A Bicycle Built For Murder [Paperback]

Kate Kingsbury (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 30, 2001

In WWII England, residents of Sitting Marsh depend on Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton, lady of the Manor House, to take care of things-from sorting out local gossip to solving the occasional murder.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: Berkley; 1St Edition edition (January 30, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425178560
• ISBN-13: 978-0425178560
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #134,462 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in London, England, and at a very early age began telling stories to my school friends during the London Blitz of WW II while huddling in bomb shelters. I moved to the U.S. in the early sixties, and had passed my 50th birthday when I published my first book. Since then I've written over fifty romance and mystery novels. I have one son, and married for the second time shortly after my 60th birthday.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Delightful!, March 11, 2001

By 

Edie Hanes (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Bicycle Built For Murder (Paperback)

Whenever I pick up a book by Kate Kingsbury, I expect to be delighted and entertained, and once again, Ms. Kingsbury delivers. A Bicycle Built for Murder, the first book in her new Manor House series, was a joy to read--full of charming characters, interesting historical tidbits, and with a mystery that kept me turning the pages. Bravo! I can't wait for the next installment.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Bicycle Built for Murder, February 26, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: A Bicycle Built For Murder (Paperback)

I just read the previous review from Eleanor Warder and I totally disagree. I am a computer programmer analyst and consider myself quite smart, but I didn't find the clues easy at all. And I don't think the book was fluffy. Ms. Kingsbury has built a reputation of writing cozies, and this book only enhances that reputation. I think the characters were strong, Ms Kingsbury strong point, as proven in her previous series, The Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries. And the clues are not as easy as Ms Warder thinks they are. Maybe they are to her, but to the average reader, I think not. This is a delightful book, well entertaining, and I would rate it very highly and recommend it to all of my friends. It kept me guessing until the end who the murderer was, and I think it did to most people. Kudos to Ms Kingsbury for yet another wonderful start to another wonderful series. I can wait for the next one to come out.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars delicious mystrey satire that pokes fun at the social class, February 1, 2001

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Bicycle Built For Murder (Paperback)

While the Germans bomb London and other strategic locations during World War II, the villagers of Sitting Marsh look towards Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton as a role model. The townsfolk are unaware that Elizabeth is broke due to her late husband's gambling habit. Her only source of income is rent she collects on the cottages on her estate. Still, she knows that the locals depend on her for leadership and since she enjoys the adulation and attention, she tries to meet their expectations.

The War Office informs Elizabeth that her Manor House will host American soldiers, a situation the class-conscious aristocrat loathes. At about the same time that Elizabeth prepares for the coming of the Yanks, Beryl Pierce's body is found on a nearby beach, an apparent drowning victim. Placing the American invasion on hold, neither Elizabeth nor the mother of the victim believes that Beryl fell off a cliff and drowned. Taking her leadership role to heart, Elizabeth sets out to prove murder occurred and to find the culprit.

Readers familiar with Kate Kingsbury's Pennyfoot Hotel mysteries will enjoy the author's new Manor House series because the plot is as well drawn and the historical perspective is simply fascinating. The audience lives history by observing life in a small village during World War II. Lady Elizabeth is an interesting person who acts like the big fish in a tiny pond adding to the aura of the reader feeling they are there, which, in turn, makes A BICYCLE BUILT FOR MURDER an entertaining novel.

Harriet Klausner