Murder casts a dark shadow over the christening of Lady Lucy and Major Sir Robert Kurland’s daughter Elizabeth—even more so when Lucy’s own father, the rector, falls under suspicion for the crime . . . Lucy and Robert’s joy in christening their new daughter, surrounded by extended family and loved ones who have gathered in the village of Kurland St. Mary, is only enhanced when Robert’s aunt … enhanced when Robert’s aunt Rose—now the second wife of Lucy’s father Ambrose—announces that she is with child. However, not everyone is happy about the news, in particular Rose’s adult daughter Henrietta and her husband, who fear for their inheritance.
Following the christening, Rose’s disagreeable son-in-law Basil Northam threatens to turn afternoon tea in the rectory into an unsightly brawl. The next morning, he is found in the rector’s study, stabbed through the heart with an antique letter opener, clutching a note that appears to implicate the rector himself.
As the local justice of the peace, Robert has an obligation to remain unbiased in his investigation of the ghastly crime, even though his prime suspect is a man of the cloth and his wife’s father. But Lucy is under no such obligation. As snow traps the members of the christening party in Kurland St. Mary, she vows to clear her father’s name and bring the cold-blooded culprit to justice. Someone had better start saying their prayers . . .
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1826 At Kurland St. Mary it is time for the christening of Elizabeth, second child to Sir Robert and Lady Lucy Kurland. The guests have started to arrive, invited and otherwise but soon one of the guests is discovered dead. Will there be more deaths and what could the motive be, Robert and Lucy investigate.
Unfortunately the last in the series of this delightful historical mystery series with its wonderful characters and well-written mysteries.
The good storyline and interesting characters grabbed my attention from the very beginning and wouldn’t let me go until the very last page was turned! I was so invested in this wonderful story that I read this book in one sitting!
Death Comes to the Rectory by Catherine Lloyd brings the Kurland St. Mary cozy series to close. I’m sorry that I will have no more adventures with Sir Robert and Lady Lucy.
The story moved smoothly with the murder of a despicable nobleman in the Kurland St. Mary rectory. The suspects are numerous and all staying at Kurland Hall. To complicate matters it is snowing and the guests are beginning to become restless. There are family secrets both in Lucy’s family and in Robert’s and there is tension between Robert and Lucy during the investigation. A captivating read that kept me turning the pages.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
I discovered this series about a month ago and have read all seven of the previous volumes of the series in that time frame. I was so excited to see the latest book was available for review via NetGalley.
The series features Sir Robert Kurland and his wife Lucy. They are celebrating the christening of their new daughter and all are happy until Robert’s cousin Henrietta and her loathsome husband Basil, Lord Northam show up. Robert’s aunt, Rose, Henrietta’s mother is now married to Lucy’s father who is the rector of the village of Kurland St. Mary. Rose made her fortune in trade and has been disdained by Lord and Lady Northam unless they need funds. When Rose announces her late in life pregnancy, they are outraged and obnoxious as they believe they will lose out on her fortune.
Lord Northam is found dead in the rector’s study, stabbed by the rector’s letter opener. Henrietta accuses the rector of murder, and Robert as magistrate must investigate and do so impartially. Other evidence points to the rector and things don’t look good.
But as Robert and Lucy investigate, they discover a web of secrets and withheld information that involves many other members of the christening party as well as strangers at the nearby inn-all with potential motives.
The mystery has lots of twists and turns and kept me puzzled along with Robert and Lucy. I won’t go any further at the risk of providing a spoiler.
Highly recommend especially if you are a fan on historical mysteries set around the regency period.
The dedication mentions that this is the last book in the series and I am very bummed about that.
I voluntarily and happily reviewed an ARC of the book, however, the opinions expressed are entirely my own.
I loved this book. It was so nice to meet again all the characters that were in previous books in the series. Lucy and Robert are growing and they have their fractious moments with each other but they still work together. They recognize the need to make up, rather than give up.
Oh the secrets. I was pretty sure of the villian. Still the twists and turns to get there kept me guessing. The writing was wonderful and smooth.
My only issue was the outcome for the villian. Personally I think it should have been harsher for murder. Great story, wonderful characters. Sorry to see it end.
Highly recommended.
Death Comes to the Rectory was the first Kurland St. Mary Mystery I had read and I enjoyed it very much. The characters are well done, the story was interesting and I admit I had the wrong person pegged as the murderer throughout the entire book. I could feel Robert’s frustration through the pages and sympathize and no one seemed to be telling the truth. I will definitely be checking out the earlier books in the series. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opprtunity to read an advance copy of #DeathComestotheRectory.
