Month: November 2022

Blog Tour – For Richer, For Deader by Helen Golden

On By BarbaraIn OtherLeave a comment

FOR RICHER, FOR DEADER

Is the Wedding Between Sir Hewitt Willoughby-Franklin’s Step-Daughter and Billionaire’s Son Off?

Rumours are that the recent death of Kelley Lindsell (29), the personal chef of tycoon Rudy (68) and  Sheri Trotman (65) at Sir Hewitt’s Fawstead Manor country estate in Fenshire, has spooked Sybil Bransgrove (36) so badly she’s considering cancelling her nuptials.

Meanwhile the bride and her mother, Lady Grace (61), are being supported by family friend Lady Beatrice (36), the Countess of Rossex, who, alongside her business partner Perry Juke, is currently managing the project to refurbish the Manor House and Lodge on the estate.

Not again! Now that Lady Grace has asked Lady Beatrice to liaise with the police during the investigation into Kelley’s death, she’ll have to cooperate with boorish Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam whether she likes it or not. Her only relief will be solving the murder with the help of her friends Perry and Simon and her dog Daisy to get rid of him faster.  But with so many wedding party guests staying on-site, any one of them could be the killer. Can they find out who it is before Sybil calls off the wedding…

Purchase Links

Amazon UK           Amazon US

AUTHOR BIO

Hello. I’m Helen Golden. I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in a small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.

I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.

It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes

Social Media Links –

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Barbara’s Review


This new author is keeping her readers jumping (happily I’m sure) with her rapid release of the first three books in her debut series. In October, we had Spruced Up For Murder; In November we have For Richer, For Deader; and in December will be Not Mushroom For Death. The series features a delightful cast of recurring characters – especially Daisy, Beatrice’s dog.

Lady Beatrice, seventeenth in line for the British throne, along with her new business partner and friend, Perry Juke, are happily working on their next project. They are redecorating/refurbishing The Lodge – a seven-bedroom house on the grounds of Fawstead Manor. The Lodge will be the UK base for Sybil and Otis Trotman once they are married – or – maybe we should say IF they are married because it seems someone is determined to see it called off.

The threats begin with a dead rat bearing a note demanding that the wedding stop – then more animals and more notes. However, finding a dead body is what really focuses everyone on how dangerous the situation is. Everyone is frightened – especially the American contingent of the wedding party – because it was one of them who was murdered. Should Sybil and Otis just postpone? Can they even accomplish that at this late date?

There is a special security bureau charged with keeping all members of the royal family safe. Since Lady Beatrice is working at the location where all of that mischief is taking place, the PaIRS bureau is called in to handle the investigation. Of course, that means DCI Fitzwilliam will be the one in charge and he and Lady Beatrice don’t have the best of relationships. DCI Fitzwilliam wants Lady Beatrice to keep her nosey little self out of his investigation even though she was a help in his last case and that really sets her off. She is absolutely determined that she and Perry will solve the case first and she can thumb her nose at him then.

As with the first book, I found this one to be a tad slow in spots, but it wasn’t anything that precluded me from enjoying the book. My biggest issue with this book is something Lady Beatrice’s mother does. I can’t/won’t say much about it because it would spoil it and I wouldn’t want to do that. Then, she forgives much too quickly and too easily. Had my mother done that to me and/or my family/friends, I would still love her – but I would be living someplace different. I understand the reasoning given in the book – but I just don’t buy it and don’t like it.

I always need some romance to go with my mysteries – I always want either a married couple or a couple with a committed relationship. I assume we’ll end up with that in this series, but I’m not sure where it is going at the moment. We have two candidates at the moment for Lady Beatrice – One I don’t care for, but I think he’ll be gone after the next book, and the other I would like but if it goes forward, I’ll be interested to see how the author will handle/explain the large differences in social class.

I can recommend this book and hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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

A Botanist’s Guide to Parties and Poisons by Kate Khavari

On By BarbaraIn Audiobook, Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939), Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

A Botanist's Guide to Parties and Poisons (Saffron Everleigh Mystery #1)

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Saffron Everleigh #1
Publication Date: 6/7/22
Period: George V / Interwar Period (London)
Number of Pages: Audiobook – Narrator Jodie Harris

Woohoo! I think I have discovered a new must-read historical mystery author. This is her debut novel and I can honestly say it is better written, better plotted, and has character development that is right up there with the stars of this genre. I can’t believe I almost passed it by because the period is a bit later than I normally prefer. Whew! So glad I didn’t. Being a romantic at heart, I must have a romance in my historical mysteries – either a married couple or engaged couple, etc. – and this book appears to hint that will be the case in this series. However, that said, the next book is featuring a different male lead and I’m anxious to see where that might go.

Saffron Everleigh has worked hard to be where she is and she has to fight every day to stay. Not only does she have to do her job twice as well, but she has to constantly contend with snide remarks, sexual harassment, and rumors. Mostly she can ignore it because her boss and mentor, Dr. Maxwell, has always been her champion. He encourages her to stay the course, not be discouraged, and not let the good-old-boys win. What would she do without him? Unfortunately, when he is arrested for attempted murder, she might have to find out. She knows he isn’t guilty and is determined to find out who is and clear him.

I love that there are a lot of red herrings and a plethora of suspects. All of those suspects have credible reasons for wanting to commit murder and you’ll just have to work through the plot with the author to find out who the culprit is. Is it – Dr. Lawrence Henry? Or Eris Ermine? Or Harry Snyder? Or Dr. Berking? Or Richard Blake? Or Alexander Ashton? Or could it be that Dr. Maxwell is the guilty party? Oh! My goodness, Saffron has her hands full with this one.

She drags Alexander Ashton into the investigation even though she’s not sure she can trust him. There are so many plots-within-plots and undercurrents and rivalries at the university, they may never unravel it all. As they draw nearer and nearer to the solution, both Saffron and Alexander find themselves in a mortally dangerous situation. Can they thwart the villains and live to tell about it? You’ll just have to read this fast-paced, exciting novel to find out.

I listened to the audiobook version and enjoyed the narration. Jodie Harris’s voice is smooth and pleasant, her delivery is nicely paced with appropriately delivered emotions. She does a credible job with the male voices, but, if you were listening to a conversation in real life, you’d quickly identify those voices as female. However, in the world of audio and stories, it works just fine.

I liked the way the author chose not to make the police seem like bumbling incompetents as is so often the case. They did jump the gun in arresting Dr. Maxwell, but they were continuing to investigate rather than just looking for reasons he’s guilty. I like Alexander Ashton as the ‘hero’ in the series because we came to see his flaws and how he is managing to cope with them. Then, he is supportive of Saffron, but very worried about her recklessness as well. Yes, Saffron can be reckless and has some TSTL moments. I will look forward to her becoming more circumspect in her actions in future books. If Ashton isn’t to be the ongoing romantic lead, I hope that role will be quickly settled because I do not enjoy the romantic lead changing from book to book.

I can recommend this excellently written and well-plotted historical mystery. I’m already breathlessly awaiting the next installment in the series – A Botanist’s Guide to Flowers and Fatality.

View all my reviews