Violet is a woman who knows her own mind - and her mind is on her mother, who went missing 10 years earlier, vanishing from Hastings Pier without a trace.
Looking for the missing is not a suitable pastime for a lady. But when Violet hires a seaside detective to help, she sets off an unexpected chain of events that will throw her life into chaos.
Can Violet solve the mystery of Lily Hamilton's vanishing? Or will trying cost her more than she can afford to lose?
The most quirky and joyful book of 2023. For fans of Dear Mrs Bird, The Maid and Lessons in Chemistry.
