How to Solve Your Own Murder

 How to Solve Your Own Murder (2024) by Kristen Perrin

Synopsis (from book flap): It's 1965 and teenage Frances Adams is at an English country fair with her two best friends. But Frances's life takes a hairpin turn when a fortune-teller makes a bone-chilling prediction: One day, Frances will be murdered. Frances spends a lifetime trying to solve a crime that hasn't happened yet, compiling dirt on every person who crosses her path in an effort to prevent her own demise. For decades, no one takes Frances seriously. Until, that is, nearly sixty years later when Frances is found murdered. 

In the present day, Annie Adams has been summoned to a meeting at the sprawling country estate of her wealthy and reclusive great aunt Frances. But by the time Annie arrives in the quaint English village of Castle Knoll, Frances is already dead. Annie is determined to catch the killer, but thanks to Frances's lifelong habit of digging up secrets, it seems every endearing and eccentric villager might just have a motive for her murder.

Can Annie safely unravel the dark mystery at the heart of Castle Knoll, or will dredging up the past throw her into the path of a killer? As Annie gets closer to the truth, and closter to the danger, she starts to fear she might inherit her great aunt's fate instead of her fortune.

My take--the short and sweet version: not nearly as captivating as anticipated. 

The premise was really good. Here we have the village busybody keeping track of everyone and their doings for a completely new reason. They're not just doing it to be nosy. They're not feeling holier-than-thou and wanting to point out everybody's "sins." They're not the village blackmailer. No--they just want every little fact they can get their hands on to try and figure out who might want to kill them and why. But, honestly, I wasn't all that taken with Frances. I definitely didn't care for her "friends." And Annie wasn't all that appealing either. Neither the diary entries from 1966 nor the current-day chapters featuring Annie felt authentic. The portions supposedly written by teenage Frances feel more mature than the bits with Annie, who has graduated from a London arts college and, I assume, is older. 

Of the two mysteries (there's a disappearance in the 1960s that is never explained until Frances is killed), I actually found the missing girl more interesting. While there was a definite effort at red herrings and false clues in the matter of Frances's death (and I did appreciate the attempt to create a classic crime novel), it didn't pay off. The culprit was obvious to me fairly soon after Annie started trying to piece things together.

It appears that there's a series of these books where Frances keeps getting involved in murders and whatnot and somehow those murders mirror or are connected to modern-day mysteries in Annie's life. Really? I'm thinking you can only take duality so far...and the first book seemed to me to reach that limit. ★★

First line: "Your future contains dry bones."

Last line: Putting pen to blank paper, I started writing.
*********************

Deaths = 3 (one poisoned; one shot; one natural)

The Anatomist's Apprentice

 The Anatomist's Apprentice (2011) by Tessa Harris

Synopsis [from the book flap]: In the first in a new mystery series set in eighteenth-century England, Tessa Harris introduces Dr. Thomas Silkstone, anatomist and pioneering forensic detective...The death of Sir Edward Crick has unleashed a torrent of gossip through the seedy taverns and elegant ballrooms of Oxfordshire. Few mourn the dissolute young man--except  his sister, the beautiful Lady Lydia Farrell. When her husband comes under suspicion of murder, she seeks expert help from Dr. Thomas Silkstone, a young anatomist from Philadelphia.

Thomas arrived in England to study under its foremost surgeon, where his unconventional methods only add to his outsider status. Against his better judgment he agrees to examine Sir Edward's corpse. but it is not only the dead, but also the living to whom he must apply the keen blade of his intellect. And the deeper the doctor's investigations go, the greater the risk that he will be consigned to the ranks of the corpses he studies....

One of the blurbs on Goodreads I saw said that if you like The Anatomist's Apprentice, then you'd like the Sebastian St. Cyr mysteries. As a firm fan of the Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin mysteries, let me say that once you read those, you'll be spoiled and might not want to come back to Dr. Thomas Silkstone. The quality of writing and historical research in the C. S. Harris books are superior. The characters are far more compelling and the mysteries better plotted. Each series (basing the Silkstone series on this one only) have their gruesome moments, but Silkstone's autopsies outdo Devlin's high body count--not in a good way.

The mystery itself had a good premise, but there were too few suspects and I spotted at least part of the solution pretty quickly. There is a nice added twist at the end, but even that is telegraphed a bit ahead of time. Now...this doesn't mean I won't give Silkstone another chance. Though I was immediately hooked on the Devlin books, I have to say that they don't hit their stride until the third book or so. I like the time period and I'm willing to see if the books improve after a slightly rough beginning. ★★ and 1/2

First line (Prologue): Time, they say, is a great physician.

First line (1st chapter): A stifled scream came first, shattering the oppressive silence.

Last line: No doctor had ever devised a remedy to ease lovesickness, but during the cold and unforgiving season that lay ahead without his beloved, the token, he told himself would help warm his aching heart.
******************

Deaths = 8 (one natural; two poisoned; one drowned; two strangled; two beaten)

When the Wolves Are Silent

 When the Wolves Are Silent (2026) ~C. S. Harris (Candice Procter)

London, 1816: We open with Sebastian St. Cyr, Lord Devlin's nephew Bayard Wilcox awakening from a drunken stupor to find his friend Marcus Toole's body burning up in the bonfire they had built as part of a raucous night. Despite the rift between his uncle and his mother, his first thought is to run to Devlin for help. Bayard claims that he and Marcus got rip-roaring drunk (as they are wont to do--usually with a larger group of friends) and thought it would be hilarious to build a bonfire up on Primrose Hill where people who believe in the druidic practices like to hold little get-togethers. He wandered off into the woods to relieve himself and the next thing he knew he was waking up to a strange smell coming from the clearing where he'd left Marcus and the fire. 

While Devlin is waiting for Sir Henry Lovejoy and his Bow Street Runners to arrive, he searches the area and finds a wooden carving shaped like a wolf--on each flank is a Celtic knot. Was this part of some Celtic rite gone wrong? Or is there more to it? When Devlin learns that another of Bayard's friends was recently killed--stabbed and thrown into the river--he has to wonder if the men themselves hold the reason for the killings. In fact, he has to wonder if Bayard is telling him the whole truth or might be responsible himself. His investigation shows him that Bayard and his friends were not nice men. They picked fights, harassed, and destroyed the property of the powerless. All of the men were privileged sons of the wealthy and were never properly brought to account for their actions. Has someone decided to take justice into their own hands? 

More deaths follow--including two of the groups victims--and one of the original six men has disappeared altogether. Now Devlin has to wonder if there is more than one killer at work. The crown (for which read Jarvis, the real power behind the throne) wants someone, anyone arrested and hung for the murders NOW. Preferably one of the riff-raff who are protesting the government. Devlin will have to work quickly if he doesn't want to see an innocent man (or men) hang.

