Lady Hardcastle is at it again with her lady's maid Armstrong in late October 1909. In this story they are housing four movie people who were supposed to stay with Lady Farley-Stroud, who had a fire in their kitchen. Lady Hardcastle has been playing with taking movies, herself. The movie show given in Chipping Bevington called The Witch's Downfall, is about witchcraft. There is a group in town with signs against the movie as being against religion. When Armstrong goes into the Dog and Duck to talk with Daisy, she shes Mr. Orum who used to be in business with their guests and now claims they have stolen his show. Orum is with a very attractive journalist. The show goes on the first night. However, the next morning, Sargeant Dodson knocks on the door to say one of the actors is dead. They go into town to find him under a tree with a voodoo doll close by just as pictured in the movie. The body is taken away by the two mortuary men. The next night, the show goes on again, and this time one of the actresses dies in the same manner as shown in the movie. The doctor was supposed to do autopsies the next day, but the mortuary burns down. The protesters are getting more active, and Lady Hardcastle and Armstrong do some sleuthing the next day, where they find a cabin which has been occupied. That night is the bonfire, and sure enough, the statue at the top turns out to be the other actress who waves her hand towards the film maker, who drops dead as she burns up. Then there is a big surprise as Lady Hardcastle and Armstrong figure out what's going on. They follow the mortuary van away from the fire and we get a big surprise. The story is very clever!

Littleton Cotterell was about to host a screening of one of the first moving pictures and as it was nearing Halloween, the picture was appropriately named The Witch’s Downfall. Lady Hardcastle found herself with the four actors in her home, as her good friend and original host’s kitchen caught alight, and of course they would need to be fed. It was 1909 and the chill was definitely making itself felt across the countryside, but that didn’t stop Lady Hardcastle and her trusted lady’s maid, Florence, from venturing out.

The success of the first night was heartwarming – apart from the protesters with their banners – but when the frosty morning gave light to a body under the large old rowan tree, everyone was shocked to find one of the actors – dead, in a spooky copy of the entertainment of the night before.

Amateur sleuth, Lady Hardcastle and her side-kick Flo set their skills to work. The police were puzzled and had experience of Lady Hardcastle’s past successes, so they were grateful for the assistance. But could she find the killer this time? It seemed whoever it was, was one step ahead…

A Picture of Murder is the 4th in the Lady Hardcastle Mysteries by TE Kinsey, and I thoroughly enjoyed it – as I have all the others! A historical cosy mystery with a humerous touch – I laughed out loud many times. The interaction between Lady Hardcastle and Flo is brilliantly done! Dry and hugely entertaining. The twists are also well done, and I certainly didn’t pick the culprit! Highly recommended – can’t wait for #5!

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

I adore this series and was thrilled to read this latest installment. It was as wonderful and charming as I'd hoped and continues the development of our beloved characters in excellent directions. I enjoyed the plot and think anyone who has enjoyed this series so far will not be disappointed and new readers are in for a great treat. Can't wait for the next!

Another delightful Lady Hardcastle mystery. The books in this series are fun to read, always with a good storyline and plenty of humour. The two lead characters are wonderful and both are real personalities. I’m a.ready looking forward to reading the next in the series.

The fourth in the adventures of Lady Hardcastle and Flo takes us back to the quiet village of Littleton Cotterell in 1909 Gloucestershire. I say quiet, but Littleton Cotterell has been anything but quiet since the formerly globetrotting Lady Hardcastle and her "tiny servant," Flo Armstrong, settled there. Mysteries and murders have been plentiful, all needing the skills of the ladies to solve.

It's late October and with the advent of Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night, their friend and neighbor, Lady Farley-Stroud, wants to organize something special for the village. She has invited a producer of the new moving picture shows, Nolan Cheetham, and his actors to premiere his film in the village. The film is a ten-minute masterpiece entitled The Downfall of the Witch. Lady Hardcastle and Flo get involved when a fire in Lady Farley-Stroud's kitchen makes her unable to put the troupe up as planned, and Lady Hardcastle steps in to offer them accommodation. The film's showing is a huge success, despite noisy, bible-thumping protesters who think that moving pictures are the devil's workshop. The success of the show is dampened when one of the actors is murdered shortly after its premiere, in the same manner as in the film. Other deaths follow, and it will take all the ladies' skill to solve this convoluted puzzle.

