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A Quiet Life in the Country (A Lady Hardcastle Mystery Book 1) by [T E Kinsey]

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T E Kinsey

A Quiet Life in the Country (A Lady Hardcastle Mystery Book 1) Kindle Edition

by T E Kinsey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

10,909 ratings

Book 1 of 9: A Lady Hardcastle Mystery

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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.

Print length

257 pages
Language

English
Sticky notes

On Kindle Scribe
Publisher

Thomas & Mercer
Publication date

October 4, 2016
File size

2064 KB
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Popular Highlights in this book

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‘It’s abductive reasoning, not deductive. Working from observation to theory is abduction, not deduction.’
Highlighted by 786 Kindle readers
‘Yes, I’m one of those, too. It’s remarkable the things we can do when we think nobody’s looking.’
Highlighted by 535 Kindle readers
His quiet confidence in his authority and abilities left him free to treat everyone around him with calm respect.
Highlighted by 462 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

T E Kinsey grew up in London and read history at Bristol University. He worked for a number of years as a magazine features writer before falling into the glamorous world of the Internet, where he edited content for a very famous entertainment website for quite a few years more. After helping to raise three children, learning to scuba dive and to play the drums and the mandolin (though never, disappointingly, all at the same time), he decided the time was right to get back to writing. In the Market for Murder is the second in a series of mysteries starring Lady Hardcastle.

You can follow him on Twitter—@tekinsey—and also find him on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tekinsey.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01ER14CRY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer (October 4, 2016)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 4, 2016
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 2064 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 257 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #7,479 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #40 in Amateur Sleuth Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- #52 in Historical Mysteries (Kindle Store)
- #61 in Historical Mystery

Customer Reviews:
10,909 ratings

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T E Kinsey

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T E Kinsey grew up in London and read history at the University of Bristol. He worked for a number of years as a magazine features writer before falling into the glamorous world of the Internet, where he edited content for a very famous entertainment website for quite a few years more. And now he writes historical murder mysteries. In his spare time he plays the drums (quite badly, by all accounts). ‘The Fatal Flying Affair’ is the seventh novel in a series of mysteries starring Lady Hardcastle (there's also a short story, ‘Christmas at The Grange’). His website is at tekinsey.uk and you can follow him on Twitter—@tekinsey—as well as on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tekinsey and Instagram – @tekinseymysteries

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5

10,909 global ratings

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3 star		12%
2 star		3%
1 star		1%

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KymmLisa

Excellent Start to a Fun New Series!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 27, 2022

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I put a ton of weight on the first book in a cozy mystery series, it's got to really hook me for me to continue with the series. "A Quiet Life in the Country" (Lady Hardcastle Mysteries, #1) by T.E. Kinsey checked all my boxes for a good start to what will be a fun and entertaining series. Great characters starting with a titled older woman who's not overly impressed with her title by marriage deciding to settle down in the country with her lady's maid, both of whom have quite a history together and are more friends and companions than boss and servant. While out walking during their first week at their new country digs, they discover a body which leads them into crime solving mode. Not satisfied with who the police arrest for the crime, they take it upon themselves to figure out what the heck happened. But this murder leads to another and now they're really peaked to investigate. Since the latest murder takes place in the estate of one of their wealthy neighbors, Lady Hardcastle and her lady's maid are happily welcomed into the home under the guise of "research" for a detective story they're writing. Little does anyone know these ladies have some experience with detecting and even the investigator is stunned at their abilities. He's a stickler for the rules but also a funny little man and does welcome their input!

I laughed, I tried to figure out whodunnit and found this one quite entertaining! I love when book one is this fun, it makes me excited to read on. I can't wait to see what Lady Hardcastle and her maid get into next, whatever it is I don't doubt they'll figure it out! Happy Reading!

