Hasty Death : An Edwardian Murder Mystery

Rating:
Summary: cleverly designed early twentieth century mystery
Review: It might be the dawn of a new century, but women remain the property of their father, brother, or husband. The chasm between the social classes is as large as it has ever been and females of Polite Society are expected to marry a rich titled gent. Lady Rose Summer, daughter of an earl, is not content to idly party, as she prefers to work. Her reluctant but suffering parents accept her laboring at a bank alongside her former maid Daisy.

At the bank, Rose learns of the murder of Mr. Pomfret. She checks the records and learns that three people deposited funds into the account of the deceased. Rose discusses her finding with private detective Captain Henry Cathcart and both agree that it seems the victim blackmailed several people, of which all had the motive to kill him. Unable to resist, Rose accompanied by Henry and her maid Daisy hunt for the killer.

Although this novel takes place at the beginning of the twentieth century in enlightened London, the gap between the social classes remains as vast as ever and the suffragette movement is just starting to impact society. The solid investigation into the cleverly designed mystery is fun to follow especially in light of Rose's deeper agenda to gain the attention of her "social inferior" Harry. Sparks fly while they making inquiries, which makes for a terrific tale from Marion Chesney, know for her Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth tales.

Harriet Klausner


Rating:
Summary: charming old world mystery
Review: This book brings back memories of Agatha Christie?s writings, with the superb combination of wit , charm and intellect in the creation of murder mysteries. The author expertly intersperses the darkness of human activities such as murders and blackmailing, with wry humour and indications of romance between the adversarial protagonists of the story. This will be a very entertaining read that takes you back to the early decades of the twentieth century. The author is also competent in conveying the historical setting of the novel, with witty observations on the beginnings, of the rumblings of change in the social structure of British high society.
I would also suggest other books written by the author under the penname M.C. Beaton, the Agatha Raisin series of mysteries, which I have also enjoyed tremendously.