Persi has invited a group of archaeologists to Ashton Steeple for the Roman temple excavation, but Dr. Quayle disappears somewhere between boarding the train and arriving at the station. What starts as a missing person case, soon transforms into a murder investigation.
The plot works well. With a bunch of archaeologists, it makes sense that the mystery has historical ties and I enjoyed the connection to Lennox' family. We have a lot of characters- Lennox, Persi, their staff and friends, Swift and Florence, and all the visitors, but they each have fully developed personalities, with their own motives and relationships. I always enjoy Lennox - he's likeable and competent and, here the author does a good job at balancing his sleuthing with his other responsibilities.
I think I enjoyed this one more than the last couple in the series. They're always fun, with plenty of tea, adorable pets, and interesting mysteries, but this one just grabbed my attention more....
I've read a few of Lord Edgington and always enjoyed them. Now, Lord Edgington and his grandson, Christopher, have finally started their European tour. Their first stop is in Italy, at Castle Montegufoni, owned by Edgington's old friend, Lord Renwick Monroe. They've only just arrived when they hear arguing from the clock tower and see Renwick fall to his death. Turns out Renwick was not a nice man, but someone who enjoyed pushing buttons and causing tension. Unsurprisingly, we've got a host of suspects, including Renwick's three heirs, his secretary, and assorted townspeople.
The mystery was clever. The clues all fit together well, but I still didn't guess the solution. The historic touches are fun and the food sounded delicious.
Murder in an Italian Castle is light, enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to their next adventure in Italy....
I have to say I enjoyed Murder on the Rocks tons more than the other one in this series I've read. Lady Hardcastle and Florence are at a friend's island fort in Devonshire. JB McIntyre has recently converted the building into a hotel and has invited a group of people a kind of a pre-opening weekend. Of course, it turns into a less than relaxing weekend. First, some jewelry goes missing, then a guest is murdered with a narwhal tusk, and finally a storm rolls in, effectively cutting them off from the mainland.
Lady Hardcastle and Flo are joined by an interesting group of JB's business associates and friends, all of whom are now suspects. Each of them, of course, has a secret that may or may not be known by the others and a reason for wanting the dead man gone. And they all seem to have alibis, no matter how often Emily and Flo review the timeline....
Tiffany and her husband, Samir, are headed to Bath with their good friend, Thomas Montague. Thomas is engaged to a lovely actress, Rosalyn, but his mother, the Marchioness of Harwood, does not approve. He's hoping Tiffany can help convince her it's a fine match. But of course, Tiffany tends to find dead bodies - this time it's Rosalyn's understudy who is murdered. When an innocent man is arrested, Tiffany starts asking questions.
It's the late 1780s, but Tiffany and her family and friends are modern their views of everything from homosexuality, prostitution, to marriage and the treatment of women. It makes it a more enjoyable story to read, but is perhaps not terribly realistic for the era. I'm not sure that Tiffany wouldn't have been arrested for some of the things she did, even with her husband's approval.
That being said, we have several nice twists and I do like Tiffany's persistence and intelligence. We have several strong female characters...
The reclusive Viscount Montcrief, whose country home is not far from Lennox', has been murdered shortly welcoming an acting troupe into his home. Lennox and Swift are sent to investigate, but since it's close to home, we get to see plenty of Florence and Persi, too, and the pets. As always, Swift tries to do everything correctly and by the book, while Lennox kind of jumps around and goes more by instinct.
The plot works well. The actors are appropriately eccentric and are trying hard to keep their secrets. We've got a couple of surprising twists, and another dead body or two. Maybe I'm getting a little bored with the series, though....
I love a good detective novel - and this one just happens to take place in Ancient Rome. Marcus Didius Falco, a former legionnaire now returned from his tour of duty in Britannia and making a not great living as a "private informer," doing what PIs always seem to be doing, working for suspicious spouses and shady businessmen and damsels in distress. The damsel here is Sosia Camillina a sixteen year-old who literally runs into Falco at the forum while she is trying to escape from kidnappers. He, of course, steps in to help and lands right in the middle of a conspiracy involving theft from the empire.
We've got mystery, murder, family squabbling, and a potential love interest (not Sosia, but her cousin Helena Justina who is divorced from her first husband). We also get transported to ancient Rome, but in a way that makes it accessible and interesting. We get snippets of historical events and learn what everyday life...
