A Quiet Life In the Country

 
If, like me, you are a fan of the well drawn cozy mystery, then Brocanteers, this morning you are in for a treat.
One of the  things I miss most about my Mum, is our shared love of a good book. So many hours were spent comparing the contents of our Kindle and swapping paperbacks (but never the dog-eared kind: for Mum simply refused to read anything that looked like it may have been read before so all books sent her way had to be pristine or they would find their way to the bin!) and it was through her that I discovered Agatha Raisin and a fined honed appreciation for a well-drawn cozy mystery.
Now let me state here and now, cozy mysteries abound. There are endless variations on the murder most horrid theme, with amateur sleuths popping up everywhere from the library to the bakery, but most, in my humble opinion, are really rather rubbish.  A strain to get through as you battle with frequent late-night doses of the “I really don’t cares” and grumble to yourself about the often, frankly appalling writing.
And then you happen across something wonderful. Or rather your Mum’s lovely sister, Barbie, does and is kind enough to step into you Mum’s shoes and guide you towards a set of cosy mysteries that have you guffawing and chuckling under the stars as you sit in your reading chair on an oh so hot night.
For with T.E.Kinsey’s Lady Hardcastle series we are blessed with fun, wit, mystery, a hilarious, heartwarming friendship between the two main characters (the Lady herself and her companion Flo), that makes a mockery of that which traditionally exists between employer and employee, and a cast of peripheral characters I am convinced have been drawn partly to poke fun at the genre of the cozy mystery itself.
What is so very special about the Lady Hardcastle mysteries, is a rather beguiling combination of easy read banter and a mystery that leaves you guessing, alongside some perfectly drawn (and often laugh out loud funny) dialogue and a set of characters you simply cannot wait to learn more about. For Lady Hardcastle is a woman with a past only hinted at. A woman blessed with derring do and a sharp imagination, while her companion Flo is the prefect foil for her, with her slightly sarcastic tongue and ability to reign in her employer’s more preposterous flights of fantasy.
So while I have much to do today, with a list as long as my arm and jobs coming out of my rather annoying, and frankly quite deaf ears, please let it be known that I would rather be hopping around the villages of Gloucestershire with my new favorite amateur sleuths.
Lady Hardcastle and the really rather fabulous Flo are quite the finest company for a Summers afternoon. So read ’em and chuckle.
Get the Lady Hardcastle mysteries on Amazon.Com here and Amazon.Co.Uk here. (P.S: They are currently FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription, something I cannot recommend highly enough if you are a voracious reader.)