Reviews

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

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.

lize_barclay's review against another edition

adventurous funny mysterious tense

5.0

magdalenahai's review against another edition

adventurous lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

crochetpip's review against another edition

funny mysterious relaxing medium-paced

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

3.5

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.

rgreatreader's review against another edition

4.0

Just a lot of fun! I liked the historical note at the end, too.

vsbedford's review against another edition

5.0

A thorough good time with characters from the Lady Hardcastle series taking center stage, although we still get a guest star appearance from Flo and Lady Hardcastle - think of this as a crossover episode, in the NCIS mode, that serves as a series premiere. The mystery clips along with thoroughly likable leads and a nice supporting cast in the Dizzy Heights band, with nods to the trauma of WWI, and the sense of humor that one can expect from a Kinsey mystery. The only stumbling block, to me, was a bit of action dump in the latter quarter of the novel that read a bit stiff; I think this can be explained as a one-off issue of a writer grappling with a new point of view and we can smoothly move on from there. A total recommend.

I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

heathssm's review against another edition

funny hopeful mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

miss_fish's review against another edition

funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

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

3.0