Helen Golden – Carol's Notebook

A Death of Fresh Air by Helen Gold

October 3, 2024September 26, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

This time around, Lady Beatrice and her business partner, Perry Juke, are working on the refurbishment of Clary House, which a few years ago had been The Seaside Lounge. Simon and Ryan are planning to reopen it as a restaurant, Salt Air. Of course, it doesn't go smoothly and a skeleton is found inside the wall. Turns out the chef from the Lounge hadn't left for Australia, but had been killed and his body hidden. Bea and Perry get involved, of course. I really enjoy this series and the cover of this one is adorable. Lady Beatrice is a delight, as always. I love that her friendship with Perry and Simon remains a priority for her, even as her relationship with Rich develops. The supporting cast in these books is just so great. It's like catching up with old friends. The mystery was put together well. There were clues, but also enough red herrings that I was surprised by the...

A Cocktail to Die For by Helen Golden

January 10, 2024January 9, 2024 by CarolNo Comments

I thoroughly enjoy the Right Royal cozy mysteries, and A Cocktail to Die for is not exception. This time around Lady Bea, Perry and a small group of friends have gathered for a relaxing spa weekend at Chasingham House prior to Perry's wedding to Simon. Another small group is also staying at Chasingham celebrating a birthday. It's no surprise that one of the birthday party ends up dead. Lady Bea and Perry are the kind of people I would love to hang out with in real life if so many deaths didn't happen around them. The mysrtery is well-plotted and engaging.The story takes place over two days at the hotel, and there is a limited number of suspects, but with the lies and tension, it's difficult to guess the solution. As always, Bea and Perry are perfect. This is a fun read, a great mix of murder and humor. We also get to spend time at the hotel which sounds fabulous....

A Dead Herring by Helen Golden

June 5, 2023June 5, 2023 by Carol2 Comments

I admit to having a fondness for country house mysteries, especially when a winter storm has everyone snowed in. Lady Bea is refurbishing rooms at Drew Castle with her business partner, Perry Juke, while her brother, Lord Fred, is hosting a shooting party, so Bea has to mix her work with helping her brother by playing hostess. Then one of the guests, Ben Rhodes, ends up dead, killed in his bathtub. And it's just Bea's luck that DCI Fitzwilliam is the only officer closed enough to get to them through the snow. I thoroughly enjoyed A Dead Herring, as I have the other three in the series I've read. Bea is a wonderful character, smart and persistent. Perry is funny and competent in his own right. I love how he and Simon, his boyfriend/ chef/ former CID officer, help Bea and watch out for her. They make a great trio. The book moves along quickly with the expected clash and attraction...

Not Mushroom for Death by Helen Golden

December 16, 2022December 16, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

Lady Beatrice, Simon Lattimore, and Perry Juke are back at it again and totally at odds with Detective Chief Inspector Richard Fitzwilliam. I really enjoy these characters. Lady Bea can get a little annoying, but the banter between her, Simon, and Perry, and the friction with Fitzwilliam make up for it. There is a celebrity cooking event being held on the grounds of Fenn House, the king’s private estate in Fenshire. Lady Bea and Perry are at the estate to refurbish several rooms of Fenn House. Sebastiano Marchetti, Bea's boyfriend, is there too, overseeing the event which features several celebrity chefs. I was not a fan of Seb in the last book and continue to feel the same way. Daisy, Bea's West Highland Terrier, doesn't like him either. When chef Luca Mazza becomes ill after his demonstration and ends up dying, Fitzwilliam has to investigate and decide if it is accidental or murder. Of course, Bea and her friends can't help...

For Richer, For Deader by Helen Golden

November 20, 2022November 16, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

For Richer, For Deader is the second mystery featuring Lady Beatrice and Perry Juke, who is now her business partner. If you haven't read Spruced Up for Murder, you should go back and read it first. It will give you a better feel for the characters and for how much Lady Bea has grown over the last few months. She's a widow with a teenage son, but she's finally come out of her self-imposed isolation. She and Perry are working on an interior design project at the Lodge at Fawstead Manor. The Lodge will be the UK base for Sybil and Otis Trotman once they are married. By now, it looks like the wedding may have to be called off. Threats are being found around the manor house, dead animals accompanied by notes demanding that the wedding stop. However, when one of the visitors is found dead, everyone realizes just how dangerous the situation is. Lady Bea and Perry decide to...

Spruced Up for Murder by Helen Golden

October 22, 2022November 16, 2022 by CarolNo Comments

I really enjoyed Spruced Up for Murder. Lady Beatrice is a widow and now that her son has gone to boarding school, it's time for her to come out of her self-imposed isolation. Her sister, Lady Sarah, has talked her into heading up an interior decorating project at Francis Court. Sarah also gives her an assistant, Perry Juke, who has worked on the estate for years. Perry knows Lady Beatrice has a reputation for being cold and snobby, but he agrees to take on the task anyway. And then they find a dead body in the room they're working in. Lady Beatrice and Perry start investigating. They make a fun team, with their own styles and own ways of finding out information. It also helps that Perry's partner, Simon, is a crime writer with his own CID connections. He's also a fabulous chef. Honestly, this has all the ingredients I need in a cozy - likable characters, a cute dog, and...