Customer Reviews

Death on the Lizard (Victorian Mysteries)

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

 

 

Two years earlier, though the competition is fierce, the Marconi Wireless Telegraphy Company successfully sent the first wireless message across the Atlantic from their Bass Point Station in Lizard Village, Cornwall. However, by 1903 much of the initial euphoria has worn off as sabotage slows down progress. More frightening, a fisherman finds the battered body of Jack Gordon who the officials declared fell off the nearby cliff to his accidental death. When a second accident leaves another employee dead, the company and the locals conjecture whether a rival is warning off the workforce; no one believes an accident occurred as two tragedies so close together seem too coincidental especially since more damaging disruption including the stealing of a key valuable piece of equipment has occurred at the wireless station.

While Lady Kate Sheridan visits her grieving friend Lady Jenna Loveday, whose daughter Harriet recently drowned, local authorities ask her husband Charles, a successful amateur sleuth, to investigate the two "accidental" deaths that they now believe are homicides. He soon connects Harriet's drowning, the deaths of the employees of the wireless company to the industrial espionage and sabotage, but that knowledge places Charles and Kate in danger from a person willing to kill to take control of the growing international communications business.

DEATH ON THE LIZARD is a fantastic historical mystery, which in spite of a wonderful who-done-it investigation, the early twentieth century communication technology takes front and center as readers cannot help but to compare it with cell phones and internet instant chat lines, etc. The story line is action-packed, but also provides a deep historical look at Cornwall and at the beginnings of the technology revolution. The key cast members, not just the sleuthing marital team, are fully developed as Team Paige is at their best with this insightful look at the late Victorian Age.

Harriet Klausner

This is the twelfth in a series of period mysteries written by a husband and wife team under a pseudonym. Well-written and well-researched, they are replete with detail evocative of a bygone era. The main characters are engaging and with each passing book, the reader becomes more interested with the details of 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.

The series revolves around Lady Kathryn and her husband, Charles, Baron of Somersworth. In 1903, they are off to Lizard Village in Cornwall. Charles is an enthusiast of all new scientific inventions, and the wireless is no exception. Lizard Village just happens to be the home of Guglielmo Marconi's wireless station. When apparent sabotage and unsatisfactorily explained deaths occur, Charles, an amateur detective, is asked to make an inquiry into what exactly is going on in Lizard Village and at the Marconi station. Aided by his wife, Kathryn, what they discover involves national security and an old nemesis.

It is of interest that these books always seem to include a historical personage or event that is intertwined into the mystery at hand. The authors' notes at the end of the book are most enjoyable, as they allow the reader to understand the reasoning and research that went into such inclusion. In this case, they provide a lot of information about the development of the wireless in England and some of its practices. The injection of Guglielmo Marconi into the storyline was also quite interesting, and, again, the authors' notes are illuminating as to why. For those who enjoy history, these notes are an added bonus to these books. Those who enjoy the historical cozy mystery genre will definitely love this series.

Kate & Charles Sheridan are back in their 12th novel, set in Cornwall in 1903. The well-known person featured in this story is Edward Marconi, who is working on his new technology, the telegraph. Charles is asked to investigate some strange happenings with Marconi's company, while Kate (separately) was asked to help a friend in the same area who is grieving for her daughter's recent death. While Kate is ferreting out the mysterious goings-on with the child's death, Charles is knee-deep in bodies and clues. The two are kept busy, but manage to solve the cases but not without some danger to themselves. Not my favorite of their (Bill & Susan Wittig Albert) stories, but another good read.

This is the 12th and last in the Victorian/Edwardian mystery series. The primary historical figure is Marconi and focuses on his wireless (transmission of Morse code) technology. Charles and Kate work to solve several mysterious deaths, some related to wireless, and the drowning death of a young girl whose mother's estate they are visiting. There are some supernatural elements including a seance with ghostwriting that provides some historical atmosphere. While I found the historical information to be interesting, the mystery lacked some punch and there was some poor editing, such as Kate introducing herself as Lady Sheridan Sheridan. I also found her talking alter-ego, Beryl to continue to be annoying. While it is always sad to get to the end of a series, this one has suffered in the last few books, with the exception of Death at Blenheim Palace. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the series overall, and look forward to other series by Susan Wittig Albert (half of the writing duo of this series along with her husband, Bill).

I have read all twelve of the books in the Victorian Mystery series and enjoyed each of them. Several friends read them and also enjoyed them. I like the way information about "real" people is included in each book and I found that along with enjoying the books I learned something from each one that I did not know. I have loved reading Susan Wittig Albert books for a long time and felt the same way about these books written by Susan and her husband.

Of all the books in the series I liked this one the least, but it was still good.

I have been enjoying the turn-of-the-century series written by the husband and wife team of Bill and Susan Albert. I am actually sorry to see the end of this series. It was always a nice blend of fictional and historical characters, and the mysteries were always fun to figure out. Also, the time that the series is set in is when there were so many technological changes (the motor car, wireless transmitting, photography, etc) It's always informative to see how these things started and the author team always did their research. In this book we meet Marconi and are in at the ground floor of wireless transmissions. We are also in the very beginnings that set up for World War I. English people were just beginning to question what was actually going on in Germany with the Kaiser at the helm. This book also gives us a wonderful picture of the beautiful Cornwall scenery. I highly recommend this series for those who love historical mysteries. Start at Book 1 and read and enjoy right up to Book 12.

i really injoyed robin paige victorian mystery death on the lizard.i have really gotten into her characters because i have read alot of her books.i think i really know the characters in her books.charles and lady sheridan.after a while you try to put yourself in their place back in the victorian age. phyllis childres

Death on the Lizard: An Edwardian Mystery
Robin Paige

The Lizard, a peninsula in the extreme south west of England, was the site chosen by Marconi to send the first transatlantic wireless signal early in the twentieth century. The husband and wife writing team who go under the pseudonym Robin Paige have made this the event and location for another of their British historical mysteries.
The team of Kate and Charles Sheridan are involved in investigating a couple of sudden and unexplained deaths that threaten Marconi's work. It is this focus on the very early days of wireless transmissions that lifts the book out of the ordinary. Marconi's pioneering work is well known. Less well known are the other companies and individuals who were striving to implement other similar systems, or to retain the older system of communicating via transatlantic cable. Their machinations, and the research done to uncover them, add a great deal to the book.
The plot is satisfying in its complexity and the characters are vivid. This is basically a masculine tale, but there is a large enough role for Kate and her friends - light relief, really, from the main action - that the reader does not feel overwhelmed with scientific detail. As always the pacing is excellent, the conflict mounts to an interesting series of climaxes and the stakes are naturally very high.
What spoiled the book, for me, was the accent on Lord and Lady This and Lord and Lady That. They say the English are class conscious but this pair of Texans seem more class conscious than any English person I ever met. They even throw in an upcoming visit from royalty in case all the lords and ladies mentioned were not enough. Maybe it was an attempt at satire. I also got rather tired of the glowing description of Cornwall. Yes, it's a beautiful part of the world, but azure/ceruleanskies get a bit much chapter after chapter.
I'm a big fan of Susan Wittig Albert's China Bayles mysteries set in Texas. The Albert's live in Texas and have a feeling for it. It comes across in a strong and genuine fashion. I find their portrayal of England is disappointingly shallow.