Narrator: Elizabeth Knowelden
I have adored this series from the get-go. I started listening to it early on in my KU membership, and the absolutely brilliant narration of Elizabeth Knowelden is but the icing on a very, very delicious cake. If you check out my previous reviews below you will know just what I am talking about!:
I even gave the bug to Rekha@ the Book Decoder and have been rewarded by the enthusiastic reverence that I have for the series. So much was the case, that she beat me to the review and I refused to read hers till I finished my own listening spell (which I did).
All of this rigmarole will not give you too much information about the story itself. Lady Hardcastle and Flo decide to go on holiday to the seaside. They harbour a childlike exuberance (to be frank they speak that way about just about everything, luckily for us) for this trip. It starts off with the oddest fashion, first with Flo being disappointed that the tides control her view of the water. Then the more bizarre collection of guests at their hotel. Their inner spy senses tingle with every added piece to the puzzle fitting into place. The cascade of issues begins with one disappearance and a missing strongbox with even more mysterious contents. Then they start to get involved with the case at hand, and this had more grievous bodily harm (since I lack a better word) than any of the previous books. The most hilarious bits in this was the extolling of the virtues of the wait staff by Flo at every spare minute. It could have become repetitive, but with Flo wielding the commentary, it did not!
As I finish this book, I am contemplating which version I will buy when I move into a more permanent home: the audio version or the physical one (since the kindle one is not satisfying enough). Maybe I will buy both(for which I will probably have to wait a few birthdays).
I may have mentioned this previously. Still, the thing I find most fascinating about this series is that despite having been written by a man, the women who the stories revolve around are not weak, sappy while at the same time are emotional, humourous and do carry out their societal roles in some capacity as women of the time adhered to. All the while being (ex)spies with sparkling wit. This instalment as almost all others of the series is a treat and something that everyone who likes cozy mysteries, humour or even historical fiction can relish.
My last KU list was reviewed in The Elven (The Elves # 1)by Bernhard Hennen, James A. Sullivan. I intend to review Exhume with the next book of its series, so I have just skipped that on this list.
Superfluous Reading 