A Picture of Murder is as delightful as its predecessors with quirky characters, a charming setting and a tricky puzzle to solve. The villagers, local police and household staff we have come to know make appearances, along with a pair of jazz musicians from an earlier book. We get the whole story behind Lady Hardcastle and Flo's journey through China and India, along with a foreshadowing of events to come. Flo even gets to demonstrate the martial arts skills she learned on those journeys while taking down the culprits. I especially love the friendship forged between Lady Hardcastle and Flo. They are nominally employer and servant but are more like sisters. These novels are perfect escape reads, and I recommend reading them in order to maximize the enjoyment.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley.com for an advance digital copy. The opinions are my own.

In the autumn of 1909, Ghosts and witches and things that go bump in the night have the whole village in a dither right as the film festival gets underway featuring a spooky moving picture about a vengeful witch. Lady Hardcastle and her ladies maid, Flo Armstrong, have their hands full as murders staged just like scenes from the movie leave them with another mystery to solve.

I enjoy the Lady Hardcastle mysteries for the fun turn of the century historical setting, for the lively, quirky characters of the eccentric lady and her maid who are a retired British spy team, and for the lively way the mysteries are presented in a blend of historical and cozy mystery.

Each book has Lady Hardcastle with a new hobby enthusiasm. In this case, she is practicing using her camera to make stop-action movies and hosting an early era moving picture film company of actors in her home for the village festival. I chuckled often at the quirky local villagers and the banter between Lady Hardcastle and Flo.

The plot took its time with daily life in Lady Hardcastle's home, the village, and the goings on at the cinematic festival with the murders and their investigation coming along slowly. Inspector Sutherland is back as are Skins and his bandmate from earlier books A past issue from their espionage days comes up, but is left open to tease the reader a bit of what is to come of that.

There are several times when I caught things repeating themselves each time someone new came along and the characters can make the same exclamation like 'right you are' or the housekeeper calling everyone 'lover'. Just little niggles, but distracting.

The mystery kept me guessing until near the end and still, I didn't have the entire thing figured out right so got a surprise at the big reveal.

The narrator, Elizabeth Knowelden is a repeat favorite and a splendid match for this series. She voices Lady H and Flo exceptionally well, but does a great job with class accents, both genders, and the pace and tone of the story. She captures a bit of sparkle to her voice that makes me think if I saw her characters it would be the equivalent of a twinkle in the eye.

All in all, it was another wonderful outing with a fun, eccentric pair of amateur detectives. The mystery had a great twist and I loved the seasonal theme that gave a light spooky feel at times without being scary. Those who enjoy cozy mysteries and early twentieth century England should give these a go.

My thanks to Brilliance audio for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

A group of actors and the director have come to town to show off a moving picture. It's a Halloween theme and the locals are all excited to see it. There is a religious group who is protesting the picture because it has a witch in it and it's evil with most of the actors dying. People try to ignore them. But when actors do start to die, they become part of the several prospects for murder...

Amazon Publishing UK and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you). It is being published today.

Lady Hardcastle has the movie group at her house because the original place they were to stay had a fire. When the oldest actor is killed, she gets involved in the investigation. Her assistant, Armstrong, has a good mind and has worked with her before, so she's included.

Actors and actresses alike are dying like flies. Then the coroner's building burns down and he has no bodies left to examine cause of death. There's lots of gossip about past events, current arguments, and various clues that lead you down one road and then another. I had no clue who was doing all the killing.

This was good read with a very interesting twist to the tale. I really enjoyed Lady Hardcastle and Armstrong. They get along well but also have smart comments they make to each other. The two of them do ferret out the truth but they almost get killed doing it. You won't be bored by this mystery.

October 1909 has arrived and circumstances lead to Lady Hardcastle at Littleton Cotterell, hosting a group of film makers and actors. Their film The Witch’s Downfall, is being shown in the Village Hall but when one of the actors dies as in the film, Lady Hardcastle and her maid Florence Armstrong help Inspector Sunderland by investigating. We also get to hear about some of Lady Hardcastle and Florence's previous exploits.
A well-written enjoyable historical cozy mystery with some interesting characters

I was delighted to receive an advance copy of this latest in the Lady Hardcastle mystery series. I've enjoyed all of them and this one had a fun plot twist. All feature the unusual relationship between Emily Hardcastle and her friend/maid Flo. They've had an interesting past together and the quips and teasing in their dialogue is sparkling and playful. What fun reading!