Death Comes to the Rectory is my first Catherine Lloyd book. Even though I jumped in the series at Book 8, it stood perfectly fine on its own and I followed along well with no confusion. It was certainly a different type of story than what I typically read but I enjoyed the experience. An engaging storyline and well-developed characters drew me in from the start.
ARC received via NetGalley.
The eighth book in the A Kurland St. Mary Mystery series a well written story with a very good storyline. Lucy and Robert are having a christening for their new daughter but things are not happy with some people. This story has suspense, drama, danger, murder, a villain, a accident, twists, turns, and lies. I enjoyed reading. This is a new Author to me. I received a copy of this book via Net Galley and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Lady Lucy and Sir Robert Kurland are enjoying what should be a joyous moment in their lives. However events soon devolve into tense, dangerous times. When murder strikes within the heart of their families it will require all their intrepid skills to ferret out the culprit. The author creates a book with lush description, interesting characters and an intriguing plot. Though I wish I had read this series in chronological order, it didn’t detract from my reading pleasure.
It’s hard for a reader to say goodbye to a favorite series but here we are, time to say those words. Because of that and the fact that the ending didn’t wrap up the threads as I felt it should have, this gets only 4 stars. Having said that, the mystery itself was excellent The victim was disliked by everyone. The main event was a happy occasion – the christening of Lady Lucy and Sir Robert’s daughter Elizabeth. The setting of the Rectory and Kurland Hall becoming rather a locked room due to snow adds to the suspense. The list of possible motives and killer is long but it’s a shock when the victim, Basil Northam, stabbed in the heart, in the rectory study with an antique letter opener owned by Lucy’s father – well that just cannot be…or can it? Lucy can’t believe her father, the rector, capable of murder and Robert, as the investigator, knows it may very well be possible. Not the way to mark such a happy event.
I have enjoyed every book in in this series, spending time with Lady Lucy and Sir Robert. Each mystery engaged me and kept me guessing to the final reveal. That’s the mark of a well crafted mystery series.
My thanks to the publisher Kensington and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Intricate & Delightful Who-Dunnit!!!
The scene: early 1800’s. The event: A christening. Family and friends gather, so does an uninvited, and rather unwelcome guest.
When said guest is found murdered it appears everyone has a motive – but who has the opportunity?
Complicated by a snowstorm, timelines are traced, horses are borrowed and misdeeds are revealed.
A fabulous read. It was engaging and you either liked (or liked disliked) the characters appropriately. My first read by this author, but I’m eager for more!
**I am voluntarily leaving my honest review of this book**
This is the eighth and final book in the Kurland St. Mary Mystery Series. This is a historical mystery set in the English countryside. This was a great mystery with a surprise ending. I enjoy a mystery where I can’t figure out the culprit until the author reveals them to me and this book did that. The characters where great and the pace was wonderful. Though this is the eight book in the series, it can be read as a stand-alone book.
I wasn’t aware that this was the last book in this series when I requested to read it. I also had not read any of the previous books in the series. I had no trouble following along with this. I enjoyed the mystery and the characters were well drawn. I would have liked more of an epilogue with it being the end to the series. That said it was a good read regardless.
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.
A scintillating murder mystery. I had my suspicions as to who dun it from the very beginning. But Catherine Lloyd kept dashing all my hopes of figuring this out! The ending will shock you.
5 stars!!!
Death Comes to the Rectory by Catherine Lloyd
Kurland St. Mary Mystery #8
Coming in on the last book of a series is probably not the wisest way to read a series but this book did manage to stand alone, introduce the characters easily and give enough background to follow the story without difficulty.
What I liked:
* The story felt of the time period
* There were plenty of potential murderers
* I didn’t mind that the person who died was killed because he was reprehensible
* The relationship between Robert and Lucy seemed well established and healthy
* That the rector and his new bride seemed to care about one another – and were expecting a baby though older
* The twists and turns
* The way the clues were eked out
* That the murderer and motivation were eventually determined
What I didn’t like:
* Many of the characters: Northam, Henrietta, the Earl…and others
* Not sure it is a dislike but I am curious enough to find out what the sentence would be for the person who admitted to murder to see if google might tell me.
Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I have enjoyed it more if I had read the entire series? Probably
Would I read more books by this author? Yes
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.
