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ABOUT THE BOOK
Imagine Agatha Christie crossed with Murder, She Wrote . . .
Aunt Kate and Lady Jane's third lighthearted cozy mystery takes place at a priory destroyed in
1545. While Jane and her archaeological friends seek the long-lost grave of Prior Wilfred, Kate
astounds everyone by unearthing a body buried only twenty years ago. Was it murder?
England, September 1928
When Aunt Kate visits the dig site on Lord Mortimer's estate, she's hoping for a fascinating and
convivial weekend with her niece. Instead, she and Jane soon find themselves dealing with
deadly deceit, hidden passions, and the arrival of Inspector Ridley from Scotland Yard. Faced with an ensemble of haughty nobles and gossiping villagers, our daring duo must expose
long-buried secrets if they're to unearth the truth and discover whodunnit.
Join Kate and Lady Jane in an entertaining 1920s cozy mystery. Perfect for fans of T. E. Kinsey,
Verity Bright, and Lee Strauss.
OPENING LINES
“Kate Forbes was driving Gertie, her cherry red Austin seven, through the sunny Sussex countryside. In a cheerful mood, and amid all this marvelous scenery, she was wondering what might make the perfect weekend.”
GUEST REVIEW by Sophia Rose
Kate set out to visit her niece on an archeological dig, determined that she would be the one to find a body, and, sure enough, she did. The trouble was that this body was quite a bit fresher than the medieval bones she had hoped to find.
The Body at Penford Priory is the third in this series of standalone, cozy historical mysteries. It features an aunt and niece team of amateur sleuths who seem to stumble onto bodies a great deal too often and a Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Ridley, who has known them since their first detecting venture.
The body seems to be from the last time an Oxford team of archeologists came to dig around the priory ruins, so the murder implicates those who were there at the time, including the lead professor on Jane’s project, some local diggers, and the owners of the land.
I enjoyed the blend of historical late 1920s era and medieval history around the priory and how they delved into the locals and team for the answers to the mystery. It was also fun getting to know Jane and Kate, who are entertaining getting answers--Kate is hilarious, while Jane is more analytical. The pacing slowed in places as they reviewed the case (it seemed repetitive), but it did pick up again.
The narrator, Julie Anthony, was new to me, but she had some lovely British accents and voiced the cast of men and women of different ages and social strata very well. I found her easy on the ears, but I did need to bump up the speed on my player because her pacing was slower.
All in all, my first venture with Lady Jane and Mrs. Forbes was light and amusing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
B. D. Churston is the pseudonym for a husband, wife, and grown-up son writing
partnership. One of them has a 25-year track record as a writer in TV and radio, another has twenty years of experience as a teacher, and the other is an illustrator. All three are dedicated Agatha Christie fans (and yes, there is a Christie link to their pen name). You can connect via the website.
ABOUT THE GUEST REVIEWER
Sophia is a quiet, curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants, and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and a loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, baseball, cats, Scooby Doo, and chocolate. As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. In 2012, she submitted her first book review and is currently an associate reviewer. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener of many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction, particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Sorry, no horror...or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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