Category: Historical Mystery

Masquerade at Middlecrest Abbey by Abigail Wilson

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

Masquerade at Middlecrest AbbeyBarbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: None listed
Publication Date: 5/26/20
Number of Pages: 336

This is my first book by Abigail Wilson and I’m wondering how I managed to miss her first three books. This was a wonderful read! The mystery was outstanding and the suspects were many and varied. While I loved the mystery, I didn’t really see enough interactions between the couple to see the romance. Perhaps that is because the book is written in first person, so we only see one person’s perspective on the interactions. One thing that puzzled me was that it isn’t listed as being part of a series, but it obviously is. I enjoyed this book so much I went back to see what books she had written previously – with the intent of buying those to read as well. As I read the descriptions of those previous books, I realized that those same people were mentioned in the book I’d just read. You can definitely read this book as a standalone, but I would have enjoyed knowing it was part of a series and perhaps reading the earlier books first.

Miss Elizabeth Cantrell was used and tossed aside by the father of her child. More fortunate than most, she had found refuge with some family members. However, her baby is eleven months old and it is time for her to be on her own and make a life for herself and baby Isaac. She is in a coach headed toward a new position as housekeeper — Then – a highwayman attacks – the coach crashes – she is injured and unconscious – and awakens in a room at an inn – with the highwayman sharing the room as her husband. Uh-Oh. Then – he offers her a marriage of convenience. Say What!

Baron Adrian Torrington has been a widower for almost twenty years and a spy for the Crown for nearly that long as well. When he is sent to stop a coach carrying a message to the French, things go terribly awry and the coach crashes injuring a lovely young woman. With her unconscious and people approaching, he does the only thing he feels he can do – he removes her from the scene and takes her to the nearest inn – as her husband. Besides – she was conscious long enough to see his face and recognize him. In order to protect himself and her, he offers her a marriage of convenience.

Has he just brought danger into his own home? When threatening notes appear and death happens, it appears the answer is yes. Or – was the danger there all along and he’s just brought an innocent young woman and her babe into it? Adrian and Elizabeth grow closer as they work together to solve the murder, find the spies, and thwart the French mission. As you learn the backstories of Adrian and Elizabeth you come to admire them and the way they’ve managed to overcome the adversities and betrayals in their lives. I really liked both of them and was glad to see them find each other.

This was an entertaining read, and I will definitely be purchasing this author’s earlier works and reading them as well. Then, I can’t wait to find out what the next book will be. My only issue is that I didn’t really see the romance – it was just suddenly there. They had few interactions, and those were short and all ‘business’ rather than personal – yet, they were suddenly madly in love. Again, I think some of that is lack of page time for the romance and the lack of perspective from Adrian’s side because it was written in first person from Elizabeth’s point of view. I believe Adrian was the first to be totally smitten, but we never actually got to see that part. I deducted one star because the romance portion was just not quite what I like to see.

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

A Study In Murder by Callie Hutton

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

A Study in Murder (A Victorian Book Club Mystery #1)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: A Victorian Book Club Mystery #1
Publication Date: 5/12/20
Number of Pages: 320

This is the first book in a new series by Callie Hutton, and I believe it is also her first cozy mystery. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it because historical mysteries are my favorite sub-genre and she is one of my favorite authors. It sounds like a marriage made in heaven doesn’t it? The mystery is interesting, well-plotted, and well-executed while the characters are very believable and relatable. The story was a bit slower moving and less exciting than I normally like, but it was still an excellent read. The groundwork was laid for a future relationship between the two main characters and possibly the set-up for the next murder to solve. I believe I have read that the series is set to be limited to just a few books (maybe 3 or so), but I enjoyed the characters so much I would like to see many more books in the series – à la Stephanie Plum.

Lady Amy Lovell is an independent thinking suffragette and mystery writer, much to her father’s chagrin. Amy’s father, the Marquess of Winchester, won’t stop her from writing her books, but he insists she write under a pseudonym – and not tell ANYONE she is the actual writer. He had despaired of ever getting his daughter wed, but when Mr. Ronald St. Vincent travels to London and offers for Amy, her father sees his chance to get his daughter ‘settled’. He cajoles and persuades until finally, Amy agrees. Of course, she immediately has second thoughts about it but lets the betrothal continue – until – she gets word of some underhanded dealings of St. Vincent –then she immediately summons him to her home and breaks the betrothal. When St. Vincent is found dead just a few days later, in the library of Amy’s home, she is immediately the main suspect of Detectives Edwin Marsh and Ralph Carson. The detectives don’t seem inclined to look for any other suspects, so it will be up to Amy to solve the murder.

Viscount William Wethington has known Amy for many years and they have had a distant friendship. Not close, but cordial. They are both members of the Mystery Book Club of Bath and they have danced a few times at assemblies. When he arrives at her home to drop off a book she had asked to borrow, he heard her screaming and rushed into the library to find her, covered in blood, with a dead body at her feet.

Amy is the driving force behind their investigation and William is more the unwilling partner who keeps trying to get her to let someone else handle it. However, he goes along with whatever she asks and assists in the investigation. They are thrown together more and more and begin to have respect and regard for each other that hasn’t been there before, but it doesn’t develop into a real romance.

Just when you think you know who the culprit is – the investigation shifts and you think – Well maybe not. It is fun to figure out who is connected to who and how they are connected – and to finally learn who the real villain is.

I enjoyed the read and I’m looking forward to the next one. I did, however, think things moved a bit slowly. Perhaps we could leave out how many times they wiped their mouths after eating or how Amy was tired and took naps, etc. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy those things – they just seemed extraneous and didn’t move the plot along. I would also have enjoyed more of the romance to develop in this book rather than seeing just the hint of it – that it could go either way. I’m sure the romance will get there, but, for this reader, I like heavy doses of romance along with my mysteries.

Again, I thoroughly enjoyed the read and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

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