An Extravagant Duplicity is the 11th book in the Beatrice Hyde-Clare series by Lynn Messina. This instalment is based around both Bea having to investigate a new case: Roger Dugmore seems to have been killed in his sleep, is the killer his grandson? Is there another killer to be found? Or did Roger simply die of natural causes? Whilst Bea is investigation though she is also dealing with her own personal troubles based around her identity and also about having a child.

When I was offered the book by the publisher I didn’t know that this was part of a series; therefore in the first part of the book I had to catch up with who was who and the relationships between the characters, although I was quite lost and didn't fully grasp everything (such as references to previous books so I was slightly confused in some parts). However the book as a whole was well written and there was lots of twists and turns. I also enjoyed that Bea is a strong female character but is also presented as having troubles and worries, and this is normal. This allowed me to connect more with the main characters and the story and I enjoyed the mystery elements involved.

Personally, I don't think you can read this book as a stand-alone and I would recommend reading from the beginning of the series. I also think when I read from the beginning I will enjoy the story much more as everything apart from being confused about the characters worked perfectly.

I absolutely love this series and I've read all the books so far! I love the way Bea and Kesgrave's relationship has evolved through the series and it's so fun to read their interactions.

In this story, it's Kesgrave who notices something is not right when he and Bea are called to solve an alleged crime. This one was quite the story! So many people had motive and opportunity, and it was quite the ride to the end to see who had done it.
The way she finally tells Damian she's expecting is just so like Bea, and the ending, with both of them in the carriage, is perfect!

Can't wait for the next story!

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

If you enjoy Bea and Kesgrave you’ll love this book!
I have enjoyed all of the Bea and Kesgrave books but this one adds even more depth to the couple and their relationship. If you’ve never read them this is a good intro and can easily be read as a standalone but I can recommend all of the series. Bea is approached and asked to investigate a death to prove that it was an accident. But her investigation takes a strange turn when her cousin, Flora, tries to take over the investigation and announces that indeed it was an accident. Only after they have left does Kesgrave point out an important fact that Bea missed, which is not surprising given the secret she is keeping from Kesgrave. As they proceed in their investigation, without Flora, they are met with ghosts from their pasts and people in the present who have them chasing down false trails, false clues, and facts omitted in their interviews. It will keep you guessing right along with Bea and Kesgrave. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the copy. This is my review and all thoughts are my own.

First, I really liked how much more of Bea's and Kesgrave's feelings for each other eventually came out in this book, though it took a while to get there. I always like at least as much affection as mystery in these books, as I think I would prefer a little more evidence of their love. And I do confess I get a tad thrown off tack when something is said and then you have to spend the next two or three pages of Bea's thoughts about what was said, her reaction, Kesgrave's reaction, speaker's motivation, etc., etc., such that I have to go back two or three pages to see what the original statement or question was. Nevertheless, I still love this series and will continue to read them. The wit, the humor, and the mystery always pull me in. Only, could we get Bea's thoughts "after" instead of always "during"? For example, when she and Kesgrave are asked to leave and they do, give her thoughts as they walk out instead of before they do. As is, it leaves one wondering for a few pages if they actually will leave or cause a scene or just what is going to happen, instead of their simply getting up and leaving as requested, THEN telling what she thought about the request. Thanks to #NetGalley for an ARC of this book, #AnExtravagantDuplicity.

This story gets off to a rocky start with too much Russell and Flora bickering, Flora's lovesick drama queen antics and the seriously Georgette Heyeresque Drugmore family. Once they abandon Flora and Damian opens his mouth, the story goes off and running. The mystery plot is straight out of Georgette Heyer and features a tyrannical patriarch and a bunch of squabbling cousins who all had motive to kill their grandfather. I did guess who the murderer was - if there indeed was one- but I wasn't 100% positive. It was just a guess based on the least likely suspects. There were enough twists and turns though to keep me reading.

The cozy part is where this series shines. I love Bea and relate to her so much. Although I had a happy, normal childhood, I'm an introvert and reading Bea's inner monologues is like reading my own thoughts. Bea spends a lot of time trying to second guess what people are going to say and I do the same thing. That part was a little tedious to read but I was so happy to see Bea and Damian investigating together again. The stories are never better than when the couple are co-sleuths. This is really his investigation but as Bea is the noted sleuth, he lets her take the lead chiming in when he has an observation. They are the cutest couple and I love it when they're alone in their carriage LOL! What turns the other on is unusual but enjoyable. They're still newlyweds, believe it or not, and so the timeline is a little ridiculous, especially for her to realize she's increasing, but I forgot about the super short timeline after awhile and just accepted it. The Duke of Kesgrave is one in a million. I love his sense of humor and most of all, I love how much he loves Bea, even when she doubts herself, even when she invites murderers to come and try to kill her! This book has a lot of amazing observations on womanhood and how we are perceived by men. I thought things had changed since Bea's time but they really haven't.

