January 1910. A journalist has been killed in a suspicious blaze. Everything points to a group of suffragettes, but the apparent culprit insists she is innocent.When Lady Hardcastle receives a letter from a suffragette requesting her urgent help, the retired spy turned sleuth knows only she stands between an accused young woman and the gallows. Evidence at the scene makes Lizzie Worrel’s … Worrel’s innocence difficult to believe, and with the police treating it as an open-and-shut case of arson, Lady Hardcastle faces a barrage of resistance as she tries to dig out the truth.
With her trusted maid and confidante, the formidable Flo, Lady Hardcastle sets off in pursuit of the truth as time runs out for the accused suffragette. Was she set up? And if so, is the real culprit a traitor to the cause—or part of a darker conspiracy?
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I just love the series. It is original. It is packed with humor. Both sleuths make it a delightful read. Bravo!!!!!!
3 and 1 / 2 stars
I like these somewhat lighthearted romps into the past. This book is set in 1910 and Lady Hardcastle, former spy – now retired, of course – and the indomitable Flo set out to investigate an arson and murder.
The murdered man, who died as a result of the fire, was a newspaper reporter. The fire was supposedly set by a suffragette. When the young woman writes to Lady Hardcastle from her prison cell pleading for her assistance, The Lady and Flo can’t help but respond.
I really like Lady Hardcastle. She is outspoken, drives too fast is an artist and amateur sleuth. Her trusty and formidable sidekick Flo is devoted to the Lady. I love the teasing relationship they have with one another while dealing with some very serious issues. I did not care for this installment of the series as much I have the previous stories. It is written in Mr. Kinsey’s usual almost carefree style. It is written in an easy-to-read manner with one event following another in a clear logical manner. I very much look forward to the next installment in this series.
I want to thank NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for forwarding to me a copy of this great little book for me to read, enjoy and review.
Listening to a Lady Hardcastle story is like a visit with old friends. Since I accessed the novels out of order, this is my last episode & that makes me sad. Hopefully, T. E. Kinsey will come up with a new adventure for Lady Emily & Flo & their family & friends. Narrator Elizabeth Knowelden is awesome at bringing all the characters to life. In this one, her voice for the elderly butler cracked me up. Entertaining!
A good old0fashioned whodunit featuring a widowed gentlewoman and her tiny household and her friends and interests. Written from the point of view of her personal maid, who is “different” from most people’s idea of what a perfect ladies’ maid should be. Amusing character development, witty dialogue, but very little romance. Reminds me of the novels of Elizabeth Peters a generation or so ago. Read it for the guffaws, not for a twisted puzzle to decipher and you’ll enjoy a few gently amusing hours of light reading.
Have read all the books in this series and enjoyed each one.
The Lady Hardcastle series is always entertaining, and full if interesting detail. This one is wrapped around the fight for women’s suffrage, and the ladies make it clear which side of that discussion they come down on! Looking forward to the next adventure!
All the Lady Hardcastle books are wonderful!
The Burning Issue Of The Day is the fifth book in the A Lady Hardcastle Mystery series.
It’s Friday morning and Lady Hardcastle and her ladies maid, Florence Hamilton, are reading the Bristol News while partaking of their breakfast they start to discuss an article about arson on Thomas St where a tenant dies and the arrest of a woman, charging her with murder. Later that morning as Lady Hardcastle and Flo are about to head out for lunch at the Dog and Duck the post arrives and Lady H finds a letter written on fine stationery and takes time to read it. The letter is from a Lady Bickle who says she got Lady H’s name from her friend, Dr. Simeon Gosling. She states in her letter that she has learned from Gosling Lady H’s investigative skills and would like to meet with Lady H to see if Lady would look into the arson. Lady Bickle is a leader of a local suffragette group, who are part of the WSPU, and they adhere to a non-violence way of getting women’s rights. The young lady arrested for the arson, Lizzie Worell, is a member of Lady Bickle’s group. Lady Bickle feels certain that Worell is innocent.
Lady H decides to take on the investigation and with the victim of fire, a Christian Brookfield, being a reporter with the Bristol News, reluctantly decides to call a truce with reporter Dinah Caudle, who they had a run-in with in the previous book. Soon, Caudle brings a notebook of Brookfield’s to Lady H and Flo that are notes on stories that he had been working on. The notes are written in code and some are easy to decipher and it appears that he was working on the corruption of some high placed businessmen. Some are more difficult to break and these will be the ones to get the investigation to head in the right direction.
I love this series. The stories are all well told and well plotted the characters are well developed very enjoyable. I particularly enjoy Lady Hardcastle and Flo. Even though they Lady and Lady’s Maid they are more than less on an even footing. The dialogue between them is often humorous.
I’m looking forward to reading many more books in this very enjoyable series.
“The Burning Issue of the Day” by T.E. Kinsey is the fifth in the Emily, Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong mystery series. One of the burning issues of the day (it’s 1910) is the fight to get women the vote – and it was a hard-fought one, finally won in 1918 when women over the age of 30 could vote (with property caveats). That would be changed to equal voting rights in 1928). Until that point, suffragettes (as opposed to suffragists, the difference being explained by the author in a note at the end) engaged in many acts of civil disobedience including property damage. In “The Burning Issue of the Day” arson is one of those acts. Unfortunately, a man’s body is discovered in the burned building, and a suffragette is blamed for murder from the beginning pages.
It’s a major frame, it is, of course. Lady H and Flo are asked to help find Lizzie Worrel innocent by Georgina, Lady Bickle, one of the leaders of the local suffragettes. Well. No problems here. Inspector Sunderland will help in an unofficial capacity; the evidence is basically nonexistent — it’s just a rush to justice because of the anti-suffragette sentiment. They also have help from another newspaper reporter that has clashed with Lady Hardcastle in the past. She’s a strong character who seems to be joining the team.
The dead man, Christian Brookfield, is a reporter. My first thought was, who did Mr. Brookfield anger? Because of course Lizzie Worrel can’t be guilty. T.E. Kinsey does a good job of casting a little bit of doubt here and there, that maybe Lizzie might have had her reasons, but ultimately, my supposition proves correct. And our erstwhile heroines proceed from this basis. He’s even provided a coded notebook that will help Lady H and Flo find his killer – and provide some information for another blockbuster in the plot. They crisscross the town, seeking clues, interviewing suspects, keeping one step ahead of the men who are trying to keep them from finding out anything. Remember that big plot point I mentioned earlier? That wraps up satisfactorily because of what our ladies discover. Clever clogs, these ladies are.
The zingers and one liners that are a hallmark of the series are well in evidence. However, to my mind the book is a little too cutesy in spots, a little too “oh we have special skills but don’t ask what they are.” Their backgrounds are hinted at as in the earlier books in the series, so each one can almost be a standalone. This one just seemed to be a little too over the top in talking about their “special skills.”
Also — it’s time to meet the German. We’re five books in, already. I assume he exists or hopefully we’d know that by now. Get on with it, already.
There’s an author’s note at the end of the book with information about the history behind the story, along with the chance to do some decoding. Have fun!
Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for a copy of the book, in exchange for this review.
Love it, love it, love it. This is a very talented author. I love these characters. The audiobook is wonderful, as well.
A possible suspect wearing white leather boots, good man and women, bad women nicely balanced around a murder and women’s right to vote. I loved the story and the details and can’t wait for the next book.
I love Lady Hardcastle and her lady’s maid, Flo…They are the BEST!. If you like a fun Cozy Mystery read, these characters are for you!