I don't know why I do this to myself. I get the latest Sebastian St. Cyr mystery as soon as I possibly can, read it in a day, and then look around and bemoan the fact that I have to wait a whole year for the next one. You'd think I'd learn--to take my time, to savor the experience, to let it last as long as possible. But, no. These stories are so good. I just can't help gobbling them up. Harris writes an incredible story using her skills as a scholar to research the period, sprinkle interesting facts throughout the narrative (without boring us silly with minute details), and peopling the plot with both real personalities of the time as well as fictional characters with depth.

Devlin's wife Hero has played a role in his detective work occasionally throughout the series and it was nice to see her more involved in this latest case as well. Her contacts in the scholarly realm helped Devlin discover the meaning behind various Celtic and druidic symbols which cropped up along the way. Tom, his tiger, and Calhoun also had their moments to shine--tracking down important witnesses and bits of information that Devlin needed to unravel the case.

I will say that this is quite the complicated plot--far more than I realized while reading it. I can't say much without giving things away, but there are a number of threads to keep track of and I didn't manage keep hold of all of them. The ending was a surprise...but a satisfying surprise.  I was a bit disappointed that we still haven't made any progress on finding out more about Devlin's heritage nor has there been a follow-through on a dangling issue from Hero's side of the family tree. Added to that, we now have to wonder about Sebastian's sister Amanda and if what he predicted for her future will come true. Her son Bayard may have been a nasty piece of work, but she's not far behind....I'm hoping that the next installment will bring some closure on at least one of these issues. ★★★★ and 1/2

First line: Where the bloody hell am I?

"It never ceases to amaze me how otherwise intelligent, reasonable men can have such faulty, antiquated notions about the true nature of fully one half the human race." (Hero, Lady Devlin; p. 49)

Last line: "They got away!"
*****************

Deaths = 19 (two drowned; two stabbed; one burned to death; three strangled; three natural; two in war; one beaten to death; five shot)

Murder by Plum Pudding

 Murder by Plum Pudding (2019) by Lee Strauss

Ginger & Basil Reed wind up with a houseful of guests at Christmas. First, Mr. Doyle a friend of her late father's writes to say he and his wife will be visiting England and wants to discuss some things with Ginger. So, of course, she asks them to stay for the holidays. Then her step-mother Sally and half-sister Louisa arrive unexpectedly on the doorstep--because they wanted to surprise Ginger. So, of course, she opens her home to them as well. Then, for Christmas dinner, there's Basil's mother and father (always a jolly couple--especially now that Scout's adoption has gone through. The adoption they opposed....), Dr. Gupta and his wife, and an older couple who are friends of the elder Reeds. Oh--and, quite by chance, Ginger meets the brother of Mrs. Doyle at a Christmas Eve charity luncheon and invites him as well.

The dinner is a bit tense--for reasons Ginger can only guess at--but festive enough. At least until Mr. Doyle chokes and lands face first in his second helping of plum pudding...dead. At first it looks like he might have choked on one of the items hidden in the pudding; a dreadful accident, but an accident all the same. But Dr. Gupta's examination (in his capacity as police surgeon) reveals that it's more complicated than that. There was no obstruction to the breathing passages. So, what killed the man. And more importantly...who killed him?

A fun novella mystery that's perfect for Christmas (or Christmas in April, as it happens). A bit rushed since it's a shorter work and there aren't a lot of red herrings to muddy the waters, but it's always delightful to visit with Ginger, Basil, and the other regulars. I do wish we could give annoying relatives a rest, though. That theme is getting a bit tired. ★★★

First line: The journal remained tucked away in the bottom drawer of Mrs. Ginger Reed's bedside table along with a photo of her late husband, Daniel Lord Gold.

Last line: "Let's go to the Ritz!"
****************

Deaths = one poisoned

Murder on Eaton Square

 Murder on Eaton Square (2019) by Lee Strauss

Basil and Ginger Reed are invited to a charity event at the Eaton Square home of Mr. Reginald Peck. There is obvious tension between Peck and his wife, Peck and his children, and even Peck and his solicitor. Peck is an invalid whose demeanor may be affected by his health and that's what the Reeds chalk it all up to. But the next day Basil is called back to the Peck home--this time as a Scotland Yard inspector. Reginald Peck has been found dead and while it is assumed that the death is natural, it soon proves to be murder by poisoning. And questioning soon proves that Peck's family had good cause to wish him dead. He wasn't a pleasant family man and they all could use an inheritance. Even his son-in-law who poses as an Indian guru and claims no interest in sordid material matters. It's just a matter of deciding whose motive was biggest and who had the best opportunity. And then Mrs. Peck dies from poisoning as well...Ginger and Basil will need to sift through motives and opportunity to discover whose behind the poisonings. 

Meanwhile, Basil's parents come for a visit and, though they themselves are fairly unconventional, they take great exception Basil & Ginger's plan to adopt Scout, Ginger's ward. Heaven forbid that their heir be a former street urchin! And they threaten to disinherit Basil if the adoption goes through. Considering how much the elder Reeds go against convention--flitting off on trips to South Africa and India and adopting a South African child (who had since been murdered), you'd think they'd be a little more flexible.

This was another solid entry in the Ginger Gold mystery series and it serves up a very interesting solution that I didn't see coming--at least I didn't see one half of the solution coming. I did figure out the other half. I like the way Ginger and Basil's teamwork plays out--Basil is the official arm of the law and Ginger plies the suspects with charm and disarming conversation. Very nicely done. A quick read with a pleasant mystery that makes for a comfortable read. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: Mrs. Ginger Reed, alias Lady Gold, had reserved a box at the London Playhouse Theatre for her family, who now mingling with anticipation and glasses of champagne in hand, waited for the signal that the production of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet was about to begin.

Last line: "I meant the four of us, Bossy."
*****************

Deaths = 3 (two poisoned; one accident)

A Case of Mice & Murder

 A Case of Mice & Murder (2024) by Sally Smith

From the book flap:

When barrister Gabriel Ward steps out of his rooms at exactly two minutes to seven on a sunny May morning in 1901, his mind is so full of his latest case—the disputed authorship of bestselling children’s book Millie the Temple Church Mouse—that he scarcely registers the body of the Lord Chief Justice of England on his doorstep.

But even he cannot fail to notice the judge’s dusty bare feet, in shocking contrast to his flawless evening dress, nor the silver carving knife sticking out of his chest. In the shaded courtyards and ancient buildings of the Inner Temple, the hidden heart of London’s legal world, murder has spent centuries confined firmly to the casebooks. Until now . . .

The police can enter the Temple only by consent, so who better to investigate this tragic breach of law and order than a man who prizes both above all things? But murder doesn’t answer to logic or reasoned argument, and Gabriel soon discovers that the Temple’s heavy oak doors are hiding more surprising secrets than he’d ever imagined . . .

