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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780425164358
ISBN number: 0425164357
Label: Berkley
Manufacturer: Berkley
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: July 01, 1998
Publishing house: Berkley
Sale Popularity Level: 83755
Studio: Berkley
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Editor's Notes and Comments:
Product Description:
Kate Adrleigh is everything the Victorian English gentlewoman is not--outspoken, free-thinking, American...and a writer of the frowned upon 'penny-dreadfuls.'
Soon after her arrival in Essex, England, a body is unearthed in a nearby archeological dig--and Kate has the chance to not only research her latest story...but to begin her very first case with amateur detective Sir Charles Sheridan.
User popularity level:
Rated by buyers 
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This is the very first book in a really great series. Be prepared for a longer exposition as they have to establish the new character but once this is done, the book takes off and a great series begins.
I am a huge fan of British mysteries and this Victorian era series is being added to my list of favorites that include the Brenna Taylour series by Jo Hiestand and the MC Beaton Agatha Raisin series. I just ordered four more books and can't wait to snuggle up with a new one and a cup of something warm!
Rated by buyers 
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"Death at Bishop's Keep" was a book that I could not put down. The short chapters & interesting plot made for fast reading. This book is set in late Victorian England & delves into the Order of the Golden Dawn, which was as esoteric society & part of spiritualism. I have been interested in the Order of the Golden Dawn for some time, so I could not believe that "Death at Bishop's Keep" was about this society. I am a fan of the China Bayles series, so I would have read "Death at Bishop's Keep" anyway.
There are appearances by 3 major literary figures: W. B. Yeats, Oscar Wilde, & Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. These cameos made the book for me. I also loved the fact that one of the main characters, Kate Ardleigh, writers penny dreadfuls. My only negative comment about this book would be the Victorian setting. I never felt like I had been transported to 1890s Victorian England. In her China Bayles series, the author does a magnificent job of giving each book a Texas feel.
Rated by buyers -
I got started in the series with one of the later books, Death at Blenheim Palace, and was totally taken by the historical detail and the quality of the characters, so I purchased several more in the series, this is the introductory story.
As with the other works, the husband-wife authors have worked magic with their thorough research of the period in which they have set their action. Susan Wittig Albert is a former professor of literature--I assume it is she who is primarily responsible for the writing--and this is abundantly apparent from the skillful use of the English language and the principles of composition; this is very readable literature, not just a "who-dunnit."
Also evident is the extent to which there is attention to the details of the period. The research has to have been pretty immersive, since little that creates an authentic ambiance has been neglected. I presume, although I could find out very little about him, that Bill Albert is responsible for the research, and I suspect a degree of at least some level in history. Whatever the case, it seems to be quite thorough, which makes the books the two write together very authentic.
In this case the characters of this and the succeeding volumes are introduced to the reader. The heroine is a plucky but poor Irish-American woman or "spinster," since she is unmarried yet at 27. She is given passage to England by her aunt who wants a good companion/secretary, and the action takes off.
The murders are set in the "small" country estate of her benefactress, and involve secret societies, secret sins, and mysterious upstairs/downstairs tensions. Although the book contains fewer historic figures than the later works by the authors--although Conon Doyle and Oscar Wilde do appear briefly--the authentic presentation of society during the Victorian-Edwardian period is already in full swing.
The sense of the political and cultural change going on at this time is very evident. Europe and Great Britain have yet to go through the turmoil that brought about the modern era. Being privileged to the knowledge of WWI and WWII and the changes that these wars introduced, the reader can almost sense how close to the edge the characters are.
The murder is predictable to anyone familiar with the genre, even the murder is not a surprise, but the historical ficiton itself is well worth the price.
Lovely entertainment.
Rated by buyers -
I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed this book. I am anticipating reading the subsequent one just to see how the relationship between the main characters develope. Kate is not the typical Victorian lady of the time period, but she definitely has spunk. Charles is a bit different as well. I kept picturing these two as Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
The historical detail was delightful because I love the Victorian era. The mystery flowed with plenty of clues and turns in the story that made the reader keep guessing at who might have done it. The finding of the feather was definitely a BIG clue, and Kate found that.
So enjoyable, I am going to read the subsequent one in the series. Would recommend to all cozy mystery readers who love history thrown into their readings.
Rated by buyers -
If you like historical figures blended with a detective .you will enjoy this book quiet a easy read and since reading this book i have bought the remaining 11 books in the series
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