The Fatal Flying Affair

To steal a bit from American advertising, no one can read just one Lady Hardcastle mystery; they're just too much fun. This series is the perfect, light-hearted, witty look at turn-of-the-century England when all was still right with the world... or at least it felt that way. I've been laughing my way through this series, and although I had already downloaded this book to my Kindle, I couldn't resist giving the audiobook version a try. I'm pleased to say that it was a complete success. Not only was the story what I've come to expect from T.E. Kinsey, but the narration by Elizabeth Knowleden was splendid.

With Lady Hardcastle's brother making a personal appeal for help, the two women turn their backs on what promised to be a sedate yet show more lovely summer and turn to a "summer of flying lessons and snooping." Each book in this series has touched upon some new innovation at the turn of the twentieth century, and this time it's aviation. With the clock ticking down to the cataclysm known now known as World War I, readers also get a bit of industrial espionage thrown in for good measure. And while readers are learning, they're having a jolly good time.

One of the absolute best parts of this book and the entire series is the repartee between Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence Armstrong. Both are multi-talented, and we're not talking about petit point and painting pretty little flowers on china plates. Lady H and Flo love each other dearly and depend on each other completely, and they certainly do enjoy poking a little fun at each other from time to time. It's what dear friends do. Add to this wonderful concoction Lady H's brother, who fits right in. He calls Florence "Strongarm" instead of Armstrong, and Flo calls him "Featherstonehuff." Now this is a play on names that Americans might not grasp. You see, on that side of the pond, the name Featherstonehaugh is pronounced "Fanshaw." Don't ask me why, I just know that there is a boatload of similar names the British butcher with impunity. (I think they do it just to confuse the rest of us.)

Along with flying in canvas and balsa wood planes and creeping around airplane hangars at night, Lady Hardcastle and Florence get to deal with the annual village show, which adds more mayhem and hilarity to the proceedings.

If you like some light-hearted fun along with your knowledge gathering and mystery deduction, please give this series a try. I love these books to bits! show less

The Fatal Flying Affair is the seventh book in The Lady Hardcastle Mysteries series.

I love this series. Lady Emily Hardcastle and Florence are a real hoot. Seventeen years ago, Lady H. hired Flo to be her maid. But, over the years, Flo has become regarded as a companion and fellow spy. They have learned that Lady and her maid’s guise proves beneficial when engaging in spying and questioning people. The banter between the two is both humorous and witty. They remind me of Bertie Wooster and Jeeves.

Lady Hardcastle and Flo enjoy their semi-retirement and sitting outdoors when weather permits and their frequent trips into Littleton Cotterell for stop-in at the local pub. They have hired Jed to spruce up their garden and perhaps create a show more simple kitchen garden for their cook. One day, Harry, Lady H’s brother Harry, who works for the newly formed Secret Service Bureau, arrives and asks for their help. The bureau feels that someone at Bristol Aviation and Aeronautics Company that someone there is passing on secret information to a foreign power about its work on a parachute that pilots would wear. Recently a pilot was testing the parachute when it came apart, and he was killed. Harry suggests that Emily and Flo visit the Bristol plant saying that they are interested in purchasing an aeroplane ask if they might have a tour and talk with staff. After talking with the team and some “nighttime” investigations, they considering the managing director, an engineer, and the beautiful managing director secretary. Lady H does get to go up in the plane, but Flo cannot as the engine explodes just before she is about to go up. But at the ending of the book, she does get to go up for a very harrowing ride.

The story is well-written and plotted, and with enough twists and turns, I was kept guessing who the murderer turned out to be until the exciting end.

The author provides in his Author Notes the liberties he has taken and the history of flight covered in this story.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this exciting and informative series. show less

OH! This was a delightful author and series to find. Coming into the series with book seven only made me want to go back and discover the delights of the first six books. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a read this much in a long time. The mystery is realistic, the writing is excellent, the prose is witty, the story is excellently paced, and the characters are all wonderful. How have I missed this series? I, who insists on a bit of romance in my mysteries, didn’t even miss it in this book. Go figure! Just as an FYI to the other miscreants out there who have also missed this series – this book can easily be read as a standalone. References are made to former cases and people, but not in such a way that you feel you are lacking some show more knowledge.

