Customer Reviews

Death on a Silver Tray: A Beau Brummell Mystery (Beau Brummell Mysteries)

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Tired of the same old thing? Looking for an investigator you can't get enough of, a scintillating plot and incredible atmosphere? Pick up this book. It's got it all.

I admit I've become jaded with conventional mysteries. Puzzling out the answer isn't enough. I've longed for a really good book set in an interesting time period-- one I can just sit back and immerse myself in without looking at the clock every fifteen minutes and wondering if the author will ever get around to actually having something happen. Well, folks, this is the book. Stevens' portrayal of Beau Brummell as Regency Detective is magnificent. Her presentation of the time in which he lived deftly and accurately done. And there's not one character in here that you don't come to know intimately. No cardboard cutouts for Ms. Stevens. Not a one! I will admit that I solved the mystery-- but only at the exact same time that Brummell did. A terrific read. I'm in love Beau, the incomparable, Brummell just as I always have been with Sherlock, the audacious, Holmes. Three cheers, Ms. Stevens! You've made my day.

And the cleverest! Rosemary Stevens has gotten Beau Brummell's "voice" down beautifully---just as I'd imagined he would sound and just as I'd imagined he would behave. The Beau, arbiter of Regency fashion and things social, admirer of beauty in all forms (from women to Sevres porcelain), is drawn into a murder investigation by his dear, treasured friend Freddie, the Duchess of York. He comes through admirably, and the identity of the murderer is a real surprise, nicely done. Stevens has other good characters with Robinson, Brummell's valet, his crony Petersham, and the Lavenders, father and daughter, respectively a Bow Street investigator and the founder of a home for fallen women. And Chakkri, the Siamese cat, is beyond description: the feline equivalent of George Bryan "Beau" Brummell. A delicious book! I will be looking forward eagerly for the next installment. Fans of the Jane Austen mysteries will, I predict, flock to this new Regency sleuth. Brummell as detective is just a fabulous idea.

Look, if I can love this blasted little romp, ANYONE cat, er, can. And I'm not a cat person, but that's beside the point . . .

DEATH ON A SILVER TRAY is written in the First Person. You need to appreciate that because it extracts a certain effect which works irritatingly well (or did on me) in spite of the fact that I generally detest the presence of the writer inserting himself into my story, and am even less inspired to become engaged in a murder plot that can't even take itself seriously. But I think the narrative voice chosen (supported in no small measure by an imperiously ambivalent Siamese cat) is, ironically, what makes the book work so well. Chagrined as I am to say this, one sits down to this book examining a plate of chocolate sweets. And discovers only after the fact that they have just consumed an excellent, satisfying meal that will stay with them. The vanity of the narrator is so ubiquitous that the pace of the story rushes behind like an excitable hairstylist with a pair of scissors. Brummel's vanity knows no shame! and the effrontery of his appealing to your sympathies in the First Person is riotously funny. You'll discover yourself bonding with Brummel even as you hate yourself for doing it. Even the cat is lifelike and soft. You'll . . . you'll want one dammit.

There is the deceased, of course. Something of an afterthought squeezed between the latest fashionable sedan wood and, er, cat dander. I laughed so hard at choice points throughout this book I found myself turning to the back sleeve incredulously, wondering how the author could have earned my respect in spite of myself. I found myself saying, "This confounded, damnable little book . . . why can't I put it down? It's useless. I can't even take it seriously."

And that, dear friends, is precisely the point. Read this book when you've been sad. Let the book make you laugh. And with any luck you'll be laughing at yourself in the end. There's a bit of Brummel in all of us, hang it all.

Skye

Rosemary Stevens has done a delightful job of integrating George "Beau" Brummell, the arbiter of Regency fashion, into a historical mystery.

The story is told from Brummell's perspective. Tasked to find the murder of the unpleasant Lady Wrayburn by no less a personage than HRH the Duchess of York, he is far out of his element. However Brummell accomplishes this task in a satisfactory fashion, and it is to Ms. Stevens's credit that his methods are entirely believable. She gives Brummell a fastidious personality to match his historical reputation; just as his somewhat overbearing personality begins to annoy, she softens the portrait with a small piece of business and a robust sense of humor (she describes one aspiring dandy as a "walking salad").

Characters in the book, while the ordinary sort that populate most historical mysteries of the time period (butlers, lady's maids, the "ton" of the English court, for instance) are deftly individual. And the cat on the cover, the lovely Chakkri, has his own role to play in the story, too.

