Reviews

The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds by T.E. Kinsey

theinkdrinker's review against another edition

dark lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

jessalyn's review against another edition

3.0

It's just... as much as I love the style, the writing, the characters, and the banter.... the *mystery* is left on the backburner, rather than being at the forefront. His ratio is off, which is sad because it makes it more cozy mystery than fun fiction. It'd be one thing if it was just a one off, but I'm concerned because that was the trajectory of the Lady Hardcastle series - it started off really fun and interesting but the later books moved to only being about what to eat and do in the evenings, ohandbytheway a mystery.

C'mon, TE Kinsey! Give your characters something to investigate and your readers something to solve!

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

4.0

Finished reading: March 14th 2021

"It's more than just deserters and secret vaults. It's personal."

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Somehow I don't read nearly enough cozy mysteries even though I do enjoy the genre, so when I saw The Deadly Mystery Of The Missing Diamonds mentioned I simply couldn't resist getting a copy. I loved the sound of both the historical setting and the jazz element, and I've been looking forward to read it ever since... And I definitely ended up having a great time with it. Whether you enjoy historical fiction or cozy mysteries, this first book of a series will sing to you!

I especially loved just how important music is throughout the story. Not only does the story itself focus on the Dizzy Heights band and its members, but there is also plenty of musical performance, band practise and dance lessons with the band. I really liked how the whole jazz scene was described and this element really came alive for me... And the same goes for the historical setting in general. We have references to WWI, we have references to the 1920s London jazz world, we have references to an old hidden treasure... All elements that help turning The Deadly Mystery Of The Missing Diamonds into a big hit.

As for the characters... I found that they were really easy to connect to in general. The story has quite a few different characters in play and it can take a little while to place them all, but once you do it is easy to keep them apart and follow their development. I especially liked the band members; both their dynamics and how they worked together to solve the mystery. Lady Hardcastle and Superintendent Sunderland are less present although still important to the plot, and I'm curious to see what role they will play in the future.

This story uses a multiple POV structure to help you get to know the characters better as well as putting those plot twists in place. The Deadly Mystery Of Missing Diamonds also uses flashbacks to the past and letters to spice things up and enhance the plot structure. While I do have to say that the mystery itself isn't too complicated and quite easy to figure out, it does fit the cozy mystery genre very well and I really enjoyed seeing the band members trying to solve the case.

In short, I ended up having an excellent time with this first book of a new historical cozy mystery series, and if you are a fan of the genre I'm sure you will have a great time with The Deadly Mystery Of Missing Diamonds. The jazz element definitely takes this story to the next level!

squirrelz's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

A little mixed on this one. The prose is so lovely and funny and the characters are all so damn enjoyable. I chuckled out loud often in public reading this.

Unfortunately the mystery itself feels very underwhelming and unexplored. It's wrapped up in a way I found very unsatisfying. If the rest of this wasn't so fun to read that would have really tanked the rating for me by itself.

lindsayymack's review against another edition

4.0

Surprisingly fun read from kindle firsts. Pretty classic British murder mystery set in 1920s London, with good personalities, jazz allusions, and fun side plots to keep the momentum.

weewaw2020's review against another edition

3.0

I listened to this as an audiobook which worked really well as the majority of the novel was written as speech and the audiobook had a full cast so each voice had its own realistic personality which brought the story to life.

If you’re looking for an easy murder mystery story without any gore or details of death and lots of jokes and puns, I would recommend this and the lady hardcastle series but it wasn’t really my thing.

whatsjessreading's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious relaxing medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

me300k_h1st's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

This is a cute story. It's not sophisticated. It won't make you think. It's perfect for an airplane read.

stefwithanf's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

mareich's review against another edition

3.0

I was sadly disappointed with this book. I absolutely loved the previous titles which focused on Lady Hardcastle and her sidekick Florence, and this one features two rather minor characters that appeared in one of the early volumes, two musicians. This story takes place post-WWI and involves Skins and bandmate Dunn stumbling around a recurring gig at a gentleman's club in search of a WWI deserter and jewel thief, as well as a reputed fortune hidden in the club. While the characters are amiable enough, and the author spends a substantial time developing the characters and background, the story moves so slowly it nearly becomes boring. In the end, the mystery is solved (mostly) and the deserter unmasked mostly through the efforts and intelligence of Skins' American wife. Dizzy Heights, the name of the boys' jazz band, apparently will be a series but I'm more eager to see more about Lady Hardcastle and Flo.