Monday, March 24, 2008

Happy Easter from Blenheim Palace!


As the picture above indicates, Easter was mighty early this year. What's a body to do if your new bonnet does not have earflaps? My choice was to spend some time yesterday curled up indoors with Death at Blenheim Palace by Robin Paige.

A little bit of history makes the mystery go down, might be the watchword here as a Victorian couple, Lord Charles and Lady Kate Sheridan take their talents to a country weekend at Blenheim Palace, home of the Duke of Marlborough. There is just enough evoked ambiance of the grounds and the great rambling pile of a house to keep you interested, while intrigue above and below stairs progresses from robbery and missing persons to murder. Another hook is that some of the story is based on fact and real characters like Winston Churchill, TE Lawrence, the Duke and his wife, and the Duke's mistress are front and center along with our Holmsian sleuth's, Lord and Lady Sheridan.

The writing is not lush, overly detailed, or complex. You get what you pay for--a light read, no tears, and no permanent impression. I'd take it to the beach if the snow weren't still covering it.

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