Kennington House Murder (The Violet Carlyle Mysteries, #2) by Beth Byers

Kennington House Murder (The Violet Carlyle Mysteries, #2) Reviews

• 
  JoAn

  I am enjoying this historical cozy mystery series. Although all of the characters are "bright young things" with too much time on their hands, they are a close knit group of friends who support each other through the drama. An easy read with only a few twists.
• 
  QNPoohBear

  3.5 stars
  
  Violet Carlyle and her twin brother Victor have been summoned by their stepmother. They are loathe to visit the family after such an agreeable holiday in Italy. They needed the sun and the break after the death of their beloved great-aunt. Now their little sister is getting married and Vi is shocked. Barely out of the school room, Isolde is far too young to marry, let alone a much older man she barely knows. Vi discovers Isolde's fiance may not be all he appears but Isolde's mother is insistent her daughter marry Mr. Danvers because he's rich. Vi tries to talk Isolde out of the marriage and just when she's achieved success in teaching Isolde to stand up for herself, Vi discovers the groom dead. Someone bashed him in the had with a candlestick! Vi is shocked but knows Jack and his boss at Scotland Yard will be able to solve the case... with a little help from her.
  
  I didn't enjoy this mystery as much as the first one. I was able to guess who and why in the middle of the story. I would think Vi could have figured it out on her own. I'm tired of every.single.book set in this time period featuring a sexual harassment/sexual assault scene. We know it happens, it's in the news A LOT these days. We know women had even less power 100 years ago than they do now. Horrible stuff happened and I don't want to read about it in fiction. I read for escape. On the plus side, at least this time the murder victim was a really, really horrible person.
  
  A note on historical and cultural accuracy. I noted some minor errors. Their speech doesn't always sound British and I kept thinking they were American, aside from the booze, or their mother was American. Vi seems to be buying clothing off-the-rack, yet she's well able to afford couture. She does buy one dress in progress and possibly another but she's also buying ready made clothing. Miss Fisher and Ginger Gold
  Murder at Feathers & Flair both have dress shops with couture AND ready made clothing for those who can't afford couture. Also, there's a lack of name dropping designers. The one major thing that stood out for me was calling Vi and Vic Lord and Lady Carlyle. Um no, that's their father and Eleanor. She's Lady Violet- that was correct in the first book. He's The Honorable Victor Carlyle or Mr. Carlyle. Their eldest brother is Lord Gerald Carlyle. Debrett's is online. Look it up! It takes two seconds. At least this author knows how to spell all right and use apostrophes.
  
  I like Vi and Vic a lot. I love how independent Vi is and how she looks after her brother and how he looks after her. He's protective of both his sisters and the rest of the family too. Vi is coming to terms with her feelings about Jack. They don't know each other very well yet and they're still exploring the relationship. Vi is reluctant to marry and give up her independence. I don't like how frivolously they spend their money on clothes and booze. They shouldn't travel to America. They wouldn't like it. No legal drinking. They would like the speakeasies and jazz music though. What I really love about Vi in this book is that she's taking Aunt Agatha's lessons and paying it forward as a benefactor to other girls. I think that's wonderful and exactly what she should do with her money. Aunt Agatha would approve. I liked getting to know the rest of the Carlyle family. Isolde is very young and sheltered. She doesn't know yet what she wants out of life. She's been under the thumb of her overbearing mother for her whole life, pushed into marrying a man she doesn't love just because he's rich. There's no reason for that because Isolde has 3 living brothers, a wealthy sister and a wealthy father. She's not the Bennet sisters and it's not 1804 anymore! Isolde is sweet and shy. She admires Violet a lot but shows some independence of spirit. The Earl is kind and loving but doesn't really express his caring in a traditional way. He doesn't know how to relate to his daughters. I tried to feel sorry for Eleanor but as she pushes Isolde on Mr. Danvers even knowing he's a villain and when she flat out lies to Vi's face about Lord Caryle's feelings about Vi seeing Jack, I gave up trying to like her. She's awful and nasty. Eleanor is the classic wicked stepmother. I liked the heir, Gerald. He's fun and funny but not as lazy or hot tempered as Vic.
  
  Jack is getting to know and trust Violet. They have an actual date here and some conversations. I'd dearly like to know if they have anything in common but we're just told what they discussed. He seems like an honorable man and Vi helps him loosen up. Inspector Barnes is his boss as Scotland Yard and technically the detective on the case. He trusts Jack. Mr. Fredericks, Vi and Vic's man of business, is excellent. He doesn't doubt Vi's intelligence and in return, she trusts him to invest her money wisely. Mr. Fredericks can spot a scam easily and Mr. Danvers raises red flags for him. Vi and Vic are lucky to have him!
  
