Robin Paige

The name "Robin Paige" usually guarantees an absorbing and even educational read, but DEATH AT WHITECHAPEL falls below the high standards set by the rest of this historical mystery series. Our pair of sleuths, Kate and Charles, stumble across clues to the identity of the perpetrator of the previous decade's "Jack the Ripper" killings - unfortunately, this particular theory's been trotted out a dozen times before now, and Alan Moore's FROM HELL should have been the final word on it.

Another show more problem is keeping the backstory straight: in the first novels in the series we were informed that Sir Charles gained his peerage through his work with cameras, but here we learn that it was *actually* as a result of his heroism in combat. (Make up your minds, authors!) There's also a morally-dubious subplot amongst the household staff, where a character resorts to poison to get rid of an unwanted face from the past.

Finally, the portrait of young Winston Churchill is quite dull: from the way he's portrayed he could be Any Edwardian Young Man, displaying none of the sharp wit and dogged determination Winnie was so famous for. This wouldn't be so bad by itself if the Greatest Briton of the 20th Century (TM) weren't made to look inferior to the two fictional sleuths (which he is here) and if he weren't found guilty of a fictional crime at the very end of the novel (admittedly based on an incident from his past, but exaggerated to make the consequences far more serious). It's bad enough to imply that Randolph Sr might have been part of the Masonic Plot, but to accuse Winnie, tGBot20thC (TM), of similar cruelty as well... It all adds up to a work that's not much fun to read, but, as I said, this isn't typical of the Paige oeuvre. Try BISHOP'S KEEP or GALLOWS GREEN instead. show less

Charles and Kate Sheridan are back investigating murder, this time at a motorcar show and balloon race that Charles has been strong-armed into hosting. I found the journey in this book to be more entertaining than the solution. The look at the early years of the auto industry is entertaining-- maximum speed is a rollicking twelve miles per hour. Speed demons abound! This series also features cameos by historical figures: in this one we get a version of the first meeting between Charlie Rolls show more and Henry Royce. I've never managed to figure out why Charles puts up with his friend's car mania and irresponsibility, but that gives us the plot of the book, and it is entertaining enough. show less

Book 72 - Robin Paige - Death at Bishop’s Keep

Well...after three really poor free eBooks...finally one worth reading. It was like a recipe straight from one of Mrs. Beeton’s cookery books.

Take a dash of Downton Abbey
Two spoonfuls of Miss Marple
Three murders straight from a Holmesian mystery
Make sure it gets time to prove
Then stick it in the AGA for 45mins

A wonderfully light, witty Victorian mystery...in some ways the murder mystery is sidelined for huge parts of the book as we get to show more know the main characters. An Irish American young lady, who is asked to come to England to be a secretary to her Aunt, is the main character...brutally honest in her dealings with the stiff upper lip English aristocracy she meets...

A fully realised novel with secret societies...battles below stairs and just a hint...and a hint is enough...of romance.

Robin Paige I discovered is the pseudonym of husband-and-wife writing team Susan Wittig Albert and Bill Albert.

Expertly brought together so that you really feel the loss of characters. I loved it and am extremely glad to know that there are at least a dozen books in the series...woo hoo show less

Kate Ardleigh is the 1894 version of a modern American girl. When she learns that she has an aunt who lives at Bishop's Keep in England and who wants to hire her as her secretary, she is eager for the adventure. Kate has been making her living as the author of serial stories filled with mystery and sensationalism. She views the opportunity to travel to a foreign country as a perfect opportunity to research her books.

Kate hardly expects to find murders, buried family secrets and secret show more societies in her real life. Nonetheless, that is what she finds when she arrives at Bishop's Keep. She quickly becomes close to her Aunt Sabrina who is a free thinking woman who is interested in the spiritualism that was so popular in the 1890s but she doesn't at all care for her Aunt Jaggers who is the very embodiment of the poor relation come to live with her sister and very resentful of her. She is also a very harsh disciplinarian of the servants whom she feels will go bad with any sort of indulgence - like sugar for their tea or carpets and a fireplace in their lounge. Naturally, this has caused the atmosphere at Bishop's Keep to be very uncomfortable filled as it is with sullen servants. It also leads Kate to wonder what hold Aunt Jaggers has over Aunt Sabrina that Sabrina would allow her sister such free reign in the household.

Our hero is Sir Charles Sheridan. He is a man of means who is interested in science and photography. He enters the story when he takes pictures of a corpse at an archaeological site he is photographing and becomes curious about the murder. He meets Kate who is also making inquiries about the murder on her aunt's behalf. While Charles is fascinated with Kate, he doesn't quite know what to make of a woman so different than the upper class women who are the fixtures in his life. While he is more liberal than the usual Victorian male, he still holds on to some cultural views about women that Kate is constantly upsetting.

I enjoyed the mystery and the wonderful depiction of Victorian England. I can't wait to read more stories about Kate and Sir Charles. show less