Customer Reviews

Death at Gallows Green

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A fan of the Anne Perry mysteries set in Victorian England, I was skeptical when a friend told me she thought the Robin Paige books were on an equal par. Reading "Death at Gallows Green" convinced me! Feisty (Kate) Kathryn Ardleigh, author-in-secret of a number of "penny-dreadfuls," is a fascinating heroine. Although she is an outspoken "recently rich" American with sometimes scandalous behavior in the eyes of the British ton, she has obviously won the heart of amateur detective and scientist Sir Charles Sheridan. They make not only a delightful sleuthing team, but an "unsyrupy," real opposite-attraction romantic mix!

The husband/wife writing team (Robin Paige) of "Death at Gallows Green" are well-versed in the nuances of life in Victorian England. For the most part, they do a fine job of providing the reader with historic relevance without bogging down the plot. I was particularly fascinated at their spell-binding weaving of fictional plot with factual characters. They did a wonderful job of bringing the children's author, Beatrix Potter, to life. From the discovery of the body of a local constable in Mr. McGregor's garden to the mystery of a lost child (along with Beatrix' soon-to-be-famous "Jemima Puddle-Duck"), the reader is drawn along a path of twists and turns in plot. In putting the book down at the end, I found myself thinking that if were to pick up "The Tale of Peter Rabbit," I might just meet some of the characters out of "Death at Gallow's Green!" -- HIGHLY RECOMMENDED READING!

Death at Gallows Green is the second installment in the Victorian Mysteries by Robin Paige. It is even more delightful than the first. Kate Ardleigh meets Beatrix Potter at a house party and invites her to Bishop's Keep for a visit and adventure. They certainly have an adventure when a police constable is found murdered, and subsequent inquiries try to blacken his name which would deny his young wife and daughter a pension. The daughter, Betsy, is a remarkable little girl and a delight, as is the characterization of Beatrix Potter. Bea knows Sir Charles Sheridan, who arrives to help solve the murder, and she realizes that Kate and Charles have strong feelings for each other. Sir Charles believes Kate has two other suitors whom she prefers, and Kate is unsure of Charles' regard, or the advisability of becoming involved with a man at all when she wants to remain a mystery author. The two do a much better job of solving the mystery; Sir Charles with new forensic science (very well depicted by the authors) and Kate with her keen intellect and ability to sense motivations. They are a perfect partnering, and Paige handles there characterizations with a loving and light touch that are a pleasure to read. As mentioned above, the advent of forensic science is a major theme in the Victorian Mystery series, and the authors (Paige is a husband-wife writing duo) have researched the field well. They present not only the the implementation of these new techniques but the dubious responses they received by the general public and juries. All in all, a delightful and engaging mystery.

In this, the 2nd of the Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries, the reader will find Kathryn Ardleigh firmly established as the mistress of Bishop's Keep after she inherited the Ardleigh estate following the death of her Aunts in the last book. She is still upsetting the local gentry with her clothing and behavior and she still could care less. In this book she picks up a friend in Beatrix Potter who along with her menagerie of animals pays a visit to Bishop's Keep. Kate and Bea decide to have an adventure and proceed to do just that, maybe getting just a little more adventure than they bargained for.

The adventure starts when a young couple out for a walk finds the local Constable who has been shot to death. It turns out that the deceased, Sergeant Arthur Oliver, is a childhood friend of both Constable Edward Laken and Sir Charles Sheridan an amateur photographer and budding criminologist. Laken and Sheridan are soon deeply involved in the investigation of this grisly murder despite a mysterious degree of interference form the Chief Constable in the area. As in the last book, Kate also begins to snoop around and despite repeated warnings about the danger she is putting herself in, Kate and Bea make several important discoveries. In the end, mostly through the efforts of Kate and Sir Charles, the mystery is solved and the guilty are jailed.

