The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart, 352 pages

Cecily Kay has just arrived at the home of Barnaby Mayne, an esteemed collector of all things odd or interesting, to access dried plant collection in the hopes of identifying some new entries in her own collection. Over the years, Mayne's collection has grown to fill up two full houses, making it a draw for other collectors of oddities. But no sooner has Cecily started in on her research than Mayne is found murdered in his own study, with his nebbish curator taking credit for the crime. But something about the curator's confession doesn't sit well with Cecily, who partners up with her childhood friend, Meacan (an illustrator that is also staying at the house), to find the true murderer. Does the secret lie in the collection itself? That's what Cecily and Meacan aim to find out.

Full of both intriguing suspects and quirky information about the collectors of the early 18th Century, this book presents an excellent mystery and a wonderfully curious heroine. It's the first book of Hart's I've read, but I think I'll have to put her others on my TBR list.

Barnaby Mayne’s body was found in his study with his assistant, Mr. Dinley, standing over him. Even though Dinley admits to killing him before escaping, it is unlikely that this mild-mannered, calm gentleman was capable of such an act. At least that is the opinion of Lady Cecily Kay. She had been invited to tour Mayne’s extensive collection of artifacts and explore his plant collection to help identify species she had collected. Now she is looking for a killer.

In 1703 Barnaby Mayne was an esteemed collector of rarities. His wealth went to funding travelers, who would send back plants and animal specimens from around the world. His collection was the envy of other collectors, but could one of them have been involved? At the time of his death, Mayne was employing Meacan Barlow, an illustrator working on one of his catalogues, who grew up with Cecily. She also believes in Dinley’s innocence and works with Cecily to find the truth while also trying to keep her safe.

Elsa Hart’s previous series took place in 18th century China. Her elegant writing style and her ability to captivate her readers is once again evident in The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne. This is a story that will appeal to fans of Agatha Christie as well as those of historical mysteries. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’ Press for providing this book for my review.

A mystery set in the rarefied world of 18th century collectors makes for an intriguing glimpse into a little-known segment of historical society. Elsa Hart’s meticulous research shows clearly in The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne, but never overshadows the intrigue of the mystery and the nuances of of the main characters. Readers of mysteries and historical fiction are both sure to love The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne.

Recreating 18th century London’s craze for natural (and sometimes unnatural) history, The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne tells of the murder of a prolific and respected collector. At odds with her husband, Lady Cecilia Kay arrives at the home of Barnaby Mayne in order to study and identify plants. When a tour of the cabinets ends with the murder of her host, Lady Kay joins forces with her childhood friend and renowned illustrator Meacan Barlowe to solve the crime and absolve an innocent man.

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne is solid enough but not special. It is difficult to see how it sets itself apart from the crowded field of historical mystery, particularly since it fails to successfully navigate some of the pitfalls of the genre. Creating a non-professional detective, for example, requires authors to solidly establish the investigator’s motivations for intervening—something that doesn’t really happen in this novel. Lady Kaye’s ability to be received and to conduct interviews also seems too easy. While it is not impossible or perhaps even unlikely that women of this time period could have traversed and engaged with the city in such a manner, it is rather curiously unremarked upon and represents a lost opportunity to introduce a serious conversation of social import to the novel. Lastly, the insertion of the prologue seems to be a curious decision as it never really emerges as a significant plot point.

I wanted to like this. I was intrigued by the concept, I liked that it was strong female characters leading the action. But I found Barnaby himself so irritating and the other characters (like his assistant and the other "visitors" to the collection) so trope-filled that they made it difficult for me to connect with the story. The two women had great promise, but I never connected with their characters - I never felt like I got under their skin... As a result it made the read feel very flat and somewhat stilted and I wasn't able to finish.

I can’t say I was really into this story. It was well written, there was mystery, and I enjoyed the setting. But I think I couldn’t get fully into it because this genre is not in my comfort zone. I rarely read mysteries.
What made me want to read it was because of the time it is set in and because I always am in awe of cabinets and curiosities.
It did open the door for me to the genre and I might give books like that a try in the future.