My take: This is a fun first mystery from a King's Counsel turned novelist. Smith brings the Temple of the early 1900s to life and peoples it with extraordinary characters from our amateur sleuth Gabriel Ward to Constable Wright, the officer assigned to assist him, to young Percival Dunning, the son of the murdered man, Gabriel Ward is a man after Hercule Poirot's heart--making sure his inkwell and gold pencil are positioned "just so" on his desk and looking for method and order and connections where others might miss them. He also brings a warmth and humanity to the legal field that is in sharp contrast to some of his colleagues. 

Many of the barristers and judges who live in the Temple are looking how best to position themselves to climb the judicial ladder, if they get justice for their clients or those who appear before them then that's all well and good too. But that may not be their primary goal. This gives them a mighty good motive for doing away with the Lord Chief Justice, because some of them would love to step into his robes. But it's also possible that he was killed for his shoes...after all, his shoes are missing. And then there's the rumor that there have been some odd goings-on in the Temple Church. Maybe Lord Dunning came upon something that someone would rather not have know and paid the price. Though Ward's brief is only to interview the Temple inhabitants and report to the police (with a mandate from the Treasurer to find evidence that some miscreant from outside the Temple walls awas responsible), he keeps investigating long after the last interview. And he's amazed to find that there may be a connection between his important case and murder.

I thoroughly enjoyed Gabriel Ward's first venture into detection--even though I did spot the suspect about midway through. It was still great fun to watch Ward and Wright work their way toward the solution. I hope that Wright will get the recognition due him and his inspector won't steal all the glory.... ★★★★

First line: It is anybody's guess what went through the mind of Lord Norman Dunning, Lord Chief Justice of England, on the evening of 20 May 1901, in those frantic seconds when he knew that his death was inevitable.

Last line: He always went home at nearly six o'clock.
*****************

Deaths =  3 (one stabbed; one natural; one poisoned)

The Murder Wheel

 The Murder Wheel (2023) by Tom Mead

Edmund Ibbs is a young, idealistic lawyer working for the defense in what looks like a hopeless case. Dominic Dean, bank manager, and his wife Carla took a ride on the Ferris wheel at the local fair. But only one of them survived the ride. When their carriage reached the top, there was a shot and Dean was dead before he could receive medical attention. Carla swears that she's innocent and Ibbs wants to find a way to make a jury think she could be. He hears about a mysterious "limping man" who had been following Dean and was seen leaving the fair after the shot by the man who operated the Ferris wheel. He starts looking for answers--interviewing workers at the bank and learning that there had been a robbery at the bank not long before. Is there a connection?

Ibbs is also an amateur magician and decides to take in a show featuring Professor Paolini. During one of the illusions, a dead man falls out when a locked crate is opened....and it is Varga, the operator of the Ferris wheel. When another impossible crime happens in the theater, Ibbs finds himself the prime suspect. But fortunately, Joseph Spector, the expert on impossible crimes is on hand to investigate and between the two of them, they will discover who is responsible for each murder. Do they all tie in with the robbery? And if so, does that mean that Titus Pilgrim, an underworld crime boss, is at the back of it? Or are there different culprits with different motives? We will have to wait and find out.

Tom Mead is carrying on the tradition of John Dickson Carr and other locked room/impossible crime experts from the Golden Age...and doing it well. Using the magician's stocks-in-trade (the art of distraction and sleight-of-hand), he makes it difficult to keep your eye on the ball and figure out which cup it's really under. I absolutely fell for one of the red herrings and was busy trying to tie it to one of the suspects. This kept me from spotting the clues that Mead obligingly sprinkled through the text (and which he helpfully footnotes during Spector's wrap-up scene). I'm still not sure I completely understand how the body got in the crate--even with the delightful little map/diagram that we're given. But I'm trusting that it really does make sense to those more able to decipher the layout. 

Just as with a good magic show, I thoroughly enjoyed being mystified and I really liked the opening mystery with the Ferris wheel. It was also satisfying that we came full circle and had a second helping of attempted murder on the wheel, creating an exciting finish for our hero. This second adventure in the Joseph Spector series is nearly as good as the first and it is another terrific effort at recapturing the spirit of the Golden Age of Detection. ★★★★

First lines: It began with the book. If not for the book, the rest of it would not have happened.

Last lines: Ibbs looked back at the old man. Spector's pale eyes gleamed.
******************

Deaths = 12 ( four natural; four shot; one beaten to death; one broken neck; one fell from height; one hanged)

An Heiress's Guide to Deception & Desire

 An Heiress's Guide to Deception & Desire (2021) by Manda Collins

Miss Caroline "Caro" Hardcastle, last seen as sidekick to Lady Katherine Eversham (Bascombe as was then) in A Lady's Guide to Mischief & Mayhem, takes center stage in this second book in the Ladies Most Scandalous series. Caro's good friend, actress Effie Warrington, has been kidnapped and Caro and Kate set out to find out what has happened to her. Kate's husband, Inspector Andrew Eversham, is also on deck to help out--as is Lord Valentine Thorn, cousin to Effie's betrothed. Frank Thorn, was beaten soundly when two men accosted Frank and Effie and drove off with the actress in her carriage.

The involvement of Val, just recently made Viscount after the death of his elder brother, is (pun fully intended) a thorn in Caro's side. She and Val had been romantically involved until the Thorn family made clear that the daughter of a businessman (no matter how successful and no matter how large her inheritance might be) was no match for someone of Thorn's rank. The family's opinion didn't matter near as much as the fact that Val didn't stand up for her at the time--something Val has regretted from the moment it happened. Both still have feelings for the other, but both are too proud to say so...yet. But having to work together so closely to help two people they each care about may provide the means to patch up their differences.

But first....to find Effie. And then Frank disappears as well and the hunt is on for two missing persons instead of just one. There are two possible threads to follow. First, that one of the group of admirers who swarmed around Effie after her theatre performances decided to make her his own--even if he had to kidnap her to do so. Or, second, Effie, who had been raised by foster parents, was trying to discover her true parentage. Clues seem to indicate that she had been successful and that she may have a claim upon a substantial inheritance. Is there someone whose position is in danger? And are they willing to kidnap...or worse to keep that position. In either case, Frank is just collateral damage. Will our heroines and heroes find the pair in time? And will Caro and Val find true love along the way?

So, this series is heading into cozy romantic mystery fluff territory. The solution is more obvious this time around and there are fewer alternate possibilities (at least fewer of substance). But the writing is good as are the characters and the interactions between the characters are fun. I'm still amazed at how many progressive men and women are running about int he mid-1800s. Frank and Effie are in the progressive club--and we've just been introduced to another couple, who I am willing to bet will feature in their own installment soon. If you like light mysteries with romance and aren't hung up on historical accuracy when it comes to progressive views, then this may just be a series for you. ★★★ 

First line: "They're behaving as if  I haven't been on my own, managing my life, for the year they were in Paris."

