Review: LORD JAMES HARRINGTON AND THE WINTER MYSTERY, Lynn Florkiewicz

• published on Amazon (Kindle)
  
• File Size: 482 KB
• Print Length: 253 pages
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0082NSDVU

Synopsis (Amazon)

Meet Lord James Harrington and his delightful wife, Beth; residents of the tiny village of Cavendish, deep in the heart of West Sussex in England. They adore hosting seasonal events, running their country hotel, keeping the local folklore alive and listening to the latest murder mystery on the wireless. But mysteries don’t always remain on the airwaves.........

It’s 1957 and James and Beth are discussing the latest Cavendish Players production, The Devil Incarnate, when their cleaner voices her concern over missing farmer, Alec Grimes. When James finds Grimes dead, he is certain of foul play. But the doctor confirms natural causes and even good friend Detective Chief Inspector George Lane dismisses his suspicions. So James decides to put his own sleuthing skills to the test.

Delving into Grimes’ affairs, it soon becomes clear that not all is what it seems. What are the strange symbols discovered on the floorboards at Grimes’ farm? Who attacked the new vicar on Halloween? Why was Grimes disliked by so many villagers? What are the mysterious pieces of china? Whose body is found on Guy Fawkes Night?

With so many suspects, all with motive and opportunity – will James be able to solve the mystery? Or will his meddling put him and his wife in mortal danger.

My Take

The author's own assessment of this novel (see below) is pretty spot on.

If you are looking for a cozy to read on your e-book reader this may well hit the spot. In true cozy fashion there is little actual violence, a body, and some mystery threads. In Midsomer Murder style the action is set around some seasonal festivities. The characters are pretty well drawn (I found myself even detecting Beth's American accent), and it is set in a close knit village. Lord James Harrington makes a good if at times annoying and tunnel-visioned sleuth. I did get annoyed at times with his lord-of-the-manor mannerisms.

There were a couple of times when I predicted fairly accurately what would happen next, but that happens a lot with cozies. There were some good red herrings, and the threads came together passably, and just to make sure, the connections are all explained at the end.

My rating: 4.1

From the author

On Lord James Harrington: I devour cosy crime novels. I particularly love the American cosies that involve you in the town activities, food festivals, fashions and suchlike. Having successfully published a number of short stories and articles I decided to create my own cosy mystery series and came up with Lord James Harrington.

I liken these to the mysteries you see on TV - Midsomer Murders, Murder She Wrote, Diagnosis Murder, Miss Fisher Mysteries, that sort of thing.
This is a simple cosy; nothing more, nothing less. It's written for that Sunday afternoon/holiday/bedtime read. I am not a writer of literary prose; so, if you're after the next Booker prize winner, this is not the book for you. However, if you're looking for a light and gentle rose-tinted mystery, this may do the trick.

Lynn Florkiewicz is a self published author of e-books- see Amazon

See author's website