8 people found this helpful

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Dr. Cynthia Smith Goodwin

Delightful!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 27, 2022

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One jumps into this book without knowing much about the characters. Little by little, parts of their background are revealed cleverly as they fit comfortably into the story, unlike another writer I follow who goes over the same background details in the beginning of every book for pages and pages. I very much enjoyed the humor and the relationship between Lady Hardcastle and Flo, and I appreciated a story in which the police inspector was respectful of their input, instead of telling them to stay out of it and let the experts find the killer.(Yes, I’ve read many cozy mysteries!). The different parts of the story were cleverly woven together to a logical conclusion. I only wish that Lady Hardcastle were older-40 to have had all those adventures and retired to the country? I’m looking forward to the rest of the books in the series.

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

the female Sherlock and Watson

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 8, 2022

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If you like books with strong female characters or turn of the century mystery novels then take a crack at this. It’s a great read and a very good audible narration too.

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Erin Grey

Thoroughly Entertaining

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2023

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The banter between these two unlikely friends provided endless amusement. These are the most laidback, serene amateur detectives you'll ever meet, and I couldn't ask for more from a relaxing, hilarious read.

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Fun Seeing Where it All Begins for the Fantastic Amateur Detecting Duo

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 22, 2019

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I started with book three in this series, progressed forward, and finally took the opportunity to go back and get the first book in the series. The whimsical, cozy mystery paired with historical Edwardian setting was light and whimsical.

Actually, when I started listening, I realized that the first book introduced Lady Hardcastle and her ladies' maid, Florence Armstrong along with their new home and the other regular characters, in such a way that it didn't feel like the first book so much as the first of the stories that had been recorded. There are hints of their unusual, dangerous work abroad and no big explanation why the pair happened to be set upon 'a quiet life in the country' or why Lady Hardcastle and Florence have a relationship that is nearly family rather than an employer and servant from separate classes. The author trickles out the details and the reader/listener must catch them and piece them together as they go. Because I had experienced later books, those pieces stuck out easily to me. The meeting with Inspector Sunderland and the local villagers and neighborhood was fun.

There are two murder mysteries that have interesting crossover people and facts. One seems to involve a dead man from the village cricket team whose death was meant to appear like a suicide and then later, the death of a rag-time band trumpeteer that played at the engagement party of the local squire's daughter. A theft is tossed in for good measure.

I figured out one of the murders and part of the theft and the second murder, but the ultimate solution took me by surprise. Loved seeing the intrepid Flo able to get in some of her martial arts ability and spend time trailing along as they teased out the solution along side Inspector Sunderland.

Elizabeth Knowelden is an absolute gem of a narrator and the voice of this series for me. She laid out the Edwardian country village world, the variety of genders and accents, and kept the pace and tone for this series just right.

All in all, I thought this first entry was as fabulous as the later books and do not hesitate to put it out there as a good bet for historical cozy mystery lovers.

One person found this helpful

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Ouida L.

A delightful romp.

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on October 25, 2022

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Kinsey handles bantering conversation with a deft hand. I thoroughly enjoyed this first book in the series - enough so that I have ordered the next 7

One person found this helpful

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Kindle Customer wisdom seeker

Wow

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 2, 2023

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Absolutely love the story and characters. Its a note worthy book that makes you laugh out loud, this one will....several times. Then when I get to the end I find out a man was the author! Very good Mr. Kinsey. I look forward to reading the rest of the series . Thank you for such an entertaining book.

One person found this helpful

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Melissa Schott

great read

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 5, 2023

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I loved The characters in the book. There is a lot of humor with a great story line. It is a captivating mystery. I couldn't put it done.
I'm sure that the other books in ther series will just a good.

