book 2 of The Accomplished Mysteries
short story , fast read .

when Charlotte's soon to be fiance ends up murdered on the night he plans to ask her uncle for her hand in marriage Charlotte's friends Mariah must prove her friends Edwin innocent by finding the real killer. ( )

book 2 of The Accomplished Mysteries
short story , fast read .

when Charlotte's soon to be fiance ends up murdered on the night he plans to ask her uncle for her hand in marriage Charlotte's friends Mariah must prove her friends Edwin innocent by finding the real killer. ( )

I received this book free from Library Thing to read and review. This story is a companion to another one, Accomplished in Murder, which is part of this series. However, the reader does not need to read both to enjoy and understand the stories because the connection between the two is not very complex and has no bearing on either story. In this story, Mariah Featherstone is visiting a country friend when a murder takes place. This strong, intelligent detective takes it upon herself to figure out who did the murder, thereby exonerating a former beau who has been charged with the murder. As in the other story, this strong female lead, living in the Victorian era, finds some difficulty maneuvering her way through the events. However, she prevails and succeeds. As in the other story, I found the strong female lead inspiring and refreshing and the other characters and storyline authentic. I do wish the story could have gone on longer because I wanted to get to know Mariah better and to not feel so rushed reading through the story. I hope there will be more of this series, though I wish the author would consider writing something longer than a novella. She definitely writes well enough and the stories and characters are interesting enough to be a regular, full-length novel. ( )

The Book Report: A Kindle original novella. Miss Mariah Featherstone is visiting her friend Charlotte at the home of Charlotte's guardian and uncle, Sir Harold Morley. She knows Charlotte's fondest wish is to marry the local curate, Mr. Pettifor, who most regrettably turns up dead...whit Mariah's rejected suitor and fellow houseguest. Mr.Edwin Winterbourne, hovering over him. A rush to justice then begins, and poor Mr. Winterbourne...Mariah might not want to marry him, but she does not want to see him hanged for the crime of another person.

So off goes Mariah, speaking to the son of the Morley house, to Lady Morley, to the mad daughter of the house, to Miss Pettifor the curate's very young sister, all in aid of Mr. Winterbourne's proof of innocence. She must clamber over fences (dressed as a man, no less!), interview angry people on every side, and still maintain a watch over poor, poor Charlotte's bedside, as her friend is prostrated with grief.

In the end, of course, justice is served and punishment is meted out to the guilty. It is what mysteries do best, after all.

My Review: This was a perfect palate-cleanser between my recent five-star read of an historical novel and the rest of literature. It is short, and it is a mystery, and it has a charming premise, so I thought whattheheck and Kindled it up.

Very glad I did. Its aforementioned virtues are delivered upon with charm and verve. I thoroughly liked Miss Featherstone, and while the novella length doesn't allow for such fripperies as careful characterization or extensive puzzle-building, it does deliver the goods in shorthand versions of same.

Charming. Winsome. Most amusing. Worth two hours or so of your reading time, when heavier fare lacks savor. ( )