What to Read This Summer

 

What to Read This Summer

 Murder in Mayfair by Verity Bright-- 1920s Cozy Mystery

Thank you Bookoture, Verity Bright and NetGalley for an e-ARC. All opinions in this review are my own and not affected by the giveaway.

While visiting the British Empire Exhibition at Wembley Park, London is supposed to be a fun treat for all the residents of Henley Hall. The ladies and Clifford will examine modern improvements that could make their work easier while Ellie will get to see the sights of countries she has never been to. Right away she has her qualms about the portrayal of "natives" of certain countries and is curious about the closed off section that was supposed to portray the Gold Coast (Ghana). During a hot air balloon ride gone awry, Ellie spies a man shot in the closed off pavilion. She rushes to his aid, alerting the security team (headed up by her fiancé), but by the time they arrive, the body has disappeared and Ellie is seen as a hysterical female. Not even Clifford and Hugh believe her at first. Hugh makes a few discreet inquiries though and knows Ellie saw what she thinks she saw but his hands are tied by the higher-ups. 

Then Lady Philomena Chadwick, the wife of a wealthy banker, wants Ellie to find her missing pearl necklace before her husband returns home on Friday! She's a little cagy about what she wants Ellie to do, exactly, and when Ellie arrives at the lady's fine Mayfair home, she discovers the house is run by a martinet butler and she is expected to be the new governess! How on earth is she going to find a missing necklace if she's upstairs in the school room? If only Clifford were on hand to help sleuth. 

Murder at the Empire Exposition and a Society lady's missing pearl necklace. What do they have in common and how can Ellie solve the mysteries with the government being hush-hush about one and her employer lying to her about the other? Good thing she has Clifford and Hugh to bounce ideas off. 

 This story was so good! I couldn't put it down. I felt like I was there in 1920s London at the Exposition taking in the sights, traveling in a hot air balloon and learning about how the government wanted the British Empire to be portrayed vs. how it actually was. I studied these human zoos for a graduate school paper and this book doesn't even cover half of how demeaning and horrific these exhibitions actually were. I liked learning about the new household inventions that would make life easier for the ladies downstairs. That was a lot of fun but for some readers, it may be too much info dump. I liked how it was worked into the story though and not just a list of new inventions. 

The mysteries were both excellent. I figured out some of the mystery of the necklace but not much. There was a late twist to the plot I didn't see coming. I feel the ending veered off into fantasy territory a little too much for me. While I love some of the stories that may have inspired this one, the ending didn't fit the beginning. Ellie is such a great character. She's sweet, loyal, caring and holds very modern views on people from other nations. She's great with kids and her education plan is amazing and the way school SHOULD be taught. However, Ellie is also impetuous and heedless. She goes haring off without thinking and sticks her nose in where it doesn't belong. The murder was none of her business after Hugh explained it was government business. 

The mystery of the missing necklace should have been easy for Ellie but it ended up being fairly complicated. I appreciate how she went to Clifford and Hugh with her concerns and her clues and they pieced the mystery together and came up with a plan together. That made a nice change from Ellie going off alone with Clifford at her back. The last adventure in Venice was pretty hair raising so I think she learned her lesson. 

We learn a bit more about Uncle Byron and Clifford's past. Just a hint at something that happened, a hint of an inside joke and a new ally who knew Uncle Byron and Clifford back in the day. Uncle Byron's death affected a lot of people but Ellie seems to be doing a great job following in his footsteps. Clifford is clever and devious as usual. He's also Ellie's governess and bodyguard and always a true friend. He never fails to surprise me with what he knows and who he knows. He's overcome a lot and apparently owes Uncle Byron his loyalties even after death. Hugh is much improved. He's still overworked but that's not his fault. The Metropolitan Police force is understaffed and Hugh doesn't have the resources to investigate every crime that comes his way. At first it seems like he's just another government puppet, doing what he can to please his superiors but soon he realizes what is important. It's what draws him to Ellie. They both have huge hearts and want to see justice done. Hugh groans about Ellie's impetuousness but he trusts her and listens when she tells him things. They're on the way to becoming great partners. I did not appreciate Hugh's "great man!" comment. That was out of character for a policeman. 

As always Gladstone and Tompkins are on hand to charm and lighten the mood. They're oh so adorable! How can anyone not smile at their antics? 

