Category: Historical

Death Comes to the Rectory
by Catherine Lloyd
Rating: ★★½
isbn: 9781496723253
Series: Kurland St. Mary Mystery #8
Publication Date: January 26, 2021
Pages: 262
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Publisher: Kensington

Lucy and Robert's joy in christening their new daughter, surrounded by extended family and loved ones who have gathered in the village of Kurland St. Mary, is only enhanced when Robert's aunt Rose--now the second wife of Lucy's father Ambrose--announces that she is with child. However, not everyone is happy about the news, in particular Rose's adult daughter Henrietta and her husband, who fear for their inheritance.

Following the christening, Rose's disagreeable son-in-law Basil Northam threatens to turn afternoon tea in the rectory into an unsightly brawl. The next morning, he is found in the rector's study, stabbed through the heart with an antique letter opener, clutching a note that appears to implicate the rector himself.

Tedious.  While I’ve enjoyed this series up until now – enough to re-read a few of the books – I found this one tedious.

If I’m being completely fair, I imagine some of this is because I’ve just come off a re-reading binge of Deanna Raybourne’s Lady Julia Grey series, and the tone and writing are altogether different from the Kurland St. Mary series.  It would probably have been better to cleanse the reading palette in between.

Even if I’d had, I’d still have found it tedious to a degree.  The author over plays her characters: her villains are entirely too villainous; her suspects entirely too cryptic, the clues completely chaotic.  The tension between the two MCs was altogether irritating.

Buried beneath all this unfortunate tediousness is a rather clever murder plot though.  I almost DNF’d the book early on because I was certain the murderer was too obvious, and all due credit to Lloyd, she completely fooled me until I got much closer to the end.

I’m not completely turned off the series, but I have to admit my enthusiasm is diminished.  Whether or not I read another book (should one be forthcoming), will come down to my mood and my memory.

A Wicked Conceit
by Anna Lee Huber
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780593198445
Series: A Lady Darby Mystery #9
Publication Date: April 6, 2021
Pages: 374
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Publisher: Berkley

Now, this one was much more interesting for me.  Kiera and Gage are back in Edinburgh awaiting the birth of their first born.  And Bonnie Brock Kincaid is back too, which always ratchets up my enjoyment factor; I like a dark horse, especially when the author makes a place for him without creating any triangles.

There’s been a tell-all book written about gang-leader Bonnie Brock and his Robin-Hood-esque adventures under the nose of the Scottish authorities, and Keira and Gage are in it too.  This causes a lot of tension between all the characters, as nobody is all that keen to be in the pubic eye, so the race is on to find the man behind the poison pen.

The book also allows a massive tension to ignite between Kiera and her sister, one that started in the previous book but really blows up in this one.  So does the issue of paternity that was also introduced previously.  In the former, I think the author could have created a better dynamic behind Alana’s motivation, but as the story is being told from Kiera’s POV, I suppose I understand the logic.  The latter was handled better, I think.  There was a blow up when the truth was discovered, but it wasn’t drawn out and beaten into the ground, and resolution was quick but reasonable.

In general, a story I enjoyed quite a bit more than I did the previous book, but that’s likely down to personal tastes.  As Kiera has had the blessed child, I’m looking forward to their next adventure, hopefully after they’ve hired a nursemaid.

A Stroke of Malice
by Anna Lee Huber
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9780451491381
Series: A Lady Darby Mystery #7
Publication Date: April 7, 2020
Pages: 372
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime

A solid, dependable series, which makes it sound like a beloved pair of sneakers, but I can’t think of one of the books in the series that’s really let me down, although some are better than others.

A Stroke of Malice takes place during a weekend at a Duke’s castle in Scotland, celebrating Twelfth Night, with Keira 6 months pregnant.  Call me unnatural, but this might be part of the reason it’s not my favorite of the series; there was much rubbing of the belly and cradling of said belly with heaps of overly sentimental musings about the sanctity of life and blah blah blah.  Just not my jam, but the mystery was extremely diverting and for almost all of it, I had no clue, though I should have.  Which makes the writing even better, in my opinion, since the answer was right there but she managed to keep me from seeing it.  A secret paternity is revealed too, which kept things interesting.

