The countess and Alpiew find themselves in France, in a chateau full of exiled Jacobites. Murder and mayhem ensue. Lots of fun, as usual.historical-mystery humour kobo-kindle2 s Marguerite KayeAuthor 242 books336

3.5 Stars

I love the Countess Ashby de la Zouche stories, but this one took me a bit to get into. It's set in France, in the court of the exiled Stewart king, where plotting and secret societies are a way of life. The countess and the well-endows Alpiew are as comical and rumbustious as ever, and the Duchesse de Pigalle makes a welcome appearance, but I found the beginning of this book pretty confusing and a bit forced. There felt simply too many characters, and at times it read much more a play than a book - in fact I think, as I've said a few times, that these books would make brilliant tv. There was also a lot of history, something I love, but in this case it felt overload. Don't get me wrong, the story rolled along at a cracking pace as ever, there were lots of little literary and foodie jokes, and a plot that twisted and turned with every chapter. After I got to grips with the characters, it was a page-turner and a very enjoyable one at that. Just not as good as the first too, and I suspect therefore my expectations were unduly high. But I'm already looking forward to the fourth and last book. And if you've not read any of these, I can highly recommend them. But do start with Book 1.
1 Sonja219 10

Highly entertaining historical-fiction Emma Rose1,138 71

'A murder. Finally, Alpiew thought, a proper job.'

Fidelis Morgan delivers once again in this book where we follow Ashby and Alpiew (with a healthy helping of Pigalle) to France. While it wasn't as hysterical as the first two, I thoroughly enjoyed this story and it's always a pleasure to spend time with such entertaining and interesting characters. We touch a bit upon many subjects, including the Man in the Iron Mask, the use of papier maché in art and the kind of life prisoners led at the Bastille prison. The attention to period detail is second to none and the tone is pitch perfect as usual, not a dull moment in this book as we go from adventure to adventure. Such a delight to read!historical-mystery Phair2,121 35

Enjoyed this but not as much as the first two. I missed the world of London and the Countess' crazy house and servant Gregory. With the setting moved to France I learned some stuff about the Jacobites in exile and about French society of the period but I missed the old environs. Some of the humor was a bit strained, the would-be writer who kept coming up with ideas for book titles 'Pride & Prejudice' and 'Crime and Punishment'. Fitting that the finale of the book should be at a masquerade as almost no one was who they appeared to be.historical-mystery Delphine275 22

Uncannily funny. Good historical novel with a lot of humour. A must-read. Delphine275 22

Uncannily funny. Good historical novel with a lot of humour. A must-read. Kate Millin1,670 26

I am not sure I will look for another book in this series as I found the humour a little forced and didn't find the story to my taste. That said it did grip me enough to want to finish it. Danielle99 6

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