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jupiter2932's review
This was fine story-wise, but I got to a part where one character is described as looking 'feral', with a wild edge to him, and the main character wonders if it was, using a slur for Roma people, the '[Roma]-like earring' he was wearing. This was the second time that slur was used, and, having literally hundreds of other books on my tbr, I'm just going to go ahead and skip ones that contribute to this sort of stereotyping.
swoo's review
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
jen_baroness_mom's review
5.0
Death at a Country Mansion by Louise R. Innes is a fantastic mystery filled with intrigue and secrets in a picturesque setting.
Who would kill Serena, the opera singer?
Daisy Thorne
Our sleuth is Daisy Thorne. She owns the local hair salon in the village of Edgemead, England, and is studying forensic psychology. Daisy is intelligent, beautiful, and alone. Yet, she has lots of friends that keep her company. Daisy's parents don't live in England anymore, and it seems they weren't very good parents anyway. The one she was close to was her grandfather, a Detective Chief Inspector.
I like Daisy; she is a breath of fresh air when it comes to sleuths. She is smart and knows that but doesn't lord it over people. In fact, people talk to her freely, and she is kind and considerate of their needs. I think there is a bit of chemistry between her and DI Paul McGuinness. That looks promising, for sure.
The Mystery
The mystery is so well plotted. We have the retired opera singer Dame Selena Lavante, drunk and dead, at the bottom of her grad staircase in her manor house. The woman has been so unhappy since she lost her voice. Dame Serena is a drama queen extraordinaire. She had planned to change her will prior to her death. Why? No one knows. And a valuable painting was stolen the same night. The suspects are endless. There are three ex-husbands, her current husband, her daughter, the help, and more.
Daisy is best friends with Floria, Serena's daughter. There is no way that Daisy is going to allow Floria to be the main suspect in the murder of her own mother, even if said mother was the worst of all mothers. Serena does not have a maternal bone in her. The woman was a piece of work. Who cares if her voice was beautiful at one time? Dame Serena Lavante was not a nice person. I am not saying that she deserved what she got, but... Also, Ms. Innes completely played me, I fell for one of the red herring and dismissed the actual culprit. I was honestly guessing through most of it. However, I did catch a couple of the clues but didn't see where they fit.
Five Stars
I love it when I am surprised at the end of the mystery. My rating for Death at a Country Mansion by Louise R. Innes is five stars. It is perfectly written, and I enjoyed the characters, along with the setting. I look forward to reading the next couple of books in the series. I highly recommend Death at a Country Mansion. If you haven't already, check it out.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death at a Country Mansion by Louise R. Innes.
Until the next time,
~Jen
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.
Who would kill Serena, the opera singer?
Daisy Thorne
Our sleuth is Daisy Thorne. She owns the local hair salon in the village of Edgemead, England, and is studying forensic psychology. Daisy is intelligent, beautiful, and alone. Yet, she has lots of friends that keep her company. Daisy's parents don't live in England anymore, and it seems they weren't very good parents anyway. The one she was close to was her grandfather, a Detective Chief Inspector.
I like Daisy; she is a breath of fresh air when it comes to sleuths. She is smart and knows that but doesn't lord it over people. In fact, people talk to her freely, and she is kind and considerate of their needs. I think there is a bit of chemistry between her and DI Paul McGuinness. That looks promising, for sure.
The Mystery
The mystery is so well plotted. We have the retired opera singer Dame Selena Lavante, drunk and dead, at the bottom of her grad staircase in her manor house. The woman has been so unhappy since she lost her voice. Dame Serena is a drama queen extraordinaire. She had planned to change her will prior to her death. Why? No one knows. And a valuable painting was stolen the same night. The suspects are endless. There are three ex-husbands, her current husband, her daughter, the help, and more.
Daisy is best friends with Floria, Serena's daughter. There is no way that Daisy is going to allow Floria to be the main suspect in the murder of her own mother, even if said mother was the worst of all mothers. Serena does not have a maternal bone in her. The woman was a piece of work. Who cares if her voice was beautiful at one time? Dame Serena Lavante was not a nice person. I am not saying that she deserved what she got, but... Also, Ms. Innes completely played me, I fell for one of the red herring and dismissed the actual culprit. I was honestly guessing through most of it. However, I did catch a couple of the clues but didn't see where they fit.
Five Stars
I love it when I am surprised at the end of the mystery. My rating for Death at a Country Mansion by Louise R. Innes is five stars. It is perfectly written, and I enjoyed the characters, along with the setting. I look forward to reading the next couple of books in the series. I highly recommend Death at a Country Mansion. If you haven't already, check it out.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Death at a Country Mansion by Louise R. Innes.
Until the next time,
~Jen
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out Baroness Book Trove.
katiya's review
4.0
Right off the top, let it be known that I'm biased with respect to this story. It is an absolute cosy and I adore cosies!
Agatha Raisin or Miss Marple would have been perfectly at home solving this, but instead, we have Daisy Thorne. Daisy, who owns the village hair salon, is also studying forensic psychology which places her in an ideal position of being well acquainted with all the players and actually having some knowledge of criminal behaviour. Once the lead investigator realises this, he makes use of our sleuth and working together they successfully bring the case to a conclusion.
It's impossible to tell you how much I enjoyed this story other than to say it was perfection. The characters (of whom there were many) were unique. Some of them were more sympathetic than others, but they all were easily identifiable. The settings were classic cosy: a manor house and a typical English village (completely with cottages and masses and masses of flowers). And, while the plot was perhaps a little stretched, it was very readable and kept me hooked until the last word.
Agatha Raisin or Miss Marple would have been perfectly at home solving this, but instead, we have Daisy Thorne. Daisy, who owns the village hair salon, is also studying forensic psychology which places her in an ideal position of being well acquainted with all the players and actually having some knowledge of criminal behaviour. Once the lead investigator realises this, he makes use of our sleuth and working together they successfully bring the case to a conclusion.
It's impossible to tell you how much I enjoyed this story other than to say it was perfection. The characters (of whom there were many) were unique. Some of them were more sympathetic than others, but they all were easily identifiable. The settings were classic cosy: a manor house and a typical English village (completely with cottages and masses and masses of flowers). And, while the plot was perhaps a little stretched, it was very readable and kept me hooked until the last word.
addy1991's review
3.0
Daisy is fun and knows all the right people as is evident when she offers to help the detective glean information because her salon is a hot spot for gossip. Unlike other heroines in cozies, Daisy doesn't put herself in harm's way or tries to corner the killer. I like that. I also like Daisy and her friends so am looking forward to reading more in this series.
allandanybooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
diannel_04's review
4.0
This was a fun book. I liked all the characters and look forward to reading more in the series.