A Quiet Life in the Country: A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1

This mystery made me smile several times. I enjoyed the character interactions and look forward to learning more about them.

I enjoyed this story a lot! The humor was on point and the characters were enriching. It made for a fun read.

I started with book three in this series, progressed forward, and finally took the opportunity to go back and get the first book in the series. The whimsical, cozy mystery paired with historical Edwardian setting was light and whimsical.Actually, when I started listening, I realized that the first book introduced Lady Hardcastle and her ladies' maid, Florence Armstrong along with their new home and the other regular characters, in such a way that it didn't feel like the first book so much as the first of the stories that had been recorded. There are hints of their unusual, dangerous work abroad and no big explanation why the pair happened to be set upon 'a quiet life in the country' or why Lady Hardcastle and Florence have a relationship that is nearly family rather than an employer and servant from separate classes. The author trickles out the details and the reader/listener must catch them and piece them together as they go. Because I had experienced later books, those pieces stuck out easily to me. The meeting with Inspector Sunderland and the local villagers and neighborhood was fun.There are two murder mysteries that have interesting crossover people and facts. One seems to involve a dead man from the village cricket team whose death was meant to appear like a suicide and then later, the death of a rag-time band trumpeteer that played at the engagement party of the local squire's daughter. A theft is tossed in for good measure.I figured out one of the murders and part of the theft and the second murder, but the ultimate solution took me by surprise. Loved seeing the intrepid Flo able to get in some of her martial arts ability and spend time trailing along as they teased out the solution along side Inspector Sunderland.Elizabeth Knowelden is an absolute gem of a narrator and the voice of this series for me. She laid out the Edwardian country village world, the variety of genders and accents, and kept the pace and tone for this series just right.All in all, I thought this first entry was as fabulous as the later books and do not hesitate to put it out there as a good bet for historical cozy mystery lovers.

I put a ton of weight on the first book in a cozy mystery series, it's got to really hook me for me to continue with the series. "A Quiet Life in the Country" (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries, #1) by T.E. Kinsey checked all my boxes for a good start to what will be a fun and entertaining series. Great characters starting with a titled older woman who's not overly impressed with her title by marriage deciding to settle down in the country with her lady's maid, both of whom have quite a history together and are more friends and companions than boss and servant. While out walking during their first week at their new country digs, they discover a body which leads them into crime solving mode. Not satisfied with who the police arrest for the crime, they take it upon themselves to figure out what the heck happened. But this murder leads to another and now they're really peaked to investigate. Since the latest murder takes place in the estate of one of their wealthy neighbors, Lady Hardcastle and her lady's maid are happily welcomed into the home under the guise of "research" for a detective story they're writing. Little does anyone know these ladies have some experience with detecting and even the investigator is stunned at their abilities. He's a stickler for the rules but also a funny little man and does welcome their input!I laughed, I tried to figure out whodunnit and found this one quite entertaining! I love when book one is this fun, it makes me excited to read on. I can't wait to see what Lady Hardcastle and her maid get into next, whatever it is I don't doubt they'll figure it out! Happy Reading!

3.5☆s rounds up to five. Nice use of humor & wit, fun mystery story with a well done audio-companion. Love "read & listen" via Kindle Unlimited membership, especially when double checking some of the older Wnglish terms.

Fun light hearted easy read. Love the camaraderie between Lady Hardcastle and Miss Armstrong. Good mystery with lots of twists and turns.

