Death Comes to the Village by Catherine…

Death Comes to the Village (edition 2013)

by Catherine Lloyd

Series: Kurland St. Mary Mystery (1)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
188	11	144,438	(3.54)	30
Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML: A wounded soldier and a rector's daughter discover strange goings-on in their sleepy English village in this Regency-era mystery series opener. Major Robert Kurland has returned to the quiet vistas of Kurland St. Mary to recuperate from the horrors of Waterloo. However injured his body may be, his mind is as active as ever. Too active, perhaps. When he glimpses a shadowy figure from his bedroom window struggling with a heavy load, the tranquil façade of the village begins to loom sinister... Unable to forget the incident, Robert confides in his childhood friend, Miss Lucy Harrington. As the dutiful daughter of the widowed rector, following up on the major's suspicions offers a welcome diversion�??but soon presents real danger. Someone is intent on stopping their investigation. And in a place where no one locks their doors, a series of thefts and the disappearance of two young serving girls demands explanation... As Robert grapples with his difficult recovery, he and Lucy try to unearth the dark truth lurking within the village shadows, and stop a killer waiting to strike again... Praise for Death Comes to the Village "[A] delightful debut...Readers will hope death returns soon to Kurland St. Mary."�??Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Lloyd combines a satisfying mystery with plenty of wit and character development."�??Bookli*… (more)*

▾Book information

Member:	readinggeek451
Title:	Death Comes to the Village
Authors:	Catherine Lloyd
Info:	Kensington (2013), Paperback, 288 pages
Collections:	Read but unowned
Rating:
Tags:	mystery, historical fiction, amateur detectives, 1800s, England, 2014

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Death Comes to the Village by Catherine Lloyd

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Showing 1-5 of 11 (next | show all)

A very nicely written comfortable cosy mystery with a smart female lead, bored with duty and an incapacitated Lord of the Manor returned from war. Lovely. (

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Stephen.Lawton | Aug 7, 2021 |

A re-read of the book so that I can eventually read the fourth in the series. Second and third books to go.
In this first of a new (for me) Regency series, February 1816, we meet Miss Lucy Harrington, eldest daughter of the village's vicar, and childhood friend of a badly injured Major Robert Kurland.
The Major after seeing a shadowy figure late one night confides this in Miss Harrington. Leading to the investigation of two missing girls and the apparent theft of small objects from various homes.
Enjoyed reading about the characters and look forward to reading the next in the series. (

)

Vesper1931 | Jul 29, 2021 |

A very engaging cosy mystery. The characters are well-characterised and the mystery is full of interesting twists and turns in a small country village. I admired the author's ability to create the admirable Lucy, a strong-minded young woman for whom I felt great sympathy, although some would (and did) call her "A Managing Female" (you can just hear a *sniff*). The male protagonist, Major Kurland is the sort of curmudgeonly gentleman who respects an unconventional woman and treats Lucy to his scathing opinions when he is cross from coping with a battlefield injury.

The main attraction in this series will be these two characters, constantly playing off each other's foibles yet enjoying the sleuthing and challenges in solving the mysteries. I'm looking forward to devouring this series and following the fates of several supporting actors. (

)

SandyAMcPherson | Oct 25, 2020 |

An enjoyable start to an interesting period and series. Lucy and the Major are credible sleuths that are united by their interest in locating the missing maids and resolving; who is the village pilferer? Lots of domestic issues to overcome as they seek the answers. (

)

jamespurcell | Aug 12, 2018 |

Fast read. Minister's daughter is nursing the grumpy Major Kurtland, who is wounded from his time in the Battle of Waterloo. He wakes one night and manages to get out of bed and go to the window where he sees what he believes is a man carrying a bundle over his shoulder. The next day during her visit Lucy tells him that one of the maids at the rectory has gone missing. They also learn of items being stolen in the village and strategize on how to investigate. Lucy puts herself in danger by her snooping and asking questions around the village and reporting her findings to the major. Lucy is 25 and considered an old maid and is saddled with the responsibility of caring for younger siblings. (

)

Kathy89 | Jul 4, 2018 |

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Kurland St. Mary Mystery (1)

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Canonical title

Death Comes to the Village

Original title

Alternative titles

Original publication date

2013-11-26

People/Characters

Major Robert Kurland (recovering from injuries he got at Waterloo)

Lucy Harrington (the rector's eldest daughter)

Foley (Major Kurland's butler)

Mr. Bookman

John Bookman (Robert's valet | a former soldier)

(show all 43 items)

Important places

Kurland St. Mary, Essex, England, UK (village, Sussex-Essex border, 25 mi north of London)

Kurland Hall, Kurland St. Mary, Essex, England, UK

Rectory, Kurland St. Mary, Essex, England, UK

Hathaway House, Kurland St. Mary, Essex, England, UK

Devry Tomb, St. Mary Church, Kurland St. Mary, Essex, England, UK

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

This is for my mum, Pat,
because she can finally put this one
out on her coffee table without blushing.
Love you, Mum XX

First words

Damnation!' [no opening quotation marks]

Quotations

Miss Harrington smiled at him. [Robert Kurland]

'What is it?'

'It's nice to see you taking an interest in your land again.'

He raised an eyebrow. 'Isn't that what you hoped to accomplish with all your badgering?'

She lifted her chin. 'A lady never badgers, sir, she merely ''requests.''' (chapter 8)

Last words

(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

Disambiguation notice

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Original language

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Canonical LCC

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Wikipedia in English

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▾Book descriptions

Fiction. Mystery. Historical Fiction. HTML:

A wounded soldier and a rector's daughter discover strange goings-on in their sleepy English village in this Regency-era mystery series opener.
Major Robert Kurland has returned to the quiet vistas of Kurland St. Mary to recuperate from the horrors of Waterloo. However injured his body may be, his mind is as active as ever. Too active, perhaps. When he glimpses a shadowy figure from his bedroom window struggling with a heavy load, the tranquil façade of the village begins to loom sinister...
Unable to forget the incident, Robert confides in his childhood friend, Miss Lucy Harrington. As the dutiful daughter of the widowed rector, following up on the major's suspicions offers a welcome diversion�??but soon presents real danger. Someone is intent on stopping their investigation. And in a place where no one locks their doors, a series of thefts and the disappearance of two young serving girls demands explanation...

As Robert grapples with his difficult recovery, he and Lucy try to unearth the dark truth lurking within the village shadows, and stop a killer waiting to strike again...

Praise for Death Comes to the Village
"[A] delightful debut...Readers will hope death returns soon to Kurland St. Mary."�??Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Lloyd combines a satisfying mystery with plenty of wit and character development."�??Bookli

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