Running along with and as part of the story is the romance that is building between Kate and Sir Charles. Kate is not sure how to handle her feelings for Sir Charles because she has always valued her independence over any possible romantic involvement. Sir Charles who many consider to be a confirmed bachelor is very taken with Kate but believes that two of his close friends are also interested in her so he keeps his distance. Bea, who has been aquatinted with Charles for some time due to their shared interest in science is not long in seeing through his façade of indifference but is sworn to silence and cannot speak with Kate about her discovery. In the end, we are left with the distinct impression that in a book not too far down the road the two amateur detectives will form a partnership that is based on much more than bringing criminals to justice.

I found that this book was even more engaging than the first and I liked the first book quite a bit. This story draws the reader in more and more as it goes along, like a good mystery should and I found that I couldn't wait to find out what had happened to various characters who at one time or another were in grave danger. The husband and wife team who write these mysteries under the name of Robin Paige have also done a wonderful job of bringing Victorian England to life, so much so that I found myself craving tea as I read about all of the tea these people were drinking. The introduction of Beatrix Potter into the story added a great deal to it's charm as did her animals and those of young Betsy Oliver. I promise that you will come to think of Betsy Oliver as a very real child and you will worry about her as if she were a child that you have known for years. The writing in this book is just that good. And if you pay close attention, you may just figure out the mystery even before Sir Charles and Kate do.

While Death at Gallows Green is not the most traditional mystery I've ever read, it's precisely the little twists that made me like the book. You know that while the male investigator and the female investigator (no spoilers!) really don't get along too well now... they're going to, sometime. Also, the idea of the poor American relation thrust in amongst suspicious servants made me think pleasurably of "Rebecca", so that was another bit of fun for me. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

DEATH AT GALLOWS GREEN is the second book in this Victorian Mystery series that feature Kathryn Ardleigh and Sir Charles Sheridan. The authors are a husband and wife team who do a lot of research to fit the Victorian time period. They also introduce some real historic characters into this series.

Kate is now comfortably settled in her new life as mistress of Bishop's Keep, but she still maintains her independent American ways. On a visit to a house party, she meets Beatrix (Bea) Potter and the two instantly bond. Bea and Kate find a lot in common, both are in their late twenties and both are writers. Kate invites Bea back to Bishop's Keep and the two women become real friends. Bea, a shy and very sheltered woman, sees how self-secure that Kate is and thinks that she must gain her own personal freedom from her very domineering parents.

The title, DEATH AT GALLOWS GREEN is a reference to the death of Inspector Oliver, a well-liked local policeman who has been murdered. The Inspector, known for his honesty, has left behind a wife and precocious daughter named Betsy. When evidence shows that the Inspector may have had his hand in smuggling, Kate, Bea, and their friend Charles Sheridan hope to solve the mystery and insure that the man is cleared of any suspicion of wrong doing. The welfare of Inspector Oliver's wife and daughter depend on his pension.

Kate and Charles are keenly attracted to each other, and to the dismay of Charles, there may be other suitors interested in the high spirited Kate; however, their romance appears to be blooming.

For fans of Beatrix Potter's books, the authors have included some of Potter's animal characters in this story. The animals add a very whimsical and cozy touch.

Although I heartily enjoyed the series debut (Death at Bishop's Keep), I found this one rather slow going at times. I opened the book expecting a mystery; instead I found myself trapped in Mr. McGregor's garden.

Now, I had no objection to the character of Beatrix Potter appearing in the book. In fact, I found the endnote about her real life interesting and informative. The problem was that the entire book seemed to be an homage to Beatrix Potter's stories, complete with Peter Rabbit, Jemima Puddleduck, Hunca Munca, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Tod. It was sort of cute at first, but as it went on page after page, it became an annoyance.

Having said that, this is not a horrible book. It is well written, with descriptions that create a wonderful sense of Victorian England. The characters are likable, believable people that you want to spend time with. The mystery, while hardly complex, does keep one's attention, especially as the villains are brought to justice.

This is a delightful Victorian mystery. We are introduced to a wonderful Beatrix Potter, and we get to meet characters from her books - like Jemima Puddle Duck, Peter Rabbit, Mrs. Tiggy-Wiggle. Plus we get to see more of feisty Kate Ardleigh. This is the second book in the Kate Ardleigh series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The characters are warm and fun, and the Victorian times are depicted so wonderfully! The murder and mayhem are good and of course half the fun is in the detecting of who actually did the dastardly deed! I am enjoying this series, and if you like warm, funny Victorian mysteries, you will too.

