Customer Reviews

Death is in the Air: A Manor House Mystery

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

During World War II, a very young German bomber pilot parachutes to safety in the village of Sitting Marsh as his plane crashes. The villagers capture the pilot, but soon attack his parachute for the silk. The frightened aviator, believing the mob of wild women want to kill him, flees into nearby Hawthorne Woods.

The next day the murdered corpse of a land girl working at Macclesby Farm is found. Everyone including PC George Dalyrmple believes the German killed the girl. The only holdout is Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh who thinks the prime suspect is a shield for the real killer. Hoping to be useful to her villagers, Elizabeth begins to investigate the homicide.

DEATH IS IN THE AIR, the second Lady Compton WWII amateur sleuth tale (see A BICYCLE BUILT FOR MURDER), is a delightful novel. The story line is fun for its historical perspective as much as for its phenomenal amateur sleuth plot. Still, this novel belongs to its characters (Elizabeth, the villagers, and the deployed American troops) that bring the era to life. A bit of romance between Elizabeth and Major Earl Monroe adds an additional pearl to a fantastic story.

Harriet Klausner

The second book in Kate Kingsbury Manor House series, Death in the Air, is a delightful cozy English mystery. Lady Elizabeth is again up to her neck in murder. To make matters worst she tries to bring peace between the Yanks and the British troops. The Manor is now occupied by American officers one of whom has stolen her heart. But alas Lady Elizabeth's major has a wife at home, a fact she forces herself to remember every time she is faced with his disarming blue eyes. The plot is filled with pathos and humor. A mentally challenged young man grieves the loss of a friend. When a German parachutes into town square the housewives moblize, armed with carving knives, to save Sitting Marsh from invasion. The characters are charming and real. The puzzle makes for a good plot and she even throws in a ghost. I loved this book and can barely wait for number three. I highly recommend it.

Somewhat in the tradition of Agatha Christie, Kate Kingsbury captures a view of WWII Britain, not the bombed out London, the countryside.

Enjoyed the plot, read this book after I read the second in the series. That one was actually better, the characters were more developed.

It will be an interesting series--

This book was a disappointment from beginning to end. I looked forward to reading what I thought would be a "cozy" British mystery. Unfortunately, Ms. Kingsbury does not seem to have a grasp on either the time period or the setting. The dialog for both the English characters and the American characters did not ring true. For example, many slang British terms seemed forced, such as "blighter" and "crikey" and and words that one would expect the English characters to use were not. In addition, Ms. Kingsbury has her American characters saying "I reckon"
frequently, which is clearly a phrase favored by the British. In addition, the writing lacks the rich descriptions and character observations of say Ruth Rendell or Dorothy Simpson. The murderer is obvious early on, so the mystery is not even intriguing. Finally, at the very end of the book, Lady Elizabeth is given two puppies by the American Major. The Major suggests she name them "George and Gracie" after two television characters. Television -- in the early 1940s?! It is this kind of lack of attention to detail that made the book a struggle to get through. Ms. Kingsbury should write about what she knows, and it is clear that England during World War II is not it.

Death is in the air will probably satisfy most fans of this series about the English village of Sitting Marsh during World War II. Lady Elizabeth Compton Hartleigh is the lady of the Manor House and also the protector and unofficial leader of the village. Her sense of duty toward the citizens of Sitting Marsh leads her to become involved in solving various murders. This time, a German pilot has landed in the village and disappeared. Shortly after, a young girl's body is found and everyone blames the pilot, except for Lady Elizabeth, who is determined to find out the truth. Along the way, she continues her efforts to encourage better relations between the American servicemen and the villagers. The unique time setting makes these books enjoyable, although it was fairly easy to figure out the murderer. There are also some inaccuracies, such as the reference at the end to a television show,when of course television didn't exist in the early 1940's. These are disappointing, but I would still recommend it for fans of wartime mysteries.

Elizabeth is the lady of the manor at Sitting Marsh. It is World War II. Rita, a warden, has assumed homeside duties in the war, and seeks to displace Elizabeth as a community leader.

A German airman, in peril, parachutes into the village. American officers are quartered at the manor house. Elizabeth's parents were killed in London in the bombing raids. Her husband lost her fortune gambling.

Lady Elizabeth makes a great effort of befriending the villagers. She enjoys assisting the police in their investigations. The death of a land girl, Amelia, triggers much activity on her part.

In the interest of achieving American-English harmony, Lady Elizabeth proposes to have a dance. Unfortunately it all ends in a fight. The outcome of the story as to the German pilot and the murderer's identity I leave to the readers to discover.

This is quite well done.

Mystery is very easily solved and it was a bit tiresome to have all the characters use the same phrases (`I reckon" "Yanks") over and over. But overall an acceptable addition to the series.

This one will make you feel just a little more comfortable for a while. Kate Kingsbury has an Agatha Christie-like sense of humor. And, BTW, she answers emails - nice touch.