Category: Interwar Period (Nov 1918 – Sep 1939)

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

An Assassination On The Agenda by T.E. Kinsey – Review

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An Assassination on the Agenda (Lady Hardcastle Mystery, #11)Barbara’s rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #11
Publication Date: 5/21/24
Period: Interwar – Bristol and London
Number of Pages: 317

Lady Emily Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong solve another edge-of-your-seat, breath-holding mystery on behalf of the Secret Service Bureau (SSB). While they enjoy rusticating in the bucolic setting of their little village, they often wish for a bit more excitement. They definitely find excitement – along with danger, murder, assassination attempts, treachery, and treason in some unexpected places. It always amazes me how this writer can cover such serious subjects and still make me chuckle, and often laugh out loud.

There has been a murder in Brighton and since they live close by, Lady Hardcastle and Flo are dispatched there by the SSB. Not to solve the murder – No, they are to take over the investigation and keep the local police from identifying the body. Luckily, they are personal friends with both the coroner and the lead police inspector. But . . . They end up with two bodies and a murderer who has to be the worst shot on the planet, or he is trying to muddy the waters.

The next stop is London where the powerful men in a trade organization try to sidestep Lady Hardcastle and Flo. We all know how well that is going to work, don’t we? They try shutting Lady Hardcastle and Flo out of the information flow so they cannot do their jobs, but where there is a will, there is a way. The red herrings and misdirections don’t work at all and Flo and Emily are off to the races. Not only do they outwit, out-think, and outmaneuver that slick bunch of old men, they solve two murders and save the country from the brink of war. I’d say that was a nice day’s work.

This was a fun, interesting, light-hearted read with a great mystery. If you have never read a Lady Hardcastle, then you should definitely give one a try – and – if you have (or haven’t) read Lady Hardcastle, you will love this one. Happy Reading!

A Botanist’s Guide to Society and Secrets by Kate Khavari

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A Botanist's Guide to Society and Secrets (A Saffron Everleigh Mystery)

Barbara’s rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Series: Saffron Everleigh Mystery #3
Publication Date: 6/4/24
Period: Interwar Period – 1920 – London
Number of Pages: 336

As with the first two books of the series, this third book is blossoming with intrigue, murder, mayhem, and a bit of romance. It is set in 1920s London with a rich narrative of period detail. It quickly sucks you into a time when respect was almost impossible for working females to win – especially female scholars.

Saffron Everleigh is a brilliant botanist who has had to fight and claw to claim a place as a researcher at the University – and she has to fight against prejudices, jealousies, and resentment every day to keep that position. In the previous two books, Saffron has willingly become entangled in murder investigations involving poisonous plants. Those investigations jeopardized her job and personal relationships, and she is glad to have left that behind her. With things settling down – her research project underway – and things getting back to an even keel with her work colleague (and romantic interest), microbiologist Alexander Ashton, she is looking forward to her next steps. Until . . .

Alexander has spent a lot of time over the last two books admonishing Saffron for her involvement in murder investigations – though he still helped her. Now, imagine his chagrin when he must ask for her help – with a murder investigation. As part of his job as an engineer, Adrian, Alexander’s brother had traveled by train to pick up a set of plans. He didn’t pay a lot of attention to the only other passenger in his car – until the man died. Since the man was poisoned, Adrian was the prime suspect.

Saffron agrees to do what she can to help, but – this time – Inspector Green isn’t inviting her into the investigation. While she can work around him, his cooperation would be much more helpful. This intricately woven mystery takes Saffron from the university, through secretive government labs, and on to government organizations who all want the biggest, best, most effective weapons.

The mystery is engaging, the prose educational, and the story easily translatable into today’s world. I particularly enjoyed the growth of Saffron’s relationship with Alexander and hope that continues to be the case. Yet another interesting part of the story is Nick, Saffron’s best friend’s brother. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? He certainly gave no indications of any soft good-guy edges to him, so I have to wonder if we won’t see more of him because he wants Saffron to work at one of his secret government labs.

This is a well-crafted story that I can recommend if you enjoy a thrilling, thought-provoking read. When I mentioned above that it was educational, I was truthful, as it is filled with a plethora of information on plants, poisons, microbes, methodologies, etc. For me personally, I could do with less of that, but it doesn’t detract from the story in the least – and it might even raise my IQ a bit.

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