Snobbery with Violence

My fault for not recognizing that M.C. Beaton is a series author - apparently she's cranked out 23 Agatha Raisin novels and some Hamish Macbeth books as well? Given that she's accustomed to writing quickly rather than artfully, shouldn't have been surprised that this read more like a TV script that a movie script: a shallow crime solved more by coincidence than wit (also full of so many plot holes it's evident the author isn't expecting anyone to mind); stock characters - the rebellious heroine, the lower-class actress with a heart of gold, catty debutantes, caddish young suitors, boorish old matrons, etc.; even the writing exhibits minimal effort - scenes are pieced together with little/no effort at transitions or any narrative art. show more This is barebones storytelling, the type you get from an episode of Bones except that it happens to take place in Edwardian England.

Yes, there are house parties, a ball, some minimal upstairs/downstairs satire, and - for reasons I'm not sure I comprehend - every dress the main character wears is described in excruciating detail. The Edwardian history feels authentic. But pretty much everything else, including the requisite embedding of clues and the hate-turns-gradually-to grudging-admiration-and-then-love subplot, is phoned in.

This is what my book club calls a "McDonalds book" because, while you can count on the contents to be familiar and comfortable, one realizes there's no nutritional value and that one is going to be hungry again in an hour. Not saying it's a bad book, or a bad read - it's just really, really insubstantial. Okay as a diversion but you'll remember the plot/characters about as long as it takes you to return your copy to the library. show less

Snobbery With Violence is the first in the series of M.C. Beaton's Edwardian murder mysteries, featuring Lady Rose Summer and Captain Harry Cathcart. The set-up reminded me of Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey series, which I initially loved but eventually lost interest in, so I'm hoping these characters stay fresh and funny for longer. Lady Rose is a sheltered and spoiled debutante whose first London season is marred by her brief but enthusiastic involvement in the women's suffrage movement. Her name is dragged through the 'gutter press' - the Daily Mail, hah - and she instantly loses value in the marriage market, becoming more of a plaything than a potential wife. Her father employs the services of a moody retired captain named show more Cathcart to check up on Lady Rose's current suitor, and keeps him on to prevent an unwelcome visit from the womanizing King Edward. Cathcart develops a reputation for being a discreet detective, which he considers developing into a career, and keeps an eye on Lady Rose, following her to a house party in a gothic pile where the hosts are hiding a dark secret.

The style of Beaton's novel is a mash-up of traditional 'cosy' detective novels and P.G. Wodehouse, with eccentric characters, farcical situations, and a nod to Edwardian etiquette. Lady Rose is great fun, resisting her fate and antagonising her parents by hiring a chirpy Cockney lady's maid, and Cathcart is suitably brooding and mysterious. They are obviously going to get together, which can either add to the fun, like Nick and Nora, or turn a detective series into a romance. The continual harping on class inequality - the rich getting richer, the poor getting nothing, and servants getting angry - might seem slightly overdone, except that the early twentieth century was ripe for social change, which was eventually brought on by the First World War.

The murder mystery itself was rather lacklustre, but for the first novel in the series, I was more interested in the characters, who did not disappoint. show less

Bit of a Bait and Switch
Review of the Blackstone Audio Inc. audiobook edition (October 2008) of the original Minotaur hardcover (July 2003)

I've just about completed my pandemic reading splurge of cozy mysteries by M.C. Beaton, the penname used by Marion Chesney (1936-2019) for her popular Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin series. Chesney first became a writer with various historical romances from 1977 onwards, before branching out into the crime genre with her first Hamish Macbeth in 1985 and first Agatha Raisin in 1992. Romances are not my genre, but Chesney's mini-series of 4 Edwardian Murder Mysteries sounded like a possible crossover between her historical fiction and her cozy mysteries.

I call Snobbery with Violence a show more 'bait-and-switch' as its synopsis leads you to think that it will primarily be a series about impoverished Captain Harry Cathcart, who starts off as an unofficial 'fixer for a fee' for various rich nobles and businessmen and ends up forming a detective agency to perform the same services in an official capacity. The story actually evolves into having Lady Rose Summer as its primary lead and main investigator, with her maid Daisy Levine as confidante. Cathcart still plays a major supporting role throughout.

