Cover Image: Death Beside the Seaside

Death Beside the Seaside

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I m particularly fond of this title in T E Kinsey's series because much of it is set in Weston super Mare, and I live only a short drive away. Once again the two heroines are caught up in murder and intrigue, mixed with a hint of espionage. I really can't get enough of these books and am always excited when a new title appears.

Was this review helpful?

Both complicated and simplistic, I didn't love it. I still love the relationship between Emily and Flo, and their witty dialogue.

Was this review helpful?

A delightful read!
Lady Hardcastle and Flo are such eccentric and colorful characters, I absolutely loved their dialogue.
The mystery was alright, not impressive, but the overall package and the time period made me really like the story.

I thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an ARC to read and review.

Was this review helpful?

This is an easy to read, cosy Murder mystery. It follows Florence and Lady Hardcastle on their holiday, where they stumble across a mystery...it was amusing and quirky!

Was this review helpful?

I've listened to a few in this series, which can be read or listened to out of order, and they are charming and great on audio. I've found them to be comforting and easy to listen to with excellent characters and narration. This one had a fun setting too and the mystery was definitely interesting. Highly recommend them on KU!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

First, I want to thank Net Galley and Thomas and Mercer Publishing for providing me an ARC of this book.

I love a good cozy mystery series, and this series always delivers. In this book, Emily and Flo decide to go on a vacation to the seaside, and, as usual, they end up embroiled in a mystery. It seems that wherever they go, death follows. However, our heroines are always up for the challenge.

The only issue I had with this book is that it was a little too long. Honestly, cutting 50 pages about two-thirds of the way through would have kept the suspense going and not let the story drag, which it did a bit, unfortunately.

Still, I love these books, and happily give it 4.5 stars!

Was this review helpful?

I love this series! This installment was so very good. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are at it again, and this time they have murders and kidnappings to solve. I loved the humor in this book and found myself laughing out loud at times.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Was this review helpful?

A great mystery series with interesting characters and an engaging lead i recommend for anyone who likes a good cozy mystery

Was this review helpful?

Lady Hardcastle and her lady's maid/sidekick Flo are taking a long overdue vacation at a luxurious seaside hotel in a small English village called Weston-Super-Mare. Unfortunately, their relaxing holiday turns into a nightmare when four hotel guests are murdered, two are kidnapped, and a mysterious strongbox goes missing. Something sinister is going on at the hotel and Lady Hardcastle and Flo are determined to get to the bottom of it.

Death Besides the Seaside is a fantastic addition to the Lady Hardcastle Mysteries. It is a humorous, entertaining historical cozy mystery, with great characters, excellent writing, and a complex mystery. Lady Hardcastle and Flo had me laughing out loud several times throughout the book, and I cannot wait to solve more mysteries with them. If you're looking for a lighthearted, historical cozy, then I highly recommend this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A web of rather too much intrigue, I can not say I disliked this book because it was an enjoyable read, however I did find it a little far fetched. Then again who says all stories must be believable. Give this one a go

Was this review helpful?

This is one of the best series to cozy up with and enjoy and this latest book of their adventures is just as witty, charming, compelling, and cleverly plotted. I love these characters, the surprises in the story were genuine and fun, and the way the mystery comes together was a lot of fun. I’m eager to read the next Lady Hardcastle book!

Was this review helpful?

Typical me, to choose a book that is number 6 in the series!

I have read a book in this Lady Hardcastle series and really enjoyed it, so I thought that i would be able to catch up.

I love how these books read and I am determined to actually get myself book one and start from the beginning, as i think they are worth time spent on them.

I really enjoy the writing, the charecters and plot, the author is very clever at weaving thier craft and making you invest in the story and all that is within the pages.

This is for sure a great little story and I for one totally recomend this, especially if you like a cozy mystery!

Was this review helpful?

This newest book in the series might just be one of the best. Great dialogue, interesting characters and a good mystery as well. Can't wait for the next book.

Was this review helpful?

Lady Emily and her companion Flo are off on another adventure.This time they are off to the seaside hoping to enjoy all that it has to offer but things never go as our ladies hope.They uncover an unexpected murder.
I love the humor and wit in their banter.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC

Was this review helpful?

Flo and Lady Hardcastle are on the road again. This time they are heading to the seaside to enjoy time away from the country. But the country isn't all it's cracked up to be. Though they found a quaint little hotel by the seashore, they seem to be the only English people staying there. Except for Dr. Goddard. He's a scientist with loose lips since he seems to be telling all and sundry that he is working on a top secret project and he has brought it with him.
Well, not surprisingly, Dr. Goddard disappears somewhat abruptly and so does his strongbox. But then dead bodies start cropping up and Flo and Lady Hardcastle are dragged back into the world of spy vs. spy.
This book probably could have been cut by 100 pages and still had the same story. There was so much exposition it got rather boring. There were touches of humor here and there (Mr. Righty and Mr. Lefty) but I wish the pacing had been more along the lines of previous books.

Three stars
This book came out October 22nd
Follows The Burning Issue of the Day
ARC kindly provided by Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Was this review helpful?