I've read several of this author's--actually these authors`--works and have enjoyed the characters and the settings very much. Since I have a Master's Degree in history, I find their attention to detail and the information they share about the actual historical figures they include in their story very enjoyable.

This book includes a delightful personality, that of Beatrix Potter, with whose actual life story I only recently became acquainted with through a film based on her early life. It was interesting to learn of her other pursuits, particularly her interest in mushrooms and other fungi, and the significant part that they played in her overall development as a person, particularly as a female person in Victorian England.

The story is a marvelous development of the story of Peter Rabbit, and I enjoyed the characters of the people involved and of the supposed use to which Ms Potter put them in her stories.

The plight of the little girl was very well developed, and reminded me of Martha Grimes at her best in the Inspector Jury Mysteries.

Another good addition to the Kate Sheridan series of mysteries.

Kathryn Ardleigh is a pretty interesting compilation - secret author of mystery "penny dreadfuls" written under the pseudonym "Beryl Bardwell"; heiress and now mistress of Bishop's Keep, the Ardleigh estate, after the death of her Aunts; a rather independent, outspoken, (dare I say?) feminist American who has oftentimes attracted the disdainful, scandalized sniffs of the local elderly dowagers with her free-wheeling dress and behaviour; and an attractive, intelligent, very feminine young lady who has turned the eye of her acquaintance, Sir Charles Sheridan, a devotee of the burgeoning science of forensic criminology and a skilled amateur photographer.

When Sergeant Arthur Oliver is murdered and the body is discovered in the field of a local gameskeeper, all the evidence points towards Oliver's involvement in a nefarious poaching ring. But the local constable, Edward Laken, (who holds an unrequited fondness for Oliver's widow in his heart) and Sheridan (Oliver's long time friend) feel the evidence points elsewhere. Ardleigh, of course, manages to involve herself in the investigation up to her proverbial bloomers and the hunt for the killer is on.

Paige succeeds with this novel on any number of different fronts!

Let's label "Death at Gallows Green" as a cozy mystery in which "cozy" means "cozy" - that is to say, the nature of the mystery is entirely local in nature, completely credible, realistic to the time, somewhat narrow and low key in scope and interest and all of the characters stay well within themselves and their abilities. Ardleigh, for instance, despite her obvious sleuthing skills and deductive ability retains a firmly rooted understanding of the fact that she is, after all is said and done, a Victorian lady. The warm fuzzies seem natural and ... well, warm and fuzzy ... Sheridan's hesitant romantic overtures towards Ardleigh and her cautious, measured response in light of her desire to retain a degree of feminine independence; Laken's head-over-heels love for Oliver's widow and the realization that Oliver's death has given him a second opportunity at the love that he lost out on as a younger man; and the compelling, stomach churning urgency of the manhunt for Oliver's daughter, Betsy, who has been kidnapped and potentially drowned. Beatrix Potter's amazingly realistic introduction into the novel as Kathryn Ardleigh's close friend has a charm all its own and serves as an interesting historical biographical sidebar of Potter's intensely sheltered real life.

The flavour of this novel definitely leans toward Agatha Christie but there is also a strong hint of the realism of Anne Perry's or Bruce Alexander's somewhat grittier mysteries. Paige has provided us with a most interesting look at the local politics of the constabulary and a glimpse into that day's use of the as yet unproven tools of forensics and photography.

No doubt about it ... I'd happily recommend "Death at Gallows Green" to other readers as I step out the door to seek out my copy of "Death at Daisy's Folly".

Paul Weiss

While I have for the most part been enjoying the Robin Paige mysteries, I find this one has a plot point (or is it a twist?) that really drove me nuts. Why was the dog able to track where the first murder actually took place but when it came to finding a kidnapped child NO ONE thought to have the dog try. After all, it was the dog's "person" that went missing. Guess Kate and Sir Charles aren't quite as clever as they have been made out to be if neither one thought of that. But I guess if the child had been found sooner the story would have ended much too soon.