Customer Reviews

Our Lady of Pain: An Edwardian Murder Mystery

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

 

 

Once again, Lady Rose Summer finds herself in the middle of another murder investigation and scandal, except that this time, she's the main suspect in the murder of the well known and disreputable French courtesan, Dolores Duval. And while, mainly because of the author's light, dry prose style, the book turned out to be a nice, easy read, it should be noted that the mystery subplot was very lightweight (almost non-exsistant at times). Where the book really shines though is where Marion Chesney writes about the social habits and attitudes of the times and the fashion.

Lady Rose is still pretending to be engaged to private detective, Captain Harry Cathcart, and is still unsure about where she stands with him. So that when Harry acquires the seductive and scandalous Dolores Duval as a client (who has been receiving threatening letters), and starts squiring her around, a very jealous Rose publicly threatens the woman. Unfortunately, Rose also decides to pay Dolores a visit in order to have it out with her. The last thing she expected was to find Dolores dead, and for the police to suspect her of the crime! Now, in spite of her confused feelings about Harry, Rose realises that she will have depend on Harry's detecting skills and her determination to prove her innocence and find Dolores' murderer...

The thing is that there really was the potential for a really good, absorbing mystery novel here -- it was just never really realised. Too much time was spent on old material: Rose's and Harry's confused up-and-down feelings for each other, and Daisy's (Rose's companion) relationship with Becket (Harry's valet). The mystery of who killed Dolores and why got lost for a good chunk of the book. It is true that about slightly less than half way through the book, things do suddenly come together as Harry, Rose, Daisy and Becket suddenly hunker down to trying to figure out who would want Dolores dead and why. Unfortunately, once again, the author decided to throw a spanner into these budding romantic relationships -- the relationship between the newly wedded Daisy and Becket becomes strained and Rose finds herself becoming attracted to someone else, and again the murder investigation suffered as a result. The resolution had a rushed feeling as a result, and many mystery fans might end up feeling disappointed. On the other hand, when discussing the fads, taboos and eccentricities of the Edwardian period, and the fashions, the book really shone and became quite interesting. And that, coupled with the author's sparkling prose style made up for the lightweight mystery subplot and lightly sketched characters, making "Our Lady of Pain" an entertaining 3 star read.

I love this series! She always leaves me wanting more! I was pleased with the ending this time and I hope the author continues with the angle of keeping Harry and Rose together. They need to get married and run the detective agency together! Any more twist between Harry and Rose will cause readers to lose interest. I really think Harry and Rose as a team personally and professonally could be fun. I was confused/disappointed with Daisy's character this time. I'm not sure where the author is going with her. We have watched this wonderful transformation of Daisy coming from a hard life and learning to be a "proper lady". I have also loved watching the love between her and Beckett blossom. However, this book brought her back to the behavors of her roots and then some from start to finish. I was very disappointed! So, I'm anxious to see why the author did that. It totally changed my impressions of Daisy and what I was hoping for her. But overall, it was great and I will be anxiously awaiting the next book.

since others have summed up the storyline so well, I only want to add a few quick notes to the other reviews. First-do not start reading this mystery series with this one as you will be totally confused as the book is entirely written in the assumption that you already have read the first three in the series.

Secondly-I have to agree with several other reviwers-calling this fourth book a mystery at all is stretching it as the vast majority of the story centers on the travails of Rose's and Daisy's love lives and their many quirky misadventures.

Finally-stalwart Chesney fan that I am, I must admit this fourth book to be disappointing. Miss Chesney has several characters behaving completely out of character, and in the case of the two female leads, their propensity to get themselves into dire situations is now turning annoying.

The author doesn't seem to want the two characters to grow or learn from previous mistakes. There was several brief moments of hilarity but moreover they were diminished by overwhelming buffoonery that made me want to throttle the both of them:)

So overall I would suggest the book of fellow die hard Chesney fans but others should probably skip it or at least hold off to see if the author can redeem herself and her Edwardian Ladies in the next installment.

3.5 stars!

This is the fourth in a series of murder mysteries set in Britain and France in the first decade of the 20th century featuring Captain Harry Cathcart and Lady Rose Summer.

To date there are four books in the series, which are

Snobbery with Violence
Hasty Death
Sick of Shadows
Our Lady of Pain

The author writes romantic fiction, mostly humorous regency romances plus one or two set in the Edwardian period, under the name Marion Chesney, and mystery/detective stories such as the Agatha Raisin and Hamish MacBeth series under the name M.C. Beaton.

