Title: A Murder of Convenience
Author: Kathleen Buckley
Genre: Historical Mystery
Book Blurb:
Ellen Cuthbert’s husband, Randolph, is now the Earl of Keswick’s heir. Their marriage is a sham, and Randolph’s mistress, Lydia, is present at the house party. When she is found murdered in a locked room, all the evidence seems to point to Ellen. And how could the murderer have escaped the locked room except by witchcraft? Sir Hugh accompanies his cousin, a magistrate, to the scene of the murder. They investigate, appalled to find their childhood friend Ellen appears to be the chief suspect. Hugh’s lack of prospects years ago prevented their marriage. Now if he cannot find the real murderer, there may be only one final service he can perform for Ellen to spare her a slow death at the end of the hangman’s rope.
My Review:
When is a murder most inconvenient? Ellen is about to find out when her husband's mistress is discovered dead in a locked room. Ellen's marriage is one of convenience with no love shared between her and Randolph. But murdering his mistress is not something Ellen would dream of, let alone enact. When her childhood friend, Sir Hugh, shows up to help investigate, Ellen wonders if he can save her from the hangman's noose.
A Murder of Convenience is a delightful historical mystery from start to finish. The setting is 18th century England. The descriptive narration is immersive while showcasing Kathleen Buckley's attention to historical detail. The characters are colorful, back-stabbing, and representative of the time period. There are many who I'd put at the top of my suspect list. The mystery itself is well-executed with clues and false leads to follow.
A Murder of Convenience is an easy-to-read mystery I couldn't put down. I'm a big historical mystery reader and this one is a treat to read. Fans of Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie will love A Murder of Convenience.
My Rating: 5 stars
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Author Biography:
Kathleen Buckley writes traditional historical romance (i.e. no explicit sex). There are fewer ballrooms and aristocratic courting rituals in her books and more problems than does-he-love-me/does-he-not. Sometimes there’s humor. Kathleen wanted to write from the time she learned to read and pursued this passion through a Master’s Degree in English, followed by the kind of jobs one might expect: light bookkeeping, security officer, paralegal. She did sell two stories to the late Robert Bloch, author of Psycho. And no, he wasn’t late at the time.
After moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico, she wrote her first historical romance, striving for Georgette Heyer’s style, followed by nine more.
In Kathleen’s gentle romances, the characters tend to slide into love rather than fall in lust. Their stories are often set against the background of family relationships, crime, and legal issues, probably because of her work in a law firm.
When she’s not writing or reading, she enjoys cooking dishes from eighteenth century cookbooks. Those dishes and more appear in her stories. Udder and root vegetables, anyone?
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Reviewed by: Nancy