Category: Historical Mystery

The Bones In The Orchard by Patricia Rice

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

The Bones in the Orchard (Gravesyde Priory Mysteries #3)Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Series: Gravesyde Priory Mystery #3
Publication Date: 3/19/24
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 322

I am really loving this series and I hope you will as well. I love the mysteries and I love the characters, but I think what I love best is the process of making a family from such disparate backgrounds – and, yes, they really do become a family. You really do need to read the series in order of publication to get a true appreciation for each family member and their relationships – and where they fit in within the whole. They are a delightfully eclectic mix of eccentric characters – and you will love them all. You see, the Earl of Wycliffe died and left Gravesyde Priory to all of his kin – and that certainly creates a tangled mess. After much searching of the family tree, invitations were sent out to the various and sundry members asking them to come to Gravesyde Priory, take up residence (or not), and join the clan. Those who do show up are in desperate need, in hiding, irritated, etc., and all of them – on whichever side of the blanket they were born – find a home, acceptance, and family. They also find a mystery, several dead bodies, and romance along the way. Yes, it is a lovely series – and now – something about this book.

Weddings! Yes, three couples are sorely irritated because – well – how can they be married when there is no church and no curate to read the banns or perform the ceremony? Then, miraculously, a curate and his family show up – and he claims to hold the tenancy as curate for life. Well – where the devil has he been? At first, the folks at Gravesyde Priory dismiss his claim, but when he and his family move into the parsonage and begin to restore it and the church – and the people of the village remember them – maybe the curate really is who he claims to be.

The curate doesn’t appear to be well-loved by many in the village, and the folks at the Priory soon discover why. Then, they discover the curate’s body. Oh, goodness. Now they have a murder to solve and no weddings to plan. Since the curate’s son is also a man of the cloth, he’s just there to get his parents and sister settled, perhaps they can convince him to stay on as curate. Or, is he the one who murdered his father?

With many very old secrets and lots of suspects, the residents of the Priory will have to tread carefully to solve the curate’s murder – and the others that came after. Yes, multiple murders, many secrets, unwilling witnesses, and a villain that will surprise you!

I loved the book. The writing, as always, was excellent, and the characters – old and new – are so very likable. We did finally get one wedding – and we got a new romance, so maybe there are three more weddings to come rather than just the two remaining. I can recommend this series and this book and I hope you will love them as much as I do. Happy Reading!

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

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Speculations In Sin by Jennifer Ashley

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

Speculations in SinSpeculations in Sin by Jennifer Ashley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: A Below Stairs Mystery #7
Publication Date: 3/5/24
Period: 1883 – Victorian London
Number of Pages: 320

Oh! This is the most exciting, interesting, on the edge of your seat, read it in one sitting book I’ve read in a while. Most of the things Kat Holloway holds dear are under threat and it appears the deck is definitely stacked against her. With the rich and powerful working against those she holds dear, can she, a lowly cook, defeat them? I’ve just read the last page and I am already wondering how I’ll ever manage to wait for the next installment.

Kat was at the end of a wonderful day visiting her daughter Grace when she noticed something wasn’t right with her lifelong friend, Joanna Millburn. When Kat prodded, Joanna finally broke down and told her that her husband, Samuel, was being accused of embezzlement and threatened with dismissal from his position. Kat knew there was no way possible that Sam would ever embezzle. He was the sweetest, gentlest, and most loving soul Kat had the pleasure of knowing. He had a misspent youth, but he had turned his life around in the last 20 years. When Kat found herself with a dead husband and a newborn she had no way of supporting, Joanna and Sam offered to care for Grace in their home – and to treat her as one of their own. They had lived up to that commitment for the last twelve years and there was no way Kat would let anyone hurt Sam, Joanna, their children, or Grace.

Kat had just begun her investigation at Sam’s place of employment when Sam was arrested – right in front of her – and there was nothing she could do – nothing. No, the charges weren’t embezzlement – he was charged with the murder of a fellow employee. OMGoodness! How will Kat ever get him out of that when the judges and the police are against Sam as is his rich and powerful company? Luckily for Sam and Joanna, Kat calls in all of her friends – from above and below the stairs – and they mount an investigation of their own. Yes, there is Daniel, James, Thanos, Lady Cynthia, Roberta (Bobby), Lady Townsend, and even Daniel’s reprobate brother, Mr. Fielding, and many others who band together to protect the Millburn family and prove Samuel’s innocence.

There was excitement on every page and just when you thought you had it all figured out – you found out you really didn’t. I think this might be the best book so far – and I’m really excited to find out where Daniel and Kat’s relationship goes from here – and what Daniel’s big ‘final’ task might be for Mr.Monaghan. I can recommend this book and this series. I will, however, say that this is not a series you can just jump into the middle of and get a good feel for the characters and relationships. You really need to read the series from the first book forward. Happy Reading!

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

View all my reviews