Sir Robert and Lady Lucy head to Bath for the healing powers of the baths. Robert befriends their neighbor and is at the baths when Sir William dies. Robert and Lucy start their own investigation into who the murderer is. Love this series.
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This was a good book. The character development was very nicely done. The rich background of this period mystery was quite involving. The solution was a bit thin. But it was a pleasure to follow the characters as they unraveled the mystery.

This is one of my favorite series and these books are true comfort reads. I love visiting with Sir Robert and Lady Kurland on their adventures. The Bath setting was beautifully done. I enjoyed the well-drawn characters of Sir William's malevolent family. Untangling the murder was an enjoyable pastime.

I really enjoy this mystery series and eagerly look forward to the next book coming out.

I've become very fond of Sir Robert and Lucy.

SPOILER: Can't wait for the next book and the addition to their family!

This series is still a favourite of mine even though the previous title was just OK. The audio copies of these books have been very slow to be produced so I've stopped waiting on them and now buy the books to complete my collection.

I got a kick out of this one as I am fairly familiar with Bath and the places that Robert and Lucy frequented. I could visualise it all in my head.
The story this time round has a faster pace and doesn't drag in the way the previous book did. The mystery is very intriguing, the side characters are lively and eccentric and there's plenty of menace, danger and suspense to keep me hooked to the end.

I was in the mood for a light mystery, and I like Regency-era England books, so gave it a try.

If you are in the mood for a very light mystery with very obvious villains, plus perhaps a dash of romance, this might be fine. I thought I would be fine with it, but the villains were too obvious in their mustache twirling- actually laughing and clapping when hearing about the murder victim- and the main characters felt cookie-cutter to me. Stubborn gentleman, smart, managing wife. It was decidedly meh for me. I chose not to finish it because I found myself bored and frustrated while reading it.

Thank you very much for allowing me the opportunity to read this book! I appreciate the kindness. <3

I really enjoyed this book set in the early 1800s in Bath
Two attractive amateur detectives, a household full of unlikeable suspects and the great background of Bath all add up to an engaging murder mystery

I've read three of these books and each time I remember why I enjoy them so much - the characters are so well done, and Lucy and Robert are well-matched. The family living beside them in Bath in this installment, however, is a bit of a mess - any one of them could well have been the murderer!

I did figure out one part of the story early on and also thought I had figured out the murderer, then was led away with some clever red herrings - only to find that I had been right! It's a well-done mystery, although I have the modern images of Bath (0ne of my favourite cities) in my head, which is far removed from what the Kurlands would have been familiar with.

Regardless, this was an enjoyable read and addition to the series and I will be looking out for the next in the series.

I have almost absolutely no experience with historical fiction so my opinion might not be as helpful as others, but residing in Bath (my obvious reason for requesting to read this book - and, while we're on it, huge thanks to Kensington Books for the opportunity to read this in exchange for my honest review) IT WAS MY ABSOLUTE PLEASURE.

This story felt like a fragile piece that's been carefully crocheted together with threads of research and abundant imagination.

The characters were vivid and fantastically timely, which gives the reader the opportunity for proper time-travel while thinking through the murder mystery.

What can I say? I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like an authentic and historic journey down the murderous path of Bath.

Do you have any exciting friends in your life? The type that you get really excited to see, maybe you go to extra lengths to look nice when you get together with them? Do you have any friends in your life who are warm and comfortable, like a good pair of slippers, maybe a little boring but comforting and still nice to spend time with?

This book is the slightly boring-friend book. It was a cozy mystery, I suppose, in that it was a mystery and it felt fairly cozy (though it didn't have quilting, or baking, or cats, etc). But as the sixth installment in this series (and I've read all the previous ones), this was not the most interesting one. The story feels a little like Robert and Lucy - staid and middle-aged - and only interesting when you add in some mystery. Robert really is pretty grumpy. Lucy really is pretty interfering. (Penelope, as always, is unbearably annoying. I could have done without her resurfacing in this book.) The neighbors are awful. There was one twist at the end that was fun, but apart from that, the book was just a mildly pleasant read. I like dropping in to visit with Robert and Lucy from time to time, but this isn't a book or a series that I'm rushing to read.

