Category: Interwar Period (Nov 1918 – Sep 1939)

The period between the end of WWI and the beginning of WWII

Murder Wore A mask by Matthew Costello & Neil Richards

On By BarbaraIn Barb's Reviews, George V - 1910- 1936, Interwar Period (Nov 1918 - Sep 1939)Leave a comment

Murder Wore a MaskBarbara’s rating: 4 of 5 stars

Series: Mydworth Mysteries #4
Publication Date: 3/27/20
Number of Pages: 123

I love this series. I love Harry and Kat and how they are so proud and supportive of each other. They always build each other up rather than tearing each other down with snappy dialogue. They always share equally in the investigations – working together – each to their own strengths. I also love how they ‘read’ each other. It is definitely no wonder they are so sought after when it comes to solving mysteries because they always get their man/woman.

Lady Lavinia is giving a full-on Venetian masked ball at Mydworth Manor – a lavish affair with hundreds of guests – from local village folks to Bishops, admirals, movie stars, and government officials. The food and drink are lavish, the costumes are exotic and wonderful, and everybody is having a wonderful time. Well, almost everybody, there is the little matter of Wilfred Carmody being found face-down by the lake. Since Carmody has a bad heart, everyone assumes he expired from a heart attack – until they learn that isn’t the case.

With no physical evidence at the scene, they have to rely on their sleuthing and deducting skills to find out what happened, why it happened, and who did it. Even with hundreds of suspects at the ball, it doesn’t take them too long to narrow the list down to a handful. There is a lot of misdirection and red herrings aplenty, so you’ll have to keep your wits about you to follow all of the clues to find the murderer. Or, is there more than one? Oh! My!

These books are always quick, fun reads that put me in mind of the old black & white movies with Nick and Nora Charles, or Pam and Jerry North, maybe even a bit of Charlie Chan thrown in for good measure.

All of the recurring characters made an appearance in this book and I loved to visit with Aunt Lavinia especially. There was one new character that I wonder if he’ll be a recurring character as well. Charlie Todd is a very young man, and I liked him very much, so it will be fun to see if he pops up in future installments – maybe along with the yacht.

A Pretty Deceit by Anna Lee Huber

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

A Pretty Deceit (Verity Kent #4)Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: Verity Kent #4
Publication Date: 9/29/20
Number of Pages: 304

This might be the best book in the series so far. All of them have had great mysteries and all of them have furthered the investigation into the overarching villain – but this one shows further character growth that I really appreciated. For me, it has been a slow go to warm up to Sidney – read the first book in the series, This Side of Murder, to learn why. Speaking of that, you can read this as a stand-alone book and you’ll definitely appreciate the single mystery contained within it, but to gain a good understanding of the overarching mystery as well as the character’s relationships with each other, you really ought to read the series in order.

Verity and Sidney are preparing to leave for Falmouth to further their investigation into Ardmore whenever Verity received a call from her parents asking her to travel to her aunt Ernestine’s estate, Littlemote, in northeastern Wiltshire. There were some issues that needed handling at the estate. Many soldiers from the nearby airfield were billeted at Littlemote during the war and caused a lot of damage to the structure. Along with that, several small items have disappeared and a number of the more valuable paintings have now been identified as forgeries.

When Verity arrives, she learns that not only are items missing and paintings forgeries, there is a maid missing. Verity quickly comes to a solution on the paintings, but the body of one of the employees turns up in a wooded area. Oh! My! Sounds like a job for the local constabulary.

As Verity, Sidney, and company zip around the countryside investigating Ardmore and the mishaps at Littlemote, we have more bodies, more danger, car chases, you name it. Solving this one won’t be easy and it certainly won’t be safe for Verity or her friends. Things are really beginning to heat up with Ardmore. Oh! Heart Palpitations!

I thoroughly enjoyed the read – the writing is excellent, the pacing is exciting, and the plot is interesting and keeps you wondering until the last moment. I am also coming to like Sidney much better – especially with the way that he allows Verity to take the lead on investigations and he’s even accepting of her friendships with the males in the group – even though it gives him a bit of a pang, he shows his trust and faith in her. So, I’m thawing toward him.

I hope you will enjoy the read as much as I did.

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