Category: Historical Mystery

Murder at Midnight by Katharine Schellman

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

Murder at Midnight (Lily Adler Mystery, #4)Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Lily Adler Mystery
Publication Date: 9/19/23
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 320 Pages – (Audiobook 10 Hrs 49 Mins)
Narrator: Henrietta Meire

First, the narration. I thoroughly enjoyed this narrator’s mellow, pleasant voice and delivery. There was enough emotion in the delivery to give you all of the ‘feels’ – happiness, fear, tension, etc. It was nicely paced and the narrator was successful in delivering a unique voice for each character most of the time. However, when there were several characters in a scene with each taking a speaking part, there were times when I couldn’t tell who was speaking. Still, it was an excellent delivery and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Widowed Lily Adler has left the cold and damp of London for a Christmas visit with her husband’s family in Hertfordshire. Yes, they are still very close because they all grew up together and they all loved her husband. As part of the festivities, they are all attending a ball hosted at a nearby estate. Everyone in the area – all the people Lily grew up with – is in attendance and it is nice to see everyone. At least until she catches hints of undercurrents in the air. Hints of gossip – scandal – and she learns that Amelia Hartley, Jack Hartley’s sister, is the subject of the gossip. Oh! My! Goodness! Amelia has just let the gossip run amok because she will not speak about it – to anyone. The man who is also the subject of the gossip, Gregory Edison, isn’t speaking about it either.

With the ball in full swing, the snow begins – and it snows, and snows, and snows until there is no way the guests who live further away can get home before the roads are impassable. The only option is for those guests to spend the night and hope they can travel the next day – or the next – or the next.

So many things happen at the ball – and lots of red herrings are put in place – so you’ll have fun sorting them all out. When the attendees retire for the evening in their borrowed night clothing, the house becomes quiet and settled. Of course, there is the usual bed swapping that happens at house parties, but it is quiet – for a while. At first light, a body is discovered – outside – frozen in the cold. Of course, it wasn’t the temperature that did the victim in – it was the bullet hole that did it. The victim? Gregory Edison! The immediate suspect? Amelia Hartley! OMG – the race is off and running.

Lily, Jack, and Matthew Spencer (a sometimes love interest) are on the hunt for the real murderer because Lily and Jack are sure it isn’t Amelia. With no evidence – none at all – they have their job cut out for them. John Adler, Lily’s brother-in-law, the local magistrate, is totally without experience in investigating the murder and he immediately puts Amelia under lock and key. Luckily, John has a somewhat open mind and allows Lily to help him investigate since she has experience.

With witnesses being evasive and no physical evidence, it is going to be difficult to prove Amelia is innocent, or someone else guilty. Then, there are the jewelry thefts from various entertainments in the area – are they related? Or, is there another motive? You’ll just have to read the book to find out!

This was an interesting, fast-paced, well-plotted, and well-delivered mystery with lots of red herrings and many possible motives. You’ll be solving the case right along with Lily and her helpers, and you’ll feel the tension as the weather begins to improve to the point of allowing the suspects to return to their homes.

Another great part of the story – for me – is the romance. Where will Lily’s attentions land? She has choices – will she make the right one? I’m ready for this part of the series to be defined, and I’m hoping the events in this book will see that happening.

If you are looking for compelling characters, a complex mystery, and a tad of romance, then you will find all of that right here in this book. I recommend it. It was interesting and intriguing enough that I completed it in one session!

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

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The Scottish Ladies’ Detective Agency by Lydia Travers

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Historical Mystery, Part of a Series, Scottish/HighlanderLeave a comment

The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency (The Scottish Ladies' Detective Agency, #1)

Barbara’s rating: 3.6 out of 5 Stars
Series: The Scottish Ladies Detective Agency #1
Publication Date: 4/27/23
Period: 1911 Edinburgh – George V
Number of Pages: 340

I love historical mysteries and I love Scotland, so this sounded like the perfect book! I believe this is the author’s first book under this pen name, but she has written other books under the name Linda Tyler. This series is set in a politically turbulent time in England and Scotland. The country is still dealing with the loss of King Edward and George V ascending to the throne. There are whispers of war and the females of the population are demanding the vote and to be recognized as people rather than property.

Miss Maud McIntyre is a fortunate young woman. She has money of her own (from her mother) and a father who is doting enough and supportive enough to allow her to try to follow her lifelong dream of being a detective. She has read and practically memorized every detective story ever written (and you will see quotes from them as you move through the book) and she is particularly fond of Sherlock Holmes. Maude has invested a great deal of her money into setting up the agency along with her friend and former lady’s maid – so, when a potential client walks through the door on that first day – excitement abounds. Only to be lost again when he promptly leaves after discovering that the M. McIntyre Agency is run by females rather than males. He’ll come to regret that.

Daisy Cameron is Maud’s former lady’s maid who became a dear friend and is now her assistant at the detective agency. They work very well together with each augmenting the other’s weaknesses. Daisy is pragmatic, saucy, and grateful to be working where she is rather than being in service.

While their first potential client may have walked out the door, he was soon replaced by an even better one – the Duchess of Duddington. The Duchess is having a house party and since there has been a recent rash of thefts at house parties, the Duchess wants Maude and Daisy to catch the thief if they are at her house party.

There is a fairly quick but unsatisfying end to the case at the house party – and that case is quickly followed by three others – a missing dog, missing letters, and a missing fiancé. When those last cases are solved, there is still that unsatisfying end to the first case. Was the wrong man arrested? If not him, who? Then – Maud and Daisy are attacked – again. Why?

I liked this book, but I did not love this book. I liked it well enough to want to read the next book to see if it solves any of the issues I had with this one. For me, there was just way too much historical detail. Having the historical details around the suffragette movement would have been great had there just been less of it. I felt as if the mystery was just there as some filler space for all of the suffragette information. The story was also fairly slow and plodding during most of the book – no real excitement at all. Perhaps this is the author’s first attempt at a mystery, so I’ll definitely try another book to see how things go.

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