Lady Helena Investigates

Lady Helena Whitcombe, newly widowed, has lost three beloved men: her cousin Daniel, her father, and her husband Justin, who once rescued her from grief. Now her brother Michael—youngest of seven siblings yet heir to the title of Earl of Broadmere—seeks to control every aspect of her life: her household, her late husband's estate, even the sheep. Most of her sisters add their own opinions about propriety. Only her sister Odelia, an independent artist, and Julia, Michael's wife, offer Helena relief from Michael's overbearing authority. The family could not have anticipated that Armand Fortier, Physician and Surgeon, would call upon Lady Whitcombe and share his disturbing opinion on Justin's accident.

Woven throughout the storyline is show more an accurate portrayal of the suffocating family expectations driven by societal and cultural norms in 1881 Sussex, England. The restrictions extend far beyond the mourning period itself, dictating every aspect of Helena's existence: what she may wear, where she may go, what activities are permissible both on and off the estate, and even how she must conduct herself when receiving guests in her own home. The depth and scope of these constraints reveal just how completely a widow's life could be controlled by propriety and family opinion in Victorian England.

Be sure to read the Author's Note at the end—it provides fascinating historical context that enriches the entire story. Discovering the real events and social realities that inspired the narrative adds compelling depth to Helena's journey as she navigates grief, family pressure, the shocking revelations about her husband's death, and family secrets.

I loved seeing how Helena evolved throughout the book and look forward to reading the continuation of this series. show less

4.5 stars
Gentle may be an odd word to use when describing a mystery, but it fits LADY HELENA INVESTIGATES to a tee for me. Despite the ugliness she unearths, and there's quite a bit of ugly, Helena manages to keep her head and decorum while solving more than one mystery.
Our story opens with Lady Helena grieving the loss of her husband, Justin.
While more than one mystery is introduced and solved, LADY HELENA INVESTIGATES is very much character driven. And what a cast of characters we meet.
Lady Helena,aka Baby to most of her siblings. She grows into her role as a widow in charge of her life and the estate left to her by her husband. She fast became a favorite for me.
Michael, Earl of Broadmere & head of the Scott-De Quincy family - the show more brother closest in age to Helena. Haven't quite figured him out, Asperger's perhaps?
O aka Odelia- the unmarried Bohemian artist sister who lives in the family's London home. Bit partial to O.
Alice and Annette-the twins Like many twins they have the ability to communicate silently and can be off putting.
Geraldine aka Gerry, the oldest sister. Considering the 22 yr age gap between them, Helena & Gerry get on surprisingly well. Helena relies on Gerry's husband, Ned, Sir Edward Freestone,, the mayor of Littleberry.
Blanch the widowed Marchioness of Hastings- Snotty and envious of what others have. to her mind, she subsists on a meager amount and receives any additional at her son's pleasure or from family and friends.
These are rounded out by spouses, assorted nieces, nephews, and villagers. Not the least of which is the French doctor, Fortier.
Their lack of perfection and diverse personalities make them all the more appealing. A lot of my reads lately, with the odd exception, have characters that are hard to connect with or like. The fact that I looked forward to spending time with Helena and crew and missed them after finishing the book speaks volumes. Truly interested in how relationships and events progress in the future. Littleberry has the makings of a place I'd enjoy visiting often.

LADY HELENA INVESTIGATES should easily win a large following among historical cozy fans. With it's wonderfully flawed characters, the family dynamics, village life and relationships, and the history and detail woven so seamlessly into the story, how could you not enjoy it and want more? show less

The first Scott-DeQuincy mystery stars Lady Helena. She is the youngest of six daughters and the sixth of seven children. Only her brother Michael who is the current Earl of Broadmere is younger.

The story begins with the death of Lady Helena's husband. Sir Justin Whitcombe was a near neighbor and a gentleman farmer. Most believe that his death by drowning was an accident caused when he went into a river to rescue one of his sheep. Only French doctor Armand Fortier is unconvinced that the death was an accident. Fortier is a new arrival in the area and a somewhat controversial figure.

This is the second great loss that Helena has had to face. When she was sixteen, she lost her first sweetheart to some sort of accident. That plunged her show more into a state of withdrawal and depression that lingered for some years. Justin was much older than Helena but she turned to him when her own father died. They had a happy marriage unfortunately not blessed by children.

