Publisher's Weekly Review
In South's delightful second Regency mystery (after 2006's In Milady's Chamber), recently widowed Lady Julia Fieldhurst decides to leave London and spend the summer in Yorkshire with Sir Gerald and Lady Anne Hollingshead, largely to avoid gossip surrounding her husband's murder. Alas, tragedy strikes shortly after Julia arrives at Hollingshead Place. The local vicar, Mr. Danvers, who regales the family over dinner with talk of his almost completed book on the history of the village, dies later that night in a fire at the vicarage. Julia writes to Bow Street runner John Pickett in London for help in investigating what may be a crime. Pickett poses as Julia's footman, allowing the reader a view of what goes on downstairs as well as up. Tension between the eldest Hollingshead daughter and her parents over her love for a poor curate as well as the growing attraction between Julia and Pickett lend romantic interest. The manners and mores of the period as South depicts them ring true. (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Kirkus Review
A plucky viscountess and a handsome Bow Street Runner team up for the second time to uncover the truth about a death among the English gentry in South's eighth Regency tale (Of Paupers and Peers, 2006, etc.). After the scandal of her husband's murder (In Milady's Chamber, 2006), Lady Julia Fieldhurst escapes London to the Yorkshire country house of Sir Gerald and Lady Anne Hollingshead. There she meets an utterly unsurprising cast of characters, including foppish young dandy Robert Kendall; darkly mysterious merchant Jasper Carrington from India; the baronet's romantic daughter Emma Hollingshead; Colin Meriwether, the poor curate Emma loves; and tediously scholarly vicar Cyril Danvers. When the vicar promptly dies in a fire, Lady Fieldhurst, suspecting a murder, sends for her trusted friend John Pickett, a Bow Street Runner who disguises himself as her footman to avoid attracting attention. Amidst details of etiquette and discussions of the season, Lady Fieldhurst and Mr. Pickett manage to examine the body and uncover ancient family scandals even as their intrigue brings them ever closer together. The tidy resolution is satisfyingly appropriate. And if the pivotal clue is rather obvious, the flirtation between hero and heroine is so beguiling that they can be forgiven for overlooking it. A meringue of a mystery: light, pleasant and so forgettable that, minutes after finishing it, you're ready to enjoy another. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Library Journal Review
In this follow-up to In My Lady's Chamber, widowed Lady Julia Fieldhurst sets out for Yorkshire and a month's visit with the Hollingshead family. But the peaceful stay she anticipated ends with the death of the vicar in his study as the vicarage burns down. Lady Fieldhurst sends for Bow Street runner John Pickett, disguised as a footman, to help her investigate. Set in Regency England, where manners and strict social rules dictate human interaction, South's lively historical reveals how emotions can overturn society's strictures. Her deft way with words and charming characters make this a winner, sure to appeal to readers who enjoy Ann Granger and Deanna Rayborn. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
