‘This author writes a cracking book. I could hardly bear to put it down.’ Grace J Reviewerlady ‘Guinevere is a little like a modern day Miss Marple’ Adele B Welcome to Cornisea island and spend your summer holidays in a Cornish Castle. Guinevere Evans has a dream summer job: cataloguing books at a castle on a tidal island off the coast of Cornwall. With her perky dachshund Dolly by her side she … dachshund Dolly by her side she explores the island’s colourful history, tries fabulous local food and sees the gorgeous sunsets.
But when an old friend of her employer drops in, claiming a rare bejewelled wedding goblet is hidden in the castle gardens, strange events start to take place: several people turn up claiming they have a right to the elusive goblet, and a dead body is found on the beach.
An unfortunate accident, or does this death relate to the struggle for ownership of the goblet? Is there even a goblet?
Guinevere and Dolly dig in and discover plenty of motives to lie, steal and yes, maybe even kill. Can they prove what really happened to the victim and what became of the precious rubies that are at the heart of the mystery?
relate to the struggle for ownership of the goblet? Is there even a goblet?
Guinevere and Dolly dig in and discover plenty of motives to lie, steal and yes, maybe even kill. Can they prove what really happened to the victim and what became of the precious rubies that are at the heart of the mystery?
relate to the struggle for ownership of the goblet? Is there even a goblet?
Guinevere and Dolly dig in and discover plenty of motives to lie, steal and yes, maybe even kill. Can they prove what really happened to the victim and what became of the precious rubies that are at the heart of the mystery?
relate to the struggle for ownership of the goblet? Is there even a goblet?
Guinevere and Dolly dig in and discover plenty of motives to lie, steal and yes, maybe even kill. Can they prove what really happened to the victim and what became of the precious rubies that are at the heart of the mystery?
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RUBIES IN THE ROSES (Cornish Castle Mystery, Book 2) by Vivian Conroy is the second cozy mystery in the murderous adventures on Cornisea Island. I fell in love with Guinevere and Dolly in the locked room mystery in the first book, “Death Plays a Part”. In this second book, you become more intimately involved with Guinevere’s personal life and emotions as she works to solve the new mystery and murder on the tidal island.
As in the first book, Guinevere and her Dachshund Dolly are on Cornisea Island on a working summer break from the theater in London were she is a costume maker. She is helping Lord Bolingbrooke catalogue his vast library in the castle.
Usually Lord Bolingbrooke hides from anyone trying to visit the castle, but he surprises Guinevere by actually greeting Gregory Wadencourt, historian and artifact hunter, when he arrives with his own photographer, Max DeBurgh in tow. Wadencourt has a history with Lord Bolingbrooke, but it is not necessarily friendly. Wadencourt is on the island to find the bejeweled wedding goblet called The Rose and Stars which he believes is hidden on the castle grounds, but he is not the only person claiming rights to the goblet if found.
Several players, new and old, race to figure out the clues to the goblet’s location and claim it as their own. When a body is found floating under the small private pier by the castle, the islanders are devastated. Once again Guinevere and Dolly search for clues to bring a murderer to justice, but Oliver is not always by her side on this adventure. Oliver does not like or trust Max, but Max makes Guinevere feel beautiful and needed. She does not know if these feelings are real or if she can trust Max, but she wants to.
I really enjoyed this second trip to Cornisea Island and the visit with Guinevere and Dolly. This cozy mystery draws you in with an intricate plot, interesting characters, emotional motives and red herrings. The goblet mystery and the murder mystery both keep you turning the pages. You get to read more of Guinevere’s history as she reveals emotional pain from her past which makes her more realistic and dear to my heart. The secondary characters, whether returning from book one or new to this story, are all fully fleshed and not just caricatures.
This book is a wonderful addition to the series!
An easy read!
For a quick read, maybe? Yet, puts Cornwall in a dim light.
Very little of the dog which is why I wanted to try the series. Not impressed with story, characters or writing.
Slow, repetitive
A good read as wasn’t scary and easy to follow
Guinevere Evans has a dream job cataloging books at Cornish Castle on the tidal island of Cornisea. With her fur BF, Dolly by her side she gets to know the people and history of the beautiful island. And from time to time, comes across a body.
When an old friend of her employer arrives unexpectedly, claiming that a rare bejeweled wedding goblet is hidden in the castle gardens, strange things start happening. Several people turn up claiming they have the right to the elusive goblet, and the body of a local resident is found on the beach.
Was his death an accident, or does it have anything to do with the ownership of the goblet? For that matter, is the goblet even real or just a local legend? Guinevere and Dolly start digging into the mystery and discover motives for all of those involved to lie, steal and kill. A goblet is found, but the jewels are missing. Can she prove what happened to the victim? What became of the precious jewels from the goblet that were removed, and when were they removed and by whom?
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Series: Cornish Castle Mystery – Book 2
Author: Vivian Conroy
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (HQ Digital)
Rubies in the Roses is the second book in the Cornish Castle Mystery series by Vivian Conroy. It is filled with wonderful characters who will have the reader smiling and worrying at the same time. All the characters, especially Guinevere and Oliver are well rounded and at the center of all the action. The writing is smooth and fluid moving the plot along at a nice easy-to-read pace.
The victim is someone the reader will like and be upset when he is killed. The death is unexpected. When Guinevere finds his body, the reader gets the sense that the victim will be missed by many of the island’s residents and Guinevere in particular. The newest character, Max becomes a romantic interest for Guinevere but one that will leave her and the reader questioning many aspects of her future.
It is not necessary for the reader to have read the first book in the series, but it would help to understand the character dynamics. There are quite a few references to the first book that are not explained, but it is not so much as to distract from the current story.
The setting of Rubies in the Roses is unmistakably exotic and exciting as well as romantic. What woman has not dreamed of living in a far away castle surrounded by the ocean and attractive men, and an exciting myth and mystery to fall into?
This book is highly recommended to anyone who enjoys far away locations, castles, and furry friends as main attractions in their mystery. If a reader likes a straight forward who-done-it, they will love this story.