The series keeps things pretty light in the most part, although there are various underpinnings of the suffragette struggle and women's rights that come through with Rose Summer's independent streak and rebellion against being paraded out for 'the season' by her parents as a marriage prospect.

The narration by veteran Davina Porter (approx. 230 book narrations to her credit) was excellent throughout. Porter is especially good with her range of voices that is able to effectively mimic male as well as female tones.

All of the Edwardian Murder Mysteries series are available free to Audible Plus members. show less

I did not know that Chesney also wrote under the name M.C. Beaton when I picked this book up. I've read Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth books and enjoyed them and I've now added this series to that list.

Lady Rose is not the typical Edwardian lady, content to become married off and stand in the shadow of her husband. She falls for the dashing Sir Geoffrey Blandon, much to her father's disapproval. When the two are to become engaged, Rose's father calls on a Captain Harry Cathcart to investigate Blandon. Cathcart reports that Blandon is a blackguard of the worst sort. When Rose is made aware of this, she is furious with Blandon, her father and Cathcart. To get revenge against Blandon, for his deception, Rose exposes this news at the Duke show more of Freemount's ball. This scandalous revelation puts Blandon in a bad light,and also puts her and her family in one too. The family winds up leaving London for their country house in hopes of the gossip and uproar dying down.

While in the country, nearby Telby Castle's owners decide to put on a 'last-chance soirée' for aristocratic women with a not-so-good chance of getting a husband during the 'season.' Guests will stay at the castle for a few days, leading up to the ball. Rose is among the ladies invited. The selection of gents isn't that great either.

During this time, one of the guests is found dead. The clues are unusual and the hosts have no wish for any publicity about the death. Rose being Rose, has no interest in the gents there, but rather in solving the mystery of the death of the guest. When a certain Captain Cathcart is called in by the hosts to solve and hush up the death, the story gets even better. show less

Lady Rose Summer is an idealist who keeps trying to kick out against convention - but things don't turn out the way she hopes. Harry Cathcart gets involved when Rose's father tries to look out for his daughter. Harry thinks Rose is "unfeminine" but he can't help being attracted to her anyway. Rose finds Harry horrible - but enjoys showing him just how much she dislikes him. The bulk of the mystery takes place at a house party for women who have been unsuccessful at the "season" and there is a closed cast of possible murderers in residence. The tension between Rose and Harry makes this story fun.

Enjoyable silly little story of an Edwardian girl who is more interested in using her brain instead of flirting with potential suitors. She causes a scandal by participating in a suffragette rally and becomes the object of a bet of couple of young men. Her father hires a retired but impoverished veteran baron to handle the situation. They fight their attraction throughout the book while her ladies maid and his valet grow closer. Of course Lady Rose and Capt. Cathcart end up at the same party in a castle with people being murdered and she needs rescuing after being pushed into the moat.

Marion Chesney/M.C. Beaton has a formula that regardless of which series or persona she is writing in, is always in play: Barely existing plot, overly pulled sexual tension between the leads, content the depth of a 1" puddle, and story devices that are thrown against the wall and then forgotten. Having read much of the Agatha Raisin series, while knowing it was to be frivolous fun, I grew bored because Aggie (don't call her that if you value your life) never seemed to grow as a character. It was always the same shenanigans, book after book.

With this being said, I picked up the Edwardian Mystery series by Chensey/Beaton as I grow increasingly interested in this time period I'm on the lookout for contemporary titles written about this show more period and this is one of the few contemporarily written series currently available.

Chesney/Beaton doesn't disappoint. You have your "oh she's supposedly so well educated but portrays herself as a half-wit" heroine who comes from exceedingly good stock; the mysterious and fallen main male lead who "oh really publicly hates the heroine but secretly loves her" and yes, it's all very predicable and cliche-y.

There is no stretch in the research or imagination here, and if I had not been well attuned to Ms. Chesney/Beaton's writing style from before, I would probably like the book even less but you know, at the end of the day, it's a frippery of a read that while it may not have educated me, it did keep me entertained. show less