Death in Kew Gardens plus Love and Death among the Cheetahs

DEATH IN KEW GARDENS by Jennifer Ashley is the third installment in the “Below Stairs” mystery series which was new to me although the first book, Death Below Stairs, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.  The main character is named Kat Holloway who is a roughly thirty-year-old cook in Victorian London. By coincidence, she meets Mr. Li, a Chinese scholar who is later accused of murdering Kat’s neighbor, Sir Jacob Harkness. Harkness is a frequent traveler to China and interested in the botany work at Kew Gardens. Curious and steadfast by nature, Kat is determined to clear Mr. Li’s name with the help of her employer (Lady Cynthia), her fellow servants (especially assistant Tess), and her romantic interest, Daniel McAdam.  Although they will enjoy Kat’s adventures, readers may have to ignore some overly convenient events. For example, how does Daniel manage to immediately obtain a position working at Kew Gardens for yet another botanist and the very one who has brought Mr. Li to the authorities’ attention? The characters do have unique and appealing personalities and Ashley does an engaging job of weaving suspense with historical Victorian facts and meal preparation details. “‘Oh my,’ [as] Tess said excitedly. ‘Better than a panto.’”

Rhys Bowen is one of my favorite authors and I am enjoying her latest, LOVE AND DEATH AMONG THE CHEETAHS. This light, entertaining mystery is 13th in the Royal Spyness series which features Lady Georgiana Rannoch, now married to Darcy O’Mara and on honeymoon in 1935 Kenya. Dinner parties, a polo match and a safari seem like fun, although there is work for the newlyweds: as a distant relative of the Queen, Lady Georgie has been asked to keep an eye on the Prince of Wales and Wallis Simpson, while Darcy is in the midst of a case tracking a jewel thief.

The exotic African setting gives Bowen the opportunity to address the infidelities, alcohol/drug use, and attitudes towards servants as shown in the “Happy Valley” expatriate lifestyle of the time. In addition, there are several references to real-life residents including Beryl Markham, Idina Sackville, and Tom Delamere. It is inevitable that Lady Georgie and Darcy discover a dead body and like an Agatha Christie mystery, suspects and motives are plentiful amongst the expatriates and their servants. I am already looking forward to their next adventure.

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge is an especially suspenseful book with elements of fantasy and an extremely resilient heroine.  Aptly named Faith is the young daughter of a scientist who is moving his family to an island called Vane in order to work on an archeological dig.  The time period is Victorian England and Faith, therefore, is often ignored due to her gender.  She is certainly not encouraged to pursue her own interests in science, but she ultimately does so – listening at keyholes, wandering about the island, and trying to solve a death she is sure was murder.  The author says that the “weeks on Vane were so painfully vivid that it seemed like the only real place;” I think that readers will become immersed in the story and feel that way, also.

Faith’s father has a mysterious Mendacity Tree, or Lie Tree, which feeds off lies told to it.  Faith starts sharing lies: “as sleep cradled her, she imagined her lie spreading silently like dark green smoke, filling the air around the house like a haze, spilling from the mouths of those who whispered and wondered and feared.” Of course, there are unintended consequences and Faith must decide who she can trust, whether it be family members, villagers or servants.  

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge received starred reviews from ALL of the major publications, including seven in the U.S. at my last count. It has already won awards and been nominated for several others; more details on the author’s website.  Enjoy The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge – it’s an exciting tale where Faith learns that "... you only had to provide part of a lie.  You could rely on other people's imaginations to fill the gaps." There is likely to be clamoring for a sequel.