It's not quite how Lady Hardcastle envisioned celebrating her birthday. The first act of the play at the Duke's Theatre in Bristol was marvelous, but everything came to an abrupt halt when the curtain rose on a dead body in the second act-- a real dead body.
Lady Hardcastle and her trusty maid Florence Armstrong are quite content to let the police take care of the matter, but there's a slight problem. Detective Inspector Sunderland has been put in charge of another investigation and an inspector named Wyatt has been put in charge of the murder in the theater. Wyatt is a known screw-up, so Sunderland begs Lady Hardcastle and Flo to keep an eye on things, and the two women decide to go incognito to see if they can identify the killer.
As they become acquainted with the cast and crew, the dynamic duo discovers that everyone has a motive for murder... and everyone has an alibi. This will be a test of their skills indeed.
~
An Act of Foul Play takes one of my favorite investigative duos into the world of the theater, and although the pacing of the story dragged a bit from time to time, it was still a treat to watch Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong work their usual magic. This time, readers also make the acquaintance of Flo's twin sister, Gwenith, and she made an entertaining addition to the witty repartee.
Hardcastle and Armstrong make short work of the bumblings of Inspector Wyatt while Gwenith proves to be an important part of the solution to the mystery of who's stealing booze from the local pub, the Dog and Duck.
As this series has progressed, author T.E. Kinsey has not only charmed me with his characters and their wonderful dialogue, he's given me glimpses into various aspects of English life in the 1910s. This is a series that never fails to put a smile on my face, and I've even added a word to my vocabulary after reading An Act of Foul Play. I would imagine that most of us titivate ourselves before leaving the house to go to work or shopping. I just didn't know that that was what I was doing.
Anyone who enjoys light-hearted historical mysteries really needs to make the acquaintance of Lady Hardcastle and her "lady's maid, part-time spy and full-time nosy parker," Florence Armstrong. I wouldn't dream of missing any of their adventures.
An Act of Foul Play by T.E. Kinsey
eISBN: 9781542031486
Thomas & Mercer © 2022
eBook, 300 pages
Historical Mystery, #9 Lady Hardcastle mystery
Rating: B
Source: Net Galley
I do like the theatre as a setting/context for a story, Cathy. And I do like Lady Hardcastle's first instinct to let the police do their jobs. Too often, it's tempting to have the amateur sleuth take the reins when that just wouldn't happen in real life. Her attitude is more realistic that way. And it does sound like an interesting mystery; glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed the entire series.
DeleteThis sounds fun. And I tend to enjoy mysteries set in theaters.
ReplyDeleteThe entire series is fun, Carol. I hope you'll give it a try.
DeleteI think I need to make Lady Hardcastle's and Armstrong's acquaintance. They do sound like intriguing characters.
ReplyDeleteThey are, and the series is perfect for when you need something light and fun.
DeleteI have heard such good things about this series. I do think I would enjoy it. Now I've got to get my doorstop dictionary out to look up titivate.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good word to add to your vocabulary. I think I'm going to use it when Denis and I go to The Poisoned Pen Saturday.
DeleteTitivate is a great word! Never heard it before but I like it. And this mystery series sounds like fun. And set in a great time period!
ReplyDeleteIt's really fun, Lark. I hope you'll give it a try.
DeleteI've enjoyed the first few entries in this series, and am glad to know there are so many more waiting ...
ReplyDeleteInformation like that can be a comfort that non-readers will never understand.
DeleteCount me in as a huge fan of Hardcastle and Armstrong. It was clever, adding Sister Gwen to the mix, she is important to the plot. I thought this book was just as witty as the previous ones.
ReplyDeleteYes, the witty repartee is one of the main reasons why I enjoy this series so much.
DeleteHave you read the other series, the 20s set Dizzy Heights books? There are only two right now. The protagonists are minor characters from the Lady Hardcastle books.
ReplyDeleteI read the first book in the series, but for whatever reason, it didn't grab me and I have yet to continue with those books.
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