A DEATH AT SILVERSMITH BAY

3.5 stars out of 5

I'm such a huge fan of this author's Lord and Lady Hetheridge cozy mystery series that I was thrilled to discover this one featuring special collections librarian Jemima Jago. It was entertaining - especially after a noticeable improvement after the second half or so - but I can't say I'm super eager to read another one.

That may be in part because I haven't read any others - this is the third in the series. And while it stands alone fairly well for the most part, the references to events that clearly happened in previous books left me wishing for a little bit more detail (like how is she able to hold down a job at which she works only a couple of hours a week and from which she can take big chunks of time off). Add in some glitches like a character who's unable to use a cell phone because of a dead battery only to pick it up and make a call 15 minutes later, and I was left scratching my head more than once.

All that aside, the story itself is intriguing. Jem has just returned to Penzance, where it appears she has a flat and a job, after weekends spent on the Isles of Scilly, where apparently her investigative skills earned her the nickname "Scilly Sleuth" (that struck me as kind of scilly, truth be told, but then this is a cozy and such things aren't all that unusual). Anyway, Jem returns to a flat that stinks to high heaven because, she discovers, there are bags of garbage in her bathtub. Besides that, there's a cat who seems to have made himself right at home and a young woman who turns out to be Jem's eight-years-younger sister Tori - and the less said about this wench the better. But worst of all, there's a bloody weapon in one of the trash bags. The aforesaid Tori, who's basically been passed out drunk, comes up with an explanation for how the garbage bags got where they are, but Jem isn't buying it for an instant (nor would any sane person). Bottom line for me from that point on was whatever Tori gets, she deserves; Jem seems to have a forgiving streak, but Tori gets zero sympathy from me and for sure would get the boot if she tried to hunker down at my place.

Amid all the brouhaha with the garbage bags - Jem finally does call in the cops - she and her good friend Micki go to visit a local bookstore and find the owner, who's Micki's former sister-in-law, rather dead. And wonders never cease: It looks as if she's been hit in the head with a weapon eerily similar to the one in Jem's garbage bag. Since the police seem to be having a tough time investigating on their own - another thing that somehow always happens in a cozy mystery - Jem decides to take matters into her own hands (ditto). She gets some help from a childhood sweetheart who's still sweet, making things a little confusing for Jem since she's hot to trot for another potential sweetheart I assume became that way in previous books. Oh my, however will she choose?

I won't answer that question, nor will I serve up details of the investigation that comes to a conclusion during a sort of intervention in that aforesaid bookstore. Overall, it's rather a fun book, but I strongly suggest that to get the most out of it, readers should start at the beginning. As for me, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for offering me a pre-release copy to read and review.

A Death at Silversmith Bay byEmma Jameson (Bookouture, February 2022); 256 pp.

BLUE BLOODED

4 stars out of 5

I've been hooked on this series through four books, and of course, I was looking forward to reading this, the fifth. Now that I'm done, I'll call it okay, but it's my least favorite so far. In part, that's because the action crossed over almost to unbelievable; the rest of the turn-off came because I can't imagine living amid that kind of personal-life turmoil and don't much care for reading about someone else's - no matter how much I love the main characters.

They are, for the record, Lord Tony and Lady Kate Hetheridge, who have had to relocate while Tony's ancestral home, Wellegrave, is being renovated (part of the above-mentioned turmoil that I won't specify). Tony has just taken leave of his job as chief superintendent for New Scotland Yard and is trying his hand at private investigation while Kate, once his Yard subordinate, is dealing with a not-so-friendly new boss. At least she still has her best friend and co-worker,  Detective Sergeant Paul Bhar, for professional comfort (he's pretty much the same old, same old as in previous books, much to my delight).