This book is perfect for fans of old-school detective stories. Unfortunately this one wasn’t really for my taste. The premise sounded really exciting, but because it is set in the 1700s the language was a bit hard for me to get into and the story itself was too meandering for me. I personally prefer more of a ‘thriller’ aspect to my mysteries and this one was just a more straightforward detective story.

Cecily Kay can hold her own in the world of elite specimen collectors, a world dominated by men in the 1700’s. When she goes to work with the formidable and well known collector Sir Barnaby Mayne in London, she could not have imagined the predicament she finds herself in. Sir Barnaby’s collections are extensive, and his cabinets of specimens are infamous among other serious collectors. Cecily’s passion is plants and she hoped to study Sir Baraby’s rare collections, but when he is murdered, Cecily’s time in the Mayne household takes a turn and she begins to investigate his death.

This book is a Victorian murder mystery set in the world of intellectual collectors and is full of suspense and intrigue with a strong female lead. I enjoyed reading about the specimens and appreciate the extensive research required to write a book like this. I found the characters to be delightful and loved that the main females were strong and independent. Victorian age stories are always full of beautiful imagery and I cannot get enough of them!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Elsa Hart for the advanced copy of The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne in exchange for my honest review. My review will be shared on my blog and Instagram closer to the publication date.

This book was a tough one for me to connect with. I had a hard time getting into the writing style of the time period which made me hesitant to continue and made it slow going for me. Overall, it ended up being a decent mystery and I enjoyed that the sleuths are women. Although I had a hard time with it, I think this book is perfect for old school detective story fans and for people who enjoy period pieces and can get into the state of mind of an old timey feeling writing style.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart is an old-fashioned mystery, set in early 18th century London. History is poised between the advent of modern science and the superstitions and fantasy of previous eras. Collectors – almost always men – searched the world for things, animal remains, plants, rocks, oddities to showcase in their homes. Or paid others to do the searching for them. They wanted prestige, social status, as much if not more than they wanted to further knowledge. They guarded their treasures, competed with other collectors, and spent much of their time arguing over provenance and ownership.

Barnaby Mayne is one of England’s greatest collectors, and his house a confusing, claustrophobic place where anything, even murder, can happen. Honestly, as much as i love funky museums, the Mayne collection seems a bit creepy. Lady Cecily Kay has come to the house to view its plants. There she meets a woman she had known as a child, Meacon, a gifted illustrator. Together they take on the question of who killed Barnaby Mayne (with a knife, in the study). They do it to save the man who has been falsely accused and also, I think, out of curiosity and a desire to know. Cecily is determined and her social class gives her at least some standing in the male-dominated world of the time, but she’s oblivious to the dangers she is inviting with her question. Meacon is smart, observant, and has connections with some of the perhaps less desirable, but useful men in London. Together, they make a formidable team. They obviously renew their friendship, but it is awkward as first. They have grown up as very different women, but it’s those differences that help them.

The mystery itself was well-done. We had several clues and a few suspects. There are some moments of danger for the women and a twist that I rather enjoyed. This London is dark and dreary and dangerous, but it’s also a small town. All the collectors know each other and each other’s ambitions, they have the same sources, attend the same events.

There’s a hint at the end that there might be a sequel. I’m certainly hoping so.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this novel.

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne is a quirky historical fiction/mystery novel. Without giving too much away, I really enjoyed how Hart painted a picture of London in the early 18th century. This novel also reminded me a little of the game Clue, or maybe the movie. A real who-dun-it type of puzzle that the reader must solve.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"London, 1703. One elite community attempts to understand the world by collecting its wonders. Sir Barnaby Mayne, has devoted his life to filling his cabinets. When he is murdered, Cecily Kay sees too many inconsistencies for her to ignore."

An okay murder mystery although the pacing felt jagged. It dragged a bit in the middle and felt rushed at the end.

3☆

The title, the cover artwork, and the story description tempted me immediately. I couldn't resist this murder mystery that takes place in 1703 London, with two strong-willed, clever and independent women partnering to solve this who-dun-it. The cabinets are full of items Sir Barnaby Mayne has been collecting for years. In fact, his entire house is one collection after another - plants, jewels, feathers, taxidermied birds, bottled snakes, skulls and other bones, etc. Author Elsa Hart skillfully describes these items and more, which cast atmospheric shadows amid the candlelight and heavy draperies of Mayne's multi-storied home. Not only does the interior architecture set the scene, but the garden also creates a mood of suspicion. And the characters are all potential murderers - Hart had me guessing until the suspenseful denouement.