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The Reading Room

Outstanding Cosy Mystery

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 10, 2019

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Original, witty and an exceptionally good read. No hesitation – 5 Stars

I really enjoy a good cosy mystery, and ‘A Quiet Life in the Country’ is far better than simply ‘good’. Here’s a few of the reasons I found it so enjoyable:

●The main protagonists, Lady Hardcastle and Armstrong, are intelligent, sassy, and their banter is a joy to read.
●It has all the elements of a period cosy: Village location, gentry and servants, a genial police superintendent, and the obligatory doctor who also doubles-up as a pathologist.
●The historical detail is excellent, even down to the inclusion of a few archaic terms within the dialogue.
●The mix of subtle humour with dry witticisms, and tongue-in-the-cheek retorts gave rise to many a smile, and more than a few chuckles.
●The plot zips along at a very pleasing pace. There’s never a dull moment.
●As with all the best cosy mysteries, there is plenty for the amateur detectives to get their teeth in to. In this case two murders and a jewel theft.
●The history between Lady Hardcastle and Armstrong is revealed in little snippets. From China to India, theirs is a long and interesting association.
●Although in many ways a classic cosy, ‘A Quiet Life in the Country’ differs in that it breaks many of the social norms. Lady’s maid, Armstrong is clever, assertive and trained in martial arts.
●The price! Slightly crass to mention money it may be, but four to five hours of excellent entertainment for less than the price of a cup of tea has got to be worth shouting about.

I’ve read a lot of cosy mysteries, and have to say I found this is one of the very best in what is an increasingly competitive field. An absolute bonus is that there are more in the series…I’m off to download book two 😊

48 people found this helpful

RoseAnne

Disappointing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 15, 2019

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Even at 99p on Kindle, this book is poor. I was expecting quirky and amusing but found unconvincing and mediocre, with characters saying things such as "It's a fair cop. You've got me bang to rights, guv, and no mistake." The humour passed me by - for example, "I shall get on with some serious quaking in my boots just as soon as I've got my quaking boots on" seemed rather schoolboy humour to me. And I did not find that the relationship between the 2 main characters ever came to life; exchanges such as "come, servant, let us repair to the drawing room and I shall play" seemed to me a juvenile and unsuccessful attempt to conjure up an unconventional relationship.
Just not my cup of tea.

32 people found this helpful

Philip Meers

Amusing break from serious reading.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 15, 2022

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Having recently been reading a lot of nonfiction, I felt in the need for something light and entertaining. This turned out to be ideal.

It is certainly not great literature, not in the league of Agatha Christie, but it is pleasant enough. The characters remind me of Lord Peter Wimsey and Bunter, though the relationship between Lady Emily and Armstrong is a little more relaxed than Wimsey-Bunter. It made a pleasant change to have a Holmes-Watson female duo.

One of the problems with a set of new characters is informing the back-story, and I do not think that this was well handled. One can either devote a chunk of the start of the book to this, or drop little snippets into the story. The author chose the latter, which has led to some rather forced conversations: "do you remember...?" or "when we were in...".

The characters are a mixture, some reasonably well rounded. Others are like the cardboard policemen one sometimes sees at the entrance to a supermarket, flat and wooden, with some just a caricature of what would have been the reality (thinking of the rather laughable housekeeper at The Grange). Despite this, I found that some of the characters were quite likeable, and their "cor blimey govner" speech was amusing. I think that I was reading this as more of a pastiche of a crime novel, than something to be taken seriously.

Having said that, though, the storyline is actually good. Although it makes for some stilted conversations, Lady Emily shares everything with the reader, so you have to be alert to spot the red herrings, and certainly it isn't a story where you straight away go "the butler did it" (but did he, you'll need to read the book to find out).

On the whole I would recommend this book as a little light reading. As I said, it's not great literature, but neither is it rubbish. I found that it kept my attention, amused me, though not as laughing out loud, but more a smile. I enjoyed it.

3 people found this helpful

Elizabeth Westray

Great fun yarn with classic lady detectives!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on March 28, 2017

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Super who-dun-it, set in Agatha Christie country but with a more modern, egalitarian air. Well paced read, lovely sparky humour and intriguing characters. Enough sleuthing to keep the little grey cells rattling!

37 people found this helpful

CH new kindle owner

Great fun

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on July 25, 2022

Verified Purchase

This story bowls along at a cracking pace. Good characters, amusing dialogue and great fun to read.
If you want a gritty and dramatic tale filled with correct police procedure, this is not the book for you however if you're looking for an enjoyable read with a few laughs thrown in then dive headlong into this.
I shall be looking for others in the series.

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