Customer Reviews

Death at Glamis Castle (Victorian Mysteries)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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."

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

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.

O.K., not the best of the series, but acceptable. A little more development of the characters and less focus on historical "teaching" would have made for a faster moving more engaging story.

Lord and Lady Sheridan are on holiday in the north of England when an urgent message arrives calling Charles and Kate (Lord and Lady Sheridan) to parts unknown at the request of King Edward VII. They arrive at the train station to find a special train waiting for them and a squad of hand-picked soldiers. Still not knowing where they are bound or why, the sleuthing couple are intrigued to find that the rail lines have been cleared so that their train can make all possible speed. The reader of course will know by the title of the book that they are headed to Glamis Castle, the hereditary home of the recently deceased Queen Mother who puts in a short appearance as a small child.

The authors of this series put a great deal of time and energy into including real historical characters in their books and this entry is no exception. The presence of these historical figures adds a great deal to this series but in this case, as in at least one other entry, the authors have taken a leap off of the edge of historical believability. The scenario played out in this book is based on one of the great conspiracy theories of all time and sometimes the whole story borders on the ridiculous. It is a well known historical fact that King Edward's eldest son, Prince Eddy, was an embarrassment to the royal family and that there was a great sigh of relief in many quarters when the young Prince died of syphilis. All of this is just too convenient for those who traffic in conspiracies however and so the theory that he had not died but was exiled came into being. He was, according to the authors of this book, exiled to Glamis Castle where he lived in solitude until August of 1901 when he disappeared.

King Edward knowing full well that the monarchy would be shaken to it's very core if this great deception were to come to light, sent for Charles and Kate because they had proven themselves to be able and most of all discreet investigators. All the more ominous was the fact that just after the Prince was discovered missing, one of his servants was found with her throat slashed. Since yet another conspiracy theory had linked Prince Eddy to the Ripper killings Charles and Kate not only had to find the Prince, but also prove that he didn't kill the maid. Just to muddy the water even further, Prince Eddy's mind has become unstable and he thinks that he is Bonnie Prince Charlie trying to escape the English army. Just by coincidence, his closest friend is the daughter of his slain maid and her name is Flora MacDonald.

As is the norm in this series, the authors paint a beautiful verbal picture of turn of the century England and in this case, Scotland. The characters that they create are very believable and the haunted setting of Glamis Castle is marvelous. Unfortunately, the plot is a little weak and the reader will pretty much have the mystery solved by the middle of the book. The presence of cleaver German agents, a love-sick Constable, and a band of gypsies all combine to make this story almost comical at times. The sad thing is that the authors didn't intend it to be funny. This book is just not up to par with most of the other books in this series. It is an enjoyable read and I loved the Scottish setting but all things considered, I would recommend most of the authors' other books well ahead of this one.

I recently discovered Robin Paige through reading books by Susan Wittig Albert, one-half of the "Robin Page" husband-wife writing team. I have consistently enjoyed all his/her/their books. In addition to setting forth a well-plotted mystery with evocative settings and engaging characters, each book relates to some political or social issue of the Victorian/Edwardian era -- labor unrest, Jack the Ripper, forensic advances. If I've made them sound "good for you" (horrors!), don't shy away on that account -- they are delightful page-turners as well.

Prince Eddy, the eldest of Victoria and Albert's sons, was heir to the British throne. But his excesses and mental problems made him unsuitable to rule. When he died in 1892, the royal family secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But what if Eddy didn't die in 1892? What if instead he was hidden out on a remote Scottish estate under an assumed name so his younger, more suitable brother could become the heir? This is the premise of "Death at Glamis Castle," No. 9 in the series of Robin Paige mysteries about the sleuthing couple Sir Charles Sheridan and his American wife, Kate.

King Edward orders Richard to Glamis Castle in Scotland to investigate the disappearance of the prince, and the brutal murder of one of his female servants. Richard and Kate are shocked when they realize the man they are hoping to find is really Prince Eddy. The plot thickens -- and their own lives are endangered -- when they get closer to the heart of the mystery.

I don't want to give too much away, but this is a satisfying "cozy" mystery with believeable characters. I picked this one up at a used-book store and enjoyed it. Now, I plan to start with the first novel, "Death at Bishop's Keep," and see how Richard and Kate met, became sleuthing partners and solved their first mystery.

I recommend this book (and series) to anyone who enjoys Victorian mysteries such as the Thomas and Charlotte Pitt series by Anne Perry.

This book is not the strongest entry in this series. As I finished it I felt strangely disappointed. One of the main things that I like about the series is it's inclusion of real people into the storyline. I guess Prince Eddy was real, but the whole scenario of his 10-year exile may or may not have happened. Also, there is really no mystery here. It is an espionage story, but there really isn't any mystery in that either. We know right from the beginning almost who killed the maid, and who was involved and why. Less explanation about these key points would make the story much more entertaining and exciting. In this book Kate and Charles are commandeered into a mission that takes them to the historic Glamis castle in Scotland. They find out that the prince who was heir to the throne is not dead as they had been led to believe, and that he has actually been living in the castle for the last ten years. He has gone missing and his father (the King) has commissioned Charles to find him. At the same time the body of one of the castle servants has been found with her throat cut. Can these two separate incidences be connected? Charles and Kate attempt to find out, and to uncover the mystery surrounding Prince Eddy.

This is the ninth in this series of well-written and carefully researched cozy period mysteries, which started off as Victorian mysteries. Now with the death of Queen Victoria and her son, Edward, having ascended to the throne, this series is more appropriately referred to as an Edwardian mystery.

Replete with period detail and the social mores evocative of a bygone era, this is a series of historical mysteries that is well worth reading. The main characters are engaging, and with each passing book, the reader becomes more fully immersed into their lives. As with all cozy mysteries, it is not so much the mystery that is of import but the characters that revolve around the mystery. While the mystery is intriguing, it is simply the framework around which the characters evolve.

This series features Lady Kathryn and her husband, Charles Sheridan, who is also the fifth Baron of Somersworth. Summoned by King Edward to Glamis Castle in Scotland, they find themselves in the middle of a muddle. It seems that there is a royal mystery, as well as a murder, to be solved, the likes of which would destroy the monarchy were its details to become public. So, Charles is privately commissioned by the King to solve the mystery and the murder. With the aid of his spunky and intelligent wife, this indomitable duo investigates, and what they discover will keep the reader riveted to the pages of this book. Those who enjoy the historical cozy mystery genre will definitely love this series.

This is the ninth book in the Victorian Edwardian mystery series.It incorporates two previous storylines- one from Death at Rottingdean regarding German spies and one from Death at Whitechapel involving the Jack the Ripper murders. Kate and her husband Charles are summoned for a mysterious task by the Crown. They are taken by train with a troop of hand selected soldiers up to Glamis Castle where they begin to investigate a murder of a servant woman who has been taking care of a mentally disturbed recluse lord who they find out is really the rightful heir to the throne who had been declared dead in a fire. It is unclear how the prince was involved with the murder or if he had been taken by German spies. The pair must investigate and find the prince before it is too late. Kate finds that the servants know far more that anyone would have expected and her alter ego, Beryl Bardwell plays an important role. From a historical perspective, we get to meet Queen Elizabeth (the Queen Mother) as an infant. This was a interesting story although the mystery part was not as strong as some of the previous books, but the characterization was good.