Thomas & Mercer
Featuring: Lord Riddlethorpe; Florence; Lady Hardcastle
316 pages ISBN: 1503940101 EAN: 9781503940109 Kindle: B01N5BYO3P Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List
A revisit to the lively Lady
Hardcastle and her resourceful maid Florence from IN THE
MARKET FOR MURDER brings us to a country estate where a
week of motor racing is to be held. What jolly fun! DEATH
AROUND THE BEND awaits the amateur sleuths, however.
Lord Riddlethorpe is a motoring enthusiast, and he is
launching a new racing car company. At this time cars are
still the preserve of the better off, usually those who can
afford to hire a driver. The widowed Lady Hardcastle, home
from India and China, drives herself in unconventional
style. The large house gives the reader a chance to see the
differing accommodations and workloads of the upstairs set
and the downstairs staff. The Welsh lady's maid Florence has
to be careful as the rest of the staff don't like anyone
getting above their station. She spends much time concerned
with meals on trays and ironed newspapers before the races
begin. When they do, there's a crash. A driver is killed on
hitting a tree - but rivalry is strong in the motor racing
world, and it's not long before we get hints of sabotage.
The gentry love their lengthy courses of meals but the death
has clearly shocked everyone. The cast is varied to present
many suspects, from Miss Titmus the photographer to the
proverbial butler. Rumours of bedroom hopping abound while
Herr Kovaks might be spying for a major manufacturer like
Benz or Mercedes. As the accident-prone occasion continues
the challenges for Flo and her nosy mistress become ever
greater.
This is a highly enjoyable read, with two well-established
main characters who are comfortable with each other and lead
a slightly unconventional lifestyle for their day. Flo is
highly competent but her mistress is a former Crown agent so
her fields of competency have had to extend to defensive
arts and knowledge of poisons. If you like to read British
historical crime fiction such as the Her Royal Spyness
Mysteries, this will be a splendid series for you. Author T
E Kinsey is from London and he studied history at Bristol
University, explaining why his stories are largely set in
the West Country, although DEATH AROUND THE BEND moves up to
Gloucestershire. I'm enjoying the Lady
Hardcastle Mysteries very much.
September 1909, and Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence,
have been invited to Lord Riddlethorpe’s country estate for
a week of motor racing and parties. They both agree that it
sounds like a perfectly charming holiday. But when one of
the drivers dies in a crash during the very first race, they
discover that what seemed like an uncharacteristic error in
judgement may have a more sinister explanation…
Closer investigation reveals that the driver’s car was
sabotaged—and the driver murdered. The local constabulary
are quick to dismiss the case, but Flo and Lady Hardcastle
are determined to find out just who has committed this
dastardly act, and why.
As the pair begin to make enquiries of Lord Riddlethorpe’s
servants and guests, it seems that, below stairs and above,
there is more to this case than meets the eye. And, even in
the quiet of the countryside, death is always just around
the bend.
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