Today Kaye George delves into a
historical mystery set in 1869. Death at
the Abbey by Christine Trent is the fifth book in the A Lady Of Ashes Mystery Series which began with Lady Of Ashes.
Death at the Abbey by Christine Trent
This
delightful historical mystery captured me on the first page and never let go. I
know that description is used a lot, but it’s very true for this book.
Violet
Harper, a series character, is a female undertaker in London in 1869. She and
her husband Sam are in North Nottinghamshire and have been for four weeks while
he tried to get a coal mine started. He’s having trouble finding enough workers
because the 5th Duke of Portland routinely employs hundreds of locals for
building projects on his property, Welbeck Abbey. When the Duke’s valet,
Pearson, shows up and requests that she come to the estate on a mission that he
can’t seem to state coherently, she raises a few objections, but ends up going.
It turns out that she is being asked to prepare a raven for burial!
Her
ministrations are interrupted, though. Things continue to get weirder and
weirder, as first one worker, then another are found dead. Violet knows they’ve
been murdered, but can’t convince anyone else of this. Sam gets invited to
demonstrate the new technique of dynamite blasting for the underground tunnels,
ballroom, chapel, unused guestrooms, and such that the Duke is having
constructed, so he’s on the scene eventually. No one ever uses the ballroom, the
chapel, or the many beautifully decorated guestrooms. I got a kick out of the
continuously roasting chickens, too.
The Duke was
presented as such an oddball, I had to look him up. A detailed Author’s Note in
the back also gives information on him and other actual historical people and
places that are used in the story. From the light research I did, that Duke was
even stranger than portrayed here!
Seemingly
disconnected deaths and other happenings keep occurring, but the author
masterfully tied everything together in the end to create a thoroughly
enjoyable read.
Reviewed by Kaye George, Author
of Eine Kleine Murder, for Suspense
Magazine
I never used to read historical mysteries, but have read three or four over the past couple of years for varying reasons (book discussion at my local SinC meeting, reading one a friend wrote, etc.). Never thought they were my thing, but to my surprise I really enjoyed all of them. Good review. Good sounding book.
ReplyDeleteA female undertaker? What an intriguing idea for a character. I'm really curious about the raven...
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