Stranded at a house party - when a murderer strikes!
May 1861, Victorian England. When Matthew and Harriet Rowsley are invited to a house party at Clunston Park by Matthew's cousin, Colonel Barrington Rowsley and his wife Lady Hortensia, Harriet is nervous - surely the aristocratic guests will snub her? After all, they are but mere servants in their eyes! Her fears are realized on their first evening when the only person who deigns to speak to her is the spiteful Grafin Weiser and confirmed when she commits a major faux pas at the cricket match the following day.
But there's no escape! The cricket match is abandoned due to a storm, and flooding leaves the house guests stranded. Things worsen when Grafin Weiser is found murdered and the finger is quickly pointed at Clara, an eleven-year-old maid, as the culprit. Convinced that she cannot be guilty, Harriet and Matthew agree to investigate.
The aristocratic facade begins to crumble under their scrutiny, and they start to unlock the secrets of Clunston Park. Why does the Colonel allow his bullying friend Major Jameson so much leeway? Is there more to the befuddled Lord Pidgeon than meets the eye? Harriet and Matthew must uncover the truth, before they find themselves in deadly danger . . .
Judith Cutler has been shortlisted for the CWA Dagger and the Barry Award. Her prize-winning short stories appear regularly in anthologies and leading crime fiction magazines. She is married to fellow crime-writer Edward Marston and is sometimes referred to as Birmingham's Queen of Crime!
Title: A House Divided: 4 (A Harriet & Matthew Rowsley mystery)
Author: Cutler, Judith
ISBN: 9780727850256
Binding:
Publisher: Canongate Books
Publication Date: 2022-11-01
Number of Pages: 240
Weight: 0.4201 kg
With twists and turns aplenty, Cutler's variation on the classic locked-house mystery combines the requisite cast of colorful characters-in particular, the amiable sleuths-with a vivid depiction of upstairs-downstairs life in the Victorian era * Booklist *
Offbeat cozy of manners * Kirkus Reviews *
Fans of other married sleuths, such as Anne Perry's Charlotte and Thomas Pitt, may want to check this out * Publishers Weekly *
Thrilling, engaging and enjoyable from beginning to end * Mystery People *
A lively, enjoyable book . Recommended for fans of Downton Abbey
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Library Journal on
The Wages of Sin *
A gripping locked-room mystery with a suitably twisty plot, Cutler's latest also offers an intriguing look at social customs and gender roles during the Victorian period. *
Booklist on
Death's Long Shadow *
A captivating series launch . Readers will look forward to seeing more of this enterprising duo
*
Publishers Weekly on
The Wages of Sin *
A Victorian twist on the ever popular upstairs-downstairs storyline
*
Kirkus Reviews on
The Wages of Sin *
Sparkling . A tight plot complements the diverse and entertaining cast of characters
*
Publishers Weekly on
Death in Elysium *
A historical novelist with a superb grasp of her craft *
Andrew Taylor , bestselling crime and historical novelist, and
Diamond Dagger winner *