Death At Glamis Castle (2003)

Sir Charles Sheridan and his wife Kate are vacation when he is summoned by the King to investigate what has happened to his son who is supposedly dead but residing at Glamis Castle under the name Lord Osborne. Sheridan's men are supposed to pretend to be training on bicycle maneuvers on a new folding bicycle as they are searching. There's a cozy version of espionage taking place in the novel between Germany and Great Britain. The novel is set in 1901. Kate and Charles are not at the top of my list of fictional detectives, and this book did nothing to promote them any higher or lower on the list. It's a somewhat mediocre series whose main draw is the historical setting. The author team (Susan Wittig Albert and her husband Bill) have done some research into the setting, and I appreciated the bibliography of historical sources. ( )

Enjoyable little historical fiction mystery series. ( )

The Sheridans' vacation is interrupted by a summons from Edward VII to investigate strange occurrences at legendary Glamis Castle. The castle history is the backdrop when the Sheridans learn that one of the housemaids at the castle was murdered and her throat was slit in a manner consistent with the crimes of Jack the Ripper. It is discovered that Lord Osborne is actually the king's eldest son, Edward, duke of Clarence, a one-time Ripper suspect, whose death was announced by Buckingham Palace a decade earlier. The Sheridan's inquiry takes place amid increasing British tensions with Imperial Germany, which adds espionage to the murder. The book is very good but not as good as some of the other Sheridan mysteries. ( )

“Death at Glamis Castle” is the 9th book in the Kate and Sir Charles Sheridan series. In this book Nell and her husband Sir Charles have received a royal summons snatching them from their working holiday excavating part of Hadrian’s Wall. Sir Charles has been called on by the king to investigate the disappearance of a prominent personage who has been living as a recluse at Glamis Castle. The personage is Price Albert Victor, the king’s eldest son and rightful heir to the throne, thought by all of Europe to have died ten years previously. However, not only has the Prince disappeared, but the woman who has tended to him has been murdered in a manner reminiscent of the Ripper killings in Whitechapel. Sir Charles and Kate are very much aware that one of the many rumors circulating at the time linked the Prince with the horrible murders. Has Prince Eddy finally snapped under the pressure of his confinement and taken up the knife once more? Is he an innocent victim of a plot to embarrass the monarchy? Sir Charles must find the prince and solve the murder at all costs before anyone outside the castle environs find out who the missing man is. ( )

Light reading with bits and pieces of genuine history about Bonnie Prince Charlie (18th century) and Prince Albert Victor (19th century) mixed with speculation based on conspiracy theories about Prince Albert Victor's death. Full review at www.HistoricalNovels.info