"A Picture of Murder" by T.E. Kinsey is a delightful and engaging historical mystery that transports readers to the charming world of Lady Hardcastle and her intrepid maid, Florence Armstrong. Set in the 1900s, the book immerses you in the vivid atmosphere of the English countryside, complete with tea parties, eccentric characters, and puzzling murder. The dynamic between lady Hardcastle and Florence is a highlight, with their witty banter and clever sleuthing keeping the story entertaining and light-hearted. While the pacing could have been tighter at times, the intricate plot and surprising twists make up for it. Kinsy's attention to detail and ability to capture the essence of the era add depth and authenticity to the narrative. Overa;l, "A Picture of Murder" os a charming and enjoyable read for fans of cozy mysteries and historical fiction.

A little disappointing for me given the synopsis. Good writing style but overall the story wasn't for me so I didn't finish

At first I had interest in this series, but somehow it just did not hold my interest to continue with the series. Somehow the characters just did not seem believable any longer.

I always enjoy the Lady Hardcastle and her lady’s maid Florence and their adventures. This time a moving picture comes to town and the cast dies like they did in the picture. Nothing is as it seems and bad luck follows the corpses to make the answers harder to find
Goodreads

Lady Emily Hardcastle and her lady’s maid Florence find themselves hosting a cast of the moving picture, The Witch’s Downfall. After the first screening, someone is found dead in the same way they died in the film. As life starts to imitate art, Lady Emily and Florence start their investigation. Can they help the police this time?

This is the fourth in the series but my first. This book can be enjoyed as a stand-alone mystery. The characters are entertaining. The mystery has wonderful twists and turns. I recommend this to fans of humorous historical cozy mysteries.

I voluntarily agreed to read a copy of this book supplied by Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own and in no way have been influenced by anyone.

I was excited about starting A Picture of Murder. I liked the front cover and the description of the book, but unfortunately the story plodded along. It was seventy odd pages before the first murder happened, padded out with what I felt was an unnecessary amount of dialogue and stereotypical characters. The characters fell flat. I felt mildly compelled to finish A Picture of Murder, because I had no idea who was killing these actors, and the setting of the story, the period of time, the advent of moving pictures, and the ending did intrigue me. I also liked the character of Lady Hardcastle’s maid Florence. I feel I might have to read other books in this series to learn more about this sleuthing duo, and how their relationship has evolved, because I wasn’t very convinced by Lady Hardcastle.

Adorable Cozy Mysteries! Lady Hardcastle is absolutely charming, and the word play between herself and sidekick Florence is hilarious to me. They are a genuine pair of companions and not mistress/maid. They put me in mind of a female Jeeves and Wooster, but where both are intelligent and sassy.

A great read, and don't worry if you haven't read any others, although you may want to after reading this...

Book four in the Lady Hardcastle mysteries and the Halloween season has arrived - amidst the spooky celebrations, however, lurks a very real danger. As bodies start to pile Lady Hardcastle must call upon her amateur sleuthing skills once again. Nicely written, enjoyable murder mystery with likeable and entertaining, yet credible, protagonists - a very welcome escape from reality. Recommended.

Book 4 in this excellent series. Even Lady Hardcastle and Florence, her maid, comment in this one about how many people seem to die within their general vicinity. Luckily just for once the murders may not be quite what they seem.

Our two leading ladies are as entertaining as ever and we find out quite a lot about their past lives when they were spying for King and country. Lady Hardcastle calls Flo "tiny servant" and Flo is equally rude back and it is all very funny. I also enjoy the fact that the police acknowledge that the pair have detecting skills and bring them in to the enquiries rather than resenting their presence. It is a refreshing change from many other cosies.

This is a really enjoyable series and I hope it continues!

A Picture of Murder is the 4th Lady Hardcastle murder mystery by T E Kinsey. Released 22nd Oct 2018 by Amazon on their Thomas & Mercer imprint. It's 320 pages and available in ebook, paperback, and audio formats.

