Month: December 2019

Death at Brighton Pavilion by Ashley Gardner

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Regency Era (1811-1820)Leave a comment

Death at Brighton Pavilion (Captain Lacey Regency Mysteries Book 14)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Captain Lacey Mysteries #14
Publication Date: 12/17/19
Number of Pages:269

Poor Captain Lacey, it seems that everybody is mad at him in this long-awaited, excellently written, well-paced and interesting mystery. I had begun to despair of ever getting to read another Captain Lacey since it has been twenty months since the last one – but – it was well worth the wait. You can read this as a stand-alone, but some of the relationships might not be as filled-in and robust to you as they would be if you’d read all of the books. Besides – it is just a great series and I certainly recommend reading all of the books.

If you have read other Captain Lacey books, you know that he was permanently injured during the wars and because of the constant pain, he’s just a tad short-tempered. He’s also very honorable, very loyal, and totally in love with his family and friends. That uncompromising honor along with his tendency to be short-tempered often gets him into very ticklish situations, especially since he also has a tendency to act first and think later.

The book grabs you from the first scene – where Captain Lacey awakens in a cold room in Brighton Pavilion – with a sword in his hand – and the dead body of an officer who had been his enemy in Salamanca during the war. Then, it keeps you running from scene to scene until the final exciting, breath-holding scene. What a rollercoaster ride!

Visits with all of the wonderful recurring characters were nice. I love that this author provides us with fully developed characters who are consistent from book to book. Anyway, it was nice to see Donata, Gabriella, Peter, Grenville, Marianne, Brewster, Mr. Denis, and even a return visit by Colonel Brandon. I have to wonder how Brewster is going to adjust to his new circumstances – and how that will all work out.

A man is dead and Lacey has to wonder if he is the cause. It is possible because he certainly didn’t like the man, but he has no memory of doing it. He actually has no memory of most of that evening. When he came to in that room, he knew he’d be blamed for the death if he were discovered there, so he managed to leave without anyone sounding the alarm on him. Did he somehow cause the death or is he being set up to take the blame? He has to know the truth. If he did, indeed, cause the death, then he will turn himself in to the authorities and take the punishment for it – if not, he needs to see that the guilty party is punished.

I hope you will enjoy reading this wonderful book as much as I have. I definitely recommend it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Mydworth Mysteries – London Calling! by Matthew Costello and Neil Richards

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939)Leave a comment

Mydworth Mysteries - London Calling! (A Cosy Historical Mystery Series Book 3)Mydworth Mysteries – London Calling! by Matthew Costello

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Mydworth Mysteries #3
Publication Date: 11/29/19

Another interesting mystery has now become a part of the Mydworth Mysteries series. This time, our intrepid investigators Kat Reilly and Sir Harry Mortimer are looking for a runaway girl – well, since she’s twenty-one, I guess she’s a runaway woman.

Lizzie Spence has been taking dancing lessons for years and years – and there is a talent agent who keeps telling her how good she is – he tells her she is a natural. The agent tells her that he can get her auditions and will set everything up for her – all she has to do it get to London for the auditions. Since Lizzie knows her parents would never approve, she decides to sneak off to London and leave her parents a note explaining.

“I’m running away from home, she thought. Me! Timid little Lizzie. Lizzie in the
corner, Lizzie head down, Lizzie never say “boo” to a goose? Nobody will believe
it!”

When they haven’t heard from Lizzie in several weeks, Glenys Spence, Lizzie’s mother, approached Nicola Green of the WVS (Women’s Voluntary Service) to ask for assistance in assuring that her daughter was safe. She’s not asking them to bring her home, just to assure that she is safe. Nicola, of course, asks Kat and Sir Harry to investigate.

Their investigation naturally begins in Mydworth at the dance class and rapidly shifts to London where they enlist the help of several friends – particularly Alfie who was Harry’s batman during the war. Alfie has many contacts – including many among the less than law-abiding citizens of London. Kat and Harry query their upper-crust friends while Alfie works his underworld contacts and it isn’t long before they realize what a mess Lizzy has gotten herself into.

It will take all of their wiles and a lot of skill and luck to rescue Lizzie. Can they do it? You’ll just have to read this fun tale for yourself to find out.

The book is filled with banter (like Nick and Nora Charles), quick wit, cunning and, of course, the romance between Sir Harry and Kat. I definitely recommend this book and this series.