Category: Barb’s Reviews

Murder Wore A mask by Matthew Costello & Neil Richards

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939)Leave a comment

Murder Wore a MaskBarbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Mydworth Mysteries #4
Publication Date: 3/27/20
Number of Pages: 123

I love this series. I love Harry and Kat and how they are so proud and supportive of each other. They always build each other up rather than tearing each other down with snappy dialogue. They always share equally in the investigations – working together – each to their own strengths. I also love how they ‘read’ each other. It is definitely no wonder they are so sought after when it comes to solving mysteries because they always get their man/woman.

Lady Lavinia is giving a full-on Venetian masked ball at Mydworth Manor – a lavish affair with hundreds of guests – from local village folks to Bishops, admirals, movie stars, and government officials. The food and drink are lavish, the costumes are exotic and wonderful, and everybody is having a wonderful time. Well, almost everybody, there is the little matter of Wilfred Carmody being found face-down by the lake. Since Carmody has a bad heart, everyone assumes he expired from a heart attack – until they learn that isn’t the case.

With no physical evidence at the scene, they have to rely on their sleuthing and deducting skills to find out what happened, why it happened, and who did it. Even with hundreds of suspects at the ball, it doesn’t take them too long to narrow the list down to a handful. There is a lot of misdirection and red herrings aplenty, so you’ll have to keep your wits about you to follow all of the clues to find the murderer. Or, is there more than one? Oh! My!

These books are always quick, fun reads that put me in mind of the old black & white movies with Nick and Nora Charles, or Pam and Jerry North, maybe even a bit of Charlie Chan thrown in for good measure.

All of the recurring characters made an appearance in this book and I loved to visit with Aunt Lavinia especially. There was one new character that I wonder if he’ll be a recurring character as well. Charlie Todd is a very young man, and I liked him very much, so it will be fun to see if he pops up in future installments – maybe along with the yacht.

To kingdom Come by Will Thomas

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Historical Mystery, Victorian Era (1837-1901)Leave a comment

To Kingdom Come (Barker & Llewelyn, #2)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Barker & Llewelyn #2
Publication Date: 12/27/16
Number of Pages: Audio Version

I came into this series with the eleventh book, and I enjoyed that one so much I’m now reading through the earlier books in the series. I’m so glad I’ve started doing that because I am getting a much better feel for the characters and what makes them tick. Barker is definitely an enigma. He seems to know everything there is to know; Has experienced everything there is to experience; He’s very private, maybe secretive even. He’s also kind, considerate, and patient with Llewelyn. Llewelyn, on the other hand, is just happy to be here. He’s very smart, learns quickly, is a bit naïve, and is so very grateful to Barker for hiring him when no one else would.

I thought Anthony Ferguson, the narrator, did an excellent job of portraying the very strait-laced, proper speaking Victorian gentlemen – Barker and Llewelyn. There was a wide range of accents – Scots, English, Irish, Welsh, American, French, German – and the narrator was excellent with each of them – he made each very distinctive and it was easy to distinguish which character was speaking. His pacing was excellent and his voice was soothing. Definitely the right narrator for this series.

I love the historical accuracy of these books – and I love that they don’t sugar-coat or skirt-round the political issues of the day – they hit them head-on. In this book, we have the Irish fighting for independence by fair means or foul. Our story deals with those who were using the foul means, of course.

Thomas Llewelyn has been employed by Cyrus Barker for a mere two months when London is rocked by two bomb blasts. Those blasts destroyed large portions of both the Junior Carlton Club and Scotland Yard – which houses the Home Office and the newly formed Special Irish Branch which was created to deal with the Irish Rebellion. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that it is Irish Terrorists who set the bombs. What they don’t know is which faction is behind it.

Barker immediately offers his and Llewelyn’s services to identify and bring the faction to justice. Of course, the SIB doesn’t want them on the case and they’ll do their best to thwart Barker and Llewelyn at every turn. Barker will go undercover as a famous explosives expert and Llewelyn will go as his assistant. They’ll infiltrate the faction, find the incriminating evidence, and call in the authorities to make arrests. Sounds simple – right?

Tensions are high among the terrorists and Barker and Llewelyn are in grave danger throughout the entire operation. They both know the terrorists would just as soon murder them – savagely – as look at them. Each must pay close attention to stay in character and not give anything away – while making bombs – real bombs – and then manage, somehow, to render those same bombs inert.

While we learn, early on, which faction set the bombs, we aren’t sure who is the mastermind behind the plot until the very end. Can Barker and Thomas solve the puzzle before the culprit escapes?

This was an exciting, page-turning read and I just couldn’t stop listening. I hope you’ll read/listen and enjoy this book as much as did.