Lady Helena is trying to deal with her grief and with the interference of most of her siblings. Michael who seems to be somewhere on the autism spectrum can't understand why she won't turn over all of her farming interests to him to manage and he is also assuming that she will soon remarry. In fact, most of her sisters are pushing for a quick remarriage as, in their opinion, a woman can't be fulfilled outside of marriage.

Lady Helena has revived an old interest in herbs which she had shared with her mother until her own tragedy derailed it. Now, her mother who was a noted herbalist is suffering from dementia or maybe madness and Lady Helena uses her mother's own journals to revive her own interest in herbology and to learn about the mother she is losing.

The story was an engaging look at a time period quite different than our own when the rich landowners still felt a sense of noblesse oblige for those who worked for them and lived on their lands. It was a time when aristocratic women has few rights or responsibilities outside their homes and class roles were set in stone.

I loved watching Lady Helena grow and learn to stand up for herself. I loved the beginnings of the romance with Monsieur Fortier. I thought it ended perfectly with the passage of the Married Women's Property Act of 1882. I look forward to more books about this family and set in this time period. show less

Imagine Silent in the Grave had been written with Lady Julia Grey as an easily bullied and extremely naïve young woman, one who cannot even stand up to her baby brother or a haranguing, fault-finding elder sister. Further imagine that talented author Deanna Rayburn had substituted a forgettable French doctor for the mercurial inquiry agent (and much more) Nicholas Brisbane. Leach out all the humor and charm and substitute a pretty lackluster mystery with plotting that drags a bit for the suspense of Rayburn’s debut novel in the Lady Julia Grey. You’d have the derivative Lady Helena Investigates, right down to the secret murder of the husband.

If I hadn’t read Rayburn’s novels, I would have just dismissed Lady Helena Investigates show more as a so-so mystery. So, based on what readers completely ignorant of Rayburn’s far superior series would feel, I’m awarding this mediocre book three stars. It’s clearly itself the start of a mystery series; I hope that its author, Jane Steen, finds others to enjoy the series. But I won’t be reading any further.

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Aspidistra Press in exchange for an honest review. show less

Lady Helena, the youngest girl of the Scott-De Quincy family, has had her life shattered by the death of her beloved husband. She knows she ought to stand up to the more managing members of her family, but cannot quite seem to do so. When the mysterious French Physician, Armand Fortier tells her his doubts about the "accidental" nature of her husband's death, Lady Helena is lead to the dark secrets lurking in her family's past.

This book kept me glued to the page from start to finish. I really liked Helena's personality. She was reserved, used to being "guided" by her family, but longing to stand up for herself nonetheless. She grows as a character through the story in a way that is believable.

We see the story through her eyes, so we are show more right in her shoes the whole way. My one point of contention is that she doesn't really investigate, in my mind. She asks questions, and even the author tries to explain it through Fortier in the story by saying "Oh, you investigated in your own way by being kind, so people told you the truth."

The plot moves at a good pace and the writing was enjoyable. I look forward to reading the second book whenever it is released. show less

What a wonderful find! This is a great YA book to introduce historical fiction. I felt like a Georgette Heyer Regency, except not. The main characters were fully fleshed. The book began slowly as each of the 7 (70?) siblings were introduced. Luckily, I read it on my kindle app, so I good look up names that I had forgotton to keep my place.

I'm not going to write a book report...you will just have to take my word for it: this is a great escape light read.

I enjoyed this introductory book to the forthcoming Lady Helena series. The characters were entertaining and I look forward to following them in future installments.

Lady Helena is newly widowed and surrounded by a multitude of older siblings (it's a bit difficult to keep track of them all at first), who all have advice for her. I liked that although she somewhat resents their influence at times, she mostly maintains warm family ties with them and communicates with them in a way that increases their respect for her. The story is at its best when it is focusing on her interactions with her family...and with Dr. Fortier.

Who is Dr. Fortier? A French physician with a certain air of mystery, rather disliked by the town, but intent on winning show more Lady Helena's trust. He comes to tell her of his suspicions about her late husband's death, and the two of them continue to cross paths throughout the novel.

Although Lady Helena is somewhat forward-thinking, she is not overly anachronistic or modern in her attitudes. Her personality hit the right balance for me, as being appropriate to a historical setting with modern readers.

The mystery and the scandal in the book felt very undeveloped to me. As they were revealed, I continued to find myself very puzzled by motive. I also could have done without the sordid aspect of the scandal. It got rather icky but, again, the motive for the actions didn't seem fully explained.

I will definitely be on the lookout for the next book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Aspidistra Press for the digital review copy! show less