All in all, an enjoyable book and a worthwhile addition to the sub-genre.

I must be honest. The cat made me buy it. And, although they say you cannot judge a book by its cover, this book was one I could not put down until it was finished. The mystery was enjoyable, with just the right number of hints along the way. But what really caught my fancy was the wit and charm displayed by the main characters. I have long been a fan of regency romances and I cut my teeth on mysteries. It was a pleasure to read a book that combined these two genres with sparkling good humor and intelligence.

I was totally caught up in "Death on a Silver Tray" from the very first page. My usual mystery reading revolves around medical and techno thrillers, so this was a completely different read for me and I loved it. Rosemary Stevens has brought Beau Brummell to life and beautifully depicts the Regency era of England. Brummell's character kept my attention. I stopped thinking of him as a superficial fashion confection and came to see him has a true and loyal friend to those he cares about. What I especially enjoyed is the way he deftly and subtely insulted those who are overbearing and arrogant, with them smiling all along!

This was a fast, fun read filled with great humor and the killer is a complete surprise. I was way off base with my suspect. I'm actually looking forward to the next Brummell installment.

What a wonderful start to what I hope is a long series of Brummell mysteries! This book reminds me very much of Peter's Amelia Peabody series - (although admittedly without the satisfaction of a Peabody/Emerson style romance). I say this because not only is the detail in it impeccably researched, but because Brummell is a wonderfully wry witty personality and makes a perfect character to use to solve these mysteries. He is the essential good companion you need to laugh with and also discover the clues (he is very observant of everything) as he finds his way through the confusion to reveal a killer in their midst!

I think Steven's has got Brummell's essential character down very well. It is clear from biographies of Brummell that he was an amusing, entertaining person and a very loyal friend - clearly she has done a lot of research on him and his times. She has also peopled the book with a variety of real and imagined characters mostly who are very likeable or very droll or a mixture of both. This book provides a very nice way to while away an afternoon or two.

This is a wonderfully light yet engaging story about George "Beau" Brummell, the Regency arbiter of fashionable society. This book reads like a personal letter from "Beau" to the reader, including personal asides to the reader. The book is quite witty and a very fast read. There are a multitude of interesting characters, including the detective, Mr. Lavender, and his altruistic daughter (who seems to have her own, personal mystery). The best part of the book is that I did not know who the guilty party really was until the very last pages of the book! This book is a must-read for Regency fans and/or for mystery fans alike!

I finally got some uninterrupted time to enjoy Rosemary Stevens' DEATH ON A SILVER TRAY, although "enjoy" is perhaps too pallid a word. What a wonderful book! Ms. Stevens is certainly to be congratulated on conceiving such a wonderful idea for a mystery. Beau Brummell, as delineated by the author, makes a superb detective and an absolutely compelling character. Ms. Stevens craftsmanship is wonderful to behold. In the beginning of the book, she is faced with the task of introducing the Beau to readers who may not be familiar with this real, historical man. She is thus forced into a great deal of exposition, which she handles brilliantly by having the Beau introduce himself, as to a new friend. He reveals his past, his personality and character, as well as his place in the society of the day with a beguiling lightness of spirit and an affecting insouciance.

The story itself is a first-rate mystery and I did not suspect the identity of the murderer until the moment when the author herself decided to reveal it. With plenty of suspense and false leads, and even a romance, I was pinned to the pages until I finished the book-more than somewhat regretfully.

In addition, I am in awe of Ms. Stevens' research on the subject of Brummell and Regency England. She has provided us with a fascinating glimpse of Regency England without drowning us in minutiae. I heartily recommend this book to any lover of a) Regency fiction B) mysteries c) romance or d) a rousing good yarn.

I've discovered a new series of mysteries to enjoy, assuming that Ms. Stevens will indeed continue giving us more adventures of Brummell. Her portrayal of Mr. Brummell is impeccable and at times amusing -- that he values his properly starched crevats more than his own life when hunting down a killer is nothing short of hiliarious. I can actually imagine the real Mr. Brummell evoking the same sentiment.

I used to read Regency romances when I was younger, but thanks to Ms. Stevens I can now enjoy Regency mysteries. Death on a Silver Tray is well-written and researched (in terms of portraying George III's England), and Mr. Brummell's narration makes for an easy, fun read.