I especially liked the novel's well-written descriptions of people, personalities, and observations. Hart crafted a variety of unique characters that helped set and sustain the mysterious mood. And I was pleased at the conclusion of this novel to have the promise of another book. I'll be on the lookout.

Thanks to NetGalley & publisher St. Martin’s Press - Minotaur Books for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

Really, who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? There’s a reason Dame Agatha Christie was so successful – aside from the fact that she was a cracking writer, of course – and it has a lot to do with our fascination with the gruesome and macabre business of a grisly murder, and the puzzle associated with determining means, motive, and opportunity in a way that invariably leads back to the killer.

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart offers up a delightfully enigmatic murder in an interesting setting: 18th Century London, amid the culture of collectors of natural history. Sir Barnaby Mayne, whose cabinets are renowned for being the most complete, most extensive collection in London, and perhaps the world, is murdered and his meek assistant confesses to the crime. However, Lady Cecily Kay, who is staying with Sir Barnaby to reference part of his collection, is convinced that things are more than they seem. A chance encounter with a childhood friend sees her investigating the mystery and seeking out the true killer.

Hart has clearly done a significant amount of research in constructing this world, painting a comprehensive and immersive portrait of London at the beginning of the 18th Century. Not only does it mean she vividly conjures the miasma of smog that blanketed London at the time, but she evocatively describes the obsession and competition that underscored the hobby of the wealthy in the form of collecting. In reading how men (and to a very limited extent, women) of power scoured the world for new specimens of reptile, plant, rock, fish, skeleton, jewel, to name but a few, Hart, deliberately or otherwise, hints at two interesting things. The first, is that people have always sought and created ways to measure and rank status and esteem. The characters use their dress with elegant clothes and impressive wigs as much as the new specimen of unusual snake which they just acquired from a far-flung place of the world to point out how much more clever and important they are relative to their peers. The second point which Hart seems to suggest, which overlaps with the first, is that much of our current understanding of natural science has its origins in the actions and passion of wealthy men seeking to prove how wealthy, intelligent, and relevant they were. It’s not something most people would think about – the very specific but dedicated culture which arose around the act of curating collections that laid out and ordered the natural world, nor would we consider that the amateur observations and musings of people over the contents of these cabinets helped to reinforce ideas that were emerging at the time with regard to scientific theory and methodology.

If the above seems a little jargon-y to you, I must apologise; the book did a good job of appealing to several of my interests and intersecting with various pieces of knowledge I’ve accrued over a life of being good at trivia (and writing books). At its core, Hart sketches out a world in which wealthy people compete with one another to have the ‘most impressive’ collection, and the way that competition and the passion of collecting can swiftly devolve into obsession. Crucially, that clearly defined element tied well into the mystery, which I particularly enjoyed when it came to the reveal.

At times, the mystery element was a little unnecessarily convoluted, and a section around the book’s middle did drag a little. This in part could be attributed to the prose. By and large, Hale’s writing style is clear and enjoyable with descriptions that vividly evoke the scene and atmosphere of her setting. Indeed, during some of the novel’s eerier moments, it genuinely conjured a sense of unease. However, Hale’s writing could at times tend toward the purple. Those sections dragged down the pace of the events and I had to push to get through one or two patches.

On the whole, The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne is a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery with just enough difference from other novels of similar genres (historical fiction, historical murder mystery) that makes it an engrossing read that places enough of the pieces to the mystery before the reader that they are engaged in creating a solid hypothesis as to who is responsible, however it ensures right to the very end that there are still questions that mystify the reader, and leaves them desperate to have answered.

I received a free e-ARC of this book from Netgalley.

