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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Lady Hardcastle, mystery-solver extraordinaire with a shadowy background of civil service to the Crown, and her maid and faithful companion, Flo Armstrong, romp through the English countryside at the turn of the century solving crime. Flo, a closet martial artist, is the narrator for this series of puzzling mysteries. Dialogue full of witty, laugh-out-loud banter, and cozy instead of cringe-worthy and dark, I found this first in series to be an entertaining, light read—then I went on to buy the entire series!
Just too much dialogue for me between the two main characters.
I really love the characters and the time period. The mysteries aren’t too complex but the interplay between the “lady” and her servant is so fun. Can’t wait to read more.
As all ways, a good read when you feeling blue.
I am totally hooked on Lady Hardcastle & Flo and buy the new books as soon as they come out. The characters are wonderful, the dialogue amusing, and the Mysteries intriguing without being of the keep you up all night biting your fingernails style. In short an all-around fun read. One caveat. Although all of the books are stand-alone you will probably enjoy them more if you read them in order as there is frequent reference back to previous Adventures of the two ladies. This occurs even in the first book; I found myself hunting for book one of the series before I realized that what I was reading was book one and the previous episodes being alluded to are not documented. A prequel would be fun.
First book in a series of mystery adventures if Lady Hardcastle and her faithful maid and companion. Lovely English lifestyle of days gone by and not at all pretentious. Great story!
It is a light read but entertaining.
Have not finished because am kind of bored!
Sweet and funny. Love the main characters. I will be reading more of this series.
Love this cozy series and the writer keeps you interested right up to the end!
Fun, simple little mystery.
An entertaining introduction to interesting, though unlikely, heroines. I enjoy the others in the series. Not serious books, but fun to read.
Strongly recommend this series. Love the prime and supporting characters. I always hit pre-order on Amazon when notice of a new one comes out on the authors FB page. Wish he could write more quickly! 🙂
Wonderful entertaining and quirky characters, good mystery with a few twists and turns, quaint village life, a thoroughly fun read.
Enjoyed this book from the very beginning! T. E. Kinsey has an amazing talent for character conversations, and Lady Hardcastle and her Lady’s Maid Armstrong are totally hilarious throughout the novel. The two murders Lady Hardcastle and Armstrong investigate were well plotted, and the author included several red herrings to truly keep the reader in suspense. To add further dimension, enter a jewel theft of enormous proportions, and you’ve got a lovely and lively little mystery for a “quiet life” in the charming English countryside. I’ve already ordered the second novel in this series and absolutely love this sleuthing duo!
I found lady hardcastle & her lady maid quite the interesting odd couple
Liked it very much. A twist in social manners but well understood. Wanted another story as soon as it ended.
Fortunately this is the first in the series – so I have more of these to read. Lady H and her maid, Flo are quite unconventional and quite the detectives. They are, at times, brilliant, innovative and unpredictable. And always practical while being “in your face” with authority.
Given a free copy for a review. Loved, Loved this story. It grabbed your attention and didn’t let go until you finished it. I loved Emily and Florence. Great characters throughout the story.
This was a fun murder mystery set during the early 20th century. I found the dialogue and interaction between Lady Emily Hardcastle and her lady’s maid Flo Armstrong to be engaging and witty. Their bright and sarcastic encounters were delightful. I shall be hunting down more of the books in this series.