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Dangerous Women

The Compelling and Beautifully Written Mystery About Friendship, Secrets and Redemption

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Dangerous Women

By: Hope Adams
Narrated by: Fenella Woolgar
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The devastating and thought-provoking tale about female anger, subservience and, ultimately, strength, inspired by a true story

London, 1841.

Two hundred Englishwomen file aboard the RAJAH, the ship that will take them on a three-month voyage to the other side of the world.

They're daughters, sisters, mothers - and convicts. Transported for petty crimes.

Except one of their number is a secret killer, fleeing justice.

When a woman is mortally wounded, the hunt is on for the culprit.

But who would attack one of their own, and why?

Based on a true story, Dangerous Women is a sweeping tale of confinement, loss, love and, above all, hope in the unlikeliest of places.

© Hope Adams 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

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Critic Reviews

Beautifully written, Hope Adams has woven together an epic sea voyage with an intriguing murder mystery to make an unputdownable read (Katie Fforde)
A gorgeous and compelling story with vibrant characters. I was fascinated by the novel's inspiration and the real life story of the Rajah Quilt (Rachel Hore)
An intriguing murder-mystery, skilfully written and bursting with colour and life (Lucy Atkins)
A fabulous book with a fascinating premise. A murder mystery drives the story, but it's the characters who keep you entranced as, in the confined space of a long sea voyage, these feisty inventive women negotiate each other and their new world. I loved it (Dinah Jefferies)
A fascinating prose patchwork of the women's lives, stitched together by a twisting murder mystery. Engrossing and deeply satisfying - over the course of the journey we learn about the desperate lives of these women, many guilty only of petty crimes
I so enjoyed this. It evokes an era when justice was cruel, but also how the creation of something like a quilt gave hope and substance to existence. A terrific read (Elizabeth Buchan)
Dazzling. Adams takes the fascination history of a convict ship and brings it to life in a captivating story filled with intrigue and dark secrets. An immensely satisfying tale of guilt, innocent and second chances (Emma Rous)
Well-written, engaging and thoroughly compelling. I love it when forgotten histories are brought to light, and touch the reader so that they immediately want to know more (Elizabeth Chadwick)
A gripping exploration of female solidarity in a time of crisis and claustrophobia. Hope Adams sets the grubby injustices of a misogynistic legal system against the beauty of creating a work of art and, through that art, stitching together an unlikely community (Caroline Lea, author of The Glass Woman)
Hope Adams has skilfully patched a murder mystery into a historical event . . . Masterful plotting, well-drawn characters, and a plausible balance of despair for what was left behind and optimism for what lies ahead add up to an immensely satisfying read
All stars
Most relevant
A most enjoyable read on an interesting time in Australian women’s history. Would recommend this fictional account.

Interesting fictional account

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An interesting, historical fiction weaved into a whodunnit. Told from the prospective of only the women from the ship on their voyage to Van Diemen’s Land. Imagery is so clear you feel as if you can see what the characters see.
Narrator does an amazing job of all the different accents…book is worth a listen to for those alone, but the story is great as well

The weaving of fact and fiction makes for an intriguing story

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This book started out as a promising mystery, but ended as a poor romance with a predictably banal plot line. Honestly it was even cringe-worthy at times, and felt almost like the author got bored of writing halfway through and wanted to finish it asap.

Bottom line: Find a different book to read

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.