Brazen Curiosity (Beatrice Hyde-Clare Mysteries #1) by Lynn Messina
Let's Meet Author Lynn Messina:
"Lynn Messina is the author of 14 novels, including Fashionistas, which has been translated into 16 languages, and The Love Takes Root series of Regency romances. Her essays have appeared in Self, American Baby and the Modern Love column of The New York Times. She's also a regular contributor to the Times Motherlode blog. Lynn lives in New York City with her sons." ~Amazon
Find more about her and her books here:
“A feisty heroine hiding behind a mousy facade…”
England 1816
"Twenty-six-year-old Beatrice Hyde-Clare is far too shy to investigate the suspicious death of a fellow guest in the Lake District. A spinster who lives on the sufferance of her relatives, she would certainly not presume to search the rooms of her host's son and his friend looking for evidence. Reared in the twin virtues of deference and docility, she would absolutely never think to question the imperious Duke of Kesgrave about anything, let alone how he chose to represent the incident to the local constable.
And yet when she stumbles upon the bludgeoned corpse of poor Mr. Otley in the deserted library of the Skeffingtons' country house, that's exactly what she does." ~Amazon
Praise for A Brazen Curiosity:
“Sparkling with wit and brimming with mystery”
“Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie”
“Amazingly charming, entertaining & just delightful”
“Intriguing, fast-paced and funny”
“Adorable cozy mystery & witty Regency”
Numeric Breakdown:
1: didn't like it/skip it
2: it was okay/it wasn't for me
3. liked it/worth a read
4. really liked it/loved it
5. it was amazing/must read!
2: it was okay/it wasn't for me
3. liked it/worth a read
4. really liked it/loved it
5. it was amazing/must read!
A story with potential -- suspects, characters, and comedy.
Author Lynn Messina gives us a comedic beginning and a dead body all within the first two chapters. We aren't left long in suspense of who's going to be murdered, but it's a long journey to finding out who the culprit is and why. The first book in the series, A Brazen Curiosity, sets up our main protagonist Miss Beatrice Hyde-Clare. She's been taken in by her aunt and uncle after the death of her parents. She's described as "mild-mannered" and an "old maid" at the age of twenty-six. You get the feeling that she's an interpretation of Cinderella, but I'm not sure if her initial description fits her entire character as we continue through the story.
Her bullseye of a mental food fight and animosity seems centered on Damien Matlock, Duke of Kesgrave. He's a bit on the arrogant, silent, and used-to-getting-his-way type of character. His attitude has struck Beatrice the wrong way, and she sits through their meal together at her family friend's house thinking of pelting him with food. This initial dislike is built upon his smug uneasiness at being the possible target of matchmaking. Bea's internal dialogue is lengthy and shares multiple sides of her family life, thoughts about herself, and antagonism toward the lord.
As the story progresses, we see this dislike continue throughout, and the mystery becomes an antagonistic source of wills. However, by chapter three, I'm confused over who the victim is. I've been caught up in Bea's inner dialogue for so long, and her brief preview of all the characters gathered at the dinner party, that I'm a little disoriented about who is who. So, I had to flip back to refresh my memory and refocus on the characters. For me, this showed a sign of a lack of connection for me in the mc. Her point of view is so wide and full, I don't necessarily feel connected and invested in her conversation.
Then there's the concoction of presenting Mr. Otley's murder as a suicide. That caught me completely off-guard since the scene we readers are introduced to makes such an event impossible. It seems ludicrous to even have the idea introduced let alone substantiated throughout a good bit of the story. I fear this twist as well as the significant amount of telling and unbalanced hostility between Bea and the Duke led this to not be my all-time favorite mystery.
When the culprit is revealed, I found I'd already come to suspect the intended but didn't have a solid reason as to why -- beyond elimination of other suspects and because the offender seemed a bit too impossible. I felt the given reason to substantiate murder was feasible, but it didn't strike me as 100% logical in keeping with the original character presented of the killer. The unraveling of who did it and why was a bit of fun and how it all came together was well-presented. This certainly held some good red-herrings, foreshadowing, and comedic outlets, but some of the dislike Bea shows Kesgrave as the story continues becomes a little monotonous.
If anyone is looking for a new historical mystery, I'd suggest this as an offering. As the 3/5 rating suggests, it's worth a try, and you might find yourself falling in love with the writing style of this author and the first book in this eight book (thus far) series.
Thank you for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!! :)
~Rebecca Reddell, Author
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