I’ve read two books about aristocratic Ladies who are not representative of the Ladies of the time. They were either haughty, vapid or cowed down. Lady Hardcastle was neither. Along with her supportive maid Flo and a very loyal staff they lived a very democratic and happy existence.
When the village had its inaugural exhibition of art - offerings from the villagers themselves, the productions were surprising. The prized ones were a book on Shakespeare, valued at Stf £ 1000 jewelled and dazzling, and a painting of the Grange by Summerhayes, one of a pair and an alabaster bust of an ancestor of the local laird.
At the inauguration a deliberate attempt to cause a fire, resulted in the theft of the prized exhibits and Lady Hardcastle with Flo was deputised to help the local Police in whatever way they could. They were also more keen to get the Summerhayes back as the Grange was in dire financial straits and needed the painting as one of a pair, to save the Grange from being lost.
Armed with few clues, lots of clever deductions, the addition of an eccentric brother and sister treasure hunting scheme, a hoity toity insurance investigator all adding false trails to the ultimate happy end.
Pleasant and easy to read novel set in 1912 rural England.
Sent by Amazon Publishing UK for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.
I need to give this series a try!
ReplyDeleteI have this on my Kindle, waiting for me to read it. This is a series that I've really enjoyed whenever I'm in the mood for something light and fun. I'm glad you liked it, too.
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