 Lady Chadwick is a mere acquaintance of Ellie's. Not even that as they only met once at a charity luncheon. Lady Chadwick has heard of Ellie's unconventionality and how she's solved a couple of crimes. Lady Chadwick is not hoity-toity but rather distracted and flighty. She never quite comes out and states what she wants or means. She's evasive in her answers and may even be flat out lying. I think she's lying big time. Reading between the lines, I think her necklace got lost when she went up to her room with her lover and he took the necklace off and put it down somewhere. I also think her husband wants it reevaluated not for insurance purposes but to sell. They seem to be short of funds. He can't sell it if it's already fake and I suspect it is OR Lady Chadwick is about to pawn it or have it faked. She states her husband treats her like a child. She isn't allowed any independence. She fears the butler is spying on her on Sir Reginald Chadwick's behalf and she feels intense pressure to look a certain way and be a certain way for her husband. She ignores her children except to be tough on them when she does notice them. At least at first. Her husband sounds like a monster! Lady Chadwick describes his temper, being fearful of him, how controlling he is. Yikes lady! It's the 1920s. Is abuse still legal? I feel sorry for her because she can't really divorce him. She has no money and nowhere to go. Yet she isn't entirely honest with Ellie and may be hiding things even when a second murder occurs. 

 The children are charming. They're close in age and almost like twins. Octavia is almost 8 and she's very sweet. Herbert, at 7, is still a little boy trying to be a man. I'm not sure why he's not in school yet but there's a hint that he is struggling with multiplication so perhaps home schooling works better for him - if they can keep a governess. No one really knows why the previous governess left. 

 Sir Reginald Chadwick is confusing. When he shows up in the story, Ellie sees him as cold and is scared of him at first but when the second murder happens in his home, he doesn't seem guilty. He seems surprised and confused, even willing to call the police. I don't get the impression he killed the second person. He may just be a bully. He's a government man so he may have secrets and be a good actor. He's a complicated person. 

 The Chadwick servants are pretty awful. The butler, MISTER Withers acts all high in the instep. His formality is worse than Clifford's, yet, he snoops, spies and eavesdrops. Is he spying on Lady Chadwick for Sir Reginald, or is he up to no good? He's up to something I'd say, maybe both for Sir Reginald and for himself. Is he an accomplice in the rash of thefts in the neighborhood lately? What if he stole Lady Chadwick's necklace? Lady C's maid, Grace, was in the room when Lady C. locked the necklace in the drawer. Servants aren't dumb. I doubt she stole the necklace. It would not only be the end of her career, it would be the end of her life! Yet Ellie notes signs Grace has had a really hard life and is more careworn than a young woman her age should be. Perhaps she did steal the necklace because she was desperate. Mrs. Hawkins, the housekeeper, rules the servants with an iron fist. She is not friendly, warm or welcoming to Ellie or anyone else. She does seem to be fond of Withers. Cut from the same cloth, I expect. She may be a little mentally unstable and some signs point to her possibly having a darker side. (Cue subplot borrowed from Downton Abbey.) 

 Tateham, the footman, is cheeky and tries to flirt with Ellie. He's also flirting with a maid so I don't find him trustworthy. He hasn't been there very long yet he expects to advance in his career quickly. He may have dirt on Withers and plans to oust the butler so he can have the position. It doesn't quite work that way now does it? He has to work long and hard and earn the Chadwicks' trust first. He seems an impatient young man. He says he needs money quickly so possibly he's in trouble of some sort. I don't think he's ever going to make butler! 

 The stereotypes of the female servants bothered me. Of course the cook, Mrs. Rudge, is short and puddingish with round cheeks. Hannah, the head housemaid, has curves and acts saucy. She's self-aware and probably would sleep her way to the top if she had the opportunity. Alice, the other maid, has a sweet, round face to go with her sweet personality and big heart. She also has a "dumping-shaped" body so Verity Bright be prepared for accusations of fat shaming and some negative reviews. Alice doesn't sound educated at all and is probably quite young. She has a lot of duties as assigned and no one has any empathy for her situation. I like her a lot and I think Ellie likes her but Alice reveals something to Ellie that causes Ellie to make a snap judgment and act impetuously. She could have gotten Alice into a lot of trouble and gotten herself, Clifford and Hugh killed. 

 John Clemthorpe, the murder victim, didn't deserve to be murdered. He deserved another fate for sure but I don't want to spoil the plot by saying much. He was a government employee in the same department as Chadwick. The body disappeared and the government is hushing up the scandal. Is Clemthorpe's murder a government conspiracy? Was he a victim of political intrigue? Ellie runs afoul of a man in colorful robes early on at the fair. He also got Hugh into trouble with the ambassador and was chasing a child menacingly. The man is spotted lurking at the fair around the closed pavilion where Clemthorpe was shot. Is this man involved in some way? He's a nasty sort I wouldn't want to cross. I'm sure he's involved in the murder somehow. YET I do have some sympathy for him. 