For now, Tony and Kate have moved to a three-story condo in Westminster's newest high-rise; Kate isn't delighted, but her son, who appears to be somewhere on the autism spectrum, and Henry, the young son of her mostly estranged sister, Maura (whom Kate and Tony hope to adopt despite Maura's lawsuit to gain full custody) are having the times of their lives. Trying to drum up some business, Tony takes on a missing person case; it's for Mark, the son of wealthy acquaintances, who went missing when his twin sister Mariah took a supposedly intentional nosedive off the roof of a nearby high-rise. Meanwhile, Kate is heading up the investigation of the murder of a high-profile politician - an investigation that smacks of involvement of Tony and Kate's old nemesis and sworn enemy, Sir Duncan Godington.

The rest of the book intricately weaves all these characters and events together in a dark web that threatens lives, takes a couple of them and has a bang-up ending (for the most part implausible, but it gets the job done). All in all, it's a series entry I'd say at best is okay. But it does set the stage for the next one, which I hope to begin reading soon.

Blue Blooded by Emma Jameson (Lyonnesse Books, February 2018); 298 pp.

BLACK & BLUE

4 stars out of 5

A nudge from the cousin who introduced me to this wonderful series that a new one, the 7th, is now available reminded me that I've read just three of the books despite loving them. So, I vowed to carve out some time to catch up, starting with this, the 4th. Honestly, it's not my favorite of the bunch so far, but it's still very good and kept me wanting to read more about Lord and Lady Hetheridge (a.k.a. Tony and Kate).

Cantankerous relatives of New Scotland Yard Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield, wife of Anthony Hetheridge, ninth baron of Wellegrave and chief superintendent for the Yard and Kate's boss, are making things miserable at their Mayfair home - even Tony's manservant, Harvey, is having a hard time keeping the peace. When the dead body of modern art dealer Granville Hardwick turns up at his garish home in a posh neighborhood, it's almost a relief that Tony and Kate can get away from the chaos - much of which centers around Kate's sister Maura's son Henry, who's been living with the Hetheridges.

Kate and Tony are handling the murder investigation with help from some characters from previous books including Paul Bahr, who's now living with his romance-book writing mother. She's going a bit bonkers because, as it turns out, her new boyfriend is the prime suspect in the murder.

Action heats up in both the home and murder case situations until both are brought to an end (no, I won't reveal details of either). Meanwhile, Tony is taking heat of a different sort that could well result in major changes to both his professional and personal life. All told? Another good one. I do, however, advise those new to the series not start with this one lest they become a bit confused. As for me, I'm already hoping to get started on the next one.

Black & Blue by Emma Jameson (Lyonnesse Books, May 2015); 262 pp.

SOMETHING BLUE

4 stars out of 5

This series continues to enthrall, "forcing" me to set aside other books I need to read and review just to find out what happens next in the adventures of Lord and Lady Hetheridge (this is the third installment). This one begins as the couple - Tony and Kate - have set a wedding date three weeks away but have turned over the planning to a good friend. Meantime, Tony - Baron of Wellegrave and chief superintendent of the New Scotland Yard - and Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield, must deal with a murder (with help, and one-liners that kept me chuckling throughout, from Kate's capable partner Paul Bhar).

This time, the victim is the head honcho of an oil company that has taken heat for a recent major oil spill. He's thrown a big party to divert attention from the damage, and sometime after the guests have gone, he was poisoned. The killer may well be one of the guests, which include Duncan Godington - a suspected serial killer who's managed to evade conviction on other occasions in past books.

To be sure, there's no shortage of suspects, most of them quirky. Riley, for instance, insists she was engaged to the still-married victim - and she claims to be a full-blooded Comanche as well as a "spiritual practitioner." Then there's the other fiance, who also claims the victim was planning to marry right after his divorce was final. Meanwhile, the actual wife - who will inherit the man's fortune - insists he wasn't planning to divorce her at all. Also factoring in is Jules, the daughter Tony didn't know he had until the previous book; she has, it seems, developed a fondness for Tony's old nemesis, Duncan.

Scotland Yard powers-that-be are also gunning for Tony - egged on by a jealous department rival. It doesn't hurt that Tony is about to marry a "common" woman - one who not only half his age but on the department payroll. All that, and a big wedding neither Tony nor Kate really want, must get sorted out by the end of the book - and they do, in the usual fine fettle. Another very good book in this highly entertaining series!