I'm not quite sure what I expected when I plunked down my money and downloaded A Quiet Life in the Country. A modern variation of the Golden Age country house mystery? If that was it, I didn't get it. What I did wind up getting was a whole lot more. I will warn you ahead of time: if you are a fan of those classic mysteries, T.E. Kinsey's book may not be your cup of tea, and now I'll set about telling you why.Kinsey has written a good, puzzling, multi-layered mystery that gives you a real feel for village life out in the English countryside at the turn of the last century. While the plot and the setting are first-rate, it's Kinsey's characters that make this book shine-- and what makes the book turn away from those classic mysteries.Inspector Sunderland moves from being a stereotype to being someone rather special, which I always love to see (being sick to death of incompetent policemen in the books I read).Lady Emily Hardcastle's background is very mysterious indeed, and I hope it takes several books to have all the details teased out for us to see. However, it is the relationship between Lady Emily and Florence that is the pièce de résistance of A Quiet Life in the Country. Their dialogue is so full of mutual admiration, wit, and humor that it is, quite simply, a delight to read. As Sunderland witnesses one such conversation, he asks, "Are you two a music hall act?" and you have to admit that he has a point. (If they were a music hall act, I'd pay to see them.)If you're in the mood for something that's light and fun, something that teases your brain, takes you to the English countryside of a century ago, and makes you laugh, have I got a recommendation for you: T.E. Kinsey's A Quiet Life in the Country. I'm on to the second book!

レディ・ハードキャッスルに仕えるメイドの視点から書かれた時代物のコージーミステリー。主従の会話はテンポがよく面白いし、よそのお館の使用人たちとの交流もよく書かれているが、成金と貴族の対比などはきわめて紋切り型で、犯人像も早くから見当がついてしまう。最後の活劇はミステリーのお約束なので入れました、ということなのだろうが、特別入れる必要があったか疑問。伏線も、ああ、これがあとあとこの辺とつながってくるのだろうなあと予想が付き、案の定思った通りの展開。いかにももったいぶった筆致で過去の冒険をほのめかしているのは、次の巻を買わせるための出し惜しみだろう。一応まあまあ面白くは読めたけれども、2巻目を買いたいかといえば微妙。

Lady Hardcastle and Flo Armstrong her lady's maid move to Gloucestershire and to what they hope will be a quiet life. But soon they find themselves involved in two murders and a jewel robbery. A quiet life in the country? I don't think so.This is a well written and fast paced novel that I loved. Emily Hardcastle and Flo Armstrong are two brilliant characters, neither being quite what they seem.I'm looking forward to reading more of their mysteries in the future.

The characters but somewhat overdone for my taste. Bit like caricatures.But plenty of bodies and some funny dialogue.Will probably read the next book in the series

great read

Lady Hardcastle und ihr Maid, Miss Josephine Armstrong: Sie adlig, ihr Maid aus dem Schaustellermilieu, ein sehr gutes Team! Beste Freundinnen, wiewohl Herrin und Dienerin. Sie suchen Ruhe und Frieden im ruhigen Landleben. Von London ziehen die beiden Freundinnen ins Gloucestershire. Sie befassen sich mit der Einrichtung ihres neuen Wohnhauses, als gleich zwei Morde die friedliche Gegend erschüttern.Herzerfrischend, wie sie mit Witz und Charme und wissenschaftlichen Methoden zwei Morde und einen Juwelenraub klären, und das alles in "the quiet coutryside".Inspector Sunderland ist zur Nebenfigur geraten. Für mich als heutigen Leser ist es erstaunlich und ein wenig unglaubwürdig, wie sehr der Inspector den beiden Damen Zugang und Einblick in seine Arbeit gewährt. Zuerst verhaftet er den Falschen, und Lady H. sieht sich gezwungen einzugreifen. Doch die beiden Damen müssen nicht sehr gezwungen werden, für sie ist Detektivarbeit aufregend, aber auch der Gerechtigkeit dienend.Interessant wäre noch, ab welchem Zeitpunkt in der realen Polizeiarbeit ein Whiteboard (Tafel für Ergebnisse und Zusammenhänge) üblich wurde. Lady H. stellt bei sich und bei Inspector S. eine normale Schultafel auf, die demselben Zweck dienen soll.Witzig die Umschlaggestaltung. Lady H. und ihre Vertraute und kampfkräftige Dienerin Flo in der Mitte. Aus den Kaminen im Hause dahinter ringeln sich Rauchwolken, unschwer als Geister oder Skelette zu phantasieren.There is no quiet life in the country! Well indeed.