The hard-nosed Englishman is also a villain. What is he up to and what does he want with Lady Chadwick? There's something shady going on in the Chadwick household and also at the closed pavilion at the Exhibition. All these men must be involved in something, somehow that links the two crimes. 

 One last new character late in the book is Kofi Oppong, a boy from the Gold Coast. He is educated and longs to further his education so he can help his people. Kofi is an orphan placed in the care of a guardian who doesn't care about Kofi and apprenticed the boy to a bad man. Kofi's story reminds me of David's in the Amelia Peabody series. Kofi takes the place of the urchins Ellie abandoned after the first book! He's funny and quite a charming little lad. Kofi proves Clifford loves children and is great with them. Ellie knew that but Clifford tries to pretend he's a stern, stuffy old man. 

 I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can't wait to see what Ellie and Co. get up to next. Will she and Hugh ever walk down the aisle?

What To Read This Summer

 

What to Read This Summer

A Viscious Machination: A Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mystery by Lynn Messina -- Regency Cozy Mystery/Regency Romance

I recieved a free e-ARC from NetGalley. All opinions in this review are my own and not affected by the giveway.

The Duchess of Kesgrave is eager to help her beloved husband become closer to the half-sister he never knew but she never expected to meet Verity Lark in Newgate! When Bea tries to befriend her husband's sister she discovers Verity has been arrested for murdering the cruel woman who made the lives of Verity, her friends and fellow orphans a misery. Verity was caught with the smoking gun, literally! Verity's friends know she would never kill anyone, not even the Wraithe. Verity prefers the written word and if she did plan to kill the Wraithe, she'd make sure Agnes Wraithe knew just who it was that ended her life. Bea agrees and sets out on a wild chase to discover the nefarious plot she believes was set to entrap Verity. Who would conduct such a vicious machination? Was it a shadowy figure who hired a gunman to shoot Miss Wraithe and the Runner to find her? Or could it be the shadowy figure killed Miss Wraithe and then hired the Runner? Perhaps the shadowy figure hired the Runner to both kill Miss Wraithe and discover Miss Lark in a damning situation?

<b>TRIGGER WARNING:</b> This has to come first. Don't read this book if child abuse is a trigger for you. This book contains mentions of lots and lots of disgusting abuse of privilege and power used against impoverished orphaned children. I don't even like children and found the stories Verity has uncovered and Bea discovers completely reprehensible. If you've read her books, you know some of it but not all of it. 

<b>Warning #2:</b> One suspect uses the term "feeble-minded". The main characters use more sympathetic, modern terms. The period correct term is used twice in one scene. 

Woah! This may be the twistiest mystery yet. It kept me guessing until JUST before Bea figured it out. There was a clue that gave me an inkling earlier but I thought it might be someone else. Then the clue was dropped that allowed me to realize who it must be but I didn't guess WHO exactly. It was a bit of a shocker. I didn't really like the catch a killer scene. I understand why it had to be that way - Bea is "with cherub" and needed to be safe but I think there could have been a safe way for Bea to do it herself. It's more fun and outrageous that way.

Oh gosh I love Bea. I can relate to her being an introverted book nerd and in her head all the time. Poor Bea. She hasn't known her beloved Damien that long - less than a year! (It's been a fortnight since the last murder!) He has demonstrated how much he loves her and is devoted to her. He adores her and loves her wholeheartedly. However, part of her is still that emotionally starved little girl no one wants waiting for the other shoe to drop. How cruel of her parents' lawyer to threaten her with the orphanage! The threat traumatized her and turned her into an anxious little mouse, afraid to speak up lest she get sent away. She has transferred some of that fear to Kesgrave. He's a Duke! She wonders if he's getting bored with her and her investigations now. He points out she broke a marriage vow right away. Her last investigation was on behalf of his former mistress and Bea is a notorious figure in the press, hardly Duchess material. Now she's possibly carrying the heir to the Dukedom, her behavior must be beyond reproach as Duchess of Kesgrave and mother of a future duke. All this goes through her head at rapid pace and she can't help worry about how her husband feels now. She's also feeling blue because this case involves child abuse. Her own childhood trauma was NOTHING compared to what the children of Fortescue's went through. 

