Maggie RobinsonRezensionen

The only thing that kept me from giving this 5 stars, is the back and forth "I-want-him, I-don't-want-him" was just a BIT too much, over and over. The writing was pretty funny and sarcastic, and I thoroughly enjoyed the books that Caroline was writing. They seemed like real life romances.

OK for light fluff

cozy-mystery, law-enforcement, ghosts, amateur-sleuth, country-house, class-consciousness, historical-novel, historical-research, situational-humor, verbal-humor, rural, multiple-murder, lies, secrets, paranormal, detective, friendship, England, murder-investigation, 1920s, poisons, family-drama, family-dynamics*****

3 bodies in 4 days.
Addie attends some nearby friends, and who is there almost immediately to torment her? Right. The ghost of her philandering husband, Rupert. Then there is the first body, so she notifies The Yard and is fortunate enough to get DI Devenand Hunter, the very man she would LOVE to see more of. Always fun as well as a good mystery in this series!
I found the audio on sale and as it is narrated by Gemma Dawson, I chose audio.
Dreamscape Media/Poison Pen Press/Sourcebooks

paranormal, ghosts, cosy-mystery, situational-humor, historical-novel, historical-research, historical-setting, detective, friendship, England, class-consciousness, theft, thievery, poisons, murder, murder-investigation, law-enforcement, verbal-humor, 1920s, amateur-sleuth*****

Addie is a widow whose husband was brave in the Great War but became a real bounder and died in a motor accident. Now he returns as a ghost and reluctantly works to keep Addie safe so he can move on. Meanwhile he is driving her nutz. Especially as she is finding the local police detective entirely too interesting. This time most of the goings on are in London where she is expected to chaperone her younger sister who only wants to go about to all of the clubs that cater to the younger set. And then there are a series of poisonings. All the while there is a bit of major robberies being pulled off by a gang of young women. The characters are all a bit wacky and the story moves along quickly. Loved it as much as the first in series!
I found the audio on sale and as it is narrated by Gemma Dawson, I chose audio.
Dreamscape Media/Poison Pen Press/Sourcebooks

I liked this ok. It mostly centers around Eden dealing with having been abused, and how that impacts her sexuality, and that was handled in a way I really appreciated. But overall it didn't particularly wow me. Maybe I am getting over the theme of abused/traumatized heroines? (3.5 stars)

Not bad. Froth.

Lady Addy’s mother is arrested for murdering her lover. Addy needs the help of Inspector Dev Hunter, and of course her ghostly husband, Rupert, to find the real murderer. Lots of 1920s society hijinks, class distinction, and miscommunication before the exciting reveal of the real murderer.

This is the last book in this series and the author gives us a glimpse into the future of the characters at the end.

Surprising happenings!

Rather laconic cosy mystery complete with 1922’s upper crust acting somewhat like overbred, skittish hounds. Lady Adelaide Compton’s roguish ghostly husband becomes involved. This is important if he’s to continue on to the celestial plane. He must redeem himself. Turns out a ghost can pickup a lot of useful information.
It seems Addie’s very proper mother has been having a secret affair with the now, very dead Duke of Rufford. Not only that, but the Dowager Marchioness has been accused of the Duke’s murder.
If the true culprit can’t be uncovered Addie’s mother will hang.
Addie needs the help of Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter, and of course, her very dead husband Rupert. Rupert’s inclusion somewhat rings bells of a twisted Topper movie. (1937).
Working with the delectable Dev again is an added bonus for Addie even in these dire times.

A Poisoned Pen ARC via NetGalley

Just a tad too many suspects and the ghost of Rupert seemed clumsy. Otherwise a delightful start to a new series.

Although Lady Adelaide as been in mourning for her dead husband Rupert for only six months she decides to hold a weekend house party. Unfortunately for her a body is discovered on her estate grounds, probably murdered. Anglo-Indian Inspector Devenand Hunter is sent from the Yard to investigate. Complicating the issue for Lady Adelaide is her dead husband. It seems Rupert has been sent back as a ghost to redeem himself.
I enjoyed this cozy mystery, and it is a good solid start to the series. I probably would have preferred it to be a straight mystery without a ghost.
A NetGalley Book.