Last line: And if they were lucky, there would be a million other perfect moments left to come.
**********************

Deaths = 5 (four natural; one drowned)

Consequences of Sin

 Consequences of Sin (2007) by Clare Langley-Hawthorne

1910 England (mostly). Ursula Marlowe--heiress, Oxford-educated, wanna-be journalist (but NOT a women's fashion/gossip/society writer), and suffragette--receives a phone call that plunges her into murder and a mystery linked to a South American expedition from twenty years ago. Winifred Stanford-Jones, a friend and fellow suffragette, asks for Ursula's help when her (Freddie's) lover is killed in compromising circumstances. Freddie is arrested--after all, what are the police supposed to think when Laura Radcliffe is stabbed to death in Freddie's own bed? 

But then Laura's father commits suicide and Ursula finds links to an expedition that her own father, as well as Colonel Radcliffe and other prominent men had sponsored. When another sponsor's daughter is killed, it begins to look like someone has a vendetta against those who backed the trip to South America. But Colonel Radcliffe was the only survivor of that doomed expedition...or was he? Ursula tries to get her father and their legal advisor, Lord Wrotham, to give her information that will help find the real killer and set her friend free, but they insist that she stay out of it. But Ursula can't do that...she'll  get to the bottom of this--with or without their help. But will she survive long enough to share what she learns?

Here we go again...strong-willed woman meets supportive man (yes, Lord Wrotham is a young legal advisor and, though he seems to through obstacles in her way, he actually admires her intelligence and courage). It's a little bit more believable this time around because we're in the middle of the "votes for women" era. So in the middle of the story, Ursula--who has never been anywhere outside of England--suddenly decides to go traipsing off to South America where a massacre took place during an expedition her father and other backers funded to see if the man she (and the backers) think may be running amok and killing people right and left is still in the jungle or not. And she manages to disguise herself as a man and successful navigate booking passage so she can travel alone on the boat. And then she goes off by herself to find the man in the back of beyond. I'm sure that could happen. And why on earth did she suddenly abandon her male disguise in the middle of it all? That was baffling.

I wanted to like this more than I did. It had an interesting opening and the premise for the murders actually worked well. But the story dragged a bit up till the point that Ursula goes running off to South America. Lots of action from that point on, but her trip wasn't quite plausible enough. It would have worked better if she'd been given at least a bit of experience as a traveler. The other quibble I have is how rapid things turned to romance. Even faster than usual in these romantic historical mysteries. I'm giving all of the star value to Ursual, whom I really do like as a character, and the mystery itself. ★★★

First line: When the telephone rang downstairs so early that Saturday morning, Ursula Marlow knew it could only be bad news.

Last line: "Always."
******************

Deaths = 7 (three natural; one accident; one stabbed; one shot; one strangled)

Portrait of a Nightingale

 Portrait of a Nightingale (2024) by Manda Collins
~Read by Gemma Dawson

Synopsis from Goodreads: Miss Penelope Monckton, just returned from nursing with Florence Nightingale’s in Crimea, has come to the country estate of one of the most scandalous men in England, Lord Rickarby—nicknamed Rakerby—to collect a bequest from his late wife, her childhood friend Millie. But something about Millie’s death doesn’t sit right with Penny, and she’s determined to use this visit to learn all she can about the events leading up to her dear friend’s death.

A celebrated painter, Joss, Lord Rickarby, knows Miss Penelope Monckton only from the letters she sent to his late wife during her time nursing in a war zone. But what he knows, he greatly admires. Since Millie’s death, however, he’s been under a cloud of suspicion that only grows darker with every new tabloid story—doubtless Miss Monckton believes the worst of him too. But when he finally meets the intrepid nurse, it’s while he’s lying on the forest floor bleeding from a gunshot wound from an unknown assailant.

With the shooting having cleared Joss as a suspect, Penny is now determined to work with the all too handsome earl to find out who killed Millie. But with every clue they uncover, a different picture of the killer begins to emerge—and it’s clear that instead of Millie’s circle during her marriage, the culprit comes from the world of her childhood—a childhood spent with Penny by her side. And as the healer and the hellion grow more entangled, the body count grows. Can this unlikely pair catch the killer before he puts a permanent end to their budding romance?

My Take:

Collins writes very interesting and engaging characters. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Penelope and Joss, as well as Joss's sister and, most particularly, his mother. These are characters that I would like to spend more time with, but I don't get the sense that Collins intends to make them part of a series.The mystery kept me interested, despite (as mentioned below) a reader who was not interesting except when characters were speaking. There were plenty of red herrings--enough that I was on wrong the track entirely. I went far enough afield that I'm not sure I would have come to the right conclusion even if the spoiler below had been handled properly. The plot was wrapped up nicely, though I'm not completely sold on the motive--especially since the culprit's instability on certain matters wasn't really established. ★★★ and 1/4

Just a few quibbles: ~Again, if there were as many progressive, independent women and supportive men running around in Victorian times as we've got in historical mysteries and romances, women would be much further ahead now than we are today. ~The element of coincidence is huge here. Almost too big to believe. ~Our reader seems to think the portions of the book that are not dialogue should be as boring and monotonous as possible. She's obviously capable of reading with energy and emotion because it comes into play whenever characters are speaking. But she makes a quite interesting mystery seem as dull as ditchwater. A bit of enthusiasm would go a long way to making the audio version more enjoyable. Fortunately the mystery captured my attention despite Dawson's best efforts to discourage me and I was caught up in trying to figure out who was trying to do in Lord Rickaby. ~This quibble is based on my preference for Golden Age mysteries and fair play. [spoiler coded in ROT13] TNQ ehyrf fnl gung gurer fubhyq or ab gjvaf be ybat-ybfg eryngvirf gung gur ernqre unfa'g orra nqrdhngryl cercnerq sbe. Eboreg (bhe ivyynva) fcevatf n arire-orsber-zragvbarq gjva ba Crarybcr (naq gur ernqre) va uvf pbasrffvba ng gur raq. Gurer'f ab jnl jr pbhyq unir svtherq bhg jub gur xvyyre ernyyl jnf.

First line: A shower of birds burst into flight when the shot rang out.

Last line/s: This time she kissed him and they were quiet for a good long while.

Deaths = 3 (one shot; one fell from height; one poisoned)

A Lady's Guide to Mischief & Mayhem

 A Lady's Guide to Mischief & Mayhem (2020) by Manda Collins

England 1865: Lady Katherine Bascomb is a rather unconventional Victorian woman. She not only owns a newspaper, thanks to her husband's early demise, but she also (gasp!) writes columns. When a serial killer who has been dubbed the "Commandments Killer" by the press goes uncaptured by Scotland Yard after four murders, she and her newly found friend Caroline "Caro" Hardcastle decide to cowrite a column to investigate the latest murder. A column they plan to develop into practical advice for ladies about how to stay informed and protect themselves. They realize that not only has the killer been leaving cards with one of the Ten Commandments on the bodies, but it can be proved that each victim was "guilty" of breaking that particular commandment. Their investigation finds a young barmaid whom the Yard managed to miss interviewing and who may have seen the killer. The ladies write their article and the Yard immediately finds a man matching the description and arrests him....

