I really liked this book, I been hearing good things about this series for a while and was excited to pick up this book. It felt very much like a cozy mystery but I loved the friendship and the idea of female company portrayed. I loved the setting and the time period it was set. Simply a entertaining read for a summer day.

Taking a light, breezy tone throughout, T E Kinsey's eighth entry in the Lady Hardcastle series sees Lady Hardcastle and her ever intrepid lady's maid Flo taking it easy after their last case, when they see a stranger, young woman, come to town whose abrupt manner intrigues the women. The next day, one of the members of the local cider-related organization turns up dead. Knowing there's no hope of the women not getting involved, the Scotland Yard investigator ropes them in, asking them to use their connections within the village, and any others they find along the way, to help figure out who killed the man. This swiftly turns into multiple murders, increasing the urgency that a solution be found.

This is my first Lady Hardcastle mystery. It's a bit of a weird place to start--book 8--but I liked it. Both women have unconventional backgrounds, which they use to figure out motives and get out of situations. Also, the author actually misled me into looking at the wrong person as the murderer, which I appreciated, as most cozies are super easy to figure out. There's also a sense of humour to the interactions between Flo and Lady Hardcastle that kept things moving along well. I can well empathize with Flo's discomfort with Lady Hardcastle's bombing down the roads, and liked the banter throughout the book. I'll have to check out their earlier adventures as this was pleasantly diverting.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC in exchange for my review.

This mystery series is truly one of my favs.

In their 8th adventure Lady Hardcastle and her sidekick and maid Flo Armstrong are investigating a murder mystery at a local orchard. To solve the murder this time, they have to reopen a case some 20 years ago.
I always really like the showing of every day life in a rural community, all the tradition and rites. The dialogues are as delightful as ever and the style of writing is very enjoyable. Just a wonderful cosy and relaxing read.

Lady Hardcastle and Flo are called to the apple orchard where the owner is found stabbed through the heart with an apple stuck in his mouth. Before long more weird murders happen, there is an ancient order, a 20 year old mystery that may be related to the recent events, all good stuff.
Don't know is it me or is this book unusually bloody for the series, but there are quite a few murder victims and also some potential victims, including our main characters. I had a blast reading this as usual. My only criticism is that the killer was very much unhinged and the whole motive was strange, that's all I'll say. But it was a fun entry for the series, I always look forward to reading more books in it.
Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good mystery thriller novel. Highly recommend

I love Lady Hardcastle and her trusty sidekick Flo. This was a well written plot and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Many thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another excellent instalment in the Lady Hardcastle series, this one occurring in the harvest of 1911, with a secret society called the Weryers of the Pommery. I thought I’d cracked whodunnit and why, but was not quite there… Excellent plot and characters as always by Kinsey, and good to see a return of Simeon and Dinah to help. I highly recommend this series!

Cosey crime at its best. You always know what you're getting with this series but that's part of their charm.
For fans of the genre think of the Miss Fisher series meets Downton Abbey set in a period set Midsummer Murders. Enjoy.

T.E. Kinsey has Lady Hardcastle and her lady's maid, Flo, helping the police investigate a series of murders in a local village group in Rotten to the Core. It's 1911 and the mysterious ancient order is not only losing members but also may be implicated in a 20 year old murder. The amateur sleuths are at it again; settle in to your chair, relax and follow the clues.

Rotten to the Core is book 8 in the Lady Hardcastle Mystery. The concept and era were the main elements that drew me to the book even though I had never read one in the series. The whole bucolic atmosphere seemed to give all the good vibes for a moment of rural escapism.

But it kind of fell flat for me. Usually, each individual book in a mystery series can be read as standalone, but at some point, starting out that far out in a series becomes visible, and it can be akin to crashing an ongoing party. I was under the impression I was missing enough background info to fully get immersed in the story.

I read the first Lady Hardcastle book a few months back and while I'm usually not a big fan of mysteries, this series has kept me captivated and glued to the screen of my kindle. Lady Hardcastle is a force of nature. Her character is very easy to love and respect and her relationship with Flo is heartwarming.
This book was incredibly funny too in addition to being very entertaining.

I liked the way the plot developed and how it all made sense in the end. I liked having my own theories confirmed. Without spoiling the plot for anyone else, I'm just going to say that as Evelyn was using her crime board I was also ticking boxes in my mind.

I enjoy spending time with the characters in this series and I loved the title and front cover of the new book in the series, Rotten to the Core but I feel conflicted when I say I’m not sure if this one was any good. I don’t think I would recommend Rotten to the Core to someone unfamiliar with the books. The story seemed slow and it was very real time, there was no urgency. Unusually the dialogue was not at its best. The plot of the mystery itself was very good and I did like the character of Cornelius Starks.

Truly one of my favorite authors and series. Another solid, entertaining installment in this series. Eight books in and it really hasn't gotten old. At all. The banter between Flo and Emily just sparkles, and there are still moments throughout these books where I think, That is so clever. I want to remember that so I can use it on someone I know!

