Roberta Reads

  Blurb: A glamorous engagement celebration in an English country manor house… and a local maid dead. Somebody call Kitty Underhay! At home in Devon, Kitty is attending a ball at the very grand Markham Hall. With celebrations in full swing and everyone kitted out in their glad rags, Kitty and Matt enjoy the champagne. But the next morning, the party feels well and truly over when Kitty stumbles across a body while out walking her dog, Bertie. The maid, Agnes, is dead, and everyone at Markham Hall is a suspect… Kitty and Matt set about piecing together the puzzle as the streamers are swept away and empty glasses gathered up. But who could the murderer be? The other maids seem shifty; Lord and Lady Faversham, the hosts, are not without motive, and even Kitty’s grandmother is keeping her cards close to her chest this time… But then a safe filled with precious jewels has its lock broken, and another body is found tangled up in the weeds of the lake in the grounds. Kitty wonders if the ...

  Review 5 out of 5 stars: The Miss Underhay Mysteries by Helena Dixon are some of my all time favourite cosy crimes. So when a chance to review Murder on the Cornish Coast came up, I jumped on it. This is the 19th book in the series, and this time Kitty and Matt (and Bertie, of course) are off to Cornwall to help Lady Cordelia Hedges try and work out both what happened when her father was murdered a few months earlier, and who is trying to kill her now. They are also investigating a mysterious reappearance from Matt’s past.  I very much enjoyed visiting the Cornish coast, and Highcliffe Hall. A real sense of the village right on the shore came through, as well as the large house just outside it. There were an interesting collection of characters staying at Highcliffe Hall, any one of whom could be the murderer. It was great fun trying to work out who the culprit was, alongside Kitty and Matt. Overall, this was another fascinating mystery with favourite characters. I was given...

  Review - 4 out of 5 stars: I’ve enjoyed several books by Julie Shackman before, so I was pleased to be offered a chance to review A Scottish Island Summer.  I have to confess that I didn’t warm to Darcie to start with. She just seemed to complain a lot. However, she soon mellowed a bit and I liked her better. She seems to be a good person at heart, but very controlled by fleeting emotions. I liked Logan a lot more, though admittedly he seemed a little irritating on the first encounter.  The setting was lovely. Skye comes across as a really beautiful location, even if it does rain a lot. I loved the coral beach especially (though it doesn’t sound comfortable to walk or sit on!).  I liked the plot too, with the treasure hunting and the romance. It felt like a holiday from the here and now. Overall, this was a really enjoyable romance, with a beautiful location, and a touch of adventure. I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own. Blurb: When ambitious ci...