In the Market for Murder is the second book in the ongoing series, and it follows Lady Hardcastle who, as is tradition, is trying to enjoy a little vacation only to stumble headfirst into a murder.
A local farmer turns up dead in the pub, and as Lady Hardcastle delves deeper into it with her trusty maid Florence, a world of utter strangeness opens up to them.
T E Kinsey Ends Lady Hardcastle's Vacation
Despite what I believe to be an unmatched sort of charm, older-style murder mysteries seem to have fallen out of favour with the general public recently, giving way to dark and explicit serial killer novels and methodical police procedural stories.
It seemed to me for a while we wouldn't really see a resurgence of the quaint old murderous British countryside, but a few authors are definitely proving me wrong, T E Kinsey being one of them. His Lady Hardcastle Mystery series is still going strong, and today we'll be looking at the second entry, In the Market for Murder.
Taking us to a rather familiar scenario in spring 1909, we meed Lady Hardcastle as she is doing her best to enjoy a bit of well-deserved rest, along with her trusty maid Florence. Needless to say, it wasn't meant to be when a local farmer, Spencer Caradine, turns up dead at a table in the local pub.
What at first seems like a simple unfortunate accident draws suspicion from the experienced Lady Hardcastle, and with her vacation completely forgotten now, she takes it upon herself to solve this strange case at the police Superintendent's request.
Though the start of the case already proves somewhat bizarre, it can prepare neither of the two ladies for all the weirdness laying in wait for them; from seances with ghosts to paradoxical thefts, this will make for a case neither will forget.
What's even more troubling, it seems there is an ever-increasing number of family relatives and friends who might have wanted to see old Spencer bite the dust, and there is no telling how far they will go to preserve their secret.
The Humour and Death of In the Market for Murder
Generally-speaking, it is quite easy to foretell how much you're going to like a book from the first few pages, if not the first few paragraphs. They often reveal a whole lot about what you can expect from the rest of the book, and in this case I was instantly sucked in by the charm and humour which ended up persisting virtually throughout the entire story.
While it is indeed the story of a murder, it takes on a rather lighthearted character very early on, staying true to what it sets out to accomplish.
While this is only the second book in the series, there is already a very real and palpable chemistry between Lady Hardcastle and her maid Florence Armstrong, and the banter they shared always had an amusing character to it.
They both make for enjoyable leads to follow, and their outlooks on life can seemingly make light of even the worst fates. I feel the author deserves a good hand of applause for managing to write a book rife with humour without ever over-doing it, making any missteps, or resorting to vulgarity, as is often the case these days.
In the same breath, I should also add Kinsey has undoubtedly done his research into life during Victorian England, and it seems to me he always aims to preserve an air of authenticity to the overall story, even going as far as using some old and outdated expressions in the dialogue.
We aren't just laughing our way towards the end of this mystery, but we're also learning something at the same time. Behind the humour which colours both life and death in this novel, there is a very real homage, a dedication to preserving and admiring a small piece of history.
The Many Threads of the Mystery
With all of this being said, I think we can all agree the crux of a good mystery novel lies in, well, the mystery itself, its development, and resolution. As I mentioned before, this novel is more reminiscent of older British murder mysteries, and as far as the structure of the investigation goes it follows largely a similar pattern.
It all starts off innocuously enough, and we watch as our sleuths slowly but surely begin to unravel the thread, each new inch of it leading to something more surprising than the last.
Where you can feel the addition of a modern touch, is the amount of different threads which end up spawning from the main one. Our heroines do end up going on some more or less outlandish excursions through the investigation, including seances with mischievous ghosts who seem to be pointing the finger at someone new in the community.
With some red herrings thrown in there for good measure, we have the kind of plot which always keeps us guessing and excited for what's about to come next, without ever feeling too cheap in its misdirections.
For most mysteries, I would argue the hardest part is the resolution, the element which solves everything and brings the reader a good sense of satisfying closure. All too often a mystery ends in some unceremonious or predictable fashion, leaving us disappointed and with little reason to remember the whole thing.
The Final Verdict
In the Market for Murder by T E Kinsey is an excellent second book in the Lady Hardcastle mysteries, bringing a bit of lighthearted and old-fashioned British murder mystery back to our bookshelves.
If you are looking for a charming and engaging whodunit without all the excesses modern literature tends to carry with it, then I strongly recommend you give this book and the rest of the series a shot.
 | T E KinseyPersonal site T E Kinsey is a writer who grew up in London and had the distinction of reading history at Bristol University. Before becoming an author he worked as a magazine features writer as well as an online content editor for various entertainment websites. His published career began with A Quiet Life in the Country, the first entry in the Lady Hardcastle Mystery series. In the Market for Murder and Death Around the Bend were two of his other best-received books, also part of the series. |
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