Fortunately Damien is the most swoonworthy of Regency romance dukes! He truly does love Bea with all his heart and soul. He knows her better than she knows him. He can read her face like a book and knows what she's thinking. Damien is very sweet and explains to Bea what she's thinking and why she shouldn't be thinking it. (In more ways than one...) I find it hilarious that she's turned on by his pedantry and he knows it and therefore, starts on one of his lists just to cheer her up. ("HMS Goliath, HMS Audacious, HMS Majestic"... ) The Duke of Kesgrave only pretends to be a Darcy. Like Darcy he was brought up to think highly of himself and his position. He has wealth and status and could be a total jerk (ahem like Darcy... don't hate me! Read the book!) but he's a kind, caring man. Deep down he too is emotionally insecure at times due to his traumatic childhood. "Whatever, I'm over it!" is what he would say now but he's not. His parents' cruelty and uncle's despicable behavior left a mark and he's determined NOT to be like them. Kesgrave is unfailingly kind and caring towards others. He knows just how to cheer people up and is intuitive about how Verity must feel.

Verity doesn't appear much in the book but she is the focus and the center of the investigation. I agree that she preferred to make Agnes Wraithe's life miserable and ruin the lives of the Forestcue's Orphan Asylum board members. They all deserved it and she enjoyed making them miserable. Murder isn't her style and why now? She's too smart to succumb to blackmail and she even had a plan in mind. She would willingly out herself as Robert Lark rather than pay one cent of blackmail, especially to the woman who made her childhood miserable. What does she have to lose? She still has Twaddle-Thumb, although she promised to stop writing about the Duchess, and she has other identities she can use and create more. Verity is holding her own in Newgate and trying not to let her fear and worry show. Bea notes Verity is without means or protection. An unmarried, middle class woman will never be saved from the gallows. Indeed, as Lord Colson discovers, Lord Sidmouth, the Home Secretary, won't lift a finger to help, not even in thanks for all Lord Colson has done. (Apparently, Courtesans are not in danger of being hanged but nosy, meddling spinsters are fair game?!)

Lord Colson Hardwicke, the disgraced second son of a Marquess, is impressed by Verity's intelligence and determination. Bea can see Colson is utterly besotted with Verity and thinks he must be a better person than his reputation because Verity is a good judge of character. Bea guesses what everyone who read [book:A Lark's Conceit|200821875] knows already but only some of it! Bea's not as clever as Verity. The Dowager Duchess of Kesgrave is back in her grandson's good books. She is trying hard to make amends to "the child" Mary Price, La Reina's illegitimate daughter who now calls herself Verity Lark. It took too long for her to share the story of how she met Verity. It was a bit frustrating for me because I knew the story and didn't know why she didn't lead with it! Unfortunately for the Dowager, every attempt she makes to help Verity ends up making the situation worse. No good deed goes unpunished!

Agnes Wraithe was an unimaginative, punitive, small-minded, evil woman. She has come down in the world since her days of running an orphans asylum, thanks to Verity. She didn't have the brains to figure out Robert Lark's true identity, let alone to come up with a plan to frame Verity for murder. She doesn't even really know who Verity IS exactly - her worst enemy. Was she working with someone or did someone use her for their own evil purposes? It's odd that a Runner should just happen to appear on the scene to find Verity holding the murder weapon. Cyrus Thimble had to be a part of the vicious machinations behind Verity's arrest. Was Thimble coerced? Did he owe money to the killer? He claims he was responding to a summons but who in that neighborhood can afford to hire a Runner? 

Did Miss Wraithe still have dealings with Lord Condon, Fortescue's disgraced patron? Could he be the killer. I think he is. He lost the most and has the most to gain. While he's living large on his estate in Ireland, he's in exile and cannot return to London and life among the ton. I hope he is the killer. He needs to be punished for what he did to those children. I don't even like children and what he did made my stomach turn. The girls had the worst of it. It's sick how men do not see females as beings with thoughts, feelings and emotions.

Even though Lord Condon is supposedly in Ireland, he has the means to return to London or hire a hit man to do the dirty deed for him. I think Lord Condon hired Cyrus Thimble to kill Agnes Wraithe and frame Verity. At the very least, I think he's the one who came across Robert Lark's identity. He must have had a letter from someone who figured it out or had so much time to think and stew, he figured it out on his own. That makes him a dangerous enemy! His representative in London, Edmund Ellis, is a sycophant and a fool. He has ethics which is normally good but in this case he won't give up information needed to solve a murder without getting something in return. Bea figures out a way around Ellis's ethical concerns. I admit that scene is funny even if I don't like the character. 