There were a bunch of suspects (and victims!), but the author always does an excellent job of reminding us who each character is without making it seem like that's what he's doing (because he knows I can't keep them straight!). I thought I knew for sure whodunnit and why, but I was pleasantly shocked by the resolution of the mystery.

Can't wait til the next one. New releases from this author are one of my most anticipated reads.

The eighth book in a series that's still going strong. Lady Hardcastle and Flo make a great duo in solving crime in their little town. The humour in the dialogue between the pair is very humorous and not what you would necessarily expect between employer and employee but it shows what a friendship and bond they have.
The mystery here is baffling and it's no wonder that the police have no problem involving Lady Hardcastle in the investigation as she and Flo seem to have the knack of delving into other people's business and secrets and figuring out the impossible.
A lively and fast paced mystery with a delightful cast of characters.

This is the first of this series that I have read and I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Lady Hardcastle and Flo. Although I am sure it would be better to start at the first book in the series you should not be discouraged in picking up one mid series as they are stand alone reads. I will however be going back to start them all from book 1.

Great cozy mystery set in 1911 and as the title suggests Murder and mayhem in the apple orchards and in the mysterious community that exists in the village. The deaths of some of the secret society members starts the sleuths on the path to root out the suspects and discover the truth.

Great read and highly recommended if you enjoy this genre.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

These books are really fun. Light period mysteries, written well, and full of a (mostly dry), tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. Read them in order if you can—watching the two protagonists and supporting characters evolve gives the story that much more depth. The mysteries aren’t terribly complex, but always interesting; and usually involve learning about some little-known, but interesting facet of English county life of the time. The real fun is in the wild and witty banter (and escapades) of the highly intelligent and highly—and widely—skilled main characters. A light, fast, FUN read! I’m already looking forward to the next one.

I love Lady Hardcastle and Flo! This mystery was especially gruesome, involving a really scheming criminal mind. Quite a few twists and turns, and a red herring or two, before the reveal. Great read! Thanks to negalley for an ARC!

A return to the Edwardian Era English village of Littleton Cotterell for the latest detecting antics of Lady Hardcastle and her intrepid maid, Flo, was just what I needed to beat the summer heat. More deep friends even family then employer and maid, Emily and Flo have become some of my favorite investigative teams and I was eager to dive into the latest murder mystery.

Rotten to the Core is book eight in a series that do best in order, but work just fine standalone, too.

A hot summer in their home village leads to a bumper apple crop and harvest. Lady Farley-Stroud wants help with the dinner so the ladies head into the village to get some ideas. That is when they learn about the Weryers, a local secret benevolence organization. Emily and Flo are curious, but go home only to learn the next morning that one of the Weryers, and a likable orchard owner, Claud, is found dead under one of his own apple trees with an apple in his mouth. The local constabulary are stymied and invite Lady Hardcastle and Flo to join the investigation. There are plenty of suspect from the Weryers themselves to a stranger seen in the village and the more they investigate, the more motives and opportunities they find as well. Meanwhile, a killer is not willing to stop at one and the gals need to solve the case as they are now on the killer’s short list.

Rotten to the Core is back in the village and the ladies are surrounded by a familiar cast of characters from Flo’s friend Daisy at the bar to the big house neighbors The Farley-Strouds, and of course, Inspector Sunderland. I loved that and I loved seeing the gals bantering and enjoying themselves. The mystery got darker than usual with the higher than normal body count and, unlike previous villains, this one gave me a chill more than usual.

The background of the secret society of Cider Wardens and the apple harvest was interesting. I enjoy that the author takes the time to make sure the historical period and setting are colored in. My favorite part is the relationship between Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong particularly knowing what they did before they retired.

The mystery almost utterly stumped me. I felt there were too many possibilities even later in the book to bother trying to figure it out. I was content to follow intrepid Flo and Emily to the solution. Well, I did work out the stranger’s role was not what they thought and had an idea about the motive after a bit. Flo got into action with her martial art and espionage skills at exciting moments and Emily wasn’t far behind her racing their car and letting people think she is a frivolous type.

All in all, it was another fab entry in the series. I would say it leaned more toward regular murder mystery than cozy for this one, fair warning. Bright characters, engaging setting, and a mystery plot to baffle readers makes this a historical mystery/series I can heartily recommend to other readers.

I love the writing, the language, the plot, the characters - the whole thing! All I can say is that I look forward to the next TE Kinsey book. The plot is good, as expected, and the setting in the countryside makes the story so interesting. I do so enjoy the main characters, as well as the village characters whom we have come to know through reading the series.

I really loved this book, and as a history fanatic I appreciated all the historical details. I have not read the previous books in the series, but will do so after enjoying this one so much!

Thank you to the publisher, author and NetGalley for sending me this arc.