New cover. Same story.A dying man. The painting within her reach. What’s a thief to do?In 1905, talented London milliner Emily Gates creates amazing hats for Society ladies, but to collect from those who don’t pay her bill, she burglarizes their homes. She needs every penny to send her deaf brother to school. Late one night, she sneaks in to find Lord Kaldaire badly injured in his study. … his study. Unwilling to abandon him, she calls for help.
When Kaldaire dies without revealing who attacked him, his widow agrees to keep Emily’s secrets ― if Emily will help find her husband’s killer. A bigger danger is a Scotland Yard inspector who threatens to arrest Emily — unless she spies on her father’s family of swindlers and conmen. Worst of all are the attacks from an unknown assailant. What will Emily face first, jail or death?
This is a historical cozy mystery with no graphic violence, sex, or foul language. Just exciting action, mysterious events, and surprising endings.
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I was drawn into this book immediately. The writing style was smooth and compact, which kept the story moving swiftly. The descriptions of London’s class society in the early twentieth century kept me satisfied that I was getting to peer back in time to an era where status was everything and clothing said a great deal about who you were.
The puzzle of the plot was carefully thought out and executed. As Emily faced consequence after consequence for her actions and those of her family, I continued to root for her. Emily is, after all, driven by good intentions, and that makes her a likable thief. And as Emily was pulled into the role of reluctant amateur sleuth, the difficulties of class society played out in the plot.
I highly recommend this lovely cozy mystery with plenty of twists and turns and a delightful sleuth.
THE KILLING AT KALDAIRE HOUSE by Kate Parker
The First Milliner Mystery
Emily Gates is a respectable shop owner and talented milliner. In fact, her creations are sought after by most of the aristocracy. Sadly, the upper classes aren’t quick to pay their bills, if they pay them at all. Desperate to pay her own bills, Emily falls back on the skills of her father and his family and has taken to robbing the rich and holding their property ransom until she’s paid what she’s owed. While attempting to relieve a favored painting, Emily’s plan falls to pieces as she finds the body of the dying Lord Kaldaire. Knowing she can’t leave him, she summons for help. Now Lady Kaldaire knows her secret, as does Detective Inspector Russell. Both vow to keep quiet…as long as Emily helps them. So now Emily’s using her family’s tricks to help Lady Kaldaire discover who murdered her husband and spying on the family she’d rather not know for the police. Will Emily be able to protect her reputation and her business? Will she discover the truth behind the attack on Lord Kaldaire? And, more importantly, will she find time to continue to make her famous hats?
THE KILLING AT KALDAIRE HOUSE is a fun trip back to Edwardian England. Kate Parker infuses the book with fascinating details of the time, from fashion to mourning rituals, and more. Uniquely determined characters inhabit the pages of this first Milliner Mystery. I love Emily’s entrepreneurial spirit. Her creation and the idea to bring it to the motor race was brilliant. Emily is proud of her hard earned respectability, but now must do some rather disrespectable things in order to maintain it! Caught between a rock and a hard place, namely Lady Kaldaire and Detective Inspector Russell, Emily is forced to reconnect with the family she’d distanced herself from, engage in the skills she learned from them, and put herself and her business at risk. Her unwillingness, struggle, and eventual capitulation frustrate her to no end and provide readers with great entertainment. As do the secondary characters! Emily’s rogue family are a delightful counterpoint to many of the aristocracy, especially the odious new Lord Kaldaire and his wife.
The first Milliner Mystery is an entertaining mystery brimming with exuberant characters, outlandish situations, and fine historical detail.
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Emily Gates learned to make fabulous hats as a girl from her Mum and she is now a top London milliner in London. Her hats are in demand by all the Society Ladies and she does enjoy running her shop with her uncle and her deaf brother. She is not happy when the ladies or their husbands fail to pay her for her work. She has learned a few tricks from the shadier side of her family and is not beyond burglarizing their homes and holding their prized possessions hostage until her bill is paid.
She has made some beautiful hats for Lady Kaldaire but Lord Kaldaire has not paid her. She knows there is a painting that hangs in his study that he holds very dear. She decides to sneak in late one night to abscond with the portrait but instead finds Lord Kildaire on the floor. When he moans she realizes he is still alive and she has to call for help. Unfortunately, his injuries were severe and he dies before naming his attacker. Emily gains the trust of Lady Kaldaire who vows to keep the break in a secret if Emily agrees to find the killer. That isn’t going to be easy especially with an inspector from Scotland on her tail with some demands of his own.
I am a big fan of Kate Parker. I have enjoyed both her Victorian Bookshop Mysteries and her Deadly Series, So I escaped right into this story and was taken back in time with Emily Gates. A commoner who is drawn into the world of Ladies and Lords, Princes and Princesses. To help Lady Kaldaire gets the answers she needs Emily finds herself rubbing elbows with the elite, riding in motorcars, and attending parties. Detective Inspector Russell knows her truth as well and thinks she may be working with her father and his family. The family he believes are responsible for many of the thefts on his docket.
Ms. Parker’s characters are quite dynamic. Very fleshed out with vivid detail. The clothing and especially the hats are thoroughly described as are the estates, Emily’s shop, home, and workshop, and the automobiles including the dusty roads they travel on. I could picture every place and person perfectly. Emily is a very strong independent woman, but she did bend to Lady Kaldaire’s elaborate schemes sometimes to her own peril. I enjoyed their interactions though very much. I also find Emily’s dedication to caring for her deaf brother heartwarming. Her main goal is to have enough money to send him to a special school and that is what drives her through the story.
The mystery is a bugger to solve. Emily finds herself going to her grandfather for help, something she has shunned before. She feels she is in danger of losing her business if she can’t put all the pieces together and find the killer all while trying to stay out of her family’s shenanigans. She literally travels far and wide to get answers.
As stated in the synopsis this story does have a My Fair Lady mashed with a little Mary Poppins with a dash of Sherlock Holmes feel. The author has great world building skills and has created very memorable characters. I found the story to be delightfully entertaining and a perfect escape.