A Bitter Remedy by Alis Hawkins

This first book in the Oxford Mysteries Series introduces us to a fabulously feisty female lead, Rhiannon Vaughan (Non). Non is newly attending lectures, one of the first women to do so at the college. While at a lecture by Basil Rice, she overhears details of the death of an undergraduate Sidney Parker, when the session is interrupted. 

Non and Basil form an unusual alliance to unravel the mystery of Parker's death after his guardian threatens to slur the college's reputation. Together they romp through the bigotry, misogyny and expectations of Victorian Oxford to find out what happened to Parker.

The first third of the book is a slow burn, but this is likely to ensure the set up of the characters, time and place for later books in the series. Still, once it got going, it was very entertaining. I rushed to the end, where a final twist caught me unaware and added to the story's intrigue.

There's a lot to like about the first book in this Historical Crime Fiction series by Alis Hawkins. I'd love to read another adventure, including Non and Basil.