Death at Glamis Castle (Victorian Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Robin Paige (Author)

Book Description

Series: Victorian Mysteries | Publication Date: March 4, 2003

Upon their arrival, they discover they will be staying at the most historic castle in all of Scotland, a place teeming with dark secrets and haunting shadows. It seems that Prince Eddy, who had been heir to the throne until his purported death in 1892, has actually been alive all these years. Deemed unfit for the throne, he has been living secretly at Glamis Castle under an assumed name. Only now the prince has gone missing-on the very morning that the body of one of his servants was found, her throat slashed. Now, Charles and his clever Kate must find Eddy and clear his name-while keeping his true identity a secret.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Paige's ninth Victorian mystery (after 2002's Death at Dartmoor) enmeshes married sleuths Lord Charles and Kate Sheridan yet again in royal intrigue and scandal, but with less success than usual. The Sheridans' holiday is interrupted by a summons from Edward VII to investigate strange occurrences at legendary Glamis Castle. The old story of the Monster of Glamis-a half-man, half-monster rumored to be a deformed scion of a noble family-gains new life when the castle's labyrinthine quarters are used to conceal the presence of Lord Osborne, who lives in isolation, tended to by a small staff of servants. Osborne's disappearance, which coincides with the brutal slaughter of a housemaid, proves worthy of the king's attention when the Sheridans learn that the victim's throat was slit in a manner consistent with the crimes of Jack the Ripper-and that Osborne is actually the king's eldest son, Edward, duke of Clarence, himself a one-time Ripper suspect, whose death was announced by Buckingham Palace a decade earlier. Although the Sheridans "solved" the Ripper murders in the earlier Death at Whitechapel, they can't eliminate the duke from suspicion. Their inquiry takes place amid increasing British tensions with imperial Germany, which adds a potential espionage angle to the murder. While the book is a quick read, there's little suspense or deduction, and the pleasant if underdeveloped main characters don't do enough to hold the reader's attention.and Susan Albert Wittig, the latter author of Indigo Dying and other titles in her China Bayles detective series.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Robin Paige is the pseudonym of husband-and-wife writing team Susan Wittig Albert and Bill Albert. Susan Wittig Albert is also the author of the China Bayles mysteries. Bill Wittig is the co-author, with his wife, of more than sixty novels for young adults.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Hardcover; 1 edition (March 4, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425188477
• ISBN-13: 978-0425188477
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,893,904 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I enjoyed this entry, November 8, 2004

By 

Louis M. Perdue (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death at Glamis Castle (Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries, No. 9) (Mass Market Paperback)

more than most of the other reviewers, apparently. Some of the things the other reviewers complain about I actually enjoyed. It is true that the reader knows pretty quickly who committed the murder but the manner in which we get to see Charles & Kate work toward the solution is interesting and full of historical trivia.
Lord Charles Sheridan and his wife Kate are called upon by the about-to-be-crowned King Edward (again) to find his missing son, the one that should be the future king but has been exiled to Glamis Castle in Scotland for ten years and reported to be dead. He had been an embarrassment to the royal family for years and they had decided to announce his death rather than allowing him to become king at some point in the future. The German Kaiser has found out that 'Prince Eddy' is still alive and wants to kidnap him and present him to the public in order to embarrass the British royal family (and potentially bring the royal family down).
The story is filled with historical trivia and turn-of-the-century small town Scottish life and I found it interesting. I like the main characters as well, probably helping me be interested in the non-mystery aspects & descriptions.
I will definitely be reading the next book in the series, "Death in Hyde Park."

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong post Victorian mystery, March 6, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: Death at Glamis Castle (Victorian Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward, Eddy to his friends, was in line to the throne of England after his father who later becomes King Edward VII. Eddy was an embarrassment to the family, drinking and carousing, going from one scandal to another. He married a Catholic commoner and was discovered in a gay brothel. The public and the Royal Family believed he would never be fit to rule and all gave a sigh of relief when he died in a fire.

Very few people realized that it was all a ruse and Eddy was banished to Glamis Castle, deep in the Scottish Highlands. He lived there for over a decade in a luxurious if isolated suite and was known as Lord Osborne to all of the servants. One night he disappears and his personal servant is found murdered, her throat slit open. Lord Charles Sheridan is ordered by the king to find out who murdered the servant and to discover where Eddy went. He is able to accomplish his mission with the help of his intelligent and nosy wife Kate.

After reading DEATH AT GLAMIS CASTLE, readers will be glad that they are not members of any fictionalized European Royal Family because they come across as utterly ruthless and willing to do whatever needs to be done to preserve their station in life. Robin Paige has written an excellent mystery that involves German spies, a dark conspiracy, and a servant who is loyal and devoted to a once crowned prince. This work is rich in atmosphere and gives the audience a feel for the period after Queen Victoria's death.

Harriet Klausner

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best paige book yet!, June 16, 2007

By 

Whritenour "fluffypuppy" (NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Death at Glamis Castle (Robin Paige Victorian Mysteries, No. 9) (Mass Market Paperback)

I have read 5 of the Paige mysteries and I couldn't put this one down! You don't need to read them in order to enjoy this one.