Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Sophia Rose Reviews- Death Comes To Bath by Catherine Lloyd

Today I once again turn over the blog to my friend Sophia Rose who brings us her thoughts on this cozy from the English Regency period.
Enjoy!


Death Comes to Bath by Catherine Lloyd, Narrated by Cat Gould
#6 Kurland St. Mary Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery
Publisher:  Tantor Audio
Published:  8.27.19
ISBN:  1496702123
Time:  8 hours 34 minutes
Rating: 4
Narrator Rating: 5
Format:  MP3
Source:  Tantor Audio
Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads:

GoodReads Blurb:
On a visit to Bath, Major Sir Robert Kurland and Lady Lucy Kurland discover that the English spa town is not beneficial to everyone's health . . .
 
After Sir Robert's injury from the battle of Waterloo begins troubling him again, his wife Lucy insists they relocate from the village of Kurland St. Mary to Bath, along with her sister Anna, so that Robert can take the waters and recover.

At the Roman baths, Robert befriends an elderly and pugnacious businessman, Sir William Benson, ennobled by the Crown for his service to industry. Their acquaintance is short-lived, however, when the man is found drowned in the baths. Robert vows to find his killer, with Lucy's aid.

The members of Sir William's family seem the most obvious suspects to benefit from the wealthy man's death, but his will has gone missing. To deduce who sent Sir William to a watery grave, Robert and Lucy must investigate with the utmost discretion—before they too find themselves in over their heads .

Sophia Rose's Review:


I spotted this series a little while ago and just now had the chance to give it a go.  I love reading books from the English Regency period and adding in a mystery becomes icing on the cake. 

This was obviously a series that had been out for a while and, as I discovered, while listening, it probably would have worked much better getting it in order since the romance, family, and friend relationships developed over the course of the series.

Now, that said, the mystery was restricted to this book and the primary players in the mystery were all new and introduced as well as the setting so, in a sense, it was pretty easy to read/listen to it as a standalone or out of order.

I had a good time on the case with Robert and Lucy who were an interesting pair in their own right along with their friends and Lucy's sister.  The mystery was joined by a few personal plot threads from their circle of family and friends.  The Regency background along with the Bath setting were well written.
It did pace out slower and had a few small lag moments, but I didn't mind since it got back going readily enough.

This was my first time experiencing Cat Gould's narration work and I thought she was a fab match for this style of story and a period mystery.  I liked the way she voiced the main players and the servants for gender, age, and class and I liked her pace and tone throughout.

All in all, this was a fun and engaging historical cozy mystery that made me eager to go back to the beginning of the series and start from there to get the whole backstory as well as progress forward when the next book in the series releases.  Definitely recommend.

Author Bio:
Catherine Lloyd was born just outside London, England, into a large family of dreamers, artists, and history lovers. She completed her education with a master’s degree in history at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and uses the skills she gained there to research and write her historical mysteries. Catherine currently lives in Hawaii with her husband and youngest daughter..
Website:  https://www.catherine-lloyd.com/

Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, and gardening. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.
Sophia’s Social Media Links:

10 comments:

  1. I don't think I've read a historical cozy mystery before, that sounds like a fun combination of genres. It's nice how with the mystery being solved in each book you can start series like this wherever you want, although I still prefer to start at the beginning. Will have to look this one up. Good to know the narration was well done too.

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    1. I thought that was the best of both worlds, too. Yes, definitely look for the beginning of the series when you get the chance at it, Lola. :)

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  2. Sophia Rose, a Regency mystery is not usually on my reading list but I like that the relationships develop over time but it doesn't mean you can't enjoy a mystery out of order. Great review thanks

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    1. I haven't seen many of them, but I do love my historicals so this was a total win. And, yes, getting it out of order didn't totally ruin it for me. :)

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  3. I'm glad you enjoyed this cozy mystery Sophia despite it being a slower pace and lagging a little bit. Cat Gould sounds like an awesome narrator, and I think it's always fun when you can discover a new to you series that's already out and start from the beginning. Wonderful Review!

    Lindy@ A Bookish Escape

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    1. Testament to the writing when I could feel it lag, but not want to put it down. :)
      I need to go back and read the earlier ones now. Thanks, Lindy!

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  4. It's not really my kind of read but I'm glad you enjyed it.

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