Death at Bishop's Keep

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Summary: Author pseudonym
Review: "Robin Paige" is a nom de plume for Susan Wittig Albert, author of the China Bayles mysteries (Thyme of Death, etc.), and her husband Bill Albert. Though the stories are placed in different historical eras, those who like one series will probably enjoy the other.

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Summary: I couldn't put this down!!!
Review: As a fervent admirer of Victoriana in general, I found this book to be a breath of fresh air. Placing an independent-minded American woman into the world of the British upper class in the 1890's creates a whole new perspective for those of us who read Victorian novels or modern novels set in the Victorian era on a regular basis. I couldn't put it down and immediately bought the second book in the series. I recommend this to anyone who loves the Victorian era, especially Yeats, Wilde and Conan Doyle (hint, hint).

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Summary: A very enjoyable mystery
Review: As I read this excellent book, I kept thinking, "I hope the author doesn't ruin a great mystery by having the female "detective" withhold evidence from the police and go off to meet one of the suspects in a dark alley. (Don't you hate it when authors have allegedly intelligent characters do incredibly stupid things?) There is a little of the amateur-detective-does-something-stupid at the climax, but not enough to prevent me from looking forward to the next book in what I hope will be a long and successful series. The book is set in Victorian England. The amateur detectives are a wealthy Englishman, Sir Charles, and an independent-minded American woman who goes to England to take a job as secretary to her wealthy aunt. The characters are enjoyable, the setting is enjoyable, the writing is superb.

Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable mystery
Review: As I read this excellent book, I kept thinking, "I hope the author doesn't ruin a great mystery by having the female "detective" withhold evidence from the police and go off to meet one of the suspects in a dark alley. (Don't you hate it when authors have allegedly intelligent characters do incredibly stupid things?) There is a little of the amateur-detective-does-something-stupid at the climax, but not enough to prevent me from looking forward to the next book in what I hope will be a long and successful series. The book is set in Victorian England. The amateur detectives are a wealthy Englishman, Sir Charles, and an independent-minded American woman who goes to England to take a job as secretary to her wealthy aunt. The characters are enjoyable, the setting is enjoyable, the writing is superb.

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Summary: Death at Bishop's Keep
Review: Death at Bishop's Keep opens the Victorian (1890s) mystery series by Robin Paige. Kate Ardleigh, an independent American woman who secretly writes "penny dreadfuls" to pay the bills, accepts an invitation by an English aunt to work as her secretary. Although she has some trepidations concerning such a major move, she is delighted when she arrives to find that her aunt is willing to buy a brand new Remington type writing machine, and that a murder has occurred in the neighboring town (she hopes she will be able to use the murder as research for her penny dreadfuls). Her aunt has joined a spiritualist cult group, and the murder victim is found wearing emblems of the cult. Sir Charles Sheridan, amateur sleuth and photography pioneer, is staying with friends in the area and decides to help the police with their murder investigation. Sir Charles is fascinated by the new field of forensic science, and he knows much more than the local country police (the police are decidedly ambivalent about Sir Charles' help) about it. He goes about applying his methods, only to find Kate asking questions and disconcertingly informed on subjects such as fingerprints. Sir Charles is torn between admiration and exasperation for Kate's intelligence and interest. Life would be so much more comfortable were Kate a "normal" Victorian young woman, but on the other hand, Sir Charles is pretty certain that it would be more dull. Kate has access to inside information on the cult, and Sir Charles has forensic evidence the police don't know how to interpret; and in this first outing of the series, they each race to find the killer, wanting to be the one to solve the case before the other. Definitely worth reading to find out who wins.

Rating:
Summary: Death at Bishop's Keep
Review: Death at Bishop's Keep opens the Victorian (1890s) mystery series by Robin Paige. Kate Ardleigh, an independent American woman who secretly writes "penny dreadfuls" to pay the bills, accepts an invitation by an English aunt to work as her secretary. Although she has some trepidations concerning such a major move, she is delighted when she arrives to find that her aunt is willing to buy a brand new Remington type writing machine, and that a murder has occurred in the neighboring town (she hopes she will be able to use the murder as research for her penny dreadfuls). Her aunt has joined a spiritualist cult group, and the murder victim is found wearing emblems of the cult. Sir Charles Sheridan, amateur sleuth and photography pioneer, is staying with friends in the area and decides to help the police with their murder investigation. Sir Charles is fascinated by the new field of forensic science, and he knows much more than the local country police (the police are decidedly ambivalent about Sir Charles' help) about it. He goes about applying his methods, only to find Kate asking questions and disconcertingly informed on subjects such as fingerprints. Sir Charles is torn between admiration and exasperation for Kate's intelligence and interest. Life would be so much more comfortable were Kate a "normal" Victorian young woman, but on the other hand, Sir Charles is pretty certain that it would be more dull. Kate has access to inside information on the cult, and Sir Charles has forensic evidence the police don't know how to interpret; and in this first outing of the series, they each race to find the killer, wanting to be the one to solve the case before the other. Definitely worth reading to find out who wins.

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Summary: Good Victorian Series
Review: For those of you Anne Perry fans, let me tell you right away, this series is not at all like Ms. Perry's. Yes, the setting is the same - England during the Victorian age, but the writing is totally different. This series does not dwell on the dark side as much as Ms. Perry's do. But it's a good start to what looks like a promising series. It's a good mystery and there is enough diversity of characters to keep you interested. Kate Ardleigh is a wonderful heroine. She's smart, sassy and gritty, as well as a genuinely nice girl. Charles Sheridan is a find as well. A true studier of the criminalistic arts. There is a lot of Vicoriana lore in the book, but that adds to the charm if you are a buff like me.

Rating:
Summary: Good Victorian Series
Review: For those of you Anne Perry fans, let me tell you right away, this series is not at all like Ms. Perry's. Yes, the setting is the same - England during the Victorian age, but the writing is totally different. This series does not dwell on the dark side as much as Ms. Perry's do. But it's a good start to what looks like a promising series. It's a good mystery and there is enough diversity of characters to keep you interested. Kate Ardleigh is a wonderful heroine. She's smart, sassy and gritty, as well as a genuinely nice girl. Charles Sheridan is a find as well. A true studier of the criminalistic arts. There is a lot of Vicoriana lore in the book, but that adds to the charm if you are a buff like me.

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Summary: Great reading!
Review: I am an avid collector of "mystery" books. I have collected every book written by Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Martha Grimes and a couple others. This will be my next "collection"!
Absolutely a great read for any kind of weather day!
"Robin Paige" makes the mystery flow without bogging you down with mindless clutter, and the detective team of Sir Charles and Kathryn make a wonderful contrast!
Worth every cent spent to collect more of these gems!

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Summary: The first book in a wonderful cozy/victorian series
Review: I enjoyed this series very much. The characters and the settings are interesting and likeable. The author does a great job of introducing real historical figures into the stories, and making them part of the action.