Customer Reviews

The Sinister Spinster (Zebra Regency Romance)

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

This novel is just chockfull with plot devises, never ending action, and tension that just never lets up. A country house party, agents for the Crown, a Russian prince who has his own personal agenda, spies, missing diplomatic papers, murder, and in the midst of all this a growing attraction between a clever and intrepid young woman, and an espionage agent who fears that the woman he is beginning to fall in love with may be arrested for treason if he doesn't unmask the real traitor in time -- "The Sinister Spinster" has everything!

Adam Darrach, the Marquess of Falconer, is at the Earl of Derrings country house party mainly to keep an eye on Prince Peter Alexander Bronyeskin, who seems to have the Grand Duchess's ear, and the English Foreign office is unsure as to just how much influence he has on the Czar, and to what effect he will use his influence. However he soon finds his attention centering on Miss Elizabeth Mattingale, Lady Derring's charming and witty, but much used companion. His interest in her is even more aroused when he realises that Elizabeth and Prince Alexi are old friends. Could Elizabeth and the Prince be working together for some more nefarious purpose? And then a few of the Earl's papers go missing, and suspicion falls on Elizabeth. The Marquess is outraged and vows to discover who the real thief is and protect her. But things soon take a more sinister turn when one of the guests is murdered. Again, Elizabeth is the chief suspect. And even the Marquess is beginning to wonder about Elizabeth -- is she as innocent as she seems or is she hiding her more sinister self under her charming facade? For the Marquess it is a case of his heart being at war with his brain. As for Elizabeth, much as she's beginning to fall for this very autocratic but entirely lovable Marquess, she realises that she cannot simply stand by and wait for her friends to absolve her of all crimes. And so Elizabeth resolves to try and discover who the murderer and the real spy is. Who will arrive at the truth first? Will Elizabeth and her Marquess finally come to an understanding with each other concerning their growing attraction for each other? Or will the spy-murderer implicate Elizabeth so deeply that there can be no hope for them?

"The Sinister Spinster" is really enjoyable read. With each new chapter, something happens to up the stakes for the real spy-murderer to be apprehended before Elizabeth is arrested for something she is quite innocent of. The tension is quite palpable. And the romance that develops gradually between the always in control Marquess and the very feisty Elizabeth, was a joy to read. I liked that the Marquess found his usual calmness deserting him at the thought of the danger that Elizabeth could be facing. I thoroughly enjoyed "The Sinister Spinster" and have no problem recommending it as a good read.

At first, I thought this book would be a really well-crafted Regency....that impression didn't last.

I thought the murder mystery was interesting even though some of the characters were obviously there for nothing more than plot devices. Some of the characters are interesting but are not quite right for the story. For example, the hero, Adam, is left in charge of the murder investigation, but he knows nothing about how to go about it even though he's a spy. Well, it gives the Russian prince a reason to be there....but that seriously dilutes the hero's strength. Elizabeth is an interesting heroine, and she and Adam do have some chemistry. There were enough potential villains to keep the mystery going; the main problem was Adam's recurring inability to handle it himself. It made him weak; he didn't even get the chance to save the heroine.

So....okay, better than most series Regencies, but could have been so much better. 2 & 3/4 stars

The problem with lumping all novels of a certain type into one conveniently labeled bin--Regency Romance, for instance--is that some novels have more to the plot than just the romance. If, like me, your preferences lean toward that sort of book, you'll probably find yourself liking those books that other readers sometimes do not, because of the lack of extreme sexual tension or love play on every page.

A terrific example of this plot-heavier book is 'The Sinister Spinster' by Carolyn Madison, a positively wonderful writer, no matter what name is on the cover as author. I've always found her research to be thorough and dependable, and I've especially liked her books with espionage as a major plot line. This reasonably new volume in the 'Spinster' series carries over at least a mention of some of the previous spinsters and the husbands they captured, along with introducing us to new ones of similar type.

Make no mistake. These 'Spinsters' are not your typical Regency misses, believe me! These ladies are well-educated, well-traveled, and in spite of their acquaintance with the 'ton' and all it's activities, are nobody's ninnies. Far from it.

A lady's companion is supposed to be seldom seen and never heard from, while running never-ceasing errands, whether real or conjured up to create busywork. Elizabeth Mattingale finds herself in this uncomfortable position, which she approaches as a trial effort. If she can successfully weather six months of Lady Derring, she'll then feel more willing to let her Grandmother find her a more demanding position. She's not sure what that might be, but it will certainly be more intellectually challenging than this one is.

Until, of course, Adam Darrach, Marquess of Falconer, arrives on the scene. As a member of the diplomatic corps, he's been assigned to secure the help of Lord Derring in catching a spy. He'll soon have his hands full, what with the youthful, gorgeous and very available Dowager Duchess of Barrington. Then there's Prince Alexi, known to be a confidante of the Grand Duchess, who is really the power behind the Russian throne, in spite of her brother, the Tsar, believing that he's the ruler. Adam is even more confused when Alexi and Elizabeth seem to be very old and very good friends.

Add in your usual mix of house party guests--not least the group of twenty-something young men, who think that serving women are all fair game--the close-to-the-sea location, making smuggling a more effective means of communication than the postal service, and you have most of the ingredients handy for a sometimes comic, sometimes tragic houseparty, complete with assignations by moonlight, stolen papers, and a mad dash after the escaping carriage, sure to contain the wanted spy!

The variety of tensions will keep you turning the pages with increasing enjoyment, as Adam and Elizabeth each achieve their own goals. Now, for Elinore's book! After all, even if she is a Duke's daughter, she's still a spinster!

Although the author's previous regency, The Scotsman and the Spinster wasn't half bad, the Sinister Spinster is. Bad.

Madison gives us a third rate murder mystery in regency dress. It is so badly done that she cannot even keep track of her own plot twists. And as to the regency dress, she knows little of the period and gets everything wrong, from forms of address to class distinctions. Oh, and the love story is the worst sort of emotionless, motiveless formula.