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Kathy Lynn Emerson continues her Mistress Jaffrey Elizabethan whodunits with Murder in a Cornish Alehouse. Competent historical mystery with murder and mayhem as pirates and smugglers commit treason; Mistress Jaffrey is required by Lord Walsingham to find out who murdered her stepfather, Lord Pendennis, and others and to protect her family. Enjoy the derring do.

These novels just get better and better- the feel of Tudor times really comes through. A great character has been born

Murder and treason!

Mistress Rosamund Jaffrey is such a strong character, sometimes perhaps too strong. Husband Rob balances her nicely. It's June 1584 and Rosamunds stepfather Sir Walter Pendenni is dead, possibly murdered. His links to Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's spymaster, and Rosamund's concern about the wardship of her half-brother send Rosamund back into Cornwall, to Priory House, to act as an agent for Walsingham and to act on her brother's behalf. Her mother is part of Rosamund's fears. The old hurts and conflict between the two are ever present and vitriolic. Alongside these worries is the more personal one. Rosamund is always wondering if Rob will sail off in search of adventure, leaving her behind. Cornish pirates, smugglers and treason are a tantalizing threat hovering on the periphery. All is a giant puzzle! 'What other secrets did Priory House hide?'
Investigations begin and bodies keep piling up

A NetGalley ARC
(March 2017)

1584, and when Rosamond Jaffrey learns that her step-father, Sir Walter Pendennis, has been discovered dead she travels to his home in Cornwall. When she determines that he has been murdered her investigations lead to piracy and treason.
This is the third in the series but I didn't feel that I needed to read the previous books. A well-written mystery, with some characters which are easy to like.

Rosamund Jaffrey has been notified that her step-father has died. She and her husband Rob will travel to Cornwall and try to work out who will be the guardian for her half brother. Rosamund knows that her mother is not a woman who will take care of and nurture the little boy.

When they arrive, her mother announces that Walter, Rosamund's step-father was murdered.
Rosamund and Rob will investigate to find if it was truly murder and if so, who did it. Walter was a Justice of The Peace who had been gathering information for the government. Was that the reason he was murdered?

The search for the truth takes them all over Cornwall. They become immersed in the investigation. All the while, they are trying to determine exactly what did Walter know?

Rosamund is a difficult woman to like. She is self centered, rude, angry, unkind and seldom considers anyone but herself. It appeared to me that she enjoys being rude to her husband and everyone with whom she comes in contact. She is also very smart, a good puzzle solver and quite able to defend herself and others. She has a quick wit and is able to hold her own in any situation. But, her mother can wound her with words.

Rob, her husband is a man of intelligence as well as action. He believes in adventure and has a strong desire to explore the world. This story takes place at the same time Sir Walter Raleigh was sending an expedition to the New World. Rob would love to be a part of such an expedition.

The secondary characters add a great deal to this story. Each person contributes to the layers of the story. Ms Emerson has created a terrific story which illustrates the history of a time in the distant past.

This is part of a series, but it works as a stand alone read. The characters and situations are explained fully and there is not a time when the reader would be unable to follow the action.

And there is a great deal of action. The plot moves forward quickly. The plot keeps the pages turning. As information is given, dead bodies begin to pile up. Things make no sense. There is no way one person could have done all the murders, or is there?

I enjoyed this book a great deal. Ms Emerson kept me involved in the story. She has created an atmosphere that feels as though it is from another era. This is a puzzle which will hold your interest until it is solved.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are my own.

First of all, isn't this a great cover? I want to live there.

Secondly, this book was fantastic. I love historical backdrops in novels and this one did everything right. The language was excellent, the dialogue was well-written and the descriptions of the clothing, hairstyles, character's looks and the setting itself were wonderfully done.

Immediately, I found myself intrigued by the main character and wanting to get to know more about her story, especially her strained relationship with her family. The author did a great job of keeping me guessing who was responsible for the mystery and there were moments in this book that made me laugh outright.

This book is a lot of fun and takes you in directions that you don't predict it will, making it great for taking your mind off of other things. I got lost in this story and read it all at once.

This review is based on a complementary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley.

This is the third book in the Rosamond Jaffrey series. At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like this new series spun off from the Susanna Appleton mystery series but it is starting to grow on me. Rosamond has matured through these three books and it is reassuring for the success of this series.

In this third installment, Rosamond is forced to return to Cornwall to deal with the death of her stepfather and deal with the guardianship of her half-brother. Once there, her mother demands that Rosamond look into the murder of her stepfather. What follows is a lot of riding around the countryside from town to town trying to questions suspects and finding new murders. The only issue I had with this book was the constant description of the traveling they did. There seemed to be almost too much description about the countryside and not as much going on in the story.

I may have outgrown this series. I have read all of Ms Emerson's historical mysteries. I find my mind distracted from the story by the historical details which seem more inserted than an integral part of the tale. And unfortunately I do not like the new lead character.

This is a gentle 'whodunnit' set in a turbulent time featuring a carefully planned plot and interesting characters, however it didn't keep me gripped as others in this period and genre usually do and as a result I struggled to finish it.

BOok was very well written with mysterious twists and turns throughout. One book you have to be paying attention or the reader will get lost with all the details. Great read for our book club.