3-4 Stars
Murder casts a dark shadow over the christening of Lady Lucy and Major Sir Robert Kurland’s daughter Elizabeth—even more so when Lucy’s own father, the rector, falls under suspicion for the crime. Lucy and Robert’s joy in christening their new daughter, surrounded by extended family and loved ones who have gathered in the village of Kurland St. Mary, is only enhanced when Robert’s aunt Rose—now the second wife of Lucy’s father Ambrose—announces that she is with child. However, not everyone is happy about the news, in particular Rose’s adult daughter Henrietta and her husband, who fear for their inheritance. Following the christening, Rose’s disagreeable son-in-law Basil Northam threatens to turn afternoon tea in the rectory into an unsightly brawl. The next morning, he is found in the rector’s study, stabbed through the heart with an antique letter opener, clutching a note that appears to implicate the rector himself. As the local justice of the peace, Robert has an obligation to remain unbiased in his investigation of the ghastly crime, even though his prime suspect is a man of the cloth and his wife’s father. But Lucy is under no such obligation. As snow traps the members of the christening party in Kurland St. Mary, she vows to clear her father’s name and bring the cold-blooded culprit to justice. Someone had better start saying their prayers
This is the eighth & final book in this brilliant series & I’m sad to see it end especially as I felt there were lots of loose ends, I would have loved an epilogue. However as always the book is well written & the mystery engrossing. I wasn’t sure who the murderer was until nearly the end. Strong characters & a fast paced plot plus plenty of red herrings & twists & turns held my interest all the way through
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
historical-novel, historical-research, historical-setting, England, family-dynamics, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, 19th-century, cosy-mystery****
A rather nasty bunch of interlopers, but sadly only one of them is murdered. The family situation is somewhat bizarre and too messy to get into here and all is complicated by a notable snowstorm. The sleuthing is well written and well plotted and actually less befuddled than all the family (dis)connections. Enjoyable.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you.
I really struggled with what rating to give this book. If it was a book in the middle of a series, I’d give it 5-stars easily because the mystery is well-written, well-plotted, and well-executed. Usually, I figure out within the first chapter or two who the murderer is – but I wasn’t sure with this one. I had suspicions – but definitely wasn’t sure. However, this book isn’t in the middle of a series, it is the wrap-up for a series and, as such, it just wasn’t satisfying to me. The author has said she might write some additional short stories for this series in the future, but, to this reader, that doesn’t make up for what is lacking in this final book. As a series ender, I did not want to see a family left splintered and in turmoil. I wanted to know what the future held for the Harrington’s – especially the twins and Anna – Oh, and Rose’s baby. Yet, Anna was hardly even mentioned in the story and she wasn’t at her niece’s christening. So, if you read the book for the mystery, you’ll enjoy it – but if you read it for both the mystery and the wrap-up to a much-loved series, you’ll end up a bit disappointed. All of that disappointment could have so easily been avoided with just an additional chapter or an epilogue showing the family in their happy lives at some future point. I’m not exactly sorry I read the book – but I’m not exactly jumping for joy either.
Lady Lucy and Sir Robert Kurland are preparing to celebrate the christening of their baby daughter, Elizabeth Jane Sarah, who was named after her deceased grandmothers and her great-aunt. They’ve invited friends and family and have filled both the rectory and the manor with guests. In the middle of all of the guest’s arrival, there is an unexpected, uninvited, and unwanted couple who appears. Robert asks them to leave, but since the woman, Henrietta, is Robert’s cousin – and the step-daughter of Lucy’s father – they can hardly remove them bodily. You’ll never see a nastier set of people than Henrietta and her husband Lord Northam. Robert makes it very plain to both of them that they WILL NOT disturb the christening services. This is his much-loved, and much-doted-upon daughter’s big day and he will not have it spoiled.
Just after the services, the body of Basil, Lord Northam, is discovered in the rector’s office – with the rector’s letter opener. That immediately makes the rector, Lucy’s father, the prime suspect. Lucy doesn’t believe her father is guilty – but Robert thinks he could be. As the magistrate for the area, it is Robert’s duty to investigate and determine the guilty party – even if that means hurting his wife.
It seems everyone has a reason to want Lord Northam dead – he was mutually hated by all who knew him. As the investigation continues, more and more secrets come to light along with more and more reasons someone would want to kill Lord Northam. Yet, all of the evidence keeps coming back to the rector. Henrietta insists that the rector is the guilty party and she makes that loud and clear to any and all who will listen. Can Robert and Lucy work through all of the secrets and lies to get to the truth? That truth will surprise you!
I did enjoy the mystery, but the overall feel of the book left me wanting. I thought Lucy was much too sanguine about her father being accused of murder and much too accepting of Robert’s need to pursue her father as a suspect. The ending was also dissatisfying because there was no real wrap-up. The family was left fractured with more wounds than could be easily repaired.
If you love the series, I hope you won’t be as disappointed as I was in the final book. If you aren’t invested in the series – you should find the mystery very enjoyable.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.