Something Blue by Emma Jameson (Lyonnesse Books, May 2013); 246 pp.

BLUE MURDER

 4 stars out of 5

When, thanks to a recommendation from a thoughtful cousin, I read the first book in this series, I was hooked. Even before I finished that one (Ice Blue), I'd headed back to Amazon to get the next two (and the day after that, the final two). I must say this one didn't delight me quite as much as the first, but neither did it in any way disappoint.

Lord Anthony Hetheridge, Baron of Wellegrave and chief superintendent of the New Scotland Yard, didn't get the answer he wanted when, in the first book, he proposed marriage to the beautiful Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield, a relatively new member of his team. But he's not about to give up; now, he's even got an engagement ring at the ready and is waiting for the right opportunity to make another request. But as fate would have it, murder intervenes. They, and other team member Paul Bhar, are called to a posh home in Chelsea, where two young men have turned up axed to death in the midst of an out-of-control fraternity-style party. One of the victims crashed the party, and the other just happens to be the boyfriend of Emmeline Wardle, whose conveniently absent parents own the home. Compounding the issue is that an old nemesis of Lord Hetheridge - a suspected serial killer - lives right next door.

Going on and on about how the investigation proceeds would do nothing except spoil the story for others, so I'll just say that most things up for grabs at the beginning are resolved by the end (and add that if things don't work out as planned between you and Kate, kind sir, message me and I'll happily send you my number). 

Blue Murder by Emma Jameson (Lyonnesse Books, December 2013); 254 pp.

ICE BLUE

5 stars out of 5

Who needs to search the Internet when other folks know the kind of thing you love to read? In this case, I'll give a big shout-out to my cousin Rhonda for recommending this six-book series. The description won me over immediately, and as luck would have it, this one - the first - was available at a price I couldn't resist: Free. The same day I downloaded it, somewhat bored with the free-for-review book I was reading at the time, I opened it on another Kindle. And guess what? For the first time in a while, I polished off an entire book in one day. It helps that's it's relatively short as books go - just 240 pages - but I have no doubt I'd have kept at it no matter what the length. What's more, within an hour of finishing, I downloaded the next two.

In the beginning, the stars of the show, Lord and Lady Hetheridge, aren't quite there yet. Well, Lord Anthony is - he's the Baron of Wellegrave and chief superintendent of the New Scotland Yard. Detective Sergeant Kate Wakefield - who, given what happens in this book and the series description, at some point will become Lady Hetheridge - works for him. Clearly, she's fiesty; just as clearly, he's smitten. But aside from some cheeky comments that belie the classification of this series as "cozy," they both focus on treating each other professionally and solving a murder.

The dead man, gruesomely killed with a fireplace poker, is the husband of a woman once known rather well by the good Lord; from all accounts, he was a nasty sort and no one - not even his wife and daughter - are sorry he's no longer around. Still, it's a murder; so Hetheridge (known less formally as Tony), Kate and her wonderfully entertaining partner Paul Bhar set out to follow the meager clues and interview all who were at the disastrous dinner party earlier on the evening of the murder.

Throughout, Tony grapples with his newfound attraction to Kate, who's half his age (as the book begins, he's about to turn 60). He's far from prudish, but a bit on the reserved side; Kate, not so much. As cozy mystery heroines go, she's a breath of fresh air. She's brash, but sensible - she doesn't second-guess her every move or make truly stupid moves like trying to escape a captor by running toward a dark alley rather than a crowded, well-lit store. Her candor - and insistence on speaking her mind no matter what - are her stock in trade, although those qualities are less appreciated by the Scotland Yard muckety-mucks to whom Tony answers.

You won't learn further details from me, except to say that the case gets solved amid a few wrong turns on the team's part and edge-of-seat experiences for readers (well, me, at least). There's plenty of fodder left for the next book, (which, Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I'll start within the next day or two). Like this one, I expect it will be absolutely delightful! 

Ice Blue by Emma Jameson (Lyonnesse Books, March 2011); 240 pp.