A Quiet Life in the Country

A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1

By: T E Kinsey

Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden

Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they’ve just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life.

But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There’s a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation...

As Lady Hardcastle and Flo delve deeper into rural rivalries and resentment, they uncover a web of intrigue that extends far beyond the village. With almost no one free from suspicion, they can be certain of only one fact: there is no such thing as a quiet life in the country.

Revised edition: This edition of A Quiet Life In The Country includes editorial revisions.

©2016 T E Kinsey (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Enjoyable light fun, but not fabulous.

Overall it was a light, fun listen, but I found myself easily distracted from it, and didn't mind missing bits. Not sure if I'll listen to more.

A delightfully cosy listen

I thoroughly enjoyed this offbeat story featuring two clever and witty turn of the century women as crime solvers. The year is 1908, the period Edwardian. The two friends live together as a lady and her maid but are really more friends and co-conspirators in one adventure after another. The subtle humor, wry and often biting repartee between all of the various characters, and the interesting and very human plot combine to make a very satisfying and entertaining listen. The reader really brings the characters to life. And the plot only stretches credulity in a very charming way. I put this book squarely in with the kind of stories I prefer featuring feisty women who are brave in overcoming obstacles, feminist in outlook and able to take care of themselves in a variety of situations. Romance between a few of the minor characters is treated cynically and with a bit of sarcasm. Very refreshing. And to think it was written by a man!

Strong female characters and humor!

This book was such a delight to read! You can read the plot elsewhere, so I'll tell you what I most liked about the book. It contains strong female characters, a Lady and her lady's maid. Yet despite that subservient relationship, the two are clearly best of friends, bantering back and forth with clever bits of word play, puns, and literary allusions. I enjoyed the fun way they investigate the murder. Further, the two women keep giving hints to their wild, international back story, just enough to whet our interest without giving it all away.

This book had the potential to seem ridiculous, but instead Kinsey balances everything in such a perfect manner that it delights thoroughly!

Excellent cozy mystery.

I enjoyed this book, likeable characters and a great who-done-it, told with humour and warmth. Set in lovely English backdrops, which I always like, the story has charm, whilst providing a thrilling mystery, with quirks and eccentricity. A story to read when relaxing on the couch or in the bath, I recommend you read and enjoy this. Looking forward to the second instalment.

excellent British mystery at a country manor

I do enjoyed book one and have already ordered book 2: wonderful quirky characters; excellent narrator!

Underwhelming

I am a fan of books with flowery descriptions, beautiful wording, and strong character development. This was not one of those books. I was looking for a short and light read to give myself a break from some of the heavier subject matters I have been reading lately. This fit the bill, but didn't really impress me and I didn't fully enjoy it. Most of this story unfolds through dialogue which got a little monotonous. It would have been nice to see things unfold inside Flo's head rather than from conversations with other characters that were neither memorable or likable.

Fun characters

Thoroughly enjoyed, great reader, lively story with fun dialog between main characters, the ending was a bit abrupt though.

Very Slow

I guess this is part of a series. Maybe if I had known the characters better I would have felt a connection to them. However, the story dragged on for me.

A narrator with a fabulous talent for voices!

Great story line! I loved the light hearted relationship between the maid servant and her ladyship!
The narrator has a real gift of switching voices. It is a good audio book.

Well done...

Not real fond of British mysteries but this one was well done and I enjoyed it...