Category: Historical Mystery

Twilight at Moorington Cross by Abigail Wilson

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

Twilight at Moorington CrossBarbara’s rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Series: Standalone
Publication Date: 1/11/22
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 320

I was really looking forward to reading Twilight at Moorington Cross because I had read and enjoyed other books from this author. This book, however, didn’t live up to its predecessors.

Mrs. Amelia Pembroke has had a difficult life. We didn’t learn anything of her parents, how they met their deaths, or how they came to leave their young daughter’s future so unplanned. We do know that she was in the hands of a guardian by the age of five, and that guardian was a loving and caring one. Although not loving and caring enough to assure she was protected – he left for France and left her in the care of yet another guardian. She was passed from uncaring guardian to uncaring guardian until she was old enough to marry and then she was foisted off on an unsuspecting bridegroom. You see, Amelia has a sleeping disorder (narcolepsy I assume) and is apt to fall asleep at the most inopportune times. In times of severe stress, her entire body locks, and she falls – totally paralyzed. None of her guardians could deal with that – nor could the bridegroom who knew nothing of the disorder when he married her. They were only married a week before he placed her in the Cluett Mesmeric Hospital where she has been for the last two years. Though she is now a widow, she is still in residence at the hospital.

Ethan Hawkins has been summoned to the Cluett Mesmeric Hospital to formalize Mr. Cluett’s will. It is definitely a strange will, but it isn’t his job to judge – it is only his job to assure that the will is legal and binding. He is amazed when Mr. Cluett decides to share the contents of the will with the beneficiaries as soon as it is finalized. However, Mr. Cluett wants all who will be affected to be aware of the clauses in the will and what it will mean to them. You see, Mr. Cluett is leaving his considerable fortune and property to Amelia – as long as she marries one of two gentlemen he has named. Should she choose not to honor that clause in the will, the ENTIRE fortune and property will be awarded to the mesmeric school in France.

Later that same evening, Mr. Cluett is found dead in his bath. Accident or murder? The bumbling magistrate rules it an accident, but Ethan and Amelia are sure it was murder. Everyone in the home was accounted for at the time of death, so it couldn’t be one of them. Or could it? The house was locked up for the evening, so it couldn’t have been anyone from the outside. Or could it?

The characters were almost cardboard and I just couldn’t find any affinity with them, and the mystery was so very slow – and – well – boring – until you got to the end and then all sorts of weird and unexpected things just came out of the woodwork. Almost the entire book has Amelia vacillating between the two possible suitors – but she really prefers Ethan – but she really has to choose one of the other two men – but she really prefers Ethan – and on and on. It was very tiresome and really didn’t move the story along. I will certainly try another book by this author, but I cannot recommend this one.

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

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In the Market for Murder by T.E. Kinsey

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, Edwardian Age (1901-1910), Historical Mystery, Part of a SeriesLeave a comment

In the Market for Murder (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #2)Barbara’s rating: 4 of 4 Stars
Series: Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #2
Publication Date: 12/20/2016
Period: Edwardian – 1909 – Littleton Cotterell, Gloucestershire
Number of Pages: 270

In this delightfully delivered mystery, we find Lady Emily Hardcastle almost recovered from the bullet wound she received at the end of the first book. She’s getting up and about and is itching for something interesting to do when, lo and behold, Inspector Sunderland presents Lady Hardcastle and Florence with a murder investigation. Not only is it a murder, but they met the victim only a week before his death. Goodness, there is a lot of nefarious goings-on in rural England because they also end up investigating a theft and a fraud at the same time.

The murder victim, Spencer Caradine, is spiteful, hateful, vengeful, and just downright mean, so there is definitely no shortage of suspects. But was he really murdered? The police coroner is sure he has been poisoned, but he has no idea what the poison would be. Did a neighbor do it? Did the wife, who is in love with another man, do it? Did the other man do it? Was it his maltreated son who did it? With so many suspects and no motives, Emily and Florence have their work cut out for them.

With the murder investigation stalled, Lady Emily and Florence work on their other cases. Who could have broken into the rugby club to ONLY steal a trophy and some worthless memorabilia? Leave it to Lady Emily to figure it all out. Then, when an apparition at a séance accuses one of the attendees of murder, Florence is on the case. With a childhood spent among circus performers and showmen, Florence is uniquely qualified to ferret out the tricks used by the medium. Or, are they really tricks? Maybe this medium is truly gifted and the spirit was actually murdered by the accused.

I ‘read’ the Whispersync version of the book, and thoroughly enjoyed the narration. The narrator, Elizabeth Knowelden, did an excellent job with all of the characters, but I particularly liked her interpretation of Lady Emily and Florence.

This is a highly entertaining addition to the series and I can definitely recommend it. The characters are intelligent, likable, and very witty and you will absolutely love spending time with them.

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