Belle Nash and the Bath Soufflé - William Keeling

Who knew that the seemingly minor matter of a soufflé failing to rise would be the catalyst for a group of dinner party guests to instigate an investigation into some shady dealings. Seeking to gain the truth behind some questionable members of the local community and generally cause mayhem in the city of Bath. 

Bellerophon 'Belle' Nash, leads the cast of characters and as we get to know each one we discover a multitude of societal issues and hot topics of the 1830s as they unfold. The complexities of love, feminism, forbidden love, the pursuit of justice and the birth of psychotherapy are woven together as these characters interact on their shared quest to overcome corruption. 

It was such an enjoyable, easy read and the story is so much fun, with humour in every page. The characterisation is very Dickensian so the cast are incredibly visual, springing to life with ease. You get a sense of time and historical setting with the wonderful descriptions of the city that transport you there into the middle of the adventure. It was very hard for me to put this book down once I’d started and the conclusion was so unexpected and compelling, it has set the scene for so a variety of stories to evolve.

I have a lot of affection for these characters and hope they return. I think there will be many more escapades that start life behind the closed doors of the residents of Gay Street that I’d like to discover!