Dangerous Women: The Compelling and Beautifully Written Mystery About Friendship, Secrets and Redemption

‘Dangerous Women’ was inspired by a quilt, sewn by convicts, that author Hope Adams – better known as Adele Geras – saw in London when it was on loan from Australia. The quilt was made by female convicts being transported to the Antipodes. Well researched and firmly rooted in history this book blends fact and fiction to skillfully highlight the attitudes of the period. Social injustice and the harsh treatment of those caught flouting the law were rife. The past lives of the women cannot be thrown off and a murder committed on the voyage adds mystery and tension to this novel and makes it an intriguing and page-turning read. - Waterbeach Wednesday Night Readers review

U3a Reading Group reviews

Jen:

The whole presentation was like opening a big box of chocolates with anticipation of what is inside. You are not disappointed as the story keeps you in its thrall from the first page to the last. The
characters are well drawn and I wanted to know more about the lives of the little group of quiltmakers after they disembarked in Hobart. As Kezia Hayter, the matron and person who shared the quilt making with them said, ‘I’ve grown fond of them and I’ll miss them. But the work of their hands abides.’ There was tension throughout, not least because of the mystery surrounding the murder, but between the women and the crew, often among themselves, and always there was Kezia fighting in their corner against male prejudice.
Conditions on the ship Rajah are described in great detail and from the offset you feel as though you are on the ‘ceaselessly moving, rolling and pitching’ boat with these abandoned women. Experiencing the difficulties of sharing a small space with so many people. The passing of time is cleverly employed; the black expanse of the unknown stretching to a black horizon.
The women were encouraged to use the time at sea to improve their lives, and the group chosen to make the Rajah Quilt took time to settle into a routine, but that offered more than the satisfaction of creating this beautiful work of art; they found companionship, tranquillity and a portent of something better to come.

Maureen:

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. I liked the way the different characters reveal themselves gradually through the narrative but thought that the characters of the convict women could have been strengthened further. At times I thought the voyage seemed too good to be true and had to remind myself that it was based on a true story. Much of the language used was indistinguishable from Kezia’s or the captain’s. The investigation into Haittie’s death was sad. None of the women who were below deck were questioned about the stabbing. And poor Bertie who saw his mother stabbed kept it a secret as he feared the loss of Emily. Heartbreaking.

“Hope Adams has taken the creation of a beautiful patchwork quilt by convict women being transported by sea to Tasmania in 1841, and turned it into an intriguing murder mystery!

At the same time as providing us with an insight into the fairly grim lives on board the Rajah for the women and children during the 15 week voyage to the other side of the world, we get a closer look at the backgrounds, hopes and fears of three of the ship’s passengers – convicts Clara and Hattie, and the young well to do matron Kezia.

When one of the convicts is stabbed, we think we know who the culprit is, but do we? This is a page turner that will keep you guessing till the end, as you follow Kezia’s pursuit of both the truth……and the ship’s captain!”

Read this with our Appleton staff readers and loved it. The cover and end papers are just amazing and only serve to enhance this wonderful book. Based on the true story of female convicts shipped to what us now Tasmania, the author successfully transports us back to a time where women were abused and convicted of the prettiest of crimes. Neatly woven into the story is a haunting murder mystery.

For me, the most fascinating and ingenious aspect of this story is how Hope Adams has interwoven fact and fiction. The ‘Rajah’ did sail with 180 female convicts to Van Diemen’s Land in 1841 and over 20 women were actually involved in creating the beautiful coverlet, later known as the ‘Rajah Quilt’. It is now displayed in the National Gallery of Australia’s Textiles Collection. Adams was inspired to write the story when she saw the quilt when it was on loan to the Victoria & Albert Museum in London.
Adams also retained the real names of the Captain, Surgeon, Reverend and the only free woman on board, Kezia Hayter who volunteered to care for the women on board and organised the making of the quilt.
What else happened on board was fiction and Adams skilfully built the tension by creating an intriguing murder mystery. Although only guilty of petty crimes in England, the women were all under suspicion of murder and, as the story unfolds, we learn of their harrowing back stories involving deprivation and their desperate attempts to feed their children which often led to their convictions.
Dangerous Women is a definite page-turner that will remain in the reader’s memory.

Lyn Baker