annieb123's review against another edition
4.0
Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
A Picture of Murder is the 4th Lady Hardcastle murder mystery by T E Kinsey. Released 22nd Oct 2018 by Amazon on their Thomas & Mercer imprint. It's 320 pages and available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats.
These books are the coziest of cozy period mysteries. Set in Gloucestershire in the early 20th century (this one's in 1909), they're fun and light, bordering on silly/daffy. Lady Hardcastle and her intrepidWatson maid Florence, are on the trail of a cinema murdering fanatic who is apparently working through the plot of a horror film and doing away with the actors and actresses in the same manner as they die on film.
For lovers of modern period cozy mysteries, this might fill the bill. I personally found the dialogue jarring in a number of places and found myself yanked out of the story fairly often. The local charlady continually refers to people (usually Lady Hardcastle) as 'my lover'. The plot turns on a couple of key items which are dubious at best and there are some fairly large plot holes. That being said, if the reader is in search of an innocent, fun read with clean language (a few 'damns' and 'blasts' to be found, but nothing more egregious) and fairly straightforward plotting with a silly amateur sleuth+sidekick, this could fill the bill.
Possibly worth noting, for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this and the rest of the series is available to borrow in the KU subscription.
Three and a half stars, rounded up for the jolliness of the romp.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
A Picture of Murder is the 4th Lady Hardcastle murder mystery by T E Kinsey. Released 22nd Oct 2018 by Amazon on their Thomas & Mercer imprint. It's 320 pages and available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats.
These books are the coziest of cozy period mysteries. Set in Gloucestershire in the early 20th century (this one's in 1909), they're fun and light, bordering on silly/daffy. Lady Hardcastle and her intrepid
For lovers of modern period cozy mysteries, this might fill the bill. I personally found the dialogue jarring in a number of places and found myself yanked out of the story fairly often. The local charlady continually refers to people (usually Lady Hardcastle) as 'my lover'. The plot turns on a couple of key items which are dubious at best and there are some fairly large plot holes. That being said, if the reader is in search of an innocent, fun read with clean language (a few 'damns' and 'blasts' to be found, but nothing more egregious) and fairly straightforward plotting with a silly amateur sleuth+sidekick, this could fill the bill.
Possibly worth noting, for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this and the rest of the series is available to borrow in the KU subscription.
Three and a half stars, rounded up for the jolliness of the romp.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
veronicalovesjeff's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
burntout_bookworm's review
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This wasn't my favourite in the series but this is such a good comfort series.
siljen's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
emerion's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
I always include major spoilers (hidden), to help with my memory issues. Read them at your peril!
Much like the others in the series: fun mystery, set in pre WW1 England. Lively widow, Lady Hardcastle, and her maid Florence Armstrong solve another mystery for the police, who are all either bumbling or conveniently unavailable . Plenty of repeat characters, light hearted, good mystery - I guessed part of what was going on, but not all of it.
A group of film actors are unexpectedly staying with Lady Hardcastle. They have a new film to show and narrate, but several parties are not happy about the plan. Bodies start turning up, and arewhisked away by the mortuary van before either the police or Lady Hardcastle have a chance to examine them. Then the mortuary is burnt down.
Much like the others in the series: fun mystery, set in pre WW1 England. Lively widow, Lady Hardcastle, and her maid Florence Armstrong solve another mystery for the police, who are all either bumbling or conveniently unavailable . Plenty of repeat characters, light hearted, good mystery - I guessed part of what was going on, but not all of it.
A group of film actors are unexpectedly staying with Lady Hardcastle. They have a new film to show and narrate, but several parties are not happy about the plan. Bodies start turning up, and are
kittykornerlibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This was an amusing read and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Armstrong and Lady Hardcastle host "the film folk" when their village hosts its first film festival. The three actors and the director who came to town with their director's latest movie. The film folk are murder victims who are killed using the exact same methods that kill their characters in the film. The tone is light, and I particularly enjoyed the clever plot of this installment. I will read more in this series, it's perfect for a cheerful read.
bukephalos0603's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0