London 1918

A fun historical mystery begins as Fiona Figg, is back on her job filing, when she gets an anonymous invite to a house party with an Ascot Theme. With her fabulous disguises and smart intuition, she is on the trail.

Two suitors and a fun journey to finding a murderer, brings this story to a fabulous finish!!

Arsenic at Ascot is number seven in Kelly Oliver’s Fiona Figg series. However, if you check Fantastic Fiction, it is number 4 in the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane series. I have read a few of these, but apparently missed some others. In number 7 Fiona is back to shuffling papers for the War Office. Just as she is thinking that her espionage career is over, Fiona receives a mysterious card inviting Lady Tabitha Kentworthy to a house party theme based on Ascot. At the party, Fiona is joined by Lieutenant Archie Somersby and together they discover a murder. Fiona starts investigating when Frederick Fredericks also arrives on the scene. Now Fiona is meant to infiltrate an animal activists' group, solve a murder, and figure out what Fredericks is up to.

I do not like Archie, and I am not fond of Fiona either. It really does not seem like Fiona learns anything from each assignment. She lets her heart rule her head and then seems upset when it doesn’t work out. I also am not fond of this love triangle with Archie and Fredericks. Archie seems to be a “quick to anger” type who believes one person over Fiona. Quite honestly that would bother me, so I’m not understanding Fiona’s preference. The love triangle between Fiona, Archie, and Fredericks is also very distracting. Can Fiona please be developed away from this somehow?

The mystery for me seems to be pushed aside more than once for the sake of Fiona’s romances, but this plot was still one of my favorites. I always love to read what authors come up with in regard to the locked room mystery. This one was interesting, to say the least.
I also enjoy the fact that the author clearly does her homework in referencing real people during this era. It is another one of my favorite reasons for continuing this series.

Overall, I rate this novel 3.5 out of 5 stars.

The fourth instalment in the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane series, this is another winning historical cosy mystery. It’s fast-paced, it’s fun, it’s addictive, and the period details transported me to another time and place. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting Fiona and Kitty again, having read the previous book in the series, but readers new to the series won’t feel like they’re missing anything important, as the most crucial elements from the backstory are subtly woven into the narrative. This is the perfect book to curl up with now that it’s so cold outside!

#blogtour

Arsenic at Ascot by Kelly Oliver

I received an advance review copy for free thanks to Rachel's Random Resources and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Blurb

London, 1918

Fiona Figg finds herself back in Old Blighty saddled with shuffling papers for the war office. Then a mysterious card arrives, inviting her to a fancy house party at Mentmore Castle. This year's Ascot-themed do will play host to a stable of animal defense advocates, and Fiona is tasked with infiltrating the activists and uncovering possible anti-war activity.

Disguised as the Lady Tabitha Kenworthy, Fiona is more than ready for the "mane" event, but the odds are against her when both her arch nemesis, dark-horse Fredrick Fredricks, and would-be fiancé Lieutenant Archie Somersby arrive unexpectedly and "stirrup" her plans. And when a horse doctor thuds to the floor in the next guest room, Fiona finds herself investigating a mysterious poisoning with some very hairy clues.

Can Fiona overcome the hurdles and solve both cases, or will she be put out to pasture by the killer?

My Opinion

This is one of those series that I have seen a lot but only just got around to reading. Whilst there is obviously some backstory I have missed, this was relatively easy to read and not get lost. A twisty plot with some red-herrings make for a great read. As I have mentioned in recent reviews I am trying to read more books from the historical genre and for me this was a nice and easy book to start with.

Being the first book I have read in the series I was surprised by how quickly I became familiar with Fiona Figg, the way that Kelly Oliver has written her just makes her personality jump off the page. I am sure that I am going to be back for more books in this series in the near future.

Rating 4/5

Favorite Quotes:

I’d learned the best way to defuse a cocky man was to ask his advice.

I glanced into a full-length mirror next to the clothes rack. The face I saw looking back at me was the spitting image of my Uncle Frank. Features a tad too strong to be considered feminine. It was going to take more than a Harrod’s gown to turn me into a passable lady.

A smile played on my lips. Forget about provisions and housework. I was a proper British Intelligence agent about to embark on a top-secret espionage mission for the War Office. My chest expanded to the point of bursting a button off my blouse.


