Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
The Fatal Flying Affair by TE Kinsey Series: Lady Hardcastle Mysteries #7
Published by Thomas & Mercer on December 3, 2020
Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Pages: 312
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
August 1911. Emily Hardcastle and her inimitable lady’s maid Florence Armstrong are enjoying a fine summer until Harry, Lady H’s brother, turns up out of the blue with a mystery for them to solve.
A routine parachute test at a local aeroplane factory has gone horribly wrong—with pilot Dickie Dupree plummeting to his death. Harry is certain there is more to this ‘tragic accident’ than meets the eye, having discovered that someone at the airfield is leaking top secret intelligence to foreign rivals.
In between strolls to the Dog & Duck and planning for the annual village show, the daring duo dust off the Crime Board and go undercover at Bristol Aviation. With international powers investing heavily in aeronautics, the stakes are high—sky high—and the suspects soon mount up.
Can Lady Hardcastle find the culprit before someone else falls down dead?
When a pilot plunges to his death from testing a suddenly faulty parachute, Emily and Flo get their orders to investigate the Bristol Aeroplane plant for espionage and a murderer. I love these Edwardian Era cozy historical mysteries that combine fun and gig with sleuthing. The Fatal Flying Affair is the seventh of the Lady Hardcastle mysteries that can be taken standalone or, at their best, in order.
Lady Emily Hardcastle and her ladies’ maid, Florence, have enjoyed a fine summer in their country village cottage, plotting garden plans with their irascible gardener and looking forward to a village talent festival that Flo is rather reluctant to participate in. Then, Lady Cardcastle’s brother in the secret service drops in, with a need for their detecting talents, so off they go into the world of aviation and pre-WWI espionage.
I’ve always enjoyed the jovial, badinaging pair of Emily and Flo who are definitely over the top and eccentric. Emily comes across as quirky, even ditzy, but she is really a keen observer and the brains of the detecting duo. While Florence, who is the narrator of the books, is the even-keeled one with the martial arts and weapons knowledge. They blur the lines in mistress-servant because the pair have been together a long time and through a colorful career in far off places as British spies. Their cottage and the village was to be their peaceful retirement, but they can’t help poking into local mysteries and murders. So with their skill set, they come across as a dotty lady and her maid servant, and are perfect investigators.
As to the mystery, it is set in the fascinating pioneer period of aviation and I enjoy getting a good dose of what it was like in the early years without slogging into the engineering behind it all. The suffragettes from an earlier mystery are back as are several of the usual characters, but the mystery is in a Bristol factory and is being touted as an accident so Inspector Sunderland, the Farley-Strouds and others are not as prevalent. The mystery is, in fact, three mysteries that seem unrelated until they are. There were plenty of suspects and motives. It got exciting and I did get to enjoy seeing the intrepid Flo in action and Lady Hardcastle do her voila. It got slow for a bit just before the reveals and finale, but it was still a fun detecting adventure.
All in all, I had a good time as I usually do with these light, amusing historical murder mysteries I can recommend to those who like historical cozies.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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I love this series so much. This one is on my Kindle, waiting its turn. Glad to ear it was a good one. 🙂
Aren’t they a hoot? Glad to meet a fellow fan, Bea!
This is a series I can easily add to my list of historical mysteries I want to read.
They are a nice light change up between darker or more dramatic ones.
This sounds like a delightful series.
It’s light and fun, but still has a solid murder mystery to track with. 🙂
I so enjoy your reviews of historical mysteries. Someday I hope to find time to read more!
Thank you, Jen! Yes, this is a mixed genre that I find really appealing. 🙂
I’ve recently listened to the first two books of this series, Anne – and absolutely loved them. Delighted to hear that there are five more books for me to enjoy:)). Thank you for your lovely review!
Yes, you have some wonderful Lady Hardcastle and Flo adventures to come. 🙂
This sounds like fun! It is good to know that these books can be read as a stand-alone. I may have to check this series out.
Yes, I read them way out of order so I can attest to that. They are light and fun when I want a good distraction.