This is the sixth book in the Lady Hardcastle series featuring Lady Emily Hardcastle and her maid/associate, Flo. The book is a lighthearted look at the world of spycraft and adventure with two unlikely heroines; Lady Hardcastle who is a 40 something year old aristocrat and Flo, her right hand woman, a tiny woman, raised in a circus, who is adept at all manner of martial arts. They often allude to their past daring dos, when they were both working for Her Majesty’s government as spies although now they are attempting to retire and live quiet lives in the country.
The book, and series, is written with great humor, and is a tongue in cheek type of view of the world according to Lady Hardcastle and Flo. Both women are delightfully eccentric, with Lady Hardcastle being gifted at endeavors such as pioneering moving pictures and an in-depth study of botany while Flo keeps herself busy performing many of the tasks normally done by a ladies maid unless called upon to employ her more combative skills. Their relationship to each other is one of two friends who know each other so well, they can read each other’s minds. Their conversations are entertaining for both the content and the humor with which they are written. Lady Hardcastle spends most of her time pretending to be a ditzy, slightly off-balance lady who takes nothing seriously while Flo pretends to be a servant when they are in public and clearly is a friend and equal to Lady Hardcastle when they aren’t in the presence of others.
In this novel, Flo, who technically works for Lady Hardcastle, has finally badgered her into a vacation to the seashore. They set off to have what they believe is to be a calm, relaxing time at the shore, going on donkey rides, watching Punch and Judy shows, eating fish and chips and in general being tourists. The trip doesn’t turn out to be anything like they expected, which leads to hilarious entertainment in the form of a new adventure for the two women.
The hotel they reserve features five other guests, all from different countries, one of whom identifies himself as an employee of England doing some type of secret work. Lady Hardcastle quickly identifies the other “guests” as being foreign agents and proceeds to engage their attention and learn what exactly is taking place. Almost immediately after meeting the English scientist, he disappears, along with a strongbox he had secreted under his bed. As Lady Hardcastle engages first one then another of the guests she learns each of them believe the contents of the now missing strongbox contains information their respective governments might want. The questions are, is the scientist dead or missing? what’s in the strongbox? and where is it now?
Before Lady Hardcastle and Flo can begin much of an investigation, another guest is murdered, forcing Lady Hardcastle to contact her brother who works for the government and ask for his help in dealing with the murder. Of course he helps, encourages her to not get involved, she ignores his demands, and on the book goes to the next adventure.
If you like lighthearted intrigue books with agents which are just on the other side of believable, then this may be the book for you. Lady Hardcastle are delightful in their banter between each other as well as other characters in the book. The adventure itself is well plotted and fun, even though the reader is required to suspend disbelief a little in order to fully enjoy it. While it is a series, it isn’t necessary to read the books in order as each adventure is a complete story within itself. There are some recurring background characters, and the reader's enjoyment may be enhanced somewhat by reading the books in order. If you can’t find one, though, don’t let that stop you from sampling this highly entertaining series.
My thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced digital read copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Was this review helpful?

What a blunder? A bucolic seaside holiday turning into… A murder or two… or four.
Deaths Beside the Seaside is amazingly funny, witty and airy for a murder myster. To call it 'cozy mystery' wouldn't do it justice. It is a bit of historical novel and paints a picture of British seaside towns at the beginning of 20th century, with their toffee apples, donkey rides and opera on the pier. It is a bit of gender and class relations picture as well with glimpses of upstairs downstair, skirt and pants kind of thing.
Overall, Death by the Seaside is a wonderfully restful read where murders do not take away from witty exchanges between Lady Hardcastle and her companion Florence Armstrong.

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Net Galley for the ARC of this book.

I give this book 4,5 stars, but 1/2 star is not available on the rating scale.

This is the first book I have read in this series, and I had two slight issues with it.

1. It would have been helpful to have more background information on the main characters; however, I could probably get that from reading the previous books in the series. In fact, this is the sixth book in the series! The characters were still well-developed, even though I didn't know much about their history.

2. When I first started reading, I thought the character speaking to Lady Hardcastle was her husband and that she was quite bossy. Again, had I read earlier books, I would have known that the other main character was Flo, Lady Hardcastle's long-time sidekick and assistant. Once that distinction was made clear to me, the rest of the book was great!

I loved that these two women had served as spies and had special sets of skills. In the world of 1910, women were not viewed as being able to handle espionage. This actually made them better able to come and go with ease, which they did!

Lady Hardcastle and Flo were on a seaside break, staying at a lovely hotel that a friend had recommended. They found it interesting that the other guests appeared to be from a variety of countries, all men traveling alone with the exception of one woman and her niece.

When Dr. Goddard, a scientist who joined Lady Hardcastle and Flo for drinks after an evening's entertainment, disappeared, the two began to wonder if his disappearance had anything to do with the top-secret work he said he was doing for the government.

As other guests meet untimely ends, the two women contact Lady Hardcastle's brother Harry, who also works for the government. Harry tells them to stay out of whatever is going on. Naturally, they ladies do just the opposite.

I enjoyed the plot and especially the banter between Lady Hardcastle and Flo. I will be going back to read the books I have missed. T.E. Kinsey does a great job writing cozies!

Was this review helpful?

I have read one of the Lady Hardcastle mysteries by T.E. Kinsey before. I wasn’t completely sold on it. I downloaded Death Beside the Seaside because I wanted to give these characters and author another go. I could not put Death Beside the Seaside down. I had to read it right through. I love the era in which this series is written and more so I love the relationship Lady Hardcastle and her maid and friend Florence Armstrong have. The dialogue between the two in this book is spot on.

Was this review helpful?

The series is a new one for me and one which is mix of Agatha Christie as well as one of the Classic Crime series.

Lady Hardcastle and her companion Flo have been partners in crime and have supported each other through thick and thin. They have endured hardships together, solved crimes, escaped from prisons but this time all they seek is a peaceful seaside holiday of their own choosing (which is what they thought) complete with donkey rides, Punch & Judy shows and all the attractions of a British seaside holiday.

They did not think they will end up in a hotel where guest by guest gets murdered (or abducted) one by one - at the end it is both of them and the two American ladies (also involved). Told in a matter of fact manner, the detection of the victims as well as the suspects continue in a very understated tone complete with high teas, entertainment and dinners as scheduled.

I loved the tongue in cheek humour, very reminiscent of a British comedy. Not a style of reading found often nowadays.

Was this review helpful?