Catherine Lloyd sets her fifth Kurland St. Mary historical mystery in Regency Bath where Sir Robert Kurland and his wife Lucy have gone to take the waters in order to help heal his leg injury. Along with them come her sister, and the family doctor and his wife. After immersing themselves in Bath society, a gentleman who lives next door is found dead in the Roman Baths, but the Kurlands suspect murder. The victim, Sir William Benson, has a very dysfunctional family with scandal around the rector and the poet who are his direct heirs. The oldest son has mismanaged the family firm and the youngish, sickish second wife has her own sons of a prior marriage who have expressed joy at his death. Lots of suspects and red herrings. Meanwhile the Kurland entourage has developing relations with Lucy's sister interested in a young officer and their doctor's wife creating havoc in the family. Good cozy mystery and regency story of manners.

I have a long time love affair with the A Kurland St. Mary Mystery series and was thrilled to find the books continue to come. This recent installment takes the reader out of Kurland St. Mary and to the thrilling location of Bath!

Poor Sir Major Kurland's injuries from the war have him in a fit of pique, similar to the first installment of the series, Death Comes to the Village.  Sir Major Kurland and his wife, Lucy, are now three years married, as was the case in the prior installment, Death Comes to the School, as this sixth book takes place not long after the ending of book five. Ms. Lloyd takes the readers to the invigorating city of Bath with vivid descriptions of the centuries old town's cobbled streets, half-moon center square, dark and humid baths, and of course, the world famous Pump House.

For those interested in architecture there are snippets of the varying layouts of the town homes, the interminable steep interior steps and a glimpse of what 'town' life would encompass. Historical readers will devour the settings and happenings of daily life via Sir and Lady Kurland.

The mystery held within the chapters are true to the cozy mystery genre as to the what happened, who's lying, who's holding back information, and of course the characters you love and those you love to dislike. Each book written gets a little better each time; in book six, you'll find a cast of characters who all have a motive, several red herrings, and of course the personal story lines which riveted me to the page.

Ms. Lloyd sets a good pace in her writing with a good start, middle and end to each chapter, hooking the reader to 'turn just one more page' to seek out resolution to the cliff hangers throughout the book. I find this series to be charming, heart warming and I just love cozening up to the characters. The biggest drawback to this series is waiting for the next year to come so I can find out what's happening with Sir Robert and Lady Kurland.

11 months to go until [I hope] book seven....

Major Sir Robert Kurland was wounded during the Battle of Waterloo. In January 1822, his steady recuperation hits a major setback. While walking his dogs, he collapses, burning up with fever. His doctor says if he doesn’t let him operate on his injured leg, he’ll probably lose it. Bring on the anesthetic of the time—the best brandy in the house. The operation uncovers a “piece of blue fabric from Sir Robert’s hussars’ uniform” embedded in his leg, an unintended Regency consequence of primitive battlefield medical conditions. His wife, Lady Lucy Kurland, is naturally concerned. Heeding the advice of Robert’s physician, she decides the household will decamp to Bath for the rest of the winter. Robert is not best pleased, but Lucy is adamant.

“You’ve been skulking in that bed for weeks,” Lucy said, pausing in her efforts to straighten the sheets. “Dr. Fletcher believes the hot springs at Bath will be beneficial to you, and I am in complete agreement with him. I’ve rented a house close to the baths and Pump Room where you can drink the waters and take additional treatments as recommended by Dr. Fletcher.”

Robert bows in the face of his wife’s fait accompli. Drinking the waters at the Pump Room in Bath was all the craze: “seventeenth- and eighteenth-century women and men gulped down gallons of spa water in the hopes of curing disease,” even though the water was smelly, “very hot and tastes like the water that boyles [boils] eggs.”

While Robert and Lucy move into their rented house, their next-door neighbor pays them a surprise visit. Sir William Benson doesn’t mince his words: “I’m only here because my wife and my damned physician insisted upon it.” What’s more, Sir William thinks his family only cares about his health because of his money. His knighthood was a reward from the Crown, in recognition “for his service to industry,” but he retains his rough edges and resents that his family lives like idle aristocrats on his purse.

Robert and William spend time together at the baths where they muse about the state of the world: “Sir William had no compunction in sharing his opinions in the most forthright manner, which, much to Robert’s amusement, had soon scared off other listeners.” Their acquaintance deepens when Sir William invites them to dinner, with his exceedingly lovely younger wife, and his extended family. It’s an uncomfortable scene, to say the least. Sir William berates his stepsons, his sons: no one is spared. When his clergyman son Augustus mutters something about Christian charity, the old gentleman explodes.