These books are the coziest of cozy period mysteries. Set in Gloucestershire in the early 20th century (this one's in 1909), they're fun and light, bordering on silly/daffy. Lady Hardcastle and her intrepid maid Florence, are on the trail of a cinema murdering fanatic who is apparently working through the plot of a horror film and doing away with the actors and actresses in the same manner as they die on film.

For lovers of modern period cozy mysteries, this might fill the bill. I personally found the dialogue jarring in a number of places and found myself yanked out of the story fairly often. The local charlady continually refers to people (usually Lady Hardcastle) as 'my lover'. The plot turns on a couple of key items which are dubious at best and there are some fairly large plot holes. That being said, if the reader is in search of an innocent, fun read with clean language (a few 'damns' and 'blasts' to be found, but nothing more egregious) and fairly straightforward plotting with a silly amateur sleuth+sidekick, this could fill the bill.

Three and a half stars, rounded up for the jolliness of the romp.

Lady Hardcastle and her maid Flo are back for another adventure in the British countryside. When a group of moviemakers come to their small village, Lady Hardcastle opens her home to the three actors and the film’s director to help them feel welcome. And when a small but determined group of protesters show up to voice their displeasure with the film, The Witch’s Downfall, Lady Hardcastle and Flo worry that their entertaining group may be annoyed. But they had no idea someone would be so unhappy with the actors that they would turn to murder.

Book 4 in the Lady Hardcastle Mystery Book series, A Picture of Murder, is yet another charming historical cozy by T.E. Kinsey. While these stories may lean toward the lightweight, the warm friendship between the lady and her maid brings a sweetness to the crime, and their intelligence and experience keep them safe from harm as they solve the mystery.

A Picture of Murder is another fetching installment in a very entertaining series, and it’s perfect for a snowy day, a big cup of hot tea, and something sweet to much on.

Galleys for A Picture of Murder were provided by Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Another thoroughly enjoyable Lady Hardcastle and Miss Armstrong mystery - this time centering on a travelling troupe of actors who, unfortunately, are slightly underdeveloped. But while we may lose insight into these characters, we gain with regard to Miss Armstrong, Edna, Miss Jones, and the village people. There's also a bit of a diversion into the past of Hardcastle and Armstrong (which I wanted but feels a bit forced) which could have been a novella of its own. One of the best, coziest, and funniest mystery series walking. A strong, strong recommend.

This fourth installment in the Lady Hardcastle series isn't my favourite, but it's still a cracking mystery. Emily and Florence host some film actors and their director ahead of a showing in their village. But then members of the company start being found dead and they can't help but investigate. This has an interesting premise and quite a clever solution. I'll happily read more of these when they appear.

I didn't even read the synopsis before I bought this book, so I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a Halloween themed novel. I enjoy Hardcastle and Armstrong. They make me laugh.

You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com

Actual rating of 3.5 stars.

Lady Hardcastle and her hand maid Flo Armstrong are living a quiet life in Littleton Cotterell, a small village near Gloucestershire in England. A moving picture festival has been invited to the village and the townsfolk are incredibly excited to see what they have to offer. When the kitchen burns down at the house the film folk were planning to stay, Lady Hardcastle is approached and asked if she would mind putting up the village guests, to which she agrees. However, when the film folk start dying in the same way that their characters are killed in the headlining moving picture being showed, Hardcastle and Armstrong find themselves thrown into yet another mystery. Who is murdering the village visitors? Is it the jealous former friend of Mr. Cheetham? The protesters who believe that the moving picture is evil? It's a mystery shrouded in shadows, and Lady Hardcastle and her hand maid, Armstrong, have their work cut out for them.

This is actually the first story I've read in the Lady Hardcastle Mysteries series. I didn't realise when I requested this that it was number four, however, this doesn't impact the reading of the story at all. Sure I've missed out on the evolution of Hardcastle and Armstrong's relationship, but it doesn't actually leave me feeling confused about anything. There are some references to past mysteries that they've been involved in, but these are pretty detailed so I didn't feel as though I missed out on anything at all.