Except Inspector Andrew Eversham, who was relieved of duty on the case because his superior was upset that mere reporters found what he couldn't, doesn't believe the right man is behind bars. And neither does Lady Bascombe, for that matter. When they meet (in the fracas that follows the new inspectors announcement to the press), he's understandable upset with her over what he regards as interference. She points out to him that it wouldn't have been necessary if he'd done his job. They part on less than friendly terms.

Lady Bascombe is invited to her friend Lord Valentine's country estate for house party--she plans on enlisting his aid to get the Yard to investigate the murders more thoroughly (knowing that the men in charge will listen to a titled man before listening to a woman's "fancies" about justice). She doesn't expect irrefutable proof that the wrong man has been jailed to appear on a country walk near the estate. But that's just what happens and Katherine is the one to find it. Another murder and another card with a commandement. And guess who the Yard sends to investigate? Inspector Eversham. Those two are sure to lock horns....unless they realize that they're on the same side and actually....the other person really isn't that annoying. In fact, they're kind of attractive....

First observation: If there really had been as many progressive/headstrong women determined to live outside the conventions in the 18th and 19th centuries as historical mystery writers have strewn about, then there would have been a social revolution much sooner with more far-reaching results. Especially, if there had also been as many men who were so willing to support these women. I mean, they would have been tripping over each other all the time. 

Now that I've gotten that out of the way....This is a fun, nicely plotted mystery. Did I spot the culprit? Yes (Qualified, yes, that is. Can't explain or that would be a spoiler.). Did I completely figure it out? No. And that's satisfying. I figured out just enough to be able to pat myself on the back and enough was left for the author to explain that I got a bit of surprise. I like Katherine and Andrew together and Caro and Lord Valentine are good supporting characters. It's hard to believe that a mystery featuring serial killings could be cozy and done with a light touch, but Collins achieves this. There are more in this series and I've already put the next one on hold at the library. ★★★ and 1/2

First line: If Sir Horace did not desist from his asinine talk about what constituted appropriate conversation for a lady, she would do one of them an injury, thought Lady Katherine Bascomb, hiding her scowl behind her fan.

Last line: Eversham was sure he was up to the challenge.
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Deaths =  10 (six stabbed; four natural)

Frederica

 Frederica (1965) by Georgette Heyer

Vernon, the Marquis of Alverstoke, is at the top of the ton; the highest  levels of fashion. He is wealthy and handsome and the hope of every mother determined to make an excellent match for one of her daughters in the Marriage Mart. But...Alverstoke is easily bored by the ladies of the ton and never spends longer more time than a brief flirtation or discreet liaison on any of them. Then along comes Frederica Merriville with her three younger siblings. He's never met a woman like her.

The Merrivilles are distant cousins and Frederica is determined that Cousin Alverstoke will launch her sister Charis into ton on her come out. There is nothing that Alverstoke would less--as he's already explained to his sisters who have wheedled and schemed and everything in between trying to get him to host a ball in their daughters' honor. Hosting balls bore him and he hates being bored. But there's something about Frederica that appeals to him--she's not pretty and she's "on the shelf" (an elderly twenty-four [!], no longer seeking a entree into society for herself), but she can talk to him without resorting to coquettish ways and (gasp) even argue with him. Her sister Charis is a beauty, a diamond of the first-water, and he suddenly realizes that helping Frederica to bring her out into society will put his sisters' noses so far out of joint that they (the nose) may be facing backward. And what great fun that will be! 

What he doesn't bargain on is becoming fond of Frederica's two younger brothers--Jessamy and Felix and serving as a father-figure/guardian stand-in. But at least with Felix, he is never bored. Felix is a scientifically-minded young fellow who gets into the most extraordinary scrapes all in the interests of science--from disappearing overnight on a steam packet (to get an up close and personal experience of the steam engine) to going up in a hot air balloon and then falling out of it when it had a bad landing. Jessamy isn't far behind, having a run-in with some Londoners when he tries out the latest conveyance (an early form of the bicycle). No, boredom has never been so far away. And...he also doesn't bargain on becoming fond of Frederica. She interests him more than any woman of the ton ever did. But does she interest him enough to make this confirmed bachelor settle down for life?

So often bookish quizzes and challenges either want to know your "guilty pleasure" reads or have a prompt asking you to read a "guilty pleasure" book. I generally say that I don't really have any guilty pleasure reads: If I like reading a thing, then I like it and will own up to it. There's no feeling guilty about it. That said, if I have to choose a guilty pleasure read then I will claim historical romances for that category simply because I'm not a big romance fiction reader. And if I'm going to read romance then there's nothing better than one of Heyer's Regency romances. I love the research Heyer has put into getting the period right; I love making my way through the colloquialisms of the time--everything from "top-lofty" to "making a cake" of oneself to "ninnyhammer." [As an aside, it's a shame that there is not even a hint of a mystery in this particular Heyer--some of the romances do have a bit of mystery as well--because it's chock full of words and phrases that could have been used as the GAD Word of the Day.]

This is another of Heyer's best. Frederica makes for an admirable love-interest for Alverstoke. She's able to give plenty in their verbal give-and-take and she has enough force of character to stand up to him. The subplots involving Felix and Jessamy are well-done, incorporated nicely, and most interesting. I find Charis and Harry (the eldest Merriville--mostly off at Oxford) a bit disappointing, but I suppose the whole family can't be interesting. The one thing that keeps this from being a full five stars is the fact that, despite being a Regency romance, the romance is very definitely flying under the radar. In fact, for most of the book, Frederica doesn't even realize that romance is in the works for her. But the finely-drawn characters and the various storylines carry the day and make this a compelling historical fiction read. ★★★★

First line: Not more than five days after she had despatched an urgent missive to her brother, the Most Honourable the Marquis of Alverstoke, requesting him to visit her at his earliest convenience, the widowed Lady Buxted was relieved to learn from her youngest daughter that Uncle Vernon had just driven up to the house, wearing a coat with dozens of capes, and looking as fine as fivepence.

Last lines: "If I promise faithfully not to blow the house up? If you please, Cousin Alverstoke...?"

The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Great War

 The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Great War (2021) by Simon Guerrier

Another adventure for Holmes & Watson! Wait...not that Watson. Augusta Watson is young VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) member serving at a hospital near the frontlines in France in 1917. She's a very frustrated service member--after being trained in medicine, ambulance (and other) driving, mechanics, and various other skills, she's being used as skivvy for the nursing staff. Got dirty linens that need washing--let Watson do it. Got patients that need all sorts of bodily fluids cleaned up--let Watson do it. And her attitude sometimes let's her frustration show. So, she's surprised to find that when she's been called to Matron's office (again) it's not to have the riot act read.