1925 and Lady Adelaide Compton and her sister Lady Cecilia have returned to London from a trip to New York. Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter of Scotland Yard finds himself with Sergeant Wells in the middle of a murder investigation.
Lady Adelaidde and Hunter meet up again when another murder is attempted. She persuades Hunter to let her investigate the suspects of her social set.
A delightful, well-written, light-hearted cozy mystery where Lady Adelaide is helped by her ghostly husband Rupert.
A NetGalley Book

paranormal, ghost, England, class-consciousness, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, family-dynamics, framed, friction, friendship, detective, historical-novel, historical-research, infidelity, situational-humor, cosy-mystery****

Addie has a dead philanderer of a husband (Rupert) who must continue on as a ghost until he has accumulated enough good deeds to move on, a mother who was doing a bit of philandering herself when she was caught with said paramour shot dead in her rooms. With her own gun. Addie also has a partner in detecting (DI Hunter of The Yard) who is on a short medical leave because of an injury and is present to do what detecting he can amongst the aristocracy. Add in a maid who feels that she is so very put upon, a bratty younger sister, and a raft of real characters in this lighthearted cozy mystery. I haven't read the earlier books and never felt lost. Good fun!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley. Thank you!

Widow Lady Adelaide (Addie) & her ghost husband, Rupert are back; this time at a weekend house party for "neighbors"; where the hostess is found poisoned in her conservatory just prior to tea.

I wasn't fond of this book, it fell flat due to the over abundance of narrative, lack of dialog & action (snooping) on Addie's part. Also tiring is Addie's continual haranguing of Rupert for his infidelities while he was alive.

The narrative was rather boring and the over-done conclusion came out of nowhere.

At first the narrative was down right boring, but as soon as the dialog & action began, the book improved.

Lady Adelaide (Addie) & her deceased (now ghost) husband, Reggie, investigate the poisonings of a group of nightclubbing young friends as well as the actions of a member of the Forty Dollies (a gang of dolled up young women thieves)

The book held my interest & next I'm on to the 3rd in the series.

NOBODY'S SWEETHEART NOW BY MAGGIE ROBINSON is the introduction of Lady Adelaide Mysteries.

Lady Adelaide, fresh out of mourning for her husband the sneak,playboy and all around adulterer is hosting her first get together at her stately mansion, when dead bodies start pilling up. Worse, her husband, Rupert has come back from the dead to harass Lady A and help her solve the murders. Rupert has been told by the "Big Guy" that he is assigned to assist and aid Lady A or he wont get into heaven. Lady A wants nothing to do with Rupert since she believes ,throughout the book she is going crazy.

Totally funny book ! Rupert,dead and a ghost following Lady A around, yes even in the bedroom, making snide remarks about everyone and doing his best to distract Lady A from falling in love with the Scotland Yard officer among other things. You cant help but laugh at this book .

Fun read. I like this series about a 1920’s widow who is haunted by the ghost of her dead, philandering husband, Rupert. She’s met Detective Inspector Dev Hunter, who is half Indian in the first novel in the series. He’s in love with her but feels Lady Adelaide is out of reach for him. But. Murder keeping bringing them together. Addie is invited to a summer house party, but on arrival the hostess has committed suicide or was she murdered? Then there’s the remains of a long dead soldier found by the gardners followed shortly after by the governess who fell or was pushed down the stairs. Rupert is sneaking around gathering information and passing it to Addie who then passes it on to Hunter under comical circumstances.

An interesting premise - Lots of fun

Really neat premise and original - loved the idea of a sneaky Cotswold rehabilitation. Also nice to see both mains struggling through their own issues in a whimsical fashion - and nice to see the female main enjoying herself as much as the next because of the extra fun she carries on board - so - quite endearing for a change. Looking forward to the next.

