In the Market for Murder

Series: A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 2

By: T E Kinsey / Narrated By: Elizabeth Knowelden

Length: 8 hrs and 5 mins

Oh gosh; I think I already used Delight to describe this adorable series. What SHALL I do NOW?!

Lady Hardcastle is on the mend. Downed by a gunshot wound, she’s now traipsing hither and yon with the aid of a cane she does NOT need (But to show that yesss, indeed she HAD been wounded and is truuuuly worth all the well-wishes she’s been receiving from the village). One thing about being better?

She’s sooooo bored.

Fear not! After joining Lady Farley-Stroud on a jaunt to the cattle market, Lady Hardcastle and her intrepid Lady’s maid, Flo, wind up in a murder mystery they’ve been tasked to solve: In the very same market but on a different day, a man NOBODY liked drops dead into the beef and mushroom pie he was picking at (Was it just Lady Farley-Stroud, or had the man been looking rather jaundiced as of late? Hmmmm…). Seeing as Inspector Sunderland is entangled in solving a spate of bank robberies, he’s tasked the dynamic duo with getting some perspective on the case, and hey, solving it while they’re at it would be peachy-keen.

But of COURSE that’s not the only thing that’s got the duo all keen: There’s been a robbery of well-loved memorabilia, pilfered after the rugby team’s drunken celebration ended, an act nobody witnessed. Add to that a definitely NOT at-peace ghost kicking up a fuss in the village’s favorite pub, and good heavens! Is it toooo much for Lady Hardcastle and Flo to handle?

Never! In this book of the series, In the Market for Murder, we find that murders, theft, angst-ridden denizens of the Dead, are Just The Thing to perk the bored Lady Hardcastle up.

Seriously, Delight is just THE word that can be used for this book, this series. When Flo’s birthday comes around, what does Lady Hardcastle gift Flo? Yeh yeh yeh, a new dress/gown of Flo’s choosing to be made; but really? The best item given is a locket that hides two lock picks—A dress? Miiiiight come in handy. A lock pick or two? DEFinitely Flo’s style.

Speaking of Flo; who could better voice her spunky character than the wonderful Elizabeth Knowelden? Not kidding, but the woman can manage the most minute of differences in keeping with our two strong, strong women protagonists. When Flo and Lady Hardcastle are having their little sparring matches, despite both women quipping in a sassy manner, I was never in danger of not knowing who was talking during ANY of the verbal repartee. Then she goes on to knock a listener’s socks off by voicing every single character in a unique (And oh sooooo lovable!) way. No, I’m actually NOT going to say: Delightful! …but…

The ooooonly quibbling I have is that things are stated in this book as in the first book: There are the most Dash Blast It allusions to adventures that happened juuuuuust prior to the story in progress. First it was Flo and Lady Hardcastle’s dramatic travails the world over; here, it’s a sensational something-or-other that happened in the Autumn. We are NOT told a danged thing leaving us to feel like we missed a prior book, to feel like we missed out various exploits. Feeling hungry and offered nary a bit o’ grub. MOST DISsatisfying!

Still, minor Booo couldn’t get ALL m’ yayas out blah blah wish there was just a tad more blah.

Well, at least I know there IS a tad more, as in several books to go.

Just can’t wait!