Fishing for Bodies
Last year, I discovered the Stella and Lyndy Mysteries. This series, set in the New Forest region of England in 1905, features an American heiress who has found herself engaged to a member of the English nobility thanks to an arranged marriage. After enjoying the first, I was looking forward to the second, Murder at Blackwater Bend. I wasn’t disappointed.
Over the last few months, Stella Kendrick and Viscount “Lyndy” Lyndhurst have been getting to know each other as they plan their wedding. Stella has found that, no matter what she does, she can not please her further mother-in-law, but she is growing to love Lyndy.
An early morning fishing trip embroils the two in another murder, however. Stella’s line snags on something, and when she goes to free it, she finds it to be the dead body of Lord Fairbrother, a neighbor. Lord Fairbrother was not a nice man, but the main suspect seems to be the local snake catcher, someone that Stella has befriended. Will Stella and Lyndy figure out what really happened?
Like the first book, this story is told from multiple third person points-of-view. The changes are always easy to follow, and they help us get a complete picture of what exactly is going on.
The mystery is wonderful. I loved how things developed as I was reading. We get some nice sub-plots and red herrings along the way. Yet, everything comes together for a logical climax. As I reached the ending, I was actually in awe with how everything tied together at the end. It really is a masterfully put together plot.
The characters are mostly wonderful. Stella and Lyndy certainly are great. I love spending time with them together and separately. Watching them build their relationship is a true highlight of the book. Lyndy’s mother is a pain in the neck, but in an enjoyable way. Okay, I probably wouldn’t like her if I had to deal with her, but since I’m just reading about her, I can enjoy her. I wish I could say the same for Stella’s father. He crosses some lines for me that take him from enjoyable to horrible a few times. Fortunately, the rest of the book makes it easy to overlook how boorish he can be. And the rest of the cast is charming when they aren’t leading our sleuths astray.
Murder at Blackwater Bend proves this is a historical series to pay attention to. I plan to read the third soon. If you haven’t started the series yet, I definitely recommend it.
Be sure to check out the rest of the Stella and Lyndy Mysteries.
I love that cover!
ReplyDeleteI love murder mysteries set in small towns and marvel at the idea that one village can sustain so many murders :-)
ReplyDeleteLove it when you get a series with an out of the ordinary setting. Not sure I have ever read anything set in the New Forest.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this book with the Hist Fic challenge!