In the Market for Murder

 

In the Market for Murder by T.E. Kinsey

Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #2

Mystery

2016 Brilliance Audio

Read by Elizabeth Knowelden

Finished on September 11, 2021

Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Spring, 1909, and Lady Hardcastle, amateur sleuth and all-round eccentric, is enjoying a well-deserved rest. But a week after a trip to the cattle market, Spencer Caradine, a local farmer, turns up dead in the pub, face-down in his beef and mushroom pie. Once again, it is up to Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence, to solve the case.

Armed with wit and whimsy, not to mention Florence’s mean right hook, the pair set out to discover what really happened and why. Was it poison or just ill luck?

As they delve further into their investigation, they encounter a theft where nothing is stolen, a séance with a troubled ghost and an ever-increasing number of Spencer’s family and friends who might just have motive for murder. One thing’s for sure: Lady Hardcastle has a mystery on her hands.

I didn't care for this second installment in the Lady Hardcastle series nearly as much as A Quiet Life in the Country. The mystery (there are actually three mysteries) wasn't terribly interesting and I missed the humorous bantering between Lady Hardcastle and Flo that I so enjoyed in Kinsey's debut. There are five more books in this series and I'm not sure if I'll continue, although Elizabeth Knowelden is a delightful narrator of the audiobooks. Cozy mysteries may just not be for me.

A Quiet Life in the Country

 

A Quiet Life in the Country by T. E. Kinsey

Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1

Mystery

2016 Brilliance Audio

Read by Elizabeth Knowelden

Finished on March 9, 2021

Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they’ve just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life.

But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There’s a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation…

As Lady Hardcastle and Flo delve deeper into rural rivalries and resentment, they uncover a web of intrigue that extends far beyond the village. With almost no one free from suspicion, they can be certain of only one fact: there is no such thing as a quiet life in the country.

A Quiet Life in the Country is a delightful book and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Elizabeth Knowelden's performance of this cozy mystery. It was an especially nice change of pace after the heavier books I've recently read.

The mystery (or mysteries, as there are actually two murders to solve) wasn't terribly interesting, but I loved the bantering and exchange of dry wit between Lady Hardcastle and Flo, which is very much like my husband's sense of humor. I chuckled out loud on more than one occasion and had I read the print edition rather than the audio, I'm certain I'd have several passages to share. I didn't waste any time downloading the second installment and look forward to more of the duo's antics, as well as (hopefully) the return of a couple of the supporting characters. 

Highly recommend.