For those of you who are familiar with this series, you might want to skip this paragraph because it is about my take on who Lady Emily Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong are and what they do. My take may not be totally correct because it is mostly from suppositions based on some of the things mentioned in this book. However, I’ll know all once I manage the time to go back and read the earlier stories. Lady Hardcastle has been a widow for something like thirteen years. Florence has worked for Lady Hardcastle for something like seventeen years. Officially, Florence is Emily’s lady’s maid, but that is just to explain Florence’s presence at various functions. Florence is really Emily’s friend and partner in their work for the Crown. Both ladies have spent years working for the Crown and they are exceedingly skilled at what they do – and who – in that time period – would ever suspect a Lady and her maid of being agents for the Crown? They’ve been retired for the last three years and living in Littleton Cotterell in Gloucestershire – near Bristol.

Lady H and Flo have enjoyed their retirement and country living, but when Lady H’s brother Harry, who works for the Secret Service, approaches the indomitable pair about returning to active service, they quickly agree. It seems that something just isn’t right at the Bristol Aviation and Aeronautics Company. Harry’s organization has determined that someone is leaking design information to foreign agents, and a gifted young engineer was killed in a testing accident. That accident might not have been an accident. Harry needs Emily and Flo to figure out what is going on at the company, Identify the leaker, and to determine if the young engineer was murdered.

With political tensions already making themselves felt in 1911, everyone is fearful of an approaching war. Even those who aren’t ‘in the know’ about what is actually happening are feeling the tensions mounting. Emily and Flo know more than most – especially with Harry filling them in – so they embark on their new investigation determined to find who is betraying England to foreign powers.

I absolutely adore the banter between Harry, Emily, and Flo. They are all well-suited and can always make a very tense situation less tense with their humor and wit. I adore how absolutely talented the two ladies are – and how they thoroughly enjoy pulling the wool over people’s eyes. Those people, especially males, tend to discount two females, especially a Lady and her tiny little lady’s maid. They discount Flo and Emily at their own peril!

This is a delightful read with a great mystery (or two or three or …) and such delightful characters that you will love them all. I definitely recommend the book.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. show less

This is another delightful installment in this incredibly entertaining series. The mysteries are well plotted, but the real treat is the characters the author has created. The verbal banter is hilarious and the dry wit makes me wish I could go hang out with them. I highly recommend this series. It will brighten your day and be a fabulous way to pass the time.

The Lady and her"Tiny Person" maid cum companion are a pair of unlikely but delightful Agents of the Crown. Spies are afoot in the Village and there are aeronautical assets to be protected. Buzzing around in their modified Silver Ghost Rolls, the getaway car no less; they engage in breaking and entering as well as safecracking to unearth the seeker of parachute secrets. Other villains are exposed and the village show is saved by this uniquely skilled pair of scamps who also play the piano and banjo for their own and other's amusement.

The clever, indomitable Emily, Lady Hardcastle and her sassy maid Florence Armstrong thought to retire from their lives as spies; however, Lady Hardcastle’s brother has persuaded them to return to the game. It’s 1911, and the brother, Harry Featherstonehaugh, believes that airplanes are bound to be the next big thing in warfare. Further, he believes that someone is passing along secrets about a new advance called a parachute to a foreign power. So Lady Hardcastle and Florence set out to discover what’s what.

I won’t ruin it by revealing any more details. I can say that the seventh novel continues the fun and insight of the previous books in the series. As always, author T.E. Kinsey weaves in a history lesson so expertly that you show more don’t realize how much you’ve learned until you finished the book. Highly recommended.

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

England, punny, sly-humor, situational-humor, cosy-mystery, amateur-sleuth, historical-fiction, historical-research*****

It's 1911 with Lady Hardcastle and lady's maid Florence who are up to tricks once again, so the fun was just what I needed today! Lady Hardcastle has managed to need a new Rolls with her own specifications, and she also has decided to learn to fly an aeroplane despite having observed a person falling out of one! There is a lot going on throughout and the mystery is well done, too. Good sleuthing and a cast of zany characters!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Amazon Publishing UK via Netgalley. Thank you!