Death Around the Bend
Series: A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 3
By: T E Kinsey / Narrated By: Elizabeth Knowelden
Length: 8 hrs and 36 mins
Not as stellar as the first two, but oh how awesome!
Right?! I’m getting spoiled over here what with these “Lady Hardcastle Mysteries” winding up on m’ Listening Plate. And since I absolutely RAVED about the first two, it’s kinda a relief to be able to ding ANYthing from this New To Me series.
“Tiny Servant” Flo Armstrong and Lady Hardcastle are off to the estate of an ol’ school chum of Lady H’s brother, Harry. ‘Twould appear that the dynamic duo aren’t quite sooo enamored with Quiet Lives in the Country. No, not at all as here again the two are heading over yonder, this time in hopes of driving motor cars; a race!!! And Lady H specifically requested that Flo be one of the people to race, despite her being but a Lady’s maid and all that. Flo’s excitement is great indeed.
There are a number of guests also in attendance, and the story becomes a bit of a Who Has What Character Flaw. All of this leads to the inevitable: Death Death Death, forEVER landing right at the feet of Flo and Lady H. At first, it all seems like a tragic accident: The victim was simply going far too fast, took the bend at far too great a speed (But it was the men’s race, and a chap can’t lose in front of the ladies!), and well, the crash was practically inescapable. It’s not until the mechanic checks things out that the severed brake cables are discovered.
Cue ominous music: Da Da DUHM!
The local police investigate, but they dismiss it as just another example of the upper crust coming to a poor end. Tragic, but an accident. They refuse to consider the cut cables, and are those sneers they’re delivering to Lady H, and to that odd Lady’s maid?
Of COURSE this isn’t the only unfortunate occurrence, as Flo and Lady H turn their sleuthing skills to many and varied inauspicious incidents. The game is afoot.
I think the dings I have for this book in the series are that I felt not enough was thrown into the mix. Whereas the prior two books had a plethora of circumstances and several Whodunnits in them, Death Around the Bend has only the one storyline even tho’ there are two corpses. Further, the villain comes off as a little extreme: Too much mustache-twirling and unhinged speeches make one wonder how on earth they could plot anything with such precision and focus.
But, hey: Those are my only problems, and what’s NOT to simply adore about the series.
Is that m’ segue into What’s Not To Adore About Elizabeth Knowelden? I do believe it is. In earlier reviews I’d marveled about her ability to portray both Flo and Lady H with practically the same voice but tweaking it oooh sooo minimally so that I was able to differentiate the two. A grand skill esPECially considering those two women have some whip-smart conversations. Here, however, I’m not sure I approve wholeheartedly of the subtle, well, snootiness? of Lady H’s tones. I mean, it made it unutterably easy to distinguish who was speaking. Still, the two are like peas in a pod, sooo alike, that I rather missed that subtlety in their voices, the way they each held up their sides through the sparring. That grousing aside, Knowelden does a hungover Lady H. like nobody’s business, and heavens! does she have them a lot, or what?
It all wraps up as enjoyably as the first two stories, here with the duo solving one tiny mystery for their good friends, the Farley-Strouds—always a plus when those two are in the mix!
Such lovable characters, such amusing happenings. And?
Such a stretch before I can get to the next one because, you see: I’m trying verrrry hard to learn how to delay gratification… Will it be awhile before my next Week O’ Mysteries? Dunno, but dang it’s hard as the adrenaline surge I’m getting wants sooo much to get to another, like, posthaste!!!
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