My Review:

This well-plotted and humorous cozy mystery was quite the head-scratcher, I didn’t have it anywhere worked out and am still up in the air about the trustworthiness of several characters, I guess spies are like that. The situations were unique and well-contrived with clues that prickled my curiosity and tickled my gray matter. Kelly Oliver is a master storyteller and paints colorful pictures with her well-chosen words.

‘Arsenic at Ascot’ finds Fiona Figg back in Britain and back in the War Office. Not for her the excitement of the past, but relegation to filing for the men in the office. Until an invitation to a house party at Mentor Castle arrives. With her box of disguises, Fiona is on the case, and uncovering more than she bargained for.

I loved that Fiona was back doing what she does best. Again Frederick Fredericks flits through her life, coming and going as he sees fit. Can Fiona trust him - or is he everything they say he is? There’s a touch of the Whitehall Farce about it all , as she fends off - or not -the attentions of more than one suitor.

Kitty’s amazing forensic skills were to the fore, as she stuns with her knowledge and skill. The mystery was compelling and humorous, with a wonderful grasp of the historical detail.

Fiona Figg is back at her filing job when given the chance to find a mole. She brings out her disguises and out comes her friends and enemies from the past. She can't make her mind about Archie or Fredrick, friend or foe, love or not. She continues until a murder happens. Loved the read and keeping up with Fiona and her friends.
Received an ARC from NetGalley and Boldwold and leaving a review on my own accord.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Kelly Oliver for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Arsenic at Ascot coming out November 28, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is a really fun series for me! I think her writing is really great! I just love cozy historical mysteries. It has some depth to it with it being set during WWI and Fiona’s spying. There was a part at the end that I wasn’t a big fan of, but I can kind of see why she made that decision. Hopefully things work out. It seems to be winding down since 1918 was the end of the war. So I wonder what will happen if there are more books in the series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys WWI spy mysteries!

Another great book in the Fiona Figg series. Set in the WWI era, Fiona serves her country by investigating reports of spys in the circles she travels in. This version takes her to a staged hunting event that quickly turns deadly. Fiona is assisted by her usual team of friends and family to bring a spy/ killer to justice.

Fiona Figg is back in another mystery where she must go undercover at a fancy house party and finds herself investigating a murder.

I’d recommend reading others in this series first otherwise you will be really lost. It just throws readers into the story and characters, so first time readers to this series will not understand.

This was a fun and cute mystery novel set in London during World War 1. Fiona Figg is our secret spy going undercover for the war effort. During her sleuthing, she finds herself solving a murder mystery as well. It was a very quick and easy read. Fiona Figg is surrounded by a supporting cast of characters, including her "niece" Kitty, her maybe fiancé, Archie and her enemy, Fredrick. They all create the typical intrigue and drama within a spy story.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in an exchange for an honest review.

"Disguised as the Lady Tabitha Kenworthy, Fiona is more than ready for the “mane” event, but the odds are against her when both her arch nemesis, dark-horse Fredrick Fredricks, and would-be fiancé Lieutenant Archie Somersby arrive unexpectedly and “stirrup” her plans. And when a horse doctor thuds to the floor in the next guest room, Fiona finds herself investigating a mysterious poisoning with some very hairy clues."
This is a good mystery full of angst! I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

Arsenic at Ascot is the fourth book of “A Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery”series.

This time Fiona finds herself in a new adventure when Dr. Vorknoy, a vivisectionist working for a military secret project gets murdered. There is something dark and inexplicable around the project and this time Fiona will have the help of her two admires, spy Fredrick Fredricks and Lieutenant Archie Somersby plus her friends Kitty Lane, Poppy, and Captain Clifford to help her solve the mystery.

This is a thrilling story full of historical facts and great descriptive narrative. At the end you’ll also have a sneak peek of the following adventure that we’ll hopefully be able to read soon. I beg you!

Being a animal lover myself, some parts of this book were hard to read, however that is part of real history that unfortunately still happening for medical and cosmetic research in today’s world. This book brings you back to a world forgotten that we need to relearn in order to stop their atrocities or at least never repeat them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advance Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “Arsenic at Ascot.” All opinions and comments are my own.

Be advised -- if you’re triggered by reading about using animals for research purposes, this is not the book for you. It is not heavy on description of the processes, but the topic is heavily part of the plot of “Arsenic at Ascot.”

