Dangerous Women by Hope Adams

Synopsis
London, 1841.

The Rajah sails for Australia.

On board are 180 women convicted of petty crimes, sentenced to start a new life half way across the world.

Daughters, sisters, mothers – they’ll never see home or family again. Despised and damned, all they have now is each other.

Until the murder.

As the fearful hunt for a killer begins, everyone on board is a suspect.

The investigation risks tearing their friendships apart . . .

But if the killer isn’t found, could it cost them their last chance of freedom?

Based on a real-life voyage, Dangerous Women is a sweeping tale of confinement, hope and the terrible things we do to survive.

Review

What a fabulous title Dangerous Women is, and in this case it refers to the female convicts being transported to Van Diemen’s Island, Australia, on the ship the Rajah in 1841. On the voyage one of the women is murdered, putting all under suspicion. As the women start to distrust each other, and fear builds of a murderer in their mists, they question which one of them could kill another, and why, not one of them has been convicted of murder. A claustrophobic and intriguing thriller based on a true story, this is utterly compelling reading.

My regular readers know that historical fiction is my favourite genre especially when based on a true story; I love learning something new. The other draw to this book was learning that the author Hope Adams also wrote books under the name Adèle Geras, many of which I have loved and enjoyed. Dangerous Women is narrated by two of the women on the Rajah, Kezia Hayter and Clara Shaw, with the plot split between the events leading up to the attack on Hattie, one of the convicts, and the aftermath and inquiry. Kezia is a complex and intriguing character as she has chosen to join the voyage to Van Diemen’s Island, leave her family and life in London behind her. In London Kezia was part of a committee whose aim was to improve the conditions and welfare of female prisoners, and it is this work that took her on the ship in the role of matron to the convicts on board. As matron she is there to look after the women, make sure they are safe and become a sort of friend who they come to if they have any problems. She is also there for moral guidance and uses sewing and knitting as a way of keeping the women occupied on the long journey. She also has her own project, to sew a quilt, known as the Rajah Quilt, now on display in the National Gallery of Australia, given as a gift to those in charge on arriva. Kezia was the only woman of any standing on the ship, a place of men, but her strenght of character shone through as she didn’t let the men dominate her. Whilst the captain and surgeon treat her with respect, the Reverend Davis, is dismissive of her opinions especially in the inquiry into the attack on Hattie. What I loved most about was her caring nature, at odds with her childhood relationship with her mother, her intelligence and her self confidence in who she was, and how she chose to live her life.

The other narrator, Clara Shaw, is a woman accused of murder who steals another prisoners identity to get in the ship and avoid the hangman’s noose. We are not told the identity she assumes, and I admit I spent a large part of the book trying to work out who she was. I kept flicking back as characters met in groups, and she watched on, cross checking to see if there were any clues, and no I never worked it out. Details of her life and shocking crimes are drip fed throughout, and whilst she has committed some horrible crimes, she is like the other women, a victim of circumstance and just trying to help those in need, and make a living.

Hope Adams has obviously done a lot of research which shines through in her writing and characters. She really captures the complex nature of life aboard the Rajah, the different relationships, between the women, the ship’s officers and crew, the women and Kezia and Kezia and those in charge of the Rajah. Friendships, romance, and difficulties are rife among all in ship. One of the fascinating aspects were the women themselves, all arrested for minor crimes, such as stealing or receiving stolen items yet sent across the sea, to an unknown land, hot and exotic, and a place many will not return from. I felt is was such a harsh punishment considering the crimes committed. Many of these women were victims of circumstance, only trying to feed and clothe their children, others used by the men in their lives. I can’t imagine how frightening it must have been to be put on a ship and taken to some unknown land. Hope Adams also captures life on board, the claustrophobic living conditions, the smell of being in the cabins with little light and the everyday challenges faced.

Dangerous Women is an amazing read, full of fascinating historical detail and colourful characters. Plotted perfectly, with plenty of red herrings as to who Clara might be and as to why Hattie was attacked and by whom, it held my attention from start to finish. My only complaint is that it came to an end, I really wanted to see how the women felt when they arrived on Van Diemen’s Island, and how and if they survived. I highly recommend this stunning read, and I hope Hope Adams writes some more historical fiction. A fabulous read!!