“I’ve never seen a bunch of more bacon-brained useless ne’er-do-wells in my life.”

“Steady on, Father,” Edward murmured. “I work for you.”

“And you ignore my advice at every turn!” Sir William snapped. “With your ridiculous ideas to cut up my peace and ruin my business . . .” He took another slurp of port, which Lucy thought was perhaps unwise. “I grew up without a sixpence to scratch my arse with! None of you would survive a day down the pit. None of you.”

He puts his ungrateful family on notice: “Mark me well I’ll rewrite my will and disinherit the lot of you!” The next morning Robert sees Sir William’s body floating in the baths. It was not a natural death, as Robert and his physician, Dr. Fletcher discover.

Dr. Fletcher grimaced. “Just below his ribs there was a wound that looked as if he had been stabbed upward toward his heart.”

Robert learns after Sir William’s death that the old man carried his will with him everywhere he went, since he was wont to change it on a whim. Mysteriously, the will cannot be found and there is certainly no dearth of suspects. Lucy wonders if they should get mixed up at all but Robert feels differently.

“Because this time Sir William deserves justice.” Robert held her gaze through the candlelight. “I am more convinced than ever that he died before his time. I intend to bring his murder or murderers before a judge to pay for their crime.”

Murderers should be afraid when Robert and Lucy set their minds to find justice for a man who “died before his time.” Death Comes to Bath, the sixth Kurland St. Mary mystery, is a compelling blend of history and mystery with a likable and capable couple at the helm.

5 stars
Another great entry in the Kurland mystery series! I always look forward when there is a new book published. Lady Lucy decides to take the Kurland household to Bath, for the healing properties of the waters there, to help Sir Robert heal from a recent fall and surgery relating to an injury he incurred during the Battle of Waterloo. She rents a house next to a family headed by Sir William Benson who also is enjoying the healing waters at Bath. Robert and William become close and the Kurlands are introduced to the complicated Benson family. His wife appears to be far younger than Sir William and has two sons that clearly do not love their new step father (and he doesn’t appear to care for them either). Additionally, Sir William has brought to the marriage three sons of his own. These sons also appear to have conflicts with their father.
Shortly after being introduced to the family, Sir William is found dead in the public bath. Robert feels strongly that this was not an accident but a murder. Lucy and Robert start investigating by speaking to the family and the people at the bath that saw Sir William. The more they interview, the more hidden motivations are unearthed why the various members of the family would want Robert dead.
The relationship between Lucy and Robert in this book is better than in prior books. They finally seem much more comfortable with each other and it’s a joy to read. The mystery is solid, characters fun and multifaceted.
I recommend this book and series highly.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Kensington Books, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

When I saw this mystery listed, I couldn't wait to request it. I enjoy well written historical mysteries and this one had the added fact that it's set in Bath, one of my favorite cities. The period is just after the Battle of Waterloo and Sir Robert and Lady Lucy Kurland have come to stay in Bath so Sir Robert can partake of the healing properties of the Roman Baths to help with the damage to his leg from the war. They rent a house and soon met their neighbors, a complex group of people comprising of Sir William Benson and his blended family. Tensions are close to the surface and soon all of the family's conflicts are on display. Sir William is a larger than life bombastic character, one who enjoys changing his will at the drop of a hat whenever somebody irks him. That is no way to keep family members happy and more than one lands on the list of suspects when he is found drowned in the Baths. Sir Robert had become fond of the older man who was also a friend of his grandfather. Soon Sir Robert and Lady Lucy are deep into investigating the most disagreeable and dysfunctional family of the victim.

This is the 6th in the series but can be read as a stand alone. The characters are well defined and the setting of Bath is a delight. I was transported to the Baths complete with the heat and the distinct aroma of the warm, moist air. The mystery was complex and full of twists leaving me changing my mind as to who I thought was the murderer. In the end I guessed wrong. Now I'm looking forward to reading #7.

I enjoyed this historical mystery. It was well-plotted and had interesting characters. I particularly enjoyed the various familial subplots (such as Lucy’s sister Anna and her fears of marriage). I found the ending to be believable and logical yet not obvious. My only issues with this one was that it wasn’t as rich in historical detail as I like my historical mysteries and historical fiction to be. Also, there was too much “telling” us how socially different Robert and Lucy were for their time and not enough “showing.” But this was a fun, well written mystery and I will definitely be checking out more by this author!

