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A Quiet Life in the Country

A Lady Hardcastle Mystery, Book 1

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A Quiet Life in the Country

By: T E Kinsey
Narrated by: Elizabeth Knowelden
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Lady Emily Hardcastle is an eccentric widow with a secret past. Florence Armstrong, her maid and confidante, is an expert in martial arts. The year is 1908 and they’ve just moved from London to the country, hoping for a quiet life.

But it is not long before Lady Hardcastle is forced out of her self-imposed retirement. There’s a dead body in the woods, and the police are on the wrong scent. Lady Hardcastle makes some enquiries of her own, and it seems she knows a surprising amount about crime investigation...

As Lady Hardcastle and Flo delve deeper into rural rivalries and resentment, they uncover a web of intrigue that extends far beyond the village. With almost no one free from suspicion, they can be certain of only one fact: there is no such thing as a quiet life in the country.

Revised edition: This edition of A Quiet Life In The Country includes editorial revisions.

©2016 T E Kinsey (P)2016 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved. Amateur Sleuths Cosy Detective Fiction Historical Mystery Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Village Feel-Good Sports Crime Funny Mystery
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What did you like most about A Quiet Life in the Country?

Mostly I liked the way the characters interacted, especially Lady Hardcastle and Flo. The book is not up to the standard of Christie or Sayers but then it's not meant to be. It's a cozy mystery romp with humour included.

What other book might you compare A Quiet Life in the Country to, and why?

I can't think of another book I've read or listened to that compares exactly to this.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Probably the opening scene, where our intrepid heroines discover and explore their new rented home in the country.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

No. There were, however, a lot of places where I laughed out loud. Some of the humour in this book is superbly done and very well written.

Any additional comments?

An adorable book, filled with mystery, humour and a leading lady who flouts the rules of convention between mistress and servant. It's set in 1908 and probably the class system was coming to an end anyway. This book just gets to it faster than it probably happened.

Enjoyable Cozy Romp

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Loved every minute of this book. A good story, read well. Kept me entertained throughout. looking forward to the next book

Marvellous

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After some rave reviews, I was expecting an amusing take on the country detective story. The reviews mentioned the lady adventurer with the the martial artist sidekick, so I was expecting something different. All I got was a bunch of hackneyed stereotypes and a very tired and unoriginal country house murder story. But the worse thing was the narration. The narrator was good at accents, but hopeless at actually reading, too many mispronounced words and emphases in all the wrong places. Very irritating. Do not waste your money on this.

promised more than it delivered

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A Quiet Life in the Country by T. E. Kinsey is a cosy mystery with a lot of character and an incorrigible sense of humour. 

I was initially a little uncertain about this book, as the narrative style felt a little distant and reserved despite the characters' personalities being far less formal or conventional than the manner in which they were introduced. It reminded me a little of the way Holmes' investigations are reported from Watson's perspective, but without their easy charm. (Though there was an amusing little dig at Conan-Doyle later in the book, without being too explicit.)

I wasn't at all sure if I was going to warm to this audiobook, but I finally began to settle into the story when the ladies began their investigation alongside the Inspector, about half-way through. However, once Lady Hardcastle and Miss Armstrong felt like friends, the book became very enjoyable. It was easy to listen to and the assortment of entangled mysteries were compelling. Whilst the resolution to their investigations was not a surprise, there were plenty of enjoyable twists and turns along the way to keep it interesting. 

The narrator, Elizabeth Knowelden, performs the parts well, in a very lively but natural fashion, handling the various accents adroitly. Her narration is engaging but also relaxing enough that I could listen to this audiobook in the evenings.

For me, the best test of a new series comes in the moments after finishing it, and as I submitted my rating for this one I instantly purchased the next. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cosy mysteries, convention-defying female characters, and quaint English villages with an astonishingly high murder rate.

Mischief and mystery

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Loved the story and the narration. Gentle murder inquiry if there can be one! Upbeat and amusing.

Excellent!

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