She's to have the honor of showing the latest dignitary to visit the front around the hospital. These men generally come to see what "can be done for the boys in the trenches" and then don't seem to get anything done. But when she sees that this particular guest is the illustrious Mr. Sherlock Holmes, she's even less thrilled than usual. You see, with her last name she's had to endure every kind of joke possible--especially when she (a woman!) expressed the desire to study medicine. Nobody takes her seriously and she blames the celebrity of Holmes and his biographer. 

But she can't help but get interested when she realizes the detective is there to investigate a mystery and not just dole out empty promises about making things better. Holmes is on the trail of a young officer who was injured at the front and supposedly died at the hospital, but there is no record of him. Not as having been on the ward. Not as having been dead on arrival and sent straight to the morgue. No record at all. Watson is assigned to assist Holmes in his inquiries and the further they dig, the more they come to realize that there is a deeper plot...one that seems intent on causing unrest and higher casualities among the soldiers--on both sides of No Man's Land. It's up to Holmes and Watson to find those behind the plot and put a stop to it.

Not every entry in "The Further Adventures" series of Holmes stories is created equal. I don't seem to be able to resist these whenever I come across them--in used bookstores, at our annual community book fair, or at Barnes & Noble--and I've let myself in for some real stinkers (The Veiled Detective, I'm looking at you). But once I got over the fact that we just had to have a nurse's aid by the name of Watson, I settled down and enjoyed this one. The mystery is a good one with several well-placed clues and a lot of war-time adventure. I was just a bit worried that we were going to venture down the path blazed by Laurie King (throwing this Holmes & Watson into a relationship), but I don't think that was the plan. And by the end of the story I was hoping that Guerrier had penned another. There are some sentences here and there that refer to an adventure in which Augusta Watson gets to meet the Dr. Watson. But, alas, it seems that adventures has not yet been discovered among Watson's papers.

Overall, an enjoyable Holmes pastiche. ★★★★

First line: By the first week of December 1917, I thought myself quite inured to the horrors of war.

Las line: Nonetheless, do write and say if, for the sake of your archive, you should also care for my own account of those events.
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Deaths: 8 (six shot; two stabbed)

Dangerous Crossing

 Dangerous Crossing (2017) by Rachel Rhys

It's 1939 and as Europe heads towards another world war, Lily Shepherd is headed for a new life in Australia. Leaving her parents and brother behind (sadly) as well as memories she'd rather forget, Lily is taking part in a program that gives her passage to the land down under and an opportunity to find employment. But during the weeks spent aboard ship she finds a different sort of opportunity--the chance to sample a world full of adventure, new friends, dancing, visits to some of the wonders of the world, and a taste of life among the upper classes. But that world is also full of danger--men with only one thing on their minds; men with grudges against certain groups of people--including some of Lily's new friends; and women who are so bored with life that they will try anything at least once. Lily thinks she may find romance with a young law student who is traveling with his sister...but when a friend disappears one night (apparently lost overboard--or was she pushed?) and another death occurs, she finds herself in the middle of a terrible situation and nowhere to go.

First thought: I am not a fan of present tense--especially when it seems to be done in such a weird way. It's like it's trying to be partially first-person present tense and mostly omniscient present tense and not quite successful at either. This, I'm sure, colored my reading somewhat. There was all the makings of a really good mystery, but somewhere it went a bit off course and we wound up with a middle-of-the-road story. The background was good. And the beginning started well. But once we settled in onboard ship, we spent way too much time on the weird interpersonal interactions between Lilly and the Campbells. And, honestly, wound up with very little mystery. It's obvious what happened to Maria (the friend who disappears overboard) and the second death happens right before our eyes, so we know immediately who did it. If Rhys had simply wanted to write a historical story set aboard a ship, that would have been one thing. But--she states plainly in her afterword that she thought the journal written by a friend of her mother's about doing just what Lily did would make a marvelous basis for a "historical crime novel." And the blurb led me to expect just that, so I think it natural that I felt a bit let down. 

As a historical novel, it is a good solid read (especially if you don't mind or can get past the present tense). But if you're looking for a great historical crime or mystery novel, then I don't think it quite meets the case. ★★★

First line: Sandwiched between two policemen, the woman descends the gangplank.

Last line: GREETINGS FROM THE NEW LADY CULLEN STOP MARRIED TWO WEEKS STOP SETTING OFF FOR NYERI KENYA TOMORROW STOP IF EATEN BY LIONS MY PEACH SILK IS YOURS STOP ELIZA
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Deaths = 4 (one drowned; one stabbed; one bled to death; one suicide)

Aristotle Detective

 Aristotle Detective (1978) by Margaret Doody

Synopsis (from the back of the book): When a violent murder leaves a prominent citizen dead and a falsely accused suspect in exile, a master philosopher turned part-time sleuth is drawn into the baffling mystery. The scene is Athens, 332 B.C.; the murder weapon is a bow and arrow; the investigator, an in inexperienced young boy. There is only one mind capable of putting together the puzzling pieces--that of the great and wise Aristotle. Stephanos does the legwork, exploring the ins and outs of the city, and the master ponders the clues and weighs the evidence in a splendidly dramatic trial before the supreme tribunal of Athens. Aristotle unmasks the villain in a dazzling display of deductive logic.

My take: This was just a snooze-fest for me. We have Aristotle set up as a Holmes wanna-be with Stephanos acting as his active Watson. Though Stephanos has more of a stake in the mystery since the wrongly accused man is his relative. I'm afraid that I didn't find any "splendidly dramatic" moments nor "dazzling display[s] of deductive logic." The villain of the piece is pretty obvious very early in the book and viewing all of this through the eyes of Stephanos was excruciating. He may be filling the shoes of Watson in this story, but the original Watson is far more appealing. 

Others on Goodreads have rated this much more highly--so perhaps one needs a more philosophic mind to really appreciate it. I guess I'm just not a philosophic girl. ★

First line: It was in the month of Boedromion in the waning of the third moon after the summer solstice that the terrible deed was done that was to have so long and arduous a consequence.

Last line: "Polygnotos commanded the best rhetoric of all."
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Deaths = one stabbed

High Marks for Murder

 High Marks for Murder (2008) by Rebecca Kent (Kate Kingsbury)

Meredith Llewellyn is the headmistress at the Bellehaven Finishing School. A place that is known for transforming the "most incorrigible tomboy into a refined young lady." It's also a bit progressive for the beginning of the 20th Century--encouraging their refined young ladies to think for themselves and allowing exploration into other ways to find fulfillment beyond the role of wife and mother. The teachers may teach deportment and household management, but you just might find them chanting "votes for women" along with their students. You never know what you might see if you arrive unannounced. But I don't think anyone expected to see a ghost...

That's just what Meredith does see after her friend Kathleen Duncan, the home management teacher, was found bludgeoned to death with a tree limb. The local bobby doesn't want to waste precious time investigating too deeply into the demise of a woman out wandering in the garden at night alone (where no respectable lady should be...) and decides it's a death by tramp. A very convenient tramp who is long gone with no way to trace him. Meredith is upset that her friend's death is so easily dismissed and thinks about investigating on her own. But she has no idea how to go about it. Until she starts seeing Kathleen's ghost who seems to be trying to tell her something through various signs. If she can just figure out what Kathleen's motions in the garden mean, she just might have the clues to get an investigation started. 