An intriguing cozy, full of wonderful, whimsical characters. Lady Hardcastle has been asked a favour of from a friend. The friend's kitchen has burned down, just when she was playing hostess to a visiting film troupe. Lady Hardcastle instantly obliges, and with the help of her capable ladies maid Florence Armstrong, she makes the visitors welcome. Until one by one they are murdered. In the same way that their onscreen characters are killed. Our amateur sleuths then spring into action, but are perplexed by the murders. Nothing here is as it seems, everyone can kind of account for their whereabouts during the murders, or can they?
This is a delightful book, the first of this authors that I have read. It is the fourth book in the series and while the reader would benefit from reading the other books first, to get a bit more background of the characters, it's not really necessary. I recommend this book to all lovers of lighthearted crime novels.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I approached A Picture of Murder as a lover of cosy historical fiction and I found pretty much what I’d expect in this Edwardian whodunnit — something very frothy and folksy. It’s the fourth in the Lady Hardcastle mystery series and the first that I’ve read, but that didn’t matter, because it works well as a standalone. It’s a light-hearted and not-terribly credible romp through the Herefordshire countryside, where a visiting cast of a moving picture actors find themselves flung on Lady Hardcastle’s hospitality, and are bumped off one by one. It ends with a big twist. And that’s more or less what it has too offer. In that sense, it delivers.

The problem is that, for all that’s good about it, for me it falls just short of being a good book. The story is narrated by Lady Hardcastle’s/maid companion/fixer, and we learn early on that she and her employer have a complicated history in His Majesty’s service. There’s a diverse cast of characters, from the villagers to the visiting actors to the group of Bible-bashers protesting against the new development of moving pictures — but I didn’t feel that any off them were particularly well-developed. The villagers were simple-minded, the aristocracy overly jolly, the policemen bumbling, and the relationship between Armstrong and her employer felt far too flippant for the times, even allowing for the fact that the pair are deliberately set up as eccentric.

I did enjoy the plot, although the twist at the end stretched my credibility (and I was interested to see that the author’s note at the end conceded that the hook on which the plot was hung probably wouldn’t hold up). The conversation felt brittle in a sub-Wodehousian way, and I was reminded of Gilbert and Sullivan long before the first of several references to the Pirates of Penzance.

A Picture of Murder isn’t bad, by any means, and I feel a bit harsh giving it three stars (perhaps it was just shy of 3.5) . It’s just that it falls short in the key thing I look for in any murder mystery, which is believability and the ability to engage with well-rounded characters. Of course, that’s a personal thing and I'm sure many people will love it. I would certainly read more in the series, although there are authors whose approach to the genre whose books I would pick up first.

A Picture of Murder
By: T. E. Kinsey
Amazon Publishing UK
4 stars

Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong are back and better than ever. This is the fourth book in the Lady Hardcastle Mystery series. The novel opens up on All Hallows’ Eve. Ghosts and ghouls are abound in Littleton, Cotterell. A film producer, Mr. Cheetham, and his film crew arrive at town, at the perfect time, to show their moving picture, The Witch’s Downfall. Things go awry though when one of the film’s actors is found dead and killed in the same manner as his character. Lady Hardcastle and Armstrong put their skills to use to try and solve the murders. But, are they looking for a supernatural being or a living person?

This novel is fun from start to finish. It is my favorite book in the Lady Hardcastle series. We meet old and new characters and each character is distinctive and unique. Ultimately, however, it is the repertoire between the characters that makes this novel so great. The interactions between Lady Hardcastle and Armstrong are particularly memorable. We also get a small glance at some of Lady Hardcastle and Armstrong’s secret past. This past seems to have prepared them for the sleuthing they do in the present. Their skills are sharp enough to captivate the police, who not only inform them on the progress on the case, but also encourage their help. Not only is the mystery solved at the end of the book, but we get a hint of a relationship in the making. Something fun to look forward to in the next book. I really enjoyed this book, and it was a entertaining October read.