This Edwardian series is a something of a cross-over between the two - part romance and part murder mystery - and the books often have both names on the cover (usually something like "M.C. Beaton writing as Marion Chesney.)


The main characters in the series are:

Captain Harry Cathcart, younger son of a Baron, has left the army after being injured in the Boer war. At the start of the first book in the series he carried out a service for Lady Rose's father for which he gained a reputation as a fixer, and by the time of this fourth book he is successfully running a business as the Edwardian equivalent of a Private Investigator - though this makes some members of "Society" look down on him as being "in trade."

Lady Rose Summer, Harry's fiance and the only daughter of the Earl and Countess of Hadfield. Slightly notorious as having briefly been involved with suffragettes. Chafes at the fact that society will not allow her a useful role, and constantly looking for something more challenging to do -from working as a typist or secretary to helping the police solve murders.

Beckett - Harry's "personal gentleman" - in love with Daisy.

Daisy - Lady Rose's companion. A former chorus girl, but when Captain Cathcart recruited her to play the role of a maid with a contagious disease as one of the escapades in the first book, Lady Rose recruited her to do the job for real. Later Lady Rose promoted her from Maid to Companion. In love with Becket and wants to marry him.

Detective Superintendent Kerridge - a senior policeman of humble origins and carefully supressed radical views, reinforced by the fact that whenever he has to interview an aristocrat they always threaten to report him to the Prime Minister. In the first three books, he played Inspector Slack to Lady Rose's Miss Marple. By this one his main role is releasing Harry or Lady Rose from arrest on the frequent occasions one of them is wrongly accused of murder.

At the start of this fourth book, Lady Rose Summer is engaged to Captain Harry Cathcart for the second time. They originally agreed an engagement at the end of the second book to prevent Lady Rose's parents shipping her out to India to find a husband. The engagement was broken off and then re-established in the third book.

Although you would think that their propensity for breaking up and re-establishing engagements was a dead give-away, neither has ever admitted that they actually have feelings for each other. Lady Rose "would have sworn on a stack of bibles that she was not a jealous woman." Then a gorgeous courtesan from Paris, Mademoiselle Dolores Duval, hires Harry in his capacity as an investigator. When Harry accompanies Dolores to the theatre, Lady Rose completely loses her temper, and the book loses any claim to authenticity as a picture of Edwardian Society. She snaps at Mademoiselle Duval an insult which a titled lady of that time would never have heard of and the threat to "leave my fiance alone ... or I'll kill you."

Unfortunately the following morning Lady Rose discovers Dolores Duval's murdered body - and is then arrested for the murder when the cleaning lady finds Rose standing over the body with a gun in her hand.

This starts a madcap series of scrapes which range from London to Oxford Paris to Scotland, and include several more murders, Lady Rose and Daisy spending some time under the supervision of a group of Anglican Benedictine nuns who are as ascetic and severe as the strictest Catholic ones, and with romances, engagements and marriages made, sundered, and on again.

Despite my previous comparison with Miss Marple, this is not in the same league as Agatha Christie as a detective story, and neither is it in the same league as Jane Austen as a romance. Nor, indeed, is it one of the author's best books. When she is really on form, M.C. Beaton/Marion Chesney is capable of good characterisation and flashes of delightful humour. However apart from the absurd parody of convent life, and the ironic trick by which Lady Rose's parents are persuaded to allow her to leave the convent, there isn't much good humour in this book, and non-stop action becomes a substitute for character development.

Worth reading if you enjoyed the other books in the series and want to know what happens next, or if you are looking for a mildly entertaining light read. Otherwise, give it a miss.

I have read the 3 Edwardian mysteries by Marion Chesney before this one, and enjoyed them very much. This one is a great disappointment. It is extremely choppy. The story doesn't flow, and doesn't give a feel for the period. The characters are very shallow.

The Earl of Hadshire's daughter Lady Rose Summer failed to catch a husband during her season so her parents want to send her to India to find a spouse there among the expatriates. Rose convinces Captain Harry Cathcart, a private investigator, to fake an engagement so she won't have to travel to India. Although the engagement is phony, Rosa has real feelings for Harry and is insanely jealous when he starts squiring his new client Dolores Duval around town.

