Snobbery with Violence

This is the second book I've read in the Edwardian Murder Mystery series, and I'll have to read the two others that follow. There is a blend of charm, wry humor coupled with mystery and social commentary that is most unusual. A group of young women, all seeking husbands and all failing to meet the social standards necessary to make a good match, one way or another, are invited to a country estate in England. It is an odd, uncomfortable situation, especially when a poisoning occurs, and then another young woman disappears. But the mystery plot is not what held my interest. It was the fake castle of recent construction, complete with a moat; it was the most artificial mores, the chamber pots carried down the back stairs by maids, the myriad details of the lives of pretty much useless people who thought themselves superior. And all of it is tempered by humor, by a high-born girl, Lady Rose, who doesn't fit at all and who is threatened with a trip to India if no husband is forthcoming. There's a bit of Wodehouse here, of country manor house mystery, of Jane Austen, of Peter Lovesey. Put it all together and it is a delightful book to read.

I wanted to add a few quick points since other reviewers have so succinctly covered the gist of the book. This "mystery-lite" series, set in Edwardian England, while not the most enthralling, mystery wise, is above par in characterizations, fun dialog and giving the reader the ambiance of the period the stories take place in. I read the first three books back to back: first-Snobbery With Violence, second-Hasty Death, and third-Sick of Shadows-and I do recommend the reader read the books in order so they can follow the flow of Rose, Harry and crews adventures and misadventures. I am an avid reader of Miss Chesney's Regency Romances and I can honestly say that this series is just as entertaining. Chesney is well known for her intriguing bits of info about the period the book is set in and it is here as well. I learned so much about the social customs, beliefs, superstitions and slang of the period. I would suggest this series of any fan of period fiction who is looking for something a bit lighter and more funny than say The Historian, LOL. There is enough mystery to satisfy your average mystery fan, though mystery purists may feel unfulfilled. There is a fun and sweet side story of Romance that continues throughout and read the series if for no other reason than Rose's Ladies maid and companion-the hilarious Daisy! I hope Miss Chesney writes more in this charming series-5 stars.

Returned from the wars in Africa, Captain Harry Cathcart has retired to his (low-cost) club and is well behind on paying his friend and acting-gentleman's gentleman when he gets a strange request. The Earl of Hadshire is concerned that a young man has been paying court on his daughter, Lady Rose, yet no proposal has been forthcoming. Can Cathcart investigate and determine if the young man is all he seems? With this job, Cathcart launches into a career of helping hapless British aristocrats recover from social embarassment, blackmail, and other consequences of their foolish acts. For Lady Rose, however, the consequences are tragic--thanks to her impetuous announcement, everyone knows that the young man was tampering with her affections--and Lady Rose, not the young man, suffers a destroyed reputation. A beautiful woman with a shady reputation becomes a target for any playboy and Edwardian England (the novel is set in 1907) has plenty of playboys. Cathcart is called in to head off embarrasment again--but even Cathcart draws the line at covering up murder. And when Lady Rose is invited to a house party in the country, deaths and disappearances start to happen too quickly to be called anything else--except by the local aristocrats who are willing to use all their powers to cover up anything that might stink of such commonness as murder. Author Marion Chesney creates a charming tale that combines romantic tension (Lady Rose and Cathcart are attracted but in denial), mystery, and a look at a historical era where the British aristocracy cling to the vestiges of their Regency glories even as the rest of the world heads toward modernism and world war. Cathcart makes a fine romantic hero as well as an intriguing sleuth with Lady Rose available to provide impetuous advice and push him to extremes. Lady Rose, with her ambitions to become middle-class, support for woman's sufferage, and contempt for corsets, lives in an era where such beliefs are just possible--and is punished just as society would punish such an outrage--by being put on the shelf. Cathcart's servant and Rose's maid provide a secondary romantic interest as well as humor. I also appreciated the bolshevick police sergeant. Chesney's writing draws the reader in, lets us share the romance but also the disgrace of Edwardian aristocracy, and propells a fine mystery through to its conclusions. I would be surprised if we don't see more of Lady Rose and Captain Cathcart--and look forward to the next installment.

After being wounded while fighting in the Boer War, Captain Harry Cartwright, the youngest son of Baron Derrington, returns home to London. His only income is his army pension and a pittance from the family trust. Through a mutual friend, Harry is recommended to the Earl of Hoodshire to investigate Sir Geoffrey Blandon to see if he is suitable to marry his daughter Rose. Harry's investigation leads him to discover that Sir Geoffrey's goal is seduction not marriage and his career as a private investigator is born.Word of mouth spreads about Harry's discreet inquiries. At a weekend party given by the Marquis of Hedrey at Telby Castle, one of the guests dies and the police are called to investigate. The Marquis hires Harry to make sure the police rule it a suicide but they do that without his help. When Rose, a guest at the castle, is pushed off the roof, Harry jumps into the moat to rescue her. They find the body of the missing lady's maid who was definitely murdered. The police return, but this time Rose and Harry are helping them.Marion Chesney, well known for her historical romances, also writes the Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth mystery series under the name M.C. Beaton. Her new "Edwardian murder mystery" series combines history, romance, and intrigue resulting in a delightful romantic mystery. The two protagonists, both belonging to the upper class, do not fit in the polite society very well, and find themselves drawn to one another. The who-done-it is well developed and captures reader interest from the outset. SNOBBERY WITH VIOLENCE gives readers a glimpse into the aristocracy during the Edwardian era.Harriet Klausner

When I found out that Marion Chesney was one of my favorite mystery writers, M. C. Beaton, I wondered how her mixture of charm and cynicism would translate into an earlier period of history. It turns out to be a perfect match: Edwardian England was a place where the men had new freedom but the women were still expected to live prim and proper (and boring) lives. This is a classic country house mystery with a wonderful twist.