ABOUT THE EVENT

Join Dr Sara Lodge this March for an evening lecture that reveals for the first time the extent of women’s involvement in detective work in the Victorian period. 

Dr Lodge’s recently published book, The Mysterious Case of the Victorian Female Detective, published by Yale University Press, shows that women were working routinely with the police from the 1840s, both as ‘detective searchers’ in city police stations, and assisting officers on the streets in risky sting operations, surveillance of suspected embezzlers, and apprehension of con-men, sneak thieves, and backstreet abortionists. 

Lodge’s work also uncovers the dark secrets of Victorian private detective agencies. As Lodge reveals, real 19th-century female detectives were often working-class women, who might also be single mothers. Their jobs often involved moral ambiguity, and more squalor than glamour.  

The book has already gained a 5-star review in the Telegraph which calls it ‘a joy to read’ that ‘blends academic rigour with vivid and witty storytelling’ and praise from Sunday Times, which calls it ‘a revelation’ and The Literary Review, which says ‘Lodge has marshalled the treasures of her research with enormous skill and style, producing a book of true importance.’ 

You will have an opportunity to ask Dr Lodge a question during the Q&A session at the end of the lecture and purchase a copy of the book at the end of the event.  

Alternatively, you can order a copy of the book here: https://yalebooks.co.uk/book/9780300277883/the-mysterious-case-of-the-victorian-female-detective/  

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