Fiona Figg is in the “spy business” during WWI, and along with her colleagues Kitty Lake and Archie Somersby she will soon be engaged in investigating how an old quarry (and potential love interest, never mind Archie – this is book #4, you really need to have read the other three to get the full story) is involved in her latest caper – but not until after infiltrating country house parties and military research facilities in search of potential traitors -- in all sort of clever disguises. One needs to suspend a bunch of one’s disbelief here, just roll with it.

There is a murder, thus, the arsenic angle. Handily, everyone has alibis. The author gets to throw in an homage to Edgar Allan Poe. Fiona gets to pick apart alibis and put together the clues, all the while whinging about her love life -- which got really old really fast. And to cap it off, she gets a big finish and a big reveal – whereby she has to be rescued. I must admit, if you like very, very clever methods of murder, this is a doozy.

Fiona survives, to find herself “called away.” So, she’ll be off, to further adventures.

A Note from the Author relates that many characters in this book were “inspired by real people.” “Arsenic at Ascot” is a quick read, but one that definitely has a message, one not for those who just want an easy read, however. The mystery investigation sort of gets lost in the romantic entanglements, that’s for sure. The subject matter in spots was hard to get through. Still, the author has done her research on a sad, obscure corner of WWI history, and does manage to bring that part of the story to the fore, hard as it may be to read about.

I've read previous books in this series and keep coming back because I just love the author's voice and how she portrays Fiona Figg. It's so inviting and immersive that I really sense the character's personality through the writing.
That said, despite loving spending time with Fiona, in this book the story is more focused on her romantic dilemmas and her ability to disguise herself to suit the tasks assigned to her. As such, the mystery element feels like an afterthought coming as it does so late in the book.
Clifford is an absolute delight in making his reappearance as her chaperone, always close to giving away her disguise. And Kitty makes a welcome return too, though much further into the story. I did enjoy catching up with the whole team, and felt Fiona's thrill at finally having her own mission as well as proving her boss wrong with the quality of her disguises.
There seemed to be a lot of time spent in her head, though, as she hemmed and hawed over who she loved - and, to be honest, I felt Fredrick came off better than Arthur - but could she really love the German spy?
A fun read, as always, and a series I will return to again.

I have been really loving historical fiction books but unfortunately I found this one a little too cartoonish for my taste with Fiona fig and her nemesis Frederick Fredericks it it was all a bit much. I thought however that since it was such a child friendly story that I wouldn’t be so long, but I was so wrong it was long and maybe that’s because I wasn’t enjoying it per se either way it was a cute read but not my cup of tea I can’t see someone being interested in this as I know people do love these types of books I am just not one of them in my bed for requesting it. I did give it three stars however because it wasn’t that it was a bad book it just wasn’t a book for me. I want to thank bold wood books and net galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This has been such a fabulous series so far, and this didn’t disappoint. Fiona is back in the offices in London after her jaunt around Europe trailing Fredrick Fredricks and isn’t happy about it. She wants to be back out in the field, not making tea and filing.

We follow her to a house party at a country estate and trying to infiltrate the Animal Defence Society. There’s so much going on that, at times, it was hard to keep up, so how Fiona felt is beyond me! But, as usual, she takes it all in her stride and engages her many disguises too using them to full advantage.

She falls in and out of love too, getting confused with her feelings for both Fredricks and Archie. They both keep turning up when she least expects them - this does help in some sticky situations though.

Can’t wait for the next one, this ended on a bit of a cliffhanger!

I so wanted to love this, but it fell spectacularly flat for me I'm afraid. Too long to get to the murder and wrapped up promptly. This felt more about Fiona and wearing a moustache than anything else.

There was more romance in this book as Fiona has her two suitors around. The murder was much later in the book than is usual and seemed a bit of an secondary part of the story but still good. Despite the humour that always marks these books there are serious parts with the war featuring and the conscription of animals and there awful fate of the experiments and war had on them. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I kept my hopes high on this book and I am disappointed that it didn't live up to my expectations. First is the mystery. The murder doesn't happen till halfway through the book. And when it does, the conclusion comes sooner than expected. I also noted that there wasn't much of sleuthing involved either. Secondly, the limelight is on Fiona's disguises and her romantic liaisons with Fredericks.

I didn't enjoy this book as much as I expected because the mystery and sleuthing elements were not as prominent as in previous installments. It also seemed like Fiona was running around, looking for clues and whatnot where none existed.

Having said that, I hope things get better in the next installment. Fiona's next stop is Moscow and I wonder how things are going to play out between Frederick, Archie, and Fiona.