In the second book in the Kurland St. Mary Mystery series by Catherine Lloyd, readers are entertained in a humdrum way by \u201cthe season\u201d in London. Lucy Harrington has arrived from the village of Kurland St. Mary with her beautiful sister, Anna, in hopes of finding her a suitable husband – and maybe one for Lucy, too. Meanwhile, Major Robert Kurland finds himself moving in the same circles as he awaits a high honor from the Prince Regent. A death is, once again, the catalyst for Kurland and Harrington to partner – and continually bicker through – an investigation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt was a new dress and she\u2019d felt fashionable and daring until she\u2019d seen what the other ladies were wearing.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing Style<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I have to mention the writing style when speaking of this series, as it\u2019s not totally my cup of tea, and probably not the most fluid that I\u2019ve read. I\u2019m wondering if this is intentional as it seems that the characters are relatively obtuse, at times, but it may not be.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n The writing is more matter-of-fact than emotional; even during a dramatic death scene, the characters just sort of leave the room quickly and nothing further is mentioned about the impact (emotionally, or on the storyline). Throughout the novel, I find myself asking \u201cWhat next?\u201d or \u201cHow does Y relate to X?\u201d and expecting a forthcoming answer, although I rarely get one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, the above quote is the end of a paragraph. There\u2019s no mention of what the other ladies are wearing, so the reader doesn\u2019t know how to interpret this remark. Is Lucy\u2019s dress inferior or does she just feel that way? Again, this may be intentional in allowing me to draw my own conclusions – I just don\u2019t really like having to do that as it\u2019s not my story. Nonetheless, the dry style isn\u2019t enough to put me off reading the series, and I think you should give it a shot regardless of what I\u2019ve just said, because it\u2019s still an entertaining read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe found it much easier to converse with other guests in a more intimate setting and felt less on show like a prize turkey at the county fair.\u201d<\/strong><\/em> \u201cThe Season\u201d in London<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Viewing the setting through either Lucy Harrington or Robert Kurland\u2019s eyes does not give the reader the usual romantic, extravagant vibe when picturing a victorian matchmaking ball. After Lucy\u2019s initial excitement wore off (and Robert\u2019s was never there), the reader has the sense of reluctance – \u201cNot another<\/em> dance.\u201d As two countryfolk who like to do more than make idle conversation, the scene ends up being rather mundane and matter-of-fact for both characters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe\u2019d seen many die, but not in such bizarre surroundings as a ballroom.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Plot<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Although the romantic aspect of this book is lacking, the mystery is adequate. With multiple deaths, stolen jewels, and a crazy ex-fiancee, the plot (while not being thrilling; see \u201cwriting style\u201d) moves along well. It was enough to hold my interest, and towards the end I really didn\u2019t want to put the book down.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am actually okay with not as much romance as part of the plot. I don\u2019t necessarily need to know every single thought one character has about another. However, I do want a little more from this book in terms of background information (do they even have feelings for each other, for a start) just so I can start to guess at where it\u2019s heading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lucy and Robert<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the things I find irritating about Robert Kurland is that we know virtually nothing about him, aside that he was a Major in the battle of Waterloo and has a residual leg injury. I don\u2019t know how old he is, what he wants in life, what his plans are for the village, etc. There\u2019s a lot to be learned about his character – again, questions that I ask throughout the book but never seem to get an answer to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We know a decent amount about Lucy, on the other hand. Her father is a miserly priest who expects her to fulfill the household role of her dead mother, whereas she wants a chance at a life of her own. Her sister Anna is beautiful, and their father has always looked to Anna as his daughter, while Lucy is almost something of a maidservant. As Lucy is able to gain some independence, she\u2019s beginning to think about the different kinds of futures that lie in front of her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the first book as well as this, there are mentions of Lucy wanting to marry Major Kurland. Major Kurland is unaware of these feelings, and I get the impression that they\u2019ve lessened as she\u2019s worked for him. Major Kurland remains blissfully unattached, emotionally or maritally, to any woman throughout this book and the first one. I don\u2019t even see a hint of attraction towards Lucy, aside from holding her at a higher regard because she\u2019s not an idiotic female. It remains a mystery in itself to see if these two will ever develop real feelings for each other (again, a subject that I wish was slightly more explored).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n All-in-all, I think you should give this book a shot – again, I’d advise starting with the first, but it’s not crucial to following this one. \u00a0You can decide whether you like the writing style or not, and whether there’s a future for Lucy and Robert. Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Author: Catherine Lloyd In the second book in the Kurland St. Mary Mystery series by Catherine Lloyd, readers are entertained in a humdrum way by \u201cthe season\u201d in London. Lucy Harrington has arrived from the village of Kurland St. Mary with her beautiful sister, Anna, in hopes of finding her a suitable husband – andContinue reading “Title: Death Comes to London Author: Catherine Lloyd”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[49,52,71,157,165,219,236,287],"class_list":["post-26","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-book","tag-book-review","tag-catherine-lloyd","tag-historical-fiction","tag-historical-mystery","tag-kurland-st-mary","tag-london","tag-mystery","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":695,"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26\/revisions\/695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samiamreading.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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\u201cShe looked remarkably happy, and quite unlike herself in a fashionable ball gown with its puffed sleeves and low-cut bodice.\u201d<\/strong><\/em>
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