Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they’ve just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life.
But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There’s a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady … scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation…
As Lady Hardcastle and Flo delve deeper into rural rivalries and resentment, they uncover a web of intrigue that extends far beyond the village. With almost no one free from suspicion, they can be certain of only one fact: there is no such thing as a quiet life in the country.
Revised edition: This edition of A Quiet Life In The Country includes editorial revisions.
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The relationship between Lady Hardcastle and her maid is the most wonderfully entertaining and amusing. They stand out in a society where the maid would be mostly invisible and have a delightful friendship with amusingly witty banter. Oh, and then there’s the mystery they get drawn into. Very interesting. I would read anything written by this author.
What a delightful read. I am currently watching The Murdoch Mysteries on Netflix and this is right up there with that series; both set around the same time [this was 1909, MM is about 1902ish] and while murder is always gruesome, much more is made here [and in the show] about how the solving gets done and how people acted around each other and with each other and apart from each other. And how sometimes unconventional methods must be used to solve a murder.
Really so delightful; I will be reading more of these.
Delightful Holmes and Watson style mystery in a historical cozy setting. Not only are the characters fun, but they have such a backstory it makes you want to read more (and more) just to get more insight into Flo and Lady Hardcastle.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book and found it hugely entertaining. I loved the characters an the relationship between Lady Hardcastle and her maid. The plot was suitably cosy and all in all this was a relaxing read/listen.
Was thoroughly delightful, fun dialogue, great characters and very informative about below stairs work. All 4 Lady Hardcastle books are every-bit as good. A Quiet Life in the Country , In the Market for Murder ,Death Around the Bend , and novella-Christmas at the Grange.
I love cozy English mysteries, and if there’s humor, even better. The banter between Lady Hardcastle and her “maid,” Armstrong–aka partner in crime solving–flips English mannerisms on their ear. Each character was well-done, going against stereotypes. If you’re in the mood for something light and fun, I highly recommend this.
I really enjoyed this book and the two main characters. Well written and not too much explanation of mundane, irrelevant details.
Excellent characters and a humorous style make for a most entertaining read. The mystery itself was good, but honestly, by the time I finished the book I didn’t care so much “who done it” as I was invested in the main characters and reading more about their activities. Perfect light reading with an added fillip of entertaining grammar (you have to read it to understand).
Love the interaction between the lady and her “servant”. This is just a good book. It takes place early in the 1900’same. It shows the definite differences in the social classes and then these 2 who don’t care.
Absolutely delightful story. The author gives vivid descriptions of locations and characters while providing the interesting interactions between those characters. I highly recommend this series!
Suicide by Hanging or Murder?
Appropriate for teen – adult
Zero sex
Zero harsh language
Action – yes, after all there’s been a murder. Without action it would be pretty stagnant.
Occasional cases of very clever dialog – in other words, the author had the characters do a play on words, but this kind of dialog isn’t overused, so when it happens, it’s a delight.
Plot no spoilers
Lady Emily Hardcastle, who we find out more than half way through the book is about 40 years old, and her maid Flo have moved to the English countryside after having lived in various countries. They are anticipating a nice, quiet, uneventful lifestyle. Through dialog we learn that Emily and Flo have experienced quite a few dangerous adventures since the death of Emily’s husband in China. Through these adventures they have become more than lady and maid. They are best friends.
They are barely settled into their new home when on a hike they discover a dead man hanging from a tree in the forest. Whoever put him there didn’t make the scene convincing enough for an alert investigator to rule it to be an actual suicide. Besides, why murder this particular young man, who by all accounts wasn’t the type to inspire hatred? So, why? And then, there’s another murder…?
Emily and Flo along with local authorities investigate. Within the story we are introduced to a variety of characters, both ordinary and colorful, including a group of American rag-time musicians.
Fun historical cozy with a strong, likable sidekick!
A Quiet Life in the Country
(Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #1)
by T.E. Kinsey
I haven’t read any of these books before and it is a bit out of my norm but I really enjoyed it. I loved the witty banter, the world building, and the delightful characters!
It’s 1908 in the UK in the country. Lady Hardcastle and her personal maid are more best friends than Lady and servant but play the society game in public. The Lady is a widow too. They have been on many adventures before and decided to settle in the country. They aren’t there long before they find a dead body. With her wonderful brain, her maids access to gossip, they help the local cops. I think what I like the best is that the story is from the Kahr’s point of view!
Terrific narration!
I’m so happy I discovered this refreshing series. I mostly read contemporary mysteries but I like to read historicals occasionally—as fun palette-cleansers and to get a peek into the lives of folks from different eras. Lady Hardcastle is right up my alley. The mysteries are fun and twisty and the relationship between her and her maid Flo is delightful!
Awesome
A fun new series for me…more to come.
T E Kinsey hits the spot when it comes to cosy crimes, with characters Lady Hardcastle and her ladies’ maid Flo never failing to entertain us, or solve a crime. This is the first in the Lady Hardcastle series, and although you don’t need to read it to enjoy the others in the series, it sets the scene perfectly. Highly recommended.
I do like a good historical mystery and this series, which features a widowed lady and her maid as the sleuths is lots of fun!
cosy-mystery, light-hearted, amateur-sleuth, women-sleuths, historical-fiction, England
A fun pair of irrepressible eccentric sleuths insert themselves into the local constabulary’s murder investigations in 1908 England. Very lighthearted and pleasant read for a dismal day or mood.
Elizabeth Knowelden is exceptional at interpreting Lady Hardcastle and Miss Armstrong as well as the rest of the characters (pun intended).
Offers for this book kept appearing in my inbox, so I finally broke down and bought it. Glad I did. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are a delightful pair, intelligent and kind and witty. The humor made me smile while the mysteries kept me wondering to the end how the pair would untangle this very tangled web. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good, historical cozy with a light touch.