Pure cozy mystery. No blood to speak of. No traumatic or complicated goings-on in our amateur sleuth's life. And, honestly, not a whole heaping lot of detection. So--if you're looking for a standard mystery with clues to follow and deductions to make, then this might not be your thing. If you like a gentle mystery with a hint (just a hint, mind you) of the supernatural and likeable characters, then this might well be your thing. 

I like the setting at a girls' school. I like our main characters--Meredith and her two, somewhat reluctant, Watsons, Felicity and Essie--though I'm not quite sold on Meredith as a Sherlock just yet. This was a pleasant read but the mystery wasn't too difficult. I knew exactly what Kathleen's ghost meant when she kept pointing at the garden and I'm not quite sure why Meredith was so baffled. Perhaps her grief got in the way? I have the second book in this series and hope that we will see more detecting than trying to communicate with spirits (though I already know there is a ghost involved in that one as well). ★★★

First line: Under normal circumstances Meredith Llewellyn enjoyed the Sunday services at St. Edmund's.

Last line: "Now what's your story?"
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Deaths = one hit on head 

Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2026

 

Marg at The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader & Baker will be hosting the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge again this year. I've still got a couple of historical series to work on and plan to join in for another round.. If historical fiction is your thing (or you'd like to see if it is), take a peek at the details at the link above.

I'm going to sign up for the Victorian Reader level (5 books). I may wind up venturing further, but if I reach my initial goal then I will claim the challenge complete.

1. High Marks for Murder by Rebecca Kent (1/22/26)

2. Aristotle Detective by Margaret Doody (2/3/26)

3. Dangerous Crossing by Rachel Rhys (2/4/26)

4. The Further Adventures of Sherlock Holmes: The Great War by Simon Guerrier (2/7/26)

5. Frederica by Georgette Heyer (2/22/26)

Victorian Reader

6. A Lady's Guide to Mischief & Mayhem by Manda Collins (3/7/26)

7. Portrait of a Nightingale by Manda Collins (3/17/26)

8. Consequences of Sin by Clare Langley-Hawthorne (3/21/26)

9. An Heiress's Guide to Deception & Desire by Manda Collins (3/25/26)

10. The Murder Wheel by Tom Mead (4/1/26)

Renaissance Reader

11. A Case of Mice & Murder by Sally Smith (4/18/26)

12. Murder on Eaton Square by Lee Strauss (4/20/26)

13. Murder by Plum Pudding by Lee Strauss (4/22/26)

14. When the Wolves Are Silent by C. S. Harris (4/26/26)

15. The Anatomist's Apprentice by Tessa Harris (5/5/26)

Medieval Reader

16. How to Solve Your Own Murder by Kristen Perrin (5/16/26)

17.

18.

19.

20.

The Curse of Braeburn Castle

 The Curse of Braeburn Castle (2019) by Karen Baugh Menuhin

It's Halloween in 1921. Major Heathcliff Lennox's friend Jonathan Swift has married, retired from official detective work, and now lives with his wife's family at Braeburn Castle on an island in Scotland. He decides to do a bit of renovation in the section of the castle that holds their living quarters and while doing so makes a discovery within the wall. Lennox receives a message that Swift has found a skeleton wearing a crown and the former inspector wants Lennox to come to Scotland to help investigate.. The discovery has attracted archaeologists (whom Swifts suspects are really treasure seekers) and the head and crown have gone missing. 

The inhabitants of the castle believe the skeleton to be Black Dougal (an ancient enemy to the Braeburns) and that it comes with a curse and ghosts--very appropriate to Halloween. At the very least it comes with murder--because one of the archaeologists is shoved off the battlements to his death. And then someone burns the only boat on the island. Why does the murderer want them trapped? And why was the archaeologist killed? Swift and Lennox investigate and it seems that they will need to dig into the curse (which is a secret held closely by the Laird of the castle) and the history of Black Dougal. Then a second murder takes place and while Lennox has a suspect in mind, it seems impossible that they could have committed the crime. When he figures out how the person could appear to be in two places at once, he's ready to help Swift capture the killer.

Very atmospheric--Menuhin captures the castle setting very nicely. You are very aware of how drafty, yet claustrophobic the place can be. She also gives us good descriptions of the inhabitants and the archaeologist. Well-drawn characters that are clearly defined and work well in the setting. The only one I'm not sold on is Miss Fairchild, a psychic/medium who makes a beeline for the castle as soon as the skeleton is found. She's a nice enough lady and all, but she really isn't necessary to the plot unless the point is to validate the ghosts and whatnot for the Halloween theme. But she's doesn't add anything plot-wise that couldn't have been covered just as well by other characters. The plot itself is well done and I appreciate the way Menuhin has taken a device that provided a solid alibi in a particular Agatha Christie novel and turned it on its head. Very nice! ★★★★

First line: "Are you absolutely certain he said skeleton?" I asked, with a degree of scepticism.

Last line: I picked the little cat up, dropped him gently into my jacket pocket, called my dog and headed off for a long walk in the peaceful countryside.
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Deaths = 5 (one war; one Spanish flu; one fell from height; one stabbed; one buried alive)

A Knife in the Fog

 A Knife in the Fog (2018) by Bradley Harper

Not long after the publication of A Study in Scarlet, Arthur Conan Doyle (not yet Sir), receives a message from former Prime Minister William Gladstone's secretary, Jonathan Wilkins, urgently asking him to come to come to London--"as many lives may lie upon its balance." Assuming that the summons is medical (though a bit mystified why Gladstone would call upon him), Doyle arranges to go. Only to find out that Gladstone wants him to work with the police to capture "Leather Apron" the killer of prostitutes who will soon become known as Jack the Ripper. Doyle feels completely inadequate, but when pressed says he will take up the commission on one condition--that his mentor Professor Joseph Bell (who served as the inspiration for Sherlock Holmes) agrees to work with him.

Wilkins agrees on Gladstone's behalf and also arranges for the men to have a guide in Whitechapel to help them navigate the unfamiliar world where the killer operates. He has selected Margaret Harkness, a journalist who writes about Whitechapel and the surrounding area under the name John Law. Harkness becomes a worthy member of the amateur detective team, more than proving her mettle when it comes to dealing with razor-bearing ruffians and thieves. She guides them to sites of the previous murders, introduces them to a working girl named Mary, and then shows them the way to future sites. Little by little, Bell and Doyle pick up pieces of the puzzle that will reveal who the killer is--but then the Ripper focuses on their team and the hunt becomes personal. Can they find him before one of their own becomes the next victim?

