Cosy

A Death in the Family

sunniefromoz — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 11:33:53 +1100

Bloody Ham

helen — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 00:25:15 +1000

ISBN: 9781905202539

Blurb from the book:

A rollicking puzzle and a turmoil of personal relationships, some happy, some doomed, some downright evil.

The third adventure for Belinda and Hazel continuing the pace and humour that readers have come to acknowledge and appreciate.

Excitement and tension begin on the first day of filming a Restoration drama on location at the historic Jacobean mansion, Ham House in Surrey when one of the leading players collapses and dies. With the death ruled non-accidental the director, producer and members of the cast are all suspects.

An award winning Hollywood star is brought in to replace the dead actor and Belinda is employed as her stand-in. When another member of the crew is found stabbed to death, Belinda is forced to prove her innocence.

In all this tumult, Belinda finds herself torn between her long-time English lover, Mark and the energetic and exuberant Australian, Brad she met again on a trip to Australia.

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Submitted by helen on Thu, 20/09/2007 - 12:29am.

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Capable of Murder

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:20:56 +1000

ISBN 1-905202-10-5

Blurb from the book:

Set in England, Belinda Lawrence visits her aunt but is shocked by her discovery. Her aunt is dead and her body is rotting. From this moment on Belinda's life changes and will never be the same again. Belinda inherits her aunt's estate and doesn't believe her aunt's death was an accident. Whilst mingling with the villagers she receives clues and soon finds some old hidden information within the property.

The police, however, do believe her aunt's death is an accident. Belinda does her own investigating and soon realizes she could be in serious trouble. Unsure whether to sell the estate or keep it, Belinda knows one thing, she has to unravel this murderous mystery.

Her dear neighbors Jacob and Rosemary are generous to her. Jacob agrees to help her with the garden and Rosemary offers Belinda a job, but soon even destruction hits their relationship. Rosemary is found murdered in Belinda's home and it becomes obvious who the murderer is really after.

Death and intrigue abound as the plot gradually unravels in this cleverly written book. The information slowly seeps out and the characters show their true colors. For those who like murder mysteries, this book should really make their day. Belinda Lawrence becomes her own detective, leading the way through the trail of death, mystery and fear.

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from Kerrie

Young Australian living in London, Belinda Lawrence, is contacted by her great aunt who lives near Bath. The old lady has something important that she wants to tell her. Belinda finds her aunt's decaying body at the foot of the stairs in her cottage but appearances seem to indicate that she has had an accidental fall. Various events and coincidences convince Belinda that her aunt was in fact murdered. Belinda decides to live in the cottage she has inherited from her aunt, more people die, and she is not sure who to trust. The book takes a lot from the tradition of English village "cosies" and reminded me a little of books I used to read decades ago - Victoria Holt, Susan Howatch and similar "gothic" style novelists. For me it was just a little old-fashioned, but it was a quick read, and plot content was interesting enough.

Short Review - 3/6/2006 - http://tinyurl.com/entc8

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Submitted by helen on Wed, 19/09/2007 - 8:57pm.

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FORGOTTEN GARDEN, THE

smik — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 19:04:26 +1000

The Embroidered Corpse

Karen — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 12:21:15 +1000

ISBN: 9781905202362

Blurb from the book:

Murder and intrigue in the English countryside When Belinda Lawrence first sees a piece of tapestry on an antique buying expedition, she is instantly curious. Could this be a missing piece of the Bayeux Tapestry? Belinda's friend and colleague Hazel Whitby is not so intrigued. She doesn't understand Belinda's fascination. When the tapestry comes into Belinda's possession through a strange series of events, she still can't arouse Hazel's interest, nor that of her boyfriend Mark. To them it is just a rag. But when two murders seem to be connected to the tapestry and other troubling events start happening around them, the trio realise there is a mystery to be solved.

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Kerrie's review No. 2 in the Belinda Lawrence series. Set about 2 years after the first (Capable of Murder), Belinda now has her inherited cottage set up with its re-constructed Capability Brown garden. Antique collector Hazel Whitby has furnished it with appropriate furniture and it is now on the tourist bus routes, bringing in a small income. Real estate agent Mark Sallinger completes the investigative trio as wll as providing the romance interest. On their way back from an antiques fair at Castle Howard, Belinda and Hazel call in at Kidbrooke House and are shown a framed piece of tapestry by its elderly owner. It reminds Belinda of the Bayeux tapestry and she decides she wants to see the Bayeux replica at Reading. Just after their visit to Kidbrooke House its elderly owner is murdered. Hazel buys some furniture from his deceased estate and accidentally becomes the owner of the tapestry which she gives to Belinda. This book is a delightful romp somewhat in the vein of Margaret Rutherford's interpretation of Miss Marple. I suspect Brian Kavanagh is rather enjoying writing these stories with their mixture of murder, mayhem and romance. The Embroiderd Corpse has indications that he is constantly honing his craft, and I think they would be popular with YA female readers.

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Submitted by helen on Wed, 19/09/2007 - 10:44pm.

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The Embroidered Corpse by Brain Kavenagh

sally906 — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:43:25 +1000

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Brian Kavenagh

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Book Review

THE EMBROIDERED CORPSE is the sequel to CAPABLE OF MURDER. Our Australian heroine, Belinda Lawrence, has put the events surrounding the murder of her aunt behind her and has now moved permanently to England. She is living quietly in the village of Mitford in the house bequeathed to her by her late aunt. However, her sleuthing days are not over. After a trip to purchase antique furniture for her friend Hazel's shop, Belinda finds herself in the possession of a mysterious piece of tapestry that may, or may not, be linked to the famous Bayeux Tapestry. However, ownership brings danger. Two murders occur in quick succession. The first is that of the original owner of the tapestry. The second murder is the local vicar who had offered to help her check the tapestry's authenticity. Both men are killed in the same bizarre way. Belinda and her friends start to investigate and find they learn more than they wanted to know about a medieval French invasion of England, royal shenanigans, monks and people who are not afraid to kill for what they believe in.

THE EMBROIDERED CORPSE is a cosy murder mystery. Belinda is a feisty and believable heroine who is in total control of herself. She can actually walk out of a bedroom leaving a naked man in her bed without a second glance - now that's control. Her best friend, Hazel, is an antique dealer who has just gone through a divorce, and is consoling herself with young men and lots of alcohol to stave off the horror of being rejected for a younger woman. Belinda also has a gorgeous boyfriend, Mark, a real estate agent who would like more snuggling in bed, more sex, and less chasing after obscure clues. This unlikely trio have to deal with mad, and probably murderous monks, along with their religious leaders (who may just be the true descendents of the British throne) trying to kill, kidnap or generally harass anyone to get their hands on the tapestry. At first Hazel and Mark think Belinda is off her rocker for thinking that there is more to the tapestry than meets the eye. But as the strange events mount up, and when Hazel is beaten up by one of the monks, they change their minds and allow Belinda to go off and follow up her suspicions.

Hazel and Mark both appeared in the first novel, albeit as suspects. Despite the fact that the brewing romance between Mark and Belinda in the first book has now been consummated in the second, the romance does not get in the way of the action. Once again author, Brian Kavenagh, has produced a well-written book, with a believable plot with just a touch of suspense and gothic horror, culminating in a very spooky graveyard climax. He has obviously researched his subject well, and has his British history down pat, and yes, it is widely believed that some parts of the original tapestry are missing. Kavenagh skilfully weaves true history, legend and fiction to produce another outstanding story. I can't wait for the soon-to-be-released third in the series, BLOODY HAM