So generally, a good one but not the best, and likely other readers with even an ounce of maternal feelings won’t be as critical as I’ve been.

An Unexpected Peril
by Deanna Raybourn
Rating: ★★★½
isbn: 9780593197264
Series: Veronica Speedwell Mystery #6
Publication Date: May 8, 2021
Pages: 340
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Publisher: Berkley

Not every book in a series can be the best, not even in a series as fabulous as this one.  There’s always one that just doesn’t quite meet expectations.  This is that book in the Veronica Speedwell series, for me.

In previous books, Veronica has always been larger than life and proactive, doing what must be done, and damn the consequences.  She’s strong, independent, confident in who she is, and makes no apologies.

She’s none of that in An Unexpected Peril.  She’s still running full steam ahead, but this time it’s a reactive sort of running, going against the grain of her own personality by charging into an investigation that does not involve her as a means of running away from her own anxieties.  A woman who willingly discussed anything in the previous 5 books, now avoids discussing anything of import.  And given her character and Stoker’s, it’s a bit of a letdown in its predictability, something neither character had been thus far.

Still, putting that aside, the rest of the story is fun and kept my attention.  Veronica gets to pretend she’s a princess, giving her the opportunity to see what she’s missed all these years, and the killer was a mystery until the end when it all came together beautifully.  It would have been a far better story overall without the angst and repression, but I suppose it had to happen at some point.

I’m still eager for the next one and hope that in book 7 the true Veronica will return in all her bossy, outrageous glory.

Death Comes to the Nursery
by Catherine Lloyd
Rating: ★★★
isbn: 9781496723222
Series: Kurland St. Mary Mystery #7
Publication Date: February 3, 2020
Pages: 264
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Publisher: Kensington

Meh.  A generally solid cozyish historical series, this one fell flat for me.  It wasn’t bad, but it felt too busy and a tad too contrived.  Some characters veered into tropes, which is something previous books avoided.  That a woman (a nursery maid) so beautiful could come on the scene and suddenly make historically staid and responsible male characters start following her around (3 of them, at least), forgoing their responsibilities and breaking out in fisticuffs over who gets to walk with her is just too far beyond reasonable for me.

Further adding to the mediocrity of the story, the man who turns out to be the murderer was obvious from the start, because the author’s red herrings were just too, too red.

I have the next one and still have hopes it will be enjoyable.  Though this historical series is cozy in its atmosphere, the author doesn’t shy away from bringing real issues to her characters: women who struggle through miscarriages, women who don’t want children at all (a challenging thought in the 1700’s), a bit of PTSD for the main male character, making the characters more interesting, rather than more romantic.

A Pretty Deceit
by Anna Lee Huber
Rating: ★★★★
isbn: 9781496728470
Series: Verity Kent #4
Publication Date: October 14, 2020
Pages: 362
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Publisher: Kensington

In the aftermath of the Great War, the line between friend and foe may be hard to discern, even for indomitable former Secret Service agent Verity Kent, in award-winning author Anna Lee Huber’s thrilling mystery series.

Peacetime has brought little respite for Verity Kent. Intrigue still abounds, even within her own family. As a favor to her father, Verity agrees to visit his sister in Wiltshire. Her once prosperous aunt has fallen on difficult times and is considering selling their estate. But there are strange goings-on at the manor, including missing servants, possible heirloom forgeries, and suspicious rumors—all leading to the discovery of a dead body on the grounds.

While Verity and her husband, Sidney, investigate this new mystery, they are also on the trail of an old adversary—the shadowy and lethal Lord Ardmore. At every turn, the suspected traitor seems to be one step ahead of them. And even when their dear friend Max, the Earl of Ryde, stumbles upon a code hidden among his late father’s effects that may reveal the truth about Ardmore, Verity wonders if they are really the hunters—or the hunted . . .