Who's Sorry Now? is the second entertaining, lighthearted mystery in the Lady Adelaide series by Maggie Robinson. As with the first, Nobody's Sweetheart Now, we find Lady Addie being haunted by her late rakish husband, Rupert. His mission is to protect her when she stumbles onto a murder, which she does with an alarming regularity. This time it's the death of several young people at a London nightclub. When the murderer's attempts almost takes the life of Addie's sister, Cee, Lady Adelaide decides to throw caution to the wind and help the police, headed by Inspector Hunter, find the culprit.

First, I've got to say I adore this series. The characters are well written and are always lots of fun. The era that the author has chosen for the setting is perfect. The roaring 20's is not common among the mystery genre, so it works to set this series apart from others. The mystery story line in this one was unique and kept me guessing right to the very end.

The only downside I found in the book was the number of characters. There were quite a lot and at times it was difficult to keep them sorted. The author did have the main character review the them a few times in a list, so this did help somewhat.

Overall, it was a great book and I look forward to reading the next to see how Addie and Dev's relationship pans out. I received an advanced copy of this book given to me by the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nobody's Sweetheart Now is a wonderfully funny mystery set in the English countryside in the 1920's. Lady Adelaide throws a weekend house party not long after the death of her charming, but wayward husband, Rupert. After an uninvited guest meets their early demise, Lady Adelaide volunteers to help Inspector Hunter find the murderer with a little assistance from beyond the grave.

This was one of the most delightful mysteries I've read in quite some time. The mystery plot was well written and kept me guessing until the end. The story was witty and had just the right amount of romance sifted in to keep it interesting without being a romance novel. The characters were well developed and fit the story and setting perfectly. Other than a few instances where the characters said phrases that seemed a little too modern for the time frame, this was a perfect mystery novel. I hope to see more in this series in the future.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

This a light and easy read.

Lady Adelaide is a very recent widow who is about to have a small house party (despite societal conventions) for a few close friends, when the ghost of her philandering husband shows up.

When an uninvited local neighbor & wild society divorcee is found dead & undressed in Addie's barn, there are no few suspects. Almost everyone at the house party disliked the dead woman, including the men whom she had flings with.

Addie, her ghostly husband (who has a talent for eavesdropping), & a Scotland Yard Inspector work to solve the case.

4.5

Book source ~ ARC. My review is voluntary and honest.

The London List is the bane of Lord Benton Gray’s existence. Every Tuesday it has featured his debaucherous shenanigans and he’s had enough. Enough, I tell you! He stomps down to the paper to give the editor a good dressing down only to find out his old love is the one running the place. Wut?! How in the name of all the sexy mistresses on Jane Street is this possible? She’s a woman. Dressed like a man. But he knows exactly who he, I mean she, is. Evangeline Ramsey. His very first (and only as it turns out) love.

Evie’s been caught with her hand in the printer’s ink. She’s been poking the London Bear and now he’s come agrowlin’ at her. She should have stopped writing about him, but just couldn’t seem to help herself. He’s the only one who ever made her blood sing and now that he’s in his 30s he should be thinking of settling down, not trying to top each ridiculous exploit he’s involved in. In any case, the jig is up. When he buys the paper from her father, she has to do some fast talking to get him to keep the paper open. And that’s where all the fun begins.

Despite the fact that Ben is a jackass in the beginning (um, who does he think he is trying to tell Evie how to live her life?), I really love this story. Evie is a strong woman with a great mind and a soft heart. She takes a failing paper and makes it profitable. She and her father aren’t rich by any means, but they have a house, some staff, and food on the table at least. Plus, she’s helping so many people through her personal ads that she needs to convince Ben to keep it going. During all of this negotiating they can’t seem to keep their hands off of each other. And that makes for some hilarious predicaments for Ben when he’s out in public with “Mr. Ramsey.” Humor and steamy action with wonderful characters make this a top read of 2019 for me. It’s entertaining and makes my heart all gooey, too. Bravo!

