Customer Reviews

The Vital Principle (Second Sons Inquiry Agency Mystery)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I loved the dialog. It introduced me to a whole new vocabulary of delightful old British words. Luckily my Kindle 3 has both the New Oxford American Dictionary and the Oxford English Dictionary, so I made the latter my default and had the added fun of discovering nuances I might have otherwise missed. The two main characters were people I would like to hang out with and the baddies were really bad so you could root for their defeat. I hope the characters Knighton Gaunt and Prudence Barnard show up in future books by this author.

It was refreshing that the author didn't feel the need to pepper the story with ugly language or graphic sex and violence when the few references to sex and violence were just enough to develop motives and move the plot along.

Pru Bransford is suspected of murdering a truly awful man, Lord Crowley. No worries, though, because she keeps her head and wins the admiration of the man hired by Lord Crowley to prove her a fraud. This book reminds me of Amanda Quick's writing, which I adore. Do yourself a favor and buy this book!

My Review:

Pru Bransford is suspected of murder by the inquiry agent hired to reveal her as a fraud. Even when falsely accussed of murder; Pru Bransford keeps her head, remains calm, and eventually her innocence is proven. An interesting mystery from beginning to end.

Amy Corwin's writing style flows easily and keeps the reader interested, and continually guessing "what comes next." In each chapter, the tension mounts between the different characters involved, and continues throughout the book. The suspense grows gradually, and builds until the final chapters where the murder is finally revealed and apprehended.

Even after the mystery is solved, the story continues. I love a good story where the ending is just as good as the beginning, and Amy Corwin delivers. A great novel for mystery buffs. As for the "christian fiction" genre; There seems to be an underlying note that inquiry agent Knighton Gaunt believes in God, but it is understated. Gaunt quotes in Chapter five that "there is only one truth."

Though the language is clean, and this book is readable for most of my followers; I would recommend this for 13+ due to some of the more adult-oriented content of the story.

Everyone has Secrets and Pru Barnard is no exception. But is she a charlaton? Or worse? A muderer?

With no family and no inheritance, Pru Barnard must find a way to support herself and her maid without working or she will be unable to maintain the lifestyle to which she is accustomed. So, she becomes a professional guest, entertaining her hosts/hostesses by contacting the spirit world.

Knighton Gaunt was once a member of the ton, but as a second son, he's no lord and he chooses not to live off the generosity of his older brother. But when he opens his own inquiry agency, he's no longer accepted as a guest in the finer homes.

The story opens with Pru holding a séance at the home of Lady Crowley. Her son, Lord Crowley has invited Knighton to prove Pru is a charlaton, but when Lord Crowely is murdered, Knighton suspects Pru of much worse. But Knighton soon learns that everyone attending the séance that night had a possible motive for murder, even Lord Crowley's mother. And Pru just might have some psychic abilities after all.

As Knight searches for the truth, Pru tries desperately to prove her innocence. The motivations are believable and the dialouge witty. Ms. Corwin also does a superb job weaving in the character's backsoty and romantic tension between Knighton and Pru that make me wish to read more about these two.

I can't say I was completely surprised by the ending, but I was MORE than satisfied! Unlike some mystery writers, Ms. Corwin did not try to "surprise" the reader by blaming the murder on some obscure character and then divulging the motive at the very end, making it impossible for the reader to guess correctly. The clues are sprinkled through out the story so the reader can "solve" the case along with Knighton and Pru. And I love being able to solve the mystery...and be right. lol!

Well done, Ms. Corwin. I'm looking forward to reading all the books featured in this series.

I love the Regency era, but rarely read it anymore because it drives me crazy to read so-called regency books filled with modern idiom and behavior that no proper young English woman of that era would allow. I cringed when I opened this e-book and saw that I was reviewing a Regency mystery. I waited for the anomalous language or behavior but it never came. Much to my surprise, Ms. Corwin does Regency right! I wonder whether she created her professional psychic, Prudence Barnard, or channeled her.

Miss Barnard is a genteel spinster whose father left her very little except the ability to become a "professional" houseguest. She makes the rounds of country houses contacting the spirits of the dearly departed and assuring their loved ones that they are, indeed, happy and comfortable on the other side.

Knighton Gaunt, founder of Second Sons Inquiries, is hired by the very disagreeable Lord Crowley to prove Miss Barnard a charlatan, and finds himself investigating Lord Crowley's murder, instead. Did Miss Barnard do it? Or one of the other houseguests? There were thirteen people at the table that night. Oh, and a maid in the corner. Gaunt is the only one in the room he knows did not put poison in Lord Crowley's brandy.

That's the other thing about me. I usually figure out who did it at least halfway through the book. Ms. Corwin kept me guessing right up until the very end. I'm glad this is the first book in a series. I will be reading more of Ms. Corwin's books. I've found a new favorite author, and a Regency mystery writer, at that!

This book reminded me a lot of some of the old Gothics written by authors like Virginia Coffman and Victoria Holt. The main character is an inquiry agent, Knighton Gaunt, who is hired by Lord Crowley to expose spiritualist Miss Pru Barnard as a fake.