Flora is not so lucky in love. There's a story there and I need to go back and read "A Lark’s Tale (A Verity Lark Mystery #1)" because there are hints about Twaddle Thumb and who he is and where he might be lurking. I guessed but it isn't confirmed, that Bea and Damian passed him but didn't realize it. I like that little extra element of mystery. Flora is obnoxious but I understand her desire to prove her intelligence to the man she's fallen for. Isn't that pretty much what Bea has done? I think Flora needs to find a new tactic and a new suitor because Holcroft is rather stuffy and proud, so far. He doesn't seem like a good match for a headstrong girl trying to sow her wild oats after a lifetime frivilous and sometimes cruel pursuits. Flora has matured and realized a lot about her past self and is trying to change. I give her a lot of credit for that and I hope she matures some more and stops with the annoying behavior. Russell is a nitwit still but he, too, has grown up. He realizes that openness, honesty and communication are important in healthy family relationships. He's TRYING to be a man when he's still a boy..

The Drugmore clan are straight out of Georgette Heyer's mystery playbook but not quite as quirky, with the exception of Ripley. Ripley is a fop plain and simple. He's a country boy fresh off his mother's leash and eager to make a dash in society. He equates all manner of bizarre things with notorioty which he thinks will get him accepted in the ton His antics are juvenile at best and aren't serving his purpose. He fan boys Bea and dismisses Flora because she's not in the tabloids! Is he for real? The one thing I like about him is his sincerity. He truly thinks he's doing the right thing and truly believes he's going to be famous by association with Bea.

Roger Drugmore was a terrible tyrant. A new money "cit", he controls the money that his family lives off and with the money comes strings- a lot of strings! He wanted his grandchildren to marry to enhance the family holdings just as he married off his daughters to wealthy, older gentleman (who ruined their lives). His daughter Celia is the dutiful widowed daughter, waiting on her father and running his household. Her husband was as silly and stupid as Ripley and Ripley's father yet Celia's father doesn't care. Her doesn't care about sentiment or love, affection or even partners having anything in common. His dependants are just pawns in the chess game of life. He was nasty, dispicable, old-fashioned and tyrannical. I suppose he didn't deserve to be murdered but how do we know it wasn't an accident? He was elderly after all and could have fallen and hit his head on the pier table. (That's one theory, someone else has another based on a clue or lack thereof).

Matthew, the heir, enjoys the Corinthian lifestyle: coats by Weston, boots by Hoby, shooting, fishing, etc. Some other family members believe because he enjoys killing for sport, he is the murderer. Matthew is tough on the younger men and fights like cats and dogs with Ripley. He's arrogant and snooty. Matthew has an alibi for the time of the murder, or so he says. It's flimsy because he could have asked his friend to lie for him. I'm not 100% positive the timeline is correct and I'm not certain there even WAS a murder! If there was, Matthew is a very good candidate. Debtor's prison would be abhorrent to anyone, especially a Corinthian like Matthew. Clifford is another cousin, the favored grandchild because he did everything he was told to and ratted out his siblings and cousins. He's sneaky and certainly lying about something. He had the least motive of the whole family to kill his grandfather though but also doesn't have a solid alibi. Jesse is also a moron and acts like he's in a melodrama. I think he enjoys the drama but doesn't have the guts to kill anyone, let alone his grandfather. In the end, I think he was likely to do what his grandfather wanted and enjoy it because he likes being a drama llama.

The only member of the family I like and have respect for is Melody. She understands her grandfather was old-fashioned and had outdated ideas. She also thinks she could have her own way if she just tolerated her grandfather's rants. Melody volunteers at an orphanage teaching art and nursing the sick. This is her life's vocation and she's dedicated to serving others. She is not at all intrested in marriage or having children of her own. Her mother also volunteers with her but Celia is not quite as sincerely devoted to the children as Melody is. Matthew is a horrible brother to her and begrudges her the tiniest bit of independence she has managed to secure. She points out his hypocricy and he still doesn't get it. Few men, especially at this time, understand the plight of women. (I wholeheardly support and adore Mrs. Palmer and her political aims!) I hope Matthew is the murderer so Melody can be free of him. She'll be tainted and no one will want to marry her, leaving her free to become the next best thing to a nun.

Mary, the maid, discovered Roger Drugmore's body. Her screams alerted the whole household. She's matter of fact in answering Bea's questions but seems sincere. It's never the servants as much as their employers would like them to be the villains. Pauline, one of the upstairs maids, is hiding something. I wish her story was a little more fleshed out. She's hiding something for a very good reason, or so she says. Bea has no way of knowing if Pauline is telling the truth. Even though Pauline has a good reason to lie, I find her wearying, like a character in a melodrama. She's too GOOD, too NOBLE. Did she commit murder on behalf of someone else or on her own to protect her secret?