This book is like an old-fashioned whodunit with 2 women cast in the roles of sleuths as they try to figure out who killed Barnaby Mayne and why. I really liked the writing style and the descriptions in this book. Sometimes writing like this feels very contrived and boring, but Elsa Hart did a great job of luring me in and capturing my interest. The two lead female characters were both three-dimensional and smart in a time where women were thought of as lightweights.

Good old fashioned murder mystery! Set in 1703 London, the two main characters Cecily Kay and Meacan Barlow set out to solve the murder of Barnaby Mayne, procurer of assorted odd objects which fill his house to the rafters. The women are intelligent and have independent spirits, and there are many twists and turns along the road to discovering who the culprit is. I was particularly interested in the cabinets, which contained both mysterious and scientific artifacts and specimens from all over the world, as I enjoy hunting for fossils, potshards, crystals, and most anything old and buried in the dirt or sea. The plot was well thought out and held my attention, with great characters that were clear and not confusing to tell apart. There’s a satisfying ending, and it was a most enjoyable read. If you like a clean mystery with a good plot and fascinating characters you will enjoy this book.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The start of a new series by Elsa Hart, this is a fun “cozy” that takes place in Queen Anne’s London (1703). Our two ad-hoc detectives are Cecily Kay, a devoted botanist with a sharp mind, and Meacan Barlow, a scientific illustrator with abundant practical know how. Both are ensconced in the estate of the self-satisfied and impatient Barnaby Mayne — a renowned collector of scientific artifacts. On a day when Mayne has opened the house to a group of collectors for a tour, he is found murdered at his desk.

The book is full of ambiance. It is populated with a wide array of collectors, scholars and those who take a more business oriented attitude to the fossils, stones, books, and antiquities being collected. Good writing, decent plot, interesting characters, and well-painted atmosphere. I haven’t read Elsa Hart before, but I’m now curious about some of her previous series (such as Li Du — an imperial librarians in 18th century China).

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne.

My reading preferences usually run toward modern mysteries and thrillers, but every once in awhile I enjoy a good historical mystery, especially if the premise is an intriguing one.

I was pleased when my request was approved for The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne because the plot sounded interesting.

When Cecily Kay arrives at Barnaby Mayne's home to study his vast collection of plant specimens, she did not expect to be embroiled in a murder investigation.

But, that's what happens when Barnaby is murdered in a house full of people and when Cecily discovers the wrong man is imprisoned for the crime, she seeks out to find the truth and deliver justice.

Cecily Kay is an unconventional woman, to say the least. She is married, but educated, smart and speaks her mind, a rarity during the eighteenth century when women were deemed to be seen and not heard.

Coming along for the ride, a childhood friend whose acquaintance she renews, Cecily and Meacan travels the filthy streets of London to pursue a killer, interviewing suspects and potential witnesses, encountering obstacles and unfriendly people, that does nothing to deter their course of pursuing the truth.

I loved how the main characters are two women who speak their mind. They are talented and quick witted, independent thinkers and courageous.

There are lots of supporting and minor characters, all of whom have a role in the story or know something about the murder in some way.

The story itself about collectors of antiquities, curiosities and rarities, pirates and tall tales of magic and the high seas is intriguing and offers an interesting look at what people during that particular century found captivating.

The author is a skilled writer, especially when describing the grim realities of living in the early eighteenth century, especially for a lady.

I would recommend The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne to anyone looking for a good historical mystery with strong female characters.

The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne by Elsa Hart – 5 Stars
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250142818

There are so many things I enjoyed about this period mystery. At the center was a vast collection of “curiosities” collected by Barnaby Mayne that was so large that it filled all of two houses. Collecting became more than a pastime for some who had the money and leisure time to pursue it. The author described how the possession of items and the stories accompanying them became a greedy obsession. Cecily Kay, the central character, was a strong and intelligent woman in a time when those traits were neither fashionable nor encouraged. The mystery was complex with twists and an unexpected conclusion. The writing was intelligent and vividly portrayed London in 1703.
I was searching for something different from most of the current mysteries and am delighted to have found this book.

Reviewer: Nancy

Goods stuff. This has interesting characters, good dialog, and a creative plot. This is a pretty well written historical mystery. Fortunately this author has some experience and does a nice job overall Recommended for mystery fans.

Thanks very much for the ARC for review!!