T. E. Kinsey does it again! Today I welcome Sophia Rose back to the blog to share her review of, Rotten to the Core by TE Kinsey, #8 in his Lady Hardcastle Mystery series. It isn't exactly a mystery, but it IS dark, suspenseful, and fun. Alexia's quick wit and wicked parasol-wielding will have you laughing as you speed through the pages. Dangers posed by the Alaskan wilderness are nothing compared to a killer on the loose.
When there is another body, the investigation gets even more intense. They decide to visit the local pub themselves but it's overrun by the Weryers of the Pomary (the Guardians of the Orchard), twelve men who traditionally get the bar to themselves for their meetings. Meet Maisie Dobbs as she trades wartime nursing for her own private investigation practice at the end of WWI. Charlotte Holmes has never been comfortable with high society's expectations for well-bred women, so she hatches an escape plan. This novel does read as kind of a transitional space - the mystery serves to bring more characters and allies into the entourage while hinting at the roles that Lady Hardcastle and Flo may play before and during WWI. So pull up a chair and have some apple cider at hand and enjoy. Emily didn't love her husband; theirs was a marriage of convenience, or so she thought. In the Market for Murder by T E Kinsey. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are walking home and meet a beautiful young woman who asks them if the pub still has rooms. The power of a book is simply irresistible. There are plenty of suspect from the Weryers themselves to a stranger seen in the village and the more they investigate, the more motives and opportunities they find as well.
My recent return to Veronica Speedwell has me thinking of other historical heroines that carry their own books (and often, as you'll see, their own series) … so today I'm sharing 20 feisty female protagonists who epitomize strong characterization. With their customary delight and irascible style Lady Hardcastle and Flo, (her Tiny Servant) find themselves investigating another murder mystery when a body is found in the local apple orchard. But really, that's more on me, since I've chosen to read the two most recent books first, and I need (and want) to go back and read at least some of the earlier ones, just to get a better feel for the characters. While the entire country is on the brink of the Civil War, Kate works her way up the ranks and becomes an essential part of American history. But I actually found that not being distracted by a background that I knew a lot about let me focus a bit more on the story itself. But if you're sick of not being able to get to sleep after reading intense books late at night, you may want to give cozy mystery books a try. Barbara R, Reviewer.
Surrounded by a familiar cast of characters from Flo's friend Daisy at the bar. In his spare time he plays the drums. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own. A week later one of the farmers falls face forward into his meat pie in the public house, and Emily and Flo decide to use their considerable abilities to subtly investigate. I kind of want them to get there sooner rather than later but that does speak to how great these characters would be on an international stage. Littleton Cotterell and brings about an unusually early harvest. Is the relationship between Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong particularly. Him on Twitter @tekinsey. However, when a man is murdered on Ellis Island, Molly quickly becomes the prime suspect as she was seen arguing with him just before his death.
Like Margaret, Veronica Speedwell keeps one foot in "proper society" and another in worldwide adventure. Will they solve the case or become victims themselves? Lady Hardcastle and her Lady's Maid, Flo, live in a village filled with brilliant characters and they have both gained much respect in helping the police solve murders. The relationship between Lady Hardcastle and Flo is what makes the books a lot of fun to read, and this one lived up to the others with clever conversations and a lot of tea (and alcohol) shared by the heroines. In her author's note, Alyssa Cole shares that while she always wanted to write historical romance, she'd "never want to write about THAT. Lady Hardcastle and Flo work with Inspector Sunderland to try to find out who killed Cridland and why.
I was content to follow intrepid Flo and. I loved their relationship and their humorous banter. This time around a murderer is targeting members of a cider-related fraternity, and sending a message: each body is arranged with props in a bizarre little tableau. As Pinkerton's first female operative, Kate fights for respect at every turn. But, maybe those dark roots haven't completely disappeared – because one of them is found murdered in his apple orchard. His website is at and you can follow. My one sort of "hmmm... " take is that I'm not sure if we are supposed to laugh at Emily and Flo putting some of the clues together so quickly and correctly, like it really read like the conspiracy scene in Undercover Brother, or if we are supposed to just move along with them?
When she discovers that the police are covering up several brothel murders, she takes on the investigation and plunges into danger. As the book opens, Claud Cridland has been found dead in the apple orchard. Lady Hardcastle is still involved in filmmaking and as they leave the grocer's, they meet a mysterious (and beautiful) on the way out who is looking for the Dog and Duck. GoodReads Blurb: Summer 1911. They easily provide answers to any questions. This is the sort of exchange that appears throughout the book, as affection and mutual respect is expressed in very amusing dialogue. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me to give my honest and voluntary opinion on #RottenToTheCore. Meanwhile a drunken evening with Hector ends in an apparent break in with some convenient clues. And to be fair to the Weryers, it seems they really do do some good works, but readers can decide for themselves which is likely to be the true motivating factor… Like many service organizations, however, the Weryers have some fissures and cracks, and it becomes the job of Lady Hardcastle and Flo to figure out what really is going on amongst the various members, and whether this had anything to do with Claud's demise. You can bet I'm bringing up that last point during my live book club chat with Deanna on September 26th.