I found the characters charming, Hardcastle is a quirky woman who is rather endearing in her nature, as well as Armstrong, I love their characters, and the relationship between them. Hardcastle treats Armstrong more as a friend than a hand maid and I absolutely love this. The same can be said about the cook and cleaner as well, it's such a relaxed atmosphere for these characters which wasn't so much heard of in the early 1900s.

The language used in the book took a little bit of getting used to, but that's to be expected, old style cockney English, as I would put it, can be a bit hard to understand at times, but it really gives the reader the feel of the time period.

This was a very calm, slow moving novel with a lot of flowery writing. I feel that if it was done any other way, however, that it just wouldn't have been the same. At times I found that the book felt way longer than it actually was, but I think this was because of the pacing and the writing style. While the pacing was on the slower side, it was consistent, so it worked perfectly for this story.

The mystery was done incredibly well, I had a couple of ideas of who was behind it all, and I actually had it right, but I didn't know that until the final reveal which is perfect for me. It's never much fun if you happen to work out the mystery halfway through the story and the character's are still fumbling around in the dark utterly clueless. The way that the deaths were done was brilliantly thought out and had me puzzled which is a nice change from other mysteries that I've read. It really had me thinking and trying to work out how this was done as things just weren't adding up. I felt all the frustrating that the character's did, it's great.

I really did enjoy this story now that I've had a moment to sit down and think about it. The characters made it for me. I'm sure that I will definitely be checking out more in this series, and I look forward to the next instalment, I'm already missing Hardcastle and Armstrong's quick wit, sarcasm, and hilarious retorts. Nothing like a "lady" in the 1900s should be, and it's just the way I like it.

Lady Emily Hardcastle and her maid Florence are an unusual sleuthing twosome. The two did some secret work for the Crown, and drop many enjoyable references to past adventures.

This time around, an acting troupe with a new moving picture shows up in the village. The subject of the film is witchcraft, and the townspeople are quick to blame sorcery when the cast members begin dying in the same ways in which various victims were killed in the movie.

Cleverly plotted, and populated with interesting local and police characters. But the biggest pleasure is the affectionate banter between lady and maid and their roguish history together. Altogether a very enjoyable series.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"A Picture of Murder" was a decent read. A quaint, cozy mystery with a touch of vintage taste yet writing is modern enough. All cast from a moving picture who was on a tour died mysteriously, one after another. A baffling case intrigued the entire English village where the featured heroines lived. The historical aspect about moving pictures was very interesting so make sure to read the author's notes at the back of the book.

The plot and writing were not bad but the book could not pique my interests or curiosity. The case did keep me thinking a lot but I found tedious details that didn't have anything to do with the case or to the character developments distracting.

Pros:
Likable characters
A decent plot with an unexpected twist and turn; the outcome
Humorous and entertaining
Vivid depictions of the Edwardian country life
Could be read as a standalone

Cons:
Not top notch quality in terms of content and plot development. At times the content was even stale and tedious

So, the pros outshone the cons. A 3.5 stars at most for my liking. I guess the series just isn't my cup of tea. By all means, there were great moments in the "A Picture of Murder," and I did have a decent time reading it.

Apparently this is part of a series but I was unfamiliar with the author or the series until I read this. And I will read the rest now. This is a clever whodunnit that takes place during the advent of the new motion picture phenom. The setting is a manor house in a small English village and has quite the array of eccentric characters including the two leading ladies of the story. While some of the dialogue is a bit annoying and the local constable is a bumbling idiot (too trite) this was a very enjoyable mystery that kept me guessing and entertained until the end. Lots of twists and turns. And lots of dead bodies. Everything a good cozy mystery should be.

This is a wonderful series and this fourth book in is just as good and charming as the previous books. Again the detective work is done by Lady Hardcastle and her friend/ladies maid/cohort Florence are up to their old tricks trying to solve the murders of a film company before no one is left alive. But of course all is not as it seems as it never is. The dialogue in these books is always a highlight as well as the affection between the two main characters and I look forward to their next adventure.

I am really enjoying this series. The setting and the characters combine to make a good story and the mystery is cozy and keeps my attention. A great escape! I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.