Poor Pru is pretty much a "professional guest" and conducts spirit communications as a way to entertain folks, sort of like playing the piano. She's not entirely comfortable doing it because she and her father actually used to debunk ghost stories before he died, but she's in straightened circumstances and can't really refuse. One thing I found interesting is what this highlights about the social position of women during the period and some of the class distinctions. While Pru is essentially poverty-stricken, she can maintain the façade of a well-to-do woman and keep her social position by basically being a professional guest, while Mr. Gaunt, whose brother is a baron, has lost his social position by deciding to earn a living as an inquiry agent.

Anyway, the evening goes well enough, but just when Pru hopes she can escape without the inquiry agent branding her a charlatan, their host is murdered.

When Knighton examines Lord Crowley, he discovers his employer died from cyanide poisoning. All eyes turn toward Prudence Barnard.

She's an outsider in the small circle of guests and someone points out that poison is frequently a woman's weapon. And she was under investigation at the time. Within minutes, she is identified as the likeliest suspect, motivated by fear of being unmasked as a charlatan.

Their reasoning seems a little specious to Knighton, however, so he decides to remain at the manor to investigate. One twist after another follows as Knighton uncovers a hotbed of deceit and lies. It seems like almost all the guests had reason to kill Lord Crowley. I was kept guessing until the end.

If you like more traditional mysteries, you should definitely give this one a try. It reminded me strongly of Amanda Quick (as another reviewer mentioned) as well as some of the old Gothic mysteries.

I loved it!

I enjoyed reading The Vital Principle so much that I continued reading well past my "bed time" and promptly picked it up again the next morning. It's a solid story with twists and surprises that don't seem contrived but do help build real depth to the characters. I would certainly consider reading more in the Second Sons series.

Well written. Nicely plotted. An engaging cast of characters. A mystery that kept me guessing. And a touch of romance to make the story even more interesting.

The two leads were nicely drawn, and I like how the female lead had such a nice influence on the male lead. By the end of the tale, he'd learned that Absolute Truth isn't necessarily the Be All and End All he thought it was. And we even got a smile out of him.

The secondary cast of characters were also well done and engaging. They were more than window dressing, and I found myself hoping my favorites proved to be innocent.

The historical aspects were interesting, and the story's voice was well suited to the era.

All in all, I found it an enjoyable read, and I look forward to reading more in the series.

I normally don't read romances, especially from that stuffy Regency period, but I've read all of Amy Corwin's AND enjoyed them -- and learned new things too. This story (other reviewers have already summarized the plot) opened my eyes to a shocking social convention that most Americans wouldn't tolerate. In 1815 London, a woman of the upper class who married a working man would be dropped by all her friends -- even if his job was lawyer, and he'd been born to nobility. The would-be bride might be 15 or 35. No matter how many years and generations her family had revolved in these social circles, one false step, marriage to a "worker," would leave her black-balled. I really enjoy the lesson in history and changing cultural values. The importance of being a land-holder and one of the gentry, and the shame of being an honest working man -- almost unfathomable concepts for this American girl.

In reading this sort of thing, I think "Thank God for the Old West!" Our Native chieftans, on being introduced to British kings, wouldn't bow or defer to royalty (or so I've read). I'd trade all the romance, chivalry and glittering dinnerware and sophisticated music of Europe for the freedom, mobility and physical prowess of our Americans.

(All right. I wouldn't trade all the music. Flutes and drums get old fast, especially compared to a symphony.)

I instinctively gravitate to Larry McMurtree or Ole Roolvaag before Jane Austen, but Amy Corwin's well-bred Regency characters are fully human, flawed and endearing, delightful to spend time with--on a cold winter day, in a sunny room, with hot tea, Amy's novels are a favorite escape for me.

This novel is more of a who-dunnit than Amy's match-making Regency stories, but as mysteries go, it's well written. (You guessed, I rarely read mysteries, either -- not even Sherlock or Agatha Christie.) Amy also has a vampire novel in her repertoire. Very diverse and accomplished, Amy!

I have to say how much I enjoyed the heroine, Pru, and her resourcefulness in remaining in her social circle in spite of her poverty. She "cheats" a little when she conducts seances (hiding a bell under chair and pulling a string to make it seem a lost loved one is communicating from the dead), but Pru is a well-read, intelligent woman who knows she earns her keep by entertaining her friends and their guests in their lovely estates. Pru would be homeless, or abandoned to the working class, if not for her desperate little "deceit" -- and best of all, she uses her insight and compassion to bring uplifting and appropriate messages to the bereft. Wait, no, what's BEST of all is that sometimes, she "sees" something during a seance and it turns out to be a real message, no matter that it defies exlanation. These things do happen, perhaps more not than often, or palm readers and star gazers would starve to death.

I couldn't finish this book - the first and last I've read/bought by this author.

I am a mystery fan, and a reader of many historical mysteries -- this is the worst I've come across. The basic premise was interesting to me, but the author killed it within the first few chapters. The characters and their actions were basically unbelieveable, and the writing is pedestrian - trite descriptions. I'm glad the book via Kindle was cheap; it wasn't worth the money; I've removed it from my Kindle.