On the cozy side... Aunt Vera doesn't have to say anything because Bea imagines it all. Aunt Vera is in need of some strong smelling salts after the opening chapter. I agree with her, for once, about bare knuckle brawling, however, Russell is learning it in a controlled environment from a master. Better for him to do it that way than ask someone on the streets to show him how. Or worse- ask Ripley! Uncle Horance's shortcomings are further illuminated by his silence. I thought he was coming around and becoming a more involved, nicer parent/uncle but I guess not. He's still Mr. Bennet with his head in the sand avoiding family drama. Lady Abercrombie managed to annoy me too. She's somewhat of a fairweather godmother. She has ideas about what Bea should do and when Bea expresses free will or circumstances tug Bea in a different direction, Lady Abercrombie dares to complain. The Duke's darling grandmother is not seen but mentioned. The Duchess's latest missive made me laugh out loud.

While cherubs make me want to throw up and run away screaming, I still look forward to seeing what/if Bea gets up to next. She doesn't seem to have any problems sleuthing right now. I suspect this cherub is going to keep his/her parents on their toes and be an absolute nightmare! I actually kind of look forward to seeing the Duke and Duchess of Kesgrave as parents, as long as they're still in love and making out in carriages.

I am eager to read the finished published version of this book after I go back and read about Twaddle Thumb.

“An Extravagant Duplicity” is the 11th book in the Beatrice Hyde-Clare series by Lynn Messina. I didn’t know that this was part of a series when I was offered the book by the publisher. I think the first 10% of the book was catching new readers up on who was who (and related to whom), but I was still a bit lost. Once the story began rolling, I realized who the main characters were, which really helped a lot. There are some references to what had happened in previous books which were explained a little, but I felt like I was missing something. I cannot say that this is the book I’d start with for this series. Putting all that aside, however, the mystery … the reason for Beatrice being called in to solve a case. It was a bit tangled, but Ms. Messina does a good job lying out red herrings, twists, and the like until the last moment when all are assembled and the guilty is announced - reminding me of Nick Charles solving a Thin Man case. I don’t think this is the series for me, but I did like some of humor Ms. Messina includes. Overall, a three star rating because this was my first book in the series, but it wasn’t a bad book - just not the right one for me to start with.

Bea and Kesgrave recapture some of their investigative sparkle in this latest outing. I enjoyed this one more than some of the previous titles, as the crime and the path of the investigation seem to give the reader a pretty fair shot at figuring out what happened, which I appreciate.
Bea's deeply hidden insecurities about her marriage and her identity have been the subject of (extensive) rumination for many, many books now, but I'm happy to report that even though they're still present, they're reined in a bit. And they're also made more relevant by the introduction of a new phase of life for her and Kesgrave. All in all, this volume picked up the pace and added a bit of needed freshness for the series.

If you are on book 11 of this series, you are committed, you love Bea, you love Kesgrave, you love Flora. Honestly, for me the plot hardly matters at this point. There's a murder, Bea gets involved, her relatives are bonkers, it's all good. This one felt a bit more, reflective, mature. So Flora, I totally got where she was coming from with Holcroft, I hate, hate when characters make decisions for other characters. Good for Flora for standing up for herself, I love her for it even when it made her a shrew. Chapter 10. This is perfection, I feel like, if we never get another Beatrice Hyde -Clare mystery, Chapter 10 is the epitome of perfection in Bea and Kesgrave's relationship. It so perfectly encapsulates their idiocyncrocies, their vulnerability and growth as people and as a couple, tender, sarcastic, revealing and touching and comical. A beautiful moment that so well represents these two. More Nuneaton, but that's a forever wish and hope. I'm here till book 75 if that's where Lynn Messina takes us. I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley for an honest review.

There are series that demand the reader start at the beginning to understand each installment and ones you can hop into at any time. An Extravagant Duplicity by Lynn Messina is both. You could definitely read this book as a standalone, enjoying the murder investigation and ridiculous antics of the cast without knowing the backstories of the main characters. The likely scenario after following Beatrice, Dutchess of Kesgrave, and her husband Damian, Duke of Kesgrave, during their investigation is that you'll want to circle back to enjoy the journey to this point. Every installment in the Beatrice Hyde-Clare series is a fast, fun romp. This one was particularly delightful to me because significant developments occurred in the personal storylines during the investigation and the introduction of a new character, the cherub.

In this book, Beatrice is asked to investigate the death of a manipulative, domineering patriarch by the man's grandson. The grandson is most interested in people hearing that the famous Dutchess visited his home and thinks his grandfather died in a fall. Bea is distracted during her initial visit to the house, made with her husband, cousin Flora, and Flora's love interest, Mr. Holcroft. She's preoccupied by conflicting thoughts about being mother and when to tell her husband she's expecting their child. She worries this will be the end of her instigations. Meanwhile, Damian realizes a murder definitely took place and they jump into sleuthing again. Flora and Holcroft have their own side story that makes some nice progress in this book.

Lynn Messina creates scenes where you find yourself laughing at the antics of her delightful characters while also pondering an observation about society and the role of women in Regency England that often still holds true today. I know I'll always get charming scenes between Bea and Damian, who can't keep their hands off each other, too. The pace is fast and though we get pages of internal dialogue from Bea, we go from start to finish in the course of a day. What a wonderful addition to one of my favorite series!