Thanks to Net Galley and Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC of this book. #NetGalley #APictureOfMurder

Hardcastle and karate kicking Armstrong and unlikely investigative pair but an awesome successful duo. Mistress and maid who are more friends than employer and employee, these two penetrates the darkest alley with their altogether fearsome combo. A mystery with a twisted and unexpected outcome. Interesting and curiously intriguing, a puzzle worth reading.

You know that feeling when a favorite author comes out with a new book and you get your little paws on a copy?? :) I was so happy to curl up with a copy of T.E. Kinsey's latest, and it did not disappoint. I love his writing style - even throwaway lines are witty, intelligent, quotable, and funny. (A few typos and misspellings throughout didn't detract too much) The characters are well drawn and fun to revisit with each new installment. I liked seeing the ragtime band guys again, and I loved getting to learn some of Emily and Flo's history (wicked tease though, as it leaves you on a cliffhanger). I found the mystery a little obvious - usually I find Emily to be waayy ahead of me in terms of figuring stuff out but this time I had her beat ;) - but it was still a very enjoyable read. I can't wait til the next one!!

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

A Picture of Murder by T E Kinsey is the fourth installment in Lady Hardcastle Mistery series but as with the previous ones it can be read as a standalone.

It tells a story of Lady Hardcastle and her unusual lady's maid Flo. Story is narrated by her and we see everything through her eyes. Being unique in every way, we are privy to her sarcastic and witty remarks. As always and intelligently told mystery, with interesting cast of characters vividly presented.

In October of 1909 moving pictures have arrived to their little village and due to Lady Hardcastle friend's kitchen accident, actors get accommodation in her house. All is well until one of the actors gets themselves killed.
Now it's up to these two ladies to discover the truth. Sgt Dobson being an open minded man welcomes their help.
Also interesting in this book is to read how two main characters met and how investigative work came about.
Slightly spooky feels adds to a cleverly plotted story with many twists and to the seasonal theme.

Wonderful murder mystery set in the early 20th Century. Lady Hardcastle and her maid Florence Armstrong are the intrepid detectives. They make cutting remarks to one another - often sarcastic and usually funny - although they love one another dearly. A very clever story set around the beginning of moving pictures in rural England.

Another warming little gem in the series of 4 so far. Don’t look to deep, just enjoy the style, atmosphere and humour as Midsommer Murders meets Jeeves and Wooster in corsets. It may be improbable but it is certainly entertaining if you are looking for a little light hearted mayhem as the Lady and her Maid tackle some kinematograph kidders, potential zombies and get free rein to investigate - all in the little village of Littleton Cotterall.

This book will be released next week, and I got my ARC from NetGalley. While this is the fourth book in the series, I’ve only read the first book, and actually, I listed to that as an audiobook, which I highly recommend. Eccentric Lady H and her always-ready-for-a-fight lady’s maid, Flo, make quite the pair and are always getting themselves into trouble. This time they host a movie company that is coming to the village for a film festival, but the film people are being killed off one by one in the same way their characters are killed off in the movie. The story is a fun look at the early moving picture business, and the crime was not what I thought. Mayhem abounds in this cozy mystery.

This one was too “cozy” for me
I gave up about a quarter way through.
I found it meandering and tedious

The banter is what I enjoy in the Lady Hardcastle series by T.E. Kinsey, of which “A Picture of Murder” is a prime example. This time the local squires, the Farley-Strouds, have lost their kitchen in a fire, and so some guests -- a troop of actors and their movie-maker touting a “moving picture” -- have to be accommodated. Quickly, one of the actors turns up dead. Actors! They can’t be trusted for anything, even to staying alive. Remember this point. It’s important later.

As the bodies start to pile up and clues come together readers will get more of the story of how Emily Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong met. And how the spy business came about. Soon, familiar faces begin to populate the pages. What’s refreshing about these books is that the local constabulary (in the person of Sgt Dobson) realizes that Lady Hardcastle and her maid Miss Armstrong can be counted on to be helpful. No questioning their competency, no making excuses for their bein’ women and all. Mr. Kinsey knows how to make his books come alive with touches like this.

Readers may want to think about suspending a whole lot of disbelief at the end, and there might be a wee too much of that for some. But surprises are part and parcel of mystery fiction, and as Lady Hardcastle might say, and certainly Miss Armstrong would concur, “needs must.”

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of the book, in exchange for this review.