I received this book for free from Netgalley. This did not influence my review.

I’m a big fan of Catherine Lloyd’s historical mystery series: A Kurland St. Mary Mystery. It’s like an early Christmas present when each installment is released. Her most recent book is Death Comes to Bath.

It is 1822 and the cozy crime-solving couple has made their way to Bath so that Sir (Major) Robert Kurland can take the waters at the suggestion of his physician. An old war wound is continuing to pain him. Lucy Harrington Kurland is pleased that her husband is being reasonable about his health for once. She’s also looking forward to a little relaxation and has invited her sister Anna along, hoping to possibly do some match-making while she’s at it.

Robert finds the baths to be surprisingly soothing. Aside from the healing properties of the water, he is also pleased to make the acquaintance of a blunt-speaking Yorkshire man, Sir William. Sir William is a wealthy businessman who has some of the same political sympathies as Sir Robert. Unfortunately, he also has three irritating money-grubbing sons, a beautiful but melodramatic too-young wife that he has grown to dislike, and two awful layabout stepsons. William’s physician, who has his hands full with the histrionics of the wife, also hangs about incessantly. While Lucy and Robert both like Sir William, they find it difficult to put up with the rest of the crew. They are neighbors in Bath, so it’s hard to avoid their company.

Then Sir William is found dead in the public bath. Robert is certain he was murdered. Lucy and Robert have a wealth of suspects just in the man’s family and they set themselves the task of finding the culprit.

As always, the relationship between Lucy and Robert is quietly delightful. The mystery is well-plotted, keeping me guessing throughout. And the secondary characters are three-dimensional with some more sympathetic than others.

This series is highly recommended for fans of cozy historical mysteries.

Major Sir Robert Kurland and Lady Lucy Kurland are visiting Bath for the health of Sir Robert. Their Bath next door neighbour, Sir William Benson, happened to be an old acquaintance of Sir Robert's grandfather. Sir William is also at Bath for his health, with his three sons, second wife and her two sons. So it comes as no surprise when Sir William is found dead at the baths. But the Kurlands are suspicious and investigate.
Another enjoyable mystery in this series. I really like the writing style of this well-written story and the continuing development of the characters throughout the series. It can certainly be read as a standalone novel but I would certainly recommend the whole series.

Unscrupulous, unlikable characters and troublesome illnesses figure large in "Death Comes to Bath", the latest Kurland St. Mary mystery by Catherine Lloyd. This one is set in 1822. Sir Robert and Lady Lucy have come to the famous spa town because he is in need of the town’s healing waters, in recovery from an injury and subsequent operation. Alas, soon enough the medicinal properties of the city prove the undoing of a neighbor; drowning will do that to a person. And since Robert and Lucy have met the fellow, Sir William Benson, and they have proved so very good at ferreting out murderers in the past, well, finding his killer and staying his avaricious family, especially the widow, from profiting from the death becomes the goal. Pretty soon we have two murders, and the accusations are flying. Robert and Lucy are able to insinuate themselves into the thick of things, which is always helpful. The family, the Bensons, are thoroughly disagreeable, with everyone hating each other, and so we have plenty of suspects. And the victim’s will is missing. How wonderfully convenient!

In between Lucy goes shopping, drinks a lot of tea, tries to calm her house guest, the pregnant Penelope, and does a fair bit of sleuthing on her own. And thinks about her own Big Secret. Which is a secret only to herself, apparently. She also has to deal with her sister and her matrimonial worries -- family has always figured large in these books (in more ways than one, gentle reader), and "Death Comes to Bath" is no exception.

Readers will become as caught up as Robert and Lucy are at the very clever use of puzzles and of Shakespeare by the murder victim which enables the will to be found and all to be revealed. Readers may feel by the end that “they saw that coming,” but maybe not quite “that” solution to the killer and the murder.

I found the background not as engaging as earlier books in the series; being away from Kurland St. Mary contributed to this feeling, as I do enjoy the village setting. Also, the horrible Bensons were horrible enough without wasting paragraph upon paragraph on them and their antics. But these are minor quibbles. "Death Comes to Bath" will keep you engaged with the continuing, comfortable saga of Robert and Lucy Kurland, and their ability to stumble upon murder victims.

Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for a copy of the book ahead of publication, in exchange for this review.