Category: Historical Mystery

A Quiet Life in the Country by T.E. Kinsey

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A Quiet Life in the Country (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1
Publication Date: 10/4/2016
Period: Littleton Cotterell, Gloucestershire, 1908 (United Kingdom)
Number of Pages: 257

The first book I read in this series was #7 – The Fatal Flying Affair – and I loved it so much I immediately purchased the first six books. Since this book is every bit as good as that 7th book was, I think that is a portent that I’ve found a wonderful writer and a great series. Now, I can’t wait to get to the other books in the series. The writing is excellent, of course, and the characters are exceedingly smart, witty, and entertaining.

I listened to the audiobook version of the book and the narrator, Elizabeth Knowelden, did an excellent job. The pacing was smooth, nicely done, and each character had a distinct voice. What I thoroughly enjoyed was the humor came right through into the voice. I felt as if the narrator was smiling while she was performing.

Lady Emily Hardcastle and her lady’s maid, Florence Armstrong, aren’t exactly what they seem. They have been together for almost two decades and their relationship is much more than employee and employer. They are great friends, but maintaining the façade of their relationship serves their purpose. While it isn’t plainly said, it is strongly hinted that Lady H and Flo were in service to the Crown.

Lady Hardcastle has decided to retire and she and Flo are just moving into their rented home in the country. Ah – the quiet country life! Just a few days into that tranquil new life Lady H and Flo decide to take a walk around the area – and – well – there goes the tranquility. They come upon the body of a young man hanging from an old oak tree in Combe Wood. Lady Hardcastle stays with the body while Flo dashes into town to fetch a constable. The constable doesn’t seem to have a lot in the brain department as Flo is telling him about finding the body.

‘Lady Hardcastle and I were walking in Combe Woods and we found a man hanging from the old oak in the clearing.’
‘Dead?’
No, I thought to myself, he was in remarkably fine spirits, actually, despite the rope round his neck. His face was purple and his breathing a little . . . absent, but he seemed frightfully well, considering. I decided not to say that, though. Be polite, Flo, I thought. ‘Yes, Constable, quite dead.

When yet another body turns up, and a major theft occurs, Inspector Sunderland allows Lady H and Flo to sit in on the suspect interviews and help with the case. Sunderland quickly comes to understand what formidable ladies they are and welcomes them to continue to assist him.

The culprits will most likely surprise you, and the wit and humor throughout the book will delight you. Should you choose to read this book, I hope you will love it as much as I did.

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Deadly Scandal by Kate Parker

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

Deadly Scandal (Deadly, #1)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: Deadly #1
Publication Date: 2/25/16
Period: 1937 – Interwar London
Number of Pages: 278 Print – I had the audiobook

Olivia Denis is in the morgue identifying her deceased husband. It just can’t be her Reggie lying there covered in blood! Sweet, sweet Reggie. Now, they are trying to tell her he committed suicide. Of course he didn’t! She knows he couldn’t have – wouldn’t have – just NO! Even though she takes all of their reasoning and turns it back on them to convince them it is murder, they won’t budge. Well, if they won’t investigate a murder, she will because Reggie definitely didn’t kill himself.

In the two years prior to the beginning of WWII, London was teeming with foreigners – those truly seeking refuge from the Nazi atrocities in Europe, and those seeking to garner information to pass back to Hitler to aid in his invasion of England. There were also Englanders whose sympathies lay with Hitler as well. There were spies everywhere – there was even a major leak coming from Reggie’s office and they had yet to discover his identity.

Was Reggie the mole who was funneling information to the Nazis? No, of course not. Olivia would never be convinced of that – even though she has just learned many, many, many shocking things about the Reggie she thought she knew. Does that mean that maybe Reggie discovered who the spy is? Could they have murdered Reggie to keep him quiet? Why has someone broken into Olivia’s apartment and ransacked it? What are they looking for?

When more deaths occur and Olivia is constantly being followed, she doesn’t know who to trust. Can the handsome Captain Adam Redmond, of Army Intelligence, be trusted? He certainly turned up at a time that would have allowed him to be part of the problem rather than the solution. Goodness help her – she’s learning to trust and lean on him – has she misjudged him?

You’ll love seeing Olivia come into her own during this time. She has a contentious relationship with her overbearing father and he is livid when she refuses to be a dutiful daughter and move back to his home after Reggie’s death. She compounds his anger when she actually goes to work in order to be able to afford to live in the flat she and Reggie had shared. There is more to her job than meets the eye, and she really begins to find her way – and her courage – as the investigation comes to completion.

I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook. Henrietta Meire, did a nice job with a smooth-flowing narration. While she did different voices for each character, they weren’t distinct enough that I would have recognized the character without having the author identify who was speaking. I think you’ll enjoy listening to the story should you choose the audiobook.

I can definitely recommend this book – and this series. I actually read the second book first because my library didn’t have this one available at the time. That means I can already tell you the second book is a good one as well – but I did like this one better.

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