Lady Rights a Wrong

April 15, 2020
Lady Cecelia Bates investigates the death of a suffragette. Cecelia truly loves Danby Hall and the beautiful Yorkshire countryside that surrounds it. But the intelligent and curious daughter of Lord and Lady Avebury wants more out of life than presiding over the bring-and-buy tent at the annual church bazaar. Fortunately, Annabel Clarke, the fashionable American heiress who hopes to marry Cecelia's brother, Patrick, proves an eager and valued companion for Lady Avebury to bring along on her many social engagements. With Annabel to distract her, Lady Avebury's efforts to get her daughter well married dwindle to occasional references to how handsome Mr. Brown, the young village vicar, looks at Sunday service. Her mother's preoccupation with Annabel also gives Lady Cecelia time to slip away and attend a rally held by the Women's Suffrage Union at the village guildhall, accompanied by Annabel's maid, Jane Hughes. The union's president, Amelia Price, an inspiring speaker as well as a canny one, immediately recognizes Lady Cecelia as someone who could be of great help to the cause. The friendship between Mrs. Price and the avid young woman is just beginning when the activist is found dead at the bottom of the staircase in her rented home. None of the suffragettes sharing her quarters, not even her daughter, can say when or how Mrs. Price died, so it's not even clear that she's been murdered. But the heroine of Lady Takes the Case (2019) is suspicious, and she enlists the help of quick-witted Jane and Jane's perceptive cat, Jack to make sure justice is served. Something for everyone: activists, romantics, mystery lovers, and feline fanciers.

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April 27, 2020
Casey’s uneven sequel to 2019’s Lady Takes the Case, likewise set in 1912 Yorkshire, finds Lady Cecilia Bates of Danby Hall excited to learn that Mrs. Amelia Price, the charismatic president of the Women’s Suffrage Union, will be speaking at Danby Village Guildhall. Lady Cecilia meets Mrs. Price at the event, and the two women become friends. Mrs. Price rents a nearby cottage for an extended stay. Tensions slowly emerge within the Union as well as within Mrs. Price’s immediate family. Eventually, Mrs. Price takes a fatal fall down her cottage stairs. Was it an accident or murder? Lady Cecilia, who knows many people regarded Mrs. Price’s views as a threat to their livelihood, works with Jane Hughes, her American lady’s maid, to resolve the mystery. Casey knows how to set a scene, but her rich, sometimes repetitive descriptions of upper-class life tend to slow the plot, and some readers may struggle to engage with characters who could have come straight out of a TV miniseries. Those who care for depth more than surface will have to look elsewhere. Agent: Gail Fortune, Talbot Fortune Agency.

May 1, 2020
Lady Cecilia Bates of Danby Hall, restless and feeling purposeless, is intrigued when Amelia Price, the charismatic leader of the Woman's Suffrage Union, arrives in town. She sneaks out to hear Price speak and then goes to Primrose Cottage to meet with her. Later, learning of Price's death, Cecilia and lady's maid Jane Hughes go back to the cottage to offer their assistance. At first, it looks like Price tripped and fell down the stairs, but Cecilia soon believes she was pushed. Cecilia and Jane, with help from Jane's cat, Jack, quickly begin an investigation. Suspects abound, including Price's daughters, son-in-law, her husband, members of the Woman's Suffrage Union, and those opposed to women voting. The two interview suspects and witnesses, even traveling to London. Vividly descriptive of Yorkshire village life in 1912, this satisfying cozy charms with its smart, forward-thinking main character, who is trying to find her place in the world. Will she choose vicar's wife, marchioness, world traveler, college student, or something else? The second in Casey's Manor Cat mysteries, following Lady Takes the Case (2019).(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)