Black & Blue (Lord and Lady Hetheridge No 4. By Emma Jameson

I like the old fashioned detection - I like the modern versions too but somehow when a Lord is the detective in question, and his assistant is his wife 30 odd years his junior whom he married after being a bachelor for ever so long, it does add a piquancy to the equation. Kate is a working woman, with a nephew and brother to look after and nurture. Her sister and mother now appear on the scene like avenging angels, out to look after their kin whom they have ignored upto now. The children themselves do not want to go with them as they see through them, but Kate and Hetheridge do know that legally they are on a very thin wicket. The third party in this is Paul Bihar of Indian descent who lives with his mother. His mother Sharadha is very much part of this story as it is her partner who is now the chief suspect in the murder of Gran Hardwick. Although both Kate and Wetheridge, Paul and his mother realise that Buck is not the murderer in this case, the circumstances and events are all against him and it is upto all of them to prove otherwise. Funny at times, and so realistic about families and how divided they can be the story apart from detection is one of relationships of many different kinds. Wetheridge getting to accept that he likes children, never having had any, enjoying his marriage despite bets to the contrary and Kate trying very hard to pursue her career knowing that it has been to the detriment of her husband. The setting and people in the story are very aptly described and added great interest to the read. This was a download from Amazon.