Lady Adelaide has returned from her NY trip with her sister and is staying in London. Her sister Cee is hitting all the night spots and Addy is tagging along and then the murders start happening at that brings Addy back in Inspector Hunter's investigation. When Cee is poisoned Addy starts asking questions of all friends and putting herself in danger. With ghost Rupert's help there's an exciting ending for the cop and the lady. Quick, fun read.½

I liked this book. It’s the 1920s and recently widowed Lady Adeline is hosting a house party at her country house which she has just finished refurbishing with her friends and relatives. It’s very hot and after an afternoon of tennis, everyone retires to their rooms. At tea time it’s discovered a deaf body has been found in the barn. The police are called and Addy is introduced to the handsome Inspector Devenand Hunter. Returning is her late husband, Rupert, in the form of a ghost only she can see and hear. Lots of suspects, snobs, entitled and the ghost.½

In Who’s Sorry Now?, Lady Adelaide Compton is just out of her year of mourning for her reprobate husband Rupert when her sister is poisoned while they were out at the Savoy. Luckily, Rupert warns her it is poison so she is able to act quickly. She soon discovers her sister is one in a series of poisonings and the only one to survive. The poisonings are being investigated by Dev Hunter, but Lady Adelaide is determined to investigate herself, pointing out her social standing gives her entreé to places Dev is unable to go.

As Lady Adelaide investigates she also plays matchmaker and problem-solver while her ghostly late husband provides invaluable clues as well. This all takes place during the era between the wars, the Jazz Age, and jazz clubs are the venues for much of the action.

I enjoyed Who’s Sorry Now?. It’s a cozy mystery investigated by conversation and socializing. Dev provides an element of police procedure but his contribution to the mystery is very much as a romantic interest and friendly foil to Lady Adelaide’s investigation. I appreciate that she is not rushing headlong into danger and calls the police to do the work police should do.

That her investigation is aided by the ghostly Rupert might prompt some to liken the stories to Charles Todd’s Ian Rutledge series which is also set during the same era. But Rupert is no Hamish McLeod. Instead, he is more like George and Marion Kerby who haunt Thorne Smith’s delightful Cosmo Topper. Written during the Twenties, these ghosts bring the kind a mischief and panache that Rupert embodies (or disembodies) rather than the brooding anger and grief of Hamish. These are lighthearted mysteries that are a delightful as a macaron.

Who’s Sorry Now? will be published June 1st. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Who’s Sorry Now? at Poisoned Pen Press
Maggie Robinson author site

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/05/26/9781464211355/

There's a lot to recommend this first Lady Adelaide mystery set in 1924 England. Robinson gives readers a good sense of the time period: so many women "left on the shelf" because of the hundreds of thousands of men killed in the war, people wanting to throw off gloom and misery and have fun. Anglo-Indian Inspector Devenand Hunter also shows people's attitudes toward someone of mixed race.

The cast of characters is an interesting mix. The secondary characters who arrive at Compton Court seem to be pulled from the Entitled and Obnoxious bin at Harrod's, but the first string more than held my interest. I liked Addie, her voice and her spirit. I also liked the fact that she rebelled against her mother's conformity as often as possible. For example, she wears her glasses. The women of her family have weak eyesight, but Addie's the only one who'd rather see where she's going than be vain and constantly walk into the furniture. Another point in her favor? She truly cares about her servants and purchases things to make their lives more comfortable.

The only way she worked my nerves was by her inability to keep her mouth shut when her husband's spirit would show up to talk at her when she's in a room with other people. Over and over again, it looked as though she was talking to thin air, and it's a wonder no one had her committed to the nearest mental health facility. Moreover, since the inspector from Scotland Yard came across her "talking to herself" most often it's surprising he believed a word she said. Speaking of the inspector, I liked his character most of all-- he has a different perspective from his time in the trenches as well as from dealing with the prejudices of others, and his parents are a constant source of amusement.

The author is known for her historical romances, which made me a bit nervous, but she kept the hearts and flowers to a minimum, and the story never bogged down with too many hormone-filled longings and ponderings. The one drawback to Nobody's Sweetheart Now is the fact that I really think the story could be just as good, if not better, by leaving the spirit of Addie's husband out completely. Other than making her look as though she's lost her mind, he has very little to do with the action. How do I feel about continuing with the series? I'll have to think about it. Addie's ghostly husband is almost a deal breaker.