A Gentleman of Fortune: Or, the Suspicions of Miss Dido Kent [Paperback]

Anna Dean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 2012

“If Jane Austen had written Miss Marple, she would have been Dido Kent.”--Kirkus (starred review)

 

The second installment in Anna Dean's charming mystery series finds Miss Dido Kent vacationing at her cousin Flora's.  When Flora's neighbor passes away, Dido can't help but sense something is amiss.  While she is ideally placed to observe the reaction of the community, her suitor, Mr. William Lomax, feels otherwise.  Dido won't be stopped, however, and as she learns more about the dirty dealings among the upper classes of Surrey, she brings more to light than even she could have imagined.  Anna Dean has crafted a delightful historical series; the next best thing to reading Jane Austen.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

At the start of Dean's agreeable sequel to 2010's Bellfield Hall, Miss Dido Kent, who's visiting fashionable Richmond in the spring of 1806, writes to her sister about the death of a neighbor, Mrs. Lansdale, carried off "by a sudden seizure." When it appears to be a case of murder, suspicion points to the deceased's nephew, Henry Lansdale, much to the distress of Henry's friend Flora, who's Miss Dido's cousin. Miss Dido sets out to prove Henry innocent, but her investigation takes some unexpected turns: "She had never supposed that the quiet death of a respectable old lady could lead her into such dark and distressing matters—or uncover so many shocking secrets." The plight of a gentleman raised in luxury yet entirely dependent on the good will of elderly relatives will resonate with fans of Jane Austen's Emma. (Apr.)
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Anna Dean set about writing at the age of five under the impression that everyone was taught to do so in order to pen books.  By the time she discovered her mistake, the habit was too deeply ingrained to give up. She resides in the Lake District of England.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; Reprint edition (January 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1250003822
• ISBN-13: 978-1250003829
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,431 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I live in the English Lake District with a husband and a cat. I write compulsively. It all started with a mistake. When I was taught to read at the age of five I assumed that I must pen books. By the time I realised my mistake and understood that it was not actually compulsory to create stories - the habit was too deeply ingrained to give up.

My other interests include: reading old letters and journals in local archive collections, walking, visiting old houses, reading (or rather compulsively re-reading) Jane Austen, watching Star Trek, spoiling the cat, and canoeing on very, flat water.

The Dido Kent series of mystery novels has grown out of many things including my enjoyment of puzzles and word-play, my love of the English countryside in which I have always lived, my interest in old houses, my time spent reading eighteenth and nineteenth century documents and my affection for the work of Jane Austen. The books are not in any sense continuations or 'spinoffs' of Austen's work. But they are set in the same period and they tend to focus on '3 or 4 families in a country village' - the setting which Jane Austen once described as 'the delight of my life.'

There are also other influences and references, not only to the novels but also Jane Austen's own life. For example, the visit to Lyme in Bellfield Hall is influenced by Persuasion; there are parallels with Emma in A Gentleman of Fortune; and the ruined abbey in A Woman of Consequence owes much to Northanger Abbey. Readers unfamiliar with Austen's work need not worry about all this. These allusions and references are certainly not essential to understanding the stories. Sometimes though, there are extra clues which avid readers of Jane Austen may be able to pick up; but, beware, the references to her life and work are not always pointing you in the right direction...

And just a quick note about names: Bellfield Hall was first published in Britain as A Moment of Silence and, in that version, the name of Edgar Montague's country house is Belsfield, not Bellfield. But the latter name was thought, by my U.S. publishers, to be more comfortable for American pronunciation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful Regency amateur sleuth, April 1, 2011

By 

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

This review is from: A Gentleman of Fortune: Or, the Suspicions of Miss Dido Kent (Hardcover)

In 1806 in Richmond, Miss Dido Kent sends a detailed letter to her sister Eliza re the death of Mrs. Lansdale, who passed away suddenly from a seizure. Odious Mrs. Midgely spreads the rumor of a suspicious death using the local apothecary as her evidence of foul play She also her casts doubts about the late woman's nephew Henry Lansdale. Dido's cousin Flora is upset with what she deems slander as she and her husband claim Henry as a friend.

Over the objection of her suitor Mr. William Lomax, Miss Dido decides to observe the townsfolk in order to determine if one of them killed the elderly Mrs. Lansdale although she still believes natural causes took the woman's life. Miss Dido is stunned by what she learns by just watching the residents as she finds everyone especially the aristocracy tries to conceal dark secrets that have nothing to do with the death of a respectable woman.

The second wonderful Anna Dean Regency amateur sleuth (see Bellfield Hall) is much more than just a mystery as the observations and "The Deductions of Miss Dido Kent" makes for a delightful period piece. Character driven, readers will enjoy observing the heroine shining a deep light on the darkest secrets of the Ton and others.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mysterious, June 2, 2011

By 

BookBargainsandPreviews.com "www.bookbargains... (New York) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: A Gentleman of Fortune: Or, the Suspicions of Miss Dido Kent (Hardcover)

Anna Dean is a wonderful author in the historical mystery genre. This book is the sequel to Bellfield Hall and I recommend reading that book first, though this could stand alone. It is well-written and very entertaining. The characters are well-developed and very likeable as you delve into their life through this story. You are kept hopping with the twists and turns and revelation of secrets. A great read!

5.0 out of 5 stars For fans of Jane Austen..., January 28, 2012

By 

Calypso007 "myz" - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Gentleman of Fortune: Or, the Suspicions of Miss Dido Kent (Hardcover)

This is the second book in the series of Dido Kent, and it is lovely! I am quite a fan of Jane Austen and historical mysteries, and this is a very satisfying combination. Dido is a charming sleuth and the other characters seemed plucked right out of Jane Austen novels(not to say Anna Dean is trying to steal or copy anything as her writing and plot are excellent and original). The mystery is not too dark and progress is slow, but the language is so nice you feel happy it's not too rushed. The pace feels entirely appropriate to the setting of the story. Highly recommended for fans of cozy mysteries or authors like Tasha Alexander, Stephanie Barron, and Elizabeth Aston.