I did enjoy ‘The Lady and the Law’—though not as much as ‘The Moonstone’ or ‘The Woman in White.’ The charm of this book lies in the fact that the female protagonist, Valeria Macallan, takes charge of the plot from the beginning and it is solidly hers for the remainder of the book; her tiresome and self-pitying husband is offstage for much of the novel. Valeria’s task is to clear her new husband’s reputation of the Scotch verdict, “not proven,” levied in a trial for the murder of his first wife. She is fearless as she follows clues where they lead her, including to Miserrimus Dexter, a disabled suitor of the first wife; Dexte was privy to the goings-on the night of her poisoning.  A female detective in 1874 is unusual enough, but someone this plucky, decisive, and indefatigable was new to me for this period. Even if the ending left something to be desired,  Valeria made the novel worthwhile.