Aside from my subjective issues with the path Huber chose for these characters, I like this series; you could say I enjoy them in spite of myself.  But while this book was a 4 star read on the strength of its plot, it might have been a 4.5/5 star read if not for the weakness of the editing.

The narrative is much longer than it needed to be because Huber, with admirable motivation, spends a lot of time ruminating on the devastation wrought on both the soldiers who fought in WWI, and those left behind to cope in fear and anxiety.  She does bring light to many aspects of the horror that is war, especially the first world war, but she spends too much time doing it, and this is a murder mystery, after all.  I’m confident a lot of it could have been cut without losing the more important message, and the overall story would have been a lot better for it.

Still, the plot is a strong one, with aspects of scavenger and treasure hunting spicing up what would otherwise be an ordinary nemesis plot running parallel to a murder mystery.  I’m still kid enough to enjoy rhyming clues and secret codes, as well as the touch of cloak and dagger when used judiciously, and it is here.

As I opened the post with, I still don’t like what Huber is doing with the characters; while there are no love triangles or quadrangles, she has two other men in love with Verity who are dedicated to uncovering the series’ plot; there seems to be no plan for this to change and it’s tiresome.  Luckily, the murder mysteries have so far made up for it.  Can’t see that lasting much longer though.

A Lady's Guide to Mischief and Murder
by Dianne Freeman
Rating: ★★★★
Series: Countess of Harleigh Mystery #3
Publication Date: July 24, 2020
Pages: 278
Genre: Fiction, Historical, Mystery
Publisher: Kensington

London is known for its bustle and intrigues, but the sedate English countryside can host—or hide—any number of secrets. Frances, the widowed Countess of Harleigh, needs a venue for her sister Lily’s imminent wedding, away from prying eyes. Risings, George Hazleton’s family estate in Hampshire, is a perfect choice, and soon Frances, her beloved George, and other guests have gathered to enjoy the usual country pursuits—shooting, horse riding, and romantic interludes in secluded gardens.

But the bucolic setting harbors a menace, and it’s not simply the arrival of Frances’s socially ambitious mother. Above and below stairs, mysterious accidents befall guests and staff alike. Before long, Frances suspects these “accidents” are deliberate, and fears that the intended victim is Lily’s fiancé, Leo. Frances’s mother is unimpressed by Lily’s groom-to-be and would much prefer that Lily find an aristocratic husband, just as Frances did. But now that Frances has found happiness with George—a man who loves her for much more than her dowry—she heartily approves of Lily’s choice. If she can just keep the couple safe from villains and meddling mamas.

As Frances and George search for the culprit among the assembled family, friends, and servants, more victims fall prey to the mayhem. Mishaps become full-blooded murder, and it seems that no one is safe. And unless Frances can quickly flush out the culprit, the peal of wedding bells may give way to another funeral toll. . . .

Historical mysteries seem to be all the rage at the moment, and fortunately, publishers have yet to monetise and ruin the trend to such a degree that you can’t find a selection of well written series to enjoy.  While the quality of cozy mysteries has been abysmal the last several years, Historical Mysteries have filled in the gap nicely for me.

A Lady’s Guide to Mischief and Murder is the 3rd in a series I discovered at my first (and so far only) Bouchercon convention.  It’s a good series, and this book is a strong 3rd book, moving the characters’ arcs along quickly, while presenting an interesting stand-alone plot, with clues easily missed and writing that skilfully misdirected the reader down several false avenues.  As the story moved along, some of the misdirection became obvious, but some of it didn’t, rendering a delightful mystery well done.

My only groan over the book was the introduction of Countess Harleigh’s mother who was caricatured for most of her page time, only to do the whole mama-lion thing and achieving what to me was an insincere redemption in the final pages.  Fortunately she’s not around much in this book and it wasn’t enough to really weight the book down.