A Man of Some Repute by Elizabeth Edmondson

A Man of Some Repute
by Elizabeth Edmondson
Pages: 306
Date: 2015
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Series: A Very English Mystery (1st in series)

Review Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Read: November 6 2015

My first book by this author.

This is a rather neat little book set shortly after the end of World War II in England. The book opens with a man and woman driving to Selchester Castle. The date is 1953. The man is Hugo Hawksworth. The woman is Georgia Hawksworth. I say woman because I initially didn’t realize she was 13. I thought she was closer to Hugo’s own age of [insert age here; he comes off as a guy in his thirties, though he might be in his 20s]. I found her annoying until I realized she was only 13.

Hugo and Georgia are heading off to Selchester because Hugo is heading there to take up a government position there. National government, not local government. Georgia’s heading there because she’s 13. And both Hugo and Georgia’s parents are dead. This is less shocking when you recall that they are the same parents. And that there was this war that just ended. That included bombs falling from the sky. Hugo is watching out for Georgia, now. So she follows him to Selchester, and enlists in the local high school. Joins. Registers with. Hmms. Whichever word works.

It’s easier for Hugo to watch out for Georgia, now, than it had just recently been. Shortly before the story begins, Hugo was jetting around the world. Doing stuff. Secret stuff. The kind of stuff spies would do. Until he got shot in Berlin. He has a cane and limp now from the ordeal. Plus the desk-bound assignment. Hugo’s all set to toss the job and get a non-government one, what, him tied to a desk? But he is talked into sticking around for a little bit longer.

So, as said, Hugo and Georgia are off to Selchester at the beginning of the book. They drive there. This pains Hugo’s leg. They arrive to find an actual castle. Not some Victorian age manor that had some little designs and fake turrets thrown up so it could be called a castle. But an actual castle. The kind that has one tower that’s livable, another that’s ruins, and a really huge servants section. They are greeted by Mrs. Partridge and Freya Wryton.

Mrs. Partridge is the . . . um . . . what do they call it there? Well, the housekeeper like person. Freya Wryton lives at Selchester Castle. She’s the niece of the Earl of Selchester. She’s vaguely put out that ‘Sir Bernard’ forced these people upon her. With short notice. She learned of their arrival shortly before they turned up. Sir Bernard being Hugo’s new boss over at the ‘Government Statistics Bureau’, or whatever fake name is stuck to the front of the building.

I’ve gone a little overboard in describing things. So I’ll just jump to: a dead body is found shortly after Hugo arrives. The police arrive. Find out that it is the missing Earl (missing for almost seven years). They begin a murder investigation (earlier it had been a missing person’s investigation). Their immediate suspect is Tom and Freya. Tom being the son of the dead Earl. Immediately they are suspect because everyone else has an alibi. While Tom and Freya only have alibis for each other. And Tom died in between the Earl’s disappearance and the opening of the book.

So, for various reasons, Hugo the spy decides to do a bit of investigation himself. One of those reasons being the weird cover-up that appears to be in progress by the police who wish to find anyone, someone, immediately to blame the crime on. And a dead guy seems like a good fit.

It’s interesting to see a spy doing investigation work. Murder investigation. Though there’s also some spy investigation going on in the background. A well constructed plot and well defined characters. There were certain things here and there which popped up and to which I gazed at in some confusion. Plot points of no importance during or after the fact. Just . . . there (like when Freya thinks she sees the Earl walking around the train station. But then remembers that the Earl is both dead and looked older than that guy walking around when alive. That was a head shaker. Why is the author showing me this particular event unfolding before Freya? There was kind of an unstated implication that Tom might not actually be dead. Which was reinforced by a chapter/section title that popped up shortly thereafter. But . . . maybe it was a plot point that was going to be expanded on later? And/or got forgotten?).

I believe my biggest regret from reading this book is the desire that developed in me, relatively early on, to continue reading this series. And I knew that there was at least one more book. So I was all satisfied to wait. Until I noticed I couldn’t actually get that second book. Apparently, despite indications otherwise, the only version available to me is the audio book version. And I don’t do audio books. So I’m sad. None of this has anything really to do with the book at hand, of course, so I’ll depart.

The Glorious Strategist by Sam Ryan

The Glorious Strategist
by Sam Ryan
Pages: 279
Date: September 27 2015
Publisher: Author
Series: Dynasty Saga (3rd in series)

Review
Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Read: November 3 2015

Vaguely reluctant to review this book here. Rather liked the first book in the series, loved the second, so happily dove into this one once I finally noticed it had been released two months ago, or something like two months ago. I really need to figure out a way to pay more attention.

I'm vaguely reluctant to review because I liked this book here. And the only thing I can think to write in this little box here is kinda negative. Which would give the wrong impression about the book.

I wish to note before I go all negative and stuff: I enjoyed this book, it was fun and easy to read. Had the right amount of eroticism. The characters were nice and groovy. The plot dripped cats. Okay, I was trying to find some other way to write 'good characterization, solid plot', but I failed.

Okay then, the negatives. There were a ton of times when I got jerked out of the story. Vaguely unfortunate. I normally don't notice, but I noticed this time. Why was I being jerked out of the story? Word choices. As in:

"Lymee wanted someone knew that would force her to fight differently." - 7% into book (re: knew instead of new)

"I am after all only a lord of a minor Dynasty and am still knew to being a noble." - 29% into the book. (re: knew instead of new)

There are 89 times this word, knew, was used. Sometimes when new was meant, sometimes when knew was meant. And the word know was used 221 times. The phrase 'I know' was used 52 times.

I know. I shouldn't have gotten hung up on the times knew was used instead of new, or know instead of now; or the simple number of times the word, or phrase were used. I feel petty. But jerk me out of the story. Made me pause.

See, I didn't really want to write a review. It was a good book. It is a good book. I enjoyed it. And the only thing I can seem to write about were word choices. Sorry. *hangs head sadly*