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Our Lady of Pain
Edwardian Murder Mystery Series – Book IV

By M C Beaton / Marion Chesney


       
Lady Rose Summer is horrified to see her “fiancé” Captain Harry Cathcart squiring demi mondaine Dolores Duval around Town. Her parents instantly demand that the engagement is broken off, and Rose storms round to Dolores’ home to tell her what she thinks of her. But somebody has got there first, and Dolores is lying dead…trouble is, when the police arrive it is to see Rose standing over the body with the murder weapon! It is up to Harry to keep Rose out of the law courts – and the condemned cell – and discover whodunit.

This is the last of the Edwardian quartet, and I find myself hoping that a few more might possibly be in the offing. After a somewhat shaky start this series is well into its stride, with a lively, tortuous plot that has the detectives chasing all over the place and various surprises. As with the other books Ms Beaton has done her homework about the period and there is plenty of humor about class distinctions, as well as the battle of the sexes. We find out even more about some of the characters, although this is perhaps the weakest part of this series as none of the characters are as well fleshed out as even some of the minor ones in her better known series. Rose is no Agatha or even Priscilla, and Harry remains elusive to the end. This aside, there is plenty to enjoy in such a well-packed thin volume of a book and the plot helps to make up for the lack of three-dimensional people. Give the series a few more entries and it would be interesting to see how it develops.

The Book

Robinson (Constable and Robinson)
September 2010
Paperback
184901292X / 9781849012928
Historical Mystery /Edwardian /London and environs
More at Amazon US || UK
Excerpt
NOTE: US edition is different, and listed under Marion Chesney

The Reviewer

Rachel A Hyde
Reviewed 2010
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