Death at Devil's Bridge

I found this book interesting more for it's description of a pivotal period in the history of modern technology than for it's mystery and mayham. The book provides a dramatic picture of the early history of the automobile and of flight and of the social turmoil that this incipient technology caused for the average person. I also enjoyed the descriptions of various social groups, for their varied reactions to the new technology but more importantly to one another in the venue of what would shortly become, as the reader is aware, massive social change. The book is an interesting take on change as well as a good "who-dun-it."

Very thrilling novel. Robin Paige's novels are very well written and enjoyable,

This series has now reached a new level with the marriage of Sir Charles and Kate, and now the two can solve mysteries as a team without all of the various tensions that were present before. Unfortunately the wedding took place between the last book and this one so we the readers were not invited. There are a few flashbacks to the nuptials however so we aren't completely left out. This book starts off with a death that appears to have been of natural causes but many of the locals are not convinced that this is the case. They blame Lord Marsden's car saying that it scared the old man to death. The anti-motorcar tension in the area builds as Marsden convinces Sir Charles to hold an automobile exhibition and balloon race at Bishop's Keep, Kate's ancestral home. Many of the villagers are in a rage about the exhibition and motor cars in general and they are being urged on by Squire Roger Thornton to whom Lady Marsden (Lord Bradford Marsden's mother) wishes to marry off her youngest daughter Patsy. A fate worse than death for the high spirited and independent minded young lady. On the day of the exhibition the tension has built up to the boiling point and there is a near riot at the Keep. Squire Thornton shows what a miserable creature he really is and Sir Charles is nearly killed in a ballooning accident caused in part by the Squire. In the balloon with Sir Charles is young Charles Rolls and on the ground to witness the launch is Mr. Henry Royce and yes these are the famous Rolls and Royce of automobile fame. The authors of this series do a wonderful job of integrating real historical characters into their stories and this book is no exception. They also do a vast amount of research in their attempt to make their novels as historically accurate as possible and one can learn quite a bit of history from these books. Not many mystery novels include a bibliography at the end, but this series, much to it's credit does just that. There is a little of everything to be found in this book, from flying witches to impaled German race drivers and greasy brakes, and I found the whole adventure to be quite fast-paced and enjoyable. All of the people involved with the exhibition seem to hate each other so that when there is a suspicious death there are plenty of suspects. Sir Charles and Lady Kate make the perfect team and soon they have the solution, but will a jury accept their new type of scientific evidence as proof or will it be over their heads? I was disappointed a little in the ending of the book, especially as it related to the Squire. Surely he faced some consequences for his actions, but even if he didn't I would have liked to know why. I didn't get either wish though and this sort of left the story unfinished for me. What did the Squire do? You will just have to read the book and find out and despite the ending I think that you will find that this book with all of it's authentic Victorian atmosphere and it's eclectic cast to be a very enjoyable exper

Lady Kathryn and her husband team up to solve a mysterious death during an autocar and balloon race that began on their estate. While Sir Charles experiments with the novel theory of fingerprints to help determine the culprit, Lady Kathryn uses her observations of human nature and knowledge of the local village people to help solve the crime. This is an interesting step back into a supposedly simpler time; we are even in on the meeting of Mr. Rolls and Mr. Royce, who later team up so well to market the motorcar which combined their two names. A murder in a historical setting is still a murder, and the truth is exposed cleverly by Lady Kathryn and her very scientific husband. The story is also enlivened by Sir Charles' experience as a balloonist and Lady Kathryn's wild drive in an early model of a Peugeot. And, of course, there is also a local village woman, descendant of a witch who supposedly could fly, who develops her own flying ointment which is part of the resolution to this engaging mystery.

The advent of the motorcar in Victorian England did not easily gain acceptance, especially in the small towns where the people warily suspect dramatic change. In Dedham Vale, tempers flare between the two opposing groups when Kate and Sir Charles Sheridan agree to host an automobile exhibit and a car race combined with a hot air balloon chase. One of the locals recently died on the road when a motorcar sped by, apparently frightening him to death. The local squire leads many of the townsfolk in an attempt to stop the event. Although the balloon lands safely in an irate farmer's plot, none of the four motorcars arrive at the landing site. One of the drivers who was in a fatal crash, says, with his last breath, that this was no accident but an act of deliberate sabotage. Kate and Charles, who met, courted, and wed during different shared investigations, seek the murdering saboteur before anyone else loses their life. Robin Paige's Victorian mystery series is a very good, well researched novel that allows readers to glimpse a page out of history. DEATH AT DEVIL'S BRIDGE captures the atmosphere of tension and fear of the unknown due to a major technological advancement. The sense of romance blended into the fascinating who-done-it enables readers to be charmed by the married couple, who adoringly love each other even as they and the audience are challenged by a very difficult mystery. This novel, as well as the rest of the collection, will be enjoyed by anyone who loves a detailed historical mystery filled with action and intrigue. Harriet Klausner