I am always up for a Holmes-adjacent story or a Jack the Ripper story. And, if you combine the two, even better. Jack the Ripper is one of the serial killers I can read about. I prefer my true crime/serial killers to have a bit of age on them. I'm not keen on true crime books about recent murders. Just my opinion, but I don't like to think of profiting off murders with current victims (family of those killed, for instance) still around to be hurt. Unless the goal is to provide a new perspective on an unsolved crime with the hopes of finally bringing closure, then I'd rather read about true crimes that are far removed from the present day. [Okay, I'll step down from my soapbox now....]

Since this is a work of fiction, Harper gives us a fictional solution to the murders even though he peoples the book with real people--from Doyle and Bell to Gladstone and Wilkins to Margaret Harkness and Inspector Abberline, as well as many others. While I was familiar with those who figured prominently in the Ripper investigation and knew a fair amount about Doyle and his mentor Bell, I was completely unfamiliar with Margaret Harkness. It was very interesting to learn about her journalistic work among the lower classes in London. Harper may have taken some liberties with her character and given her what seems like a more modern viewpoint, but given her dedication tot the under-represented in London's society at the time the liberties may not be as great as they appear.

The mystery is perfectly fine. Again, given that this is fiction, I was expecting Harper to give us a solution that satisfied his additions to the Ripper story. This means, unfortunately, that the person he's chosen to fill the Ripper's shoes doesn't come as a big surprise. The possible suspects aren't exactly thick on the ground. The wrap-up is a bit of a let-down--of course, the villain has it in for Doyle. Because reasons. The reason he selected Doyle as his opponent doesn't make a great deal of sense to me. Of course, given the state of the villain, perhaps it's not supposed to make sense--but one wishes it had. Overall, a perfectly fine, middle-of-the-road read. ★★★ 

First line: The small cardboard box arrived from Florence last month and sat unopened on my desk until today.

Last line: I miss you, dear friends. Happy New Year.
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Deaths = 9 (six strangled & stabbed; one poisoned; one hanged; one stabbed)

Sweet Poison

 Sweet Poison (2001) by David Roberts

August 1935, in the shadow of the coming world war. Gerald, the Duke of Mersham is one of many British aristocrats who are are trying to fend off another blood bath by bringing together influential men who might help improve the relations between Britain and Germany. He has planned a dinner with Lord Weaver, a newspaper tycoon (with his wife and stepdaughter); General Sir Alistair Craig, a distinguished retired soldier; Peter Lamore, a rising politician (and wife); Cecil Haycraft, the Bishop of  Worthing and a loud supporter of pacifism (and wife); and Baron Helmut von Friedberg of the German Embassy, a man said to have the ear of the new Chancellor Adolf Hitler. The Duke presses his younger brother, Lord Edward Corinth to join the party--to take the place of Hermione Weaver's young man at table. The ill-mannered young cub (Gerald's point of view) has cried off at the last minute.

This type of gathering is the last place Edward wants to be--both because he would rather not be plopped in the middle of the polite bickering sure to result when you mix the general, the pacifist bishop, and the German all together and because he has an important cricket match that same afternoon that he refuses to miss. The cricket match will force him to drive even more rapidly than normal if he's going to be on time. Spoiler--he isn't. After a couple of mishaps, he winds up riding with a Miss Verity Browne, reporter, who is also on her way to Mersham Castle to interview the Duchess the next day for a story. The two arrive at the castle just in time for a late supper (the guests are long done), port...and to watch General Craig die from a dose of cyanide in his glass.

When it's learned that Craig had inoperable cancer, there is a suspicion of suicide--though why choose the Duke's dinner party to do it? But the general consensus (even by the police) is that it will be chalked up as an accident at the inquest...unless further evidence is found to suggest otherwise. Neither Edward nor his new-found partner in detection, Verity Browe (a Communist of all things!) believe it to be suicide or accident. Which leaves murder? But who would want to murder Craig? He hadn't met most of the guests before. Or had he? The further the two dig, the more motives they find. But no proof whatsoever. There will be a few more deaths before the unlikely duo discover the truth behind Craig's death.

I read several of this series back when they first came out and I was struck then by how many parallels there are to the Lord Peter Wimsey books. At the time I was delighted to find a similar aristocratic sleuth because I'd read all the LPW stories there were and was wishing for more. I deliberately started reading this one this year with that in mind and wanted to see just how closely Corinth mirrored Wimsey. A quote from Poisoned Pen on the back cover of my edition says: "Roberts is convincing on period detail and crafts prickly characters...while in fact the period parallels Dorothy L. Sayers, Roberts goes his own way...." Okay, can we talk about that? Here's what I've got when I tally things up:

Like LPW, Lord Edward Corinth is the younger brother of a Duke named...Gerald. Gerald doesn't understand his younger brother and thinks he's a bit of a harum-scarum. [Fortunately, for LEC, the Duke of Mersham's wife isn't nearly the pain in the you-know-what that LPW's sister-in-law is.] LEC also loves to drive fast--though not as well as a LPW. From all reports, he's more like LPW's accident-prone nephew Lord St. George. But he does have the same proficiency at cricket--managing to bat "not out one hundred and five" (whatever that means in cricketese). LEC also has a friend who provides him an entry into bohemian/Communist party society where monkey glands are discussed. 

LEC loves to throw a quotation or two around and uses a deceptively flippant nature to disguise his intelligence. And his man Fenton, like Bunter in the filmed version of Five Red Herrings, makes claim to be an amateur painter. LEC and Verity Brown have an uneasy relationship--based on differences in politics rather than the burden of gratitude that haunts Harriet Vane. And like Harriet in Have His Carcase, Verity attempts to vamp one of the major suspects. 

The end of the story mirrors two of LPW's novels. Verity leaves LEC, not to go on a walking tour as Harriet does from Strong Poison into Carcase, but to report what's going on in Spain. LEC feels the need to leave England on a holiday just as LPW does between Whose Body? and Clouds of Witness. I'm sure I've missed several more. But you get the idea. From what I can tell, Roberts has tried to shove as many parallels to LPW into this first LEC chronicle as he could. 

But...what about the mystery? There's lots to like--lots of suspects; lots of red herrings; lots of motives. Our sleuths even have to wade through the question of whether the right person got poisoned. There's also a few quibbles--LEC and Verity don't really do heaps of detecting. They luck into a few clues, but track down fewer. The culprit is a fairly nasty piece of work and there is a pointless bit of animal cruelty thrown in. On the balance, though, this is a solid opening for LEC and I did enjoy revisiting a world and characters very similar to those of Sayers.   ★★★ and 1/2  

First line (Prologue): The Duke thrust aside his copy of The Times in disgust and stared up through the branches of the great copper beech under which he sat.

First line (1st Chapter): Lord Edward Corinth deplored unpunctuality.

Last line: Then, faintly, above the rustling of the trees in the wind, he heard the tumbling skylarks choiring and he knew that their cries were all the prayers Max needed.

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Deaths = 6 (two shot; two natural; two poisoned; two stabbed)