Rose threatens in a public place to kill Delores if she doesn't stay away from Harry. Later Rose visits Dolores' lodgings and finds that her rival is shot to death. The police assume Rose killed Delores and arrest her. She is soon released and they travel to Paris to interview the woman named in Dolores' will, but soon afterward she is murdered and Rose is thrown into the Seine. Harry rescues her. They find a fake suicide note where Rose admits to the two killings. Danger follows Rose to Scotland and in London when she asks too many questions. Even after the suspected murderer is caught, Rose remains in danger from an unknown enemy with only Harry to help her.

OUR LADY OF PAIN gives readers a glimpse of Edwardian England as seen through the eyes of the aristocracy and their servants. Rose's life is in danger and she is also being set up by someone to take the fall as a murderess. Harry has his hands full keeping Rose safe and out of jail while trying to figure out just how deep his feelings for her go. This is a very entertaining historical mystery which is at times very funny as the heroine goes from one crisis to the next. Marion Chesney beguiles the reader with her witty and non-conformist characters.

Harriet Klausner

Marion Chesney (terrific cozy author M.C. Beaton) knows how to write one heck of an enjoyable read - IF you like historical cozies where the author has actually done solid, serious research about the era.

Edwardian debutante Lady Rose Summer and her wise-cracking sidekick Daisy don't mean to keep stumbling into disreputable adventures, but they certainly add a zip to life; and after all, why should private detective Captain Harry Cathcart be the only one to have adventures?!?! Then calamity strikes! When Harry's newest client, Dolores Duval, a gorgeous French lady "of reputation" causes Rose to feel tremors of jealousy our heroine ultimately loses her head and actually threatens to kill Dolores only to be discovered standing next to Dolores' dead body the very next day! Her strait-laced parents are horrified and determinedly pack Rose and Daisy off to a strict convent for a year to learn how to behave.

But then another murder occurs and fingers again point to Rose . . .

This is the fourth book in the author's Edwardian murder mystery series of books. While I have enjoyed them all in varying degrees, this one is the weakest of the lot. Although it features Lady Rose Summer and Captain Harry Cathcart with their off again, on again engagement, the story has a difficult time getting totally off the ground and engaging the reader.

Once again, Lady Rose gets herself in trouble when, in a fit of jealousy, she threatens to kill one of Captains Cathcart's clients, the beguiling Parisian temptress Dolores Duval. When Madame Duval turns up dead, Lady Rose becomes the number one suspect. Of course, Captain Cathcart does his utmost to clear his intended's name, while Lady Rose finds herself under attack by person or person's unknown.

All in all, it is a somewhat choppy affair that could have used some better editing, as the book goes hither and thither. Moreover, there a back story involving Lady Rose's companion, Daisy, and Captain Cathcart's manservant, Becker, that takes up a bit of the story. While it is a light and frothy little mystery, the characters were somewhat annoying this time around and not as enjoyable as in the earlier books. Still, fans of the author will derive a modicum of enjoyment from the book.

....they can always get worse.

Lady Rose Summer has always had the threat of being sent to India with the rest of the failed debutantes held over her head by her frustrated parents. She knows they are quite capable of doing it, after all they had already had her committed to an asylum for her willful ways. She thought that she had circumvented this fate by becoming engaged to the dashing Harry Cathcart, an arrangement that they both declared to be only one of convenience, but when Harry not only neglects her but begins to be seen about town with a well known Parisian courtesan it is just too much! Lady Rose decides that she must take matters into hand and run this most unsuitable interloper off. Unfortunately when she arrives at her rival's flat the woman is dead and Rose quickly becomes the prime suspect. Her parents have finally reached their limit and send Rose and Daisy off to a convent, an Anglican one to be sure, but a convent nevertheless and one that specializes in reforming wayward debutantes and other fallen women. Rose and Daisy manage to escape this 'fate worse than death' but soon realize that they may have gone from the frying pan into the fire!

Author Marion Chesney is also known as M C Beaton of Agatha Raisin and Hamish Macbeth fame. As with those series of cozies, the Edwardian Murder Mysteries, are more about the life and times of Lady Rose and her companions rather than the murders. The overall story arc of this series is so pronounced that the books need to be read in order, SNOBBERY WITH VIOLENCE, HASTY DEATH, SICK OF SHADOWS and OUR LADY OF PAIN and hopefully many more to come.

M.C. Beaton is a wonderful writer. This series is lovely written.
Not for a reader who enjoys a tight and emotional story. Just a pure joy reading when you are not well ot just want to relax.