Cyrus Thimble doesn't seem very smart. I think he was hired by the shadowy figure but is not the shadowy figure. He doesn't have a motive to be the shadowy figure. Why would he kill Miss Wraithe? He's an officer of the law and it is his duty to follow the law and bring lawbreakers to Bow Street to start the justice process. Not much of what he says makes sense, practically speaking. He's no match for the Duchess and Duke of Kesgrave though. He provides a number of new suspects though, besides himself. It's a longshot but could one of the neighbors have been so fed up with Miss Wraithe's terrorizing their children they decided to put a stop to it, permanently? I HIGHLY doubt that. Perhaps Miranda Jones's father wanted Miss Wraithe to suffer the way little Miranda did and therefore I would guess he would manufacture a story to have her arrested and thrown in prison but not actually resort to murder. That simply doesn't make sense. Who do those in power accuse first? The ones without power. No, this case surely involves a plot to frame Verity so why would the neighbors do that when their beef was with Miss Wraithe after she was fired from Fortescue's?

The investigation turns to the disgraced board members of Fortescue's at the time of Miss Wraithe's tenure. Not only did they turn a blind eye to her abuse, they perpetuated abuse of their own upon the children. <b>Stop reading the book here if you started but can't stand to read about children being harmed!</b> Charles Wigsworth claims to be a man of science but he is a man of science much in the way Victor Frankenstein is a scientist. Wigsworth is playing around with laughing gas and other gasses to try to invent anesthesia decades before the actual discovery. All he wants is glory and fame, recognition from actual men of science. That's not too much to ask is it? Of course it is when one becomes obsessed to the point of ignoring his family and everything else. Of course it's too much when personal gain overrides ethics! I wasn't as horrified by what he did as Bea is but the man is NOT a man of science. The children didn't understand the risks vs. the reward! They had no one to study the issue and decide if the risk was worth it to assist with a major medical breakthrough. No, Wigsworth took advantage of the children who had no protectors and used them as human guinea pigs until something went wrong. I'm sure he's understating the situation too. Wigsworth simply didn't care who he tested his gas on.

Another board member, Alicia Beveridge, lives near Mayfair with her husband and children. She's a feather wit, a ninny, a shallow woman who cares more for fripperies that enhance her own comfort than for orphaned children. Her husband is a cheapskate who keeps her on a short leash and it sounds like she needs it. If she had credit cards, they would be maxed out. There was no reason for her to steal money from poor children so she wouldn't have to do without things these children never had. She tries to make herself out to be the victim. She sounds like a child. Mrs. Beveridge is typical of the ultra wealthy who don't want to give up their own comforts so someone else can have basic necessities. Still, she was the only one who befriended Miss Wraithe, tried to listen sympathetically and learn what made Miss Wraithe tick. Given this knowledge, perhaps Mrs. Beveridge is the shadowy figure? I don't think she has the brains to do it but perhaps her husband murdered Miss Wraithe to put an end to his wife's misery and to protect his reputation? After all, it's his money he's withholding that caused his wife to steal from the orphans in the first place.

Alicia confides in her dearest friend, Harriet "Feathers" Featherstone-Haughton. She confided private information to Feathers. Did Alicia learn of Robert Lark's true identity? Did she tell Feathers? Did Feathers leak the news to someone else? Her husband, maybe? He sounds like a slimy worm. Caroline Knowles has a secret but I don't think she's the murderer. Her secret isn't so bad in proportion to the others. She feels proper remorse for what happened and understands why what she did was bad. She's a lonely young widow who made a mistake that ended in tragedy. She doesn't seem to be suffering too much but her secret mistake did cause her to break her engagement. I don't see why she would murder Miss Wraithe and frame Verity NOW. It doesn't seem logical. 

Pritchard Dibin is the most interesting board member. One report says he's a doddering old man who fell asleep and drooled through board meetings. Our intrepid sleuths think otherwise. Perhaps he has a medical condition? There are signs though that he had a motive for murder and the brains to put a dastardly scheme into place. Of all the board members, he's the one with a current motive. He doesn't have a solid alibi and his story seems a little fishy to me. I don't want him to be the murderer because he's a family man and seems like a caring father and grandfather. 

One final suspect is a man named Hottenroth who is worse than even Lord Condon. That man was truly evil. <b>Trigger warning again!</b> Giles Hottenroth was truly evil. He deserved a fate worse than death. His family didn't deserve to suffer though. Now HIS crime makes me sick to my stomach and I was shocked that it came up in a series that's usually fairly light. Someone could be out to avenge his downfall and the family's come down in the world. 

I just adore this series and am still hoping Bea and Verity will team up for the next investigation before the Season ends and the Kesgraves go off to the country. The Duke of Kesgrave and Lord Colson won't be able to keep up LOL!

I hope there are many more adventures to come for Bea and Kesgrave, Verity and Colson too!