  We are introduced to two precocious girls Violet tries to help. The two could not be more different. Anna Mathers, the daughter of a businessman, is protected, somewhat wealthy (but not compared to her school chums) and cared for, if not loved. Anna is funny and perceptive. Ginny, a street urchin, helps Vi recover something precious that was lost. Ginny is sharp and I think Violet is going to help her get off the streets and better her situation.
  
  The new characters are murder suspects and there are a lot of them. Mr. Danvers was not a nice man. He was running a Ponzi scheme that anyone with sense could spot a mile away. He was an old lecher who took advantage of innocent young women and got away with it. No one was sad when he died, not even his son. Hugo Danvers is a nasty man too. He is a despicable excuse for a human and preys on innocent young ladies just like his father. Markus Kennington, the brother of Lady Eleanor and Norman Eleanor's cousin, both have reason to want Mr. Danvers dead. They have invested heavily in his scheme and stand to lose a lot of money from it. Neither sounds particularly bright and they're inclined to dismiss a woman's intelligence because of her gender.
  
  Other suspects include Helen Mathers and her father. Helen is a woman scorned by Mr. Danvers and jealous of Isolde. She has a secret that I guessed right away. Her father worked for Mr. Danvers and is also an overprotective father. Mr. Mathers could have every reason for wanting Mr. Danvers dead. Mr. Gulliver and Mr. Higgins are major investors in Mr. Danvers's scheme. They were seen fighting with Danvers before the wedding and stand to lose everything. Hugo Danvers also invested in the scheme. Which one of them did in Mr. Danvers?
  
  content:
  gory dead body
  women insinuate they have been sexually harassed and pressured into doing something they probably didn't exactly consent to.
  Modern women doing things to stop babies from coming (birth control)
  hints a character tried to take their own life
  A character ends up pregnant and unmarried
  
  I plan to continue the series in the future. My Kindle Unlimited subscription is coming to an end for right now.
• 
  Alison C

  Violet and Victor are returning home from Europe because younger sister Isolde is unexpectedly getting married; when they learn that her fiance is older than her father, fat and ugly, and quite clearly keeping company with another woman, they vow to do everything they can to derail the marriage. While on her wedding day, Isolde finally gets up the gumption to refuse to marry the man, the question is soon extremely moot as the scoundrel has been quite comprehensively murdered. But who among the already-gathered wedding guests could have done it? Chief Inspector Jack Wakefield doesn’t suspect Violet this time, but her father is certainly in the frame, unless Violet can find out differently…. This is the second in this cozy series and suffers from all the flaws of the first, plus some. Aside from using Americanisms that a British aristocrat in 1920s England simply wouldn’t use, the writing itself is just extremely sloppy. For example, a great deal is made of the fact that Violet and Victor hire a cab to reach a particular London destination because they figure a cab driver would be more likely than themselves to be able to find the place, but after speaking with various people at that destination, they blithely pile into *their own car* to head off elsewhere. And, sorry, people in the 1920s were not “journaling” - certainly they *kept journals* and *wrote* in same, but the word was a noun, NOT a verb (shouldn’t be a verb now, according to me, but it definitely wasn’t one then). And, well, the whole tone of this book just comes off as rather poorly written fan-fic; it’s not worth a minute of your time. I’m angry with myself that I bought the *third* book in the series (it was cheap on kindle); unfortunately I can’t return it for a refund because I certainly won’t read it. Don’t waste your time with this series; I’m sorry I gave it even two tries!
• 
  Lawrence FitzGerald

  Yes, there are modernisms and Americanisms which contribute to a kind of alternate reality. And inconsistencies. And awkward constructions. But Byers can tell a story and do characterization. What she desperately needs is an editor and to take more time with it. The whole thing feels rushed. So, I'm going to stop with this one and hope get's the help she needs. It's tough being a one person operation.
• 
  Leonie

  Ich hab offiziell eine neue Lieblingsserie. Wenn die Charaktere mir weiter in dem Tempo mit jedem Buch ans Herz wachsen, bin ich schockverliebt.
• 
  Helen

  It's awfully nice to have money -- and to know how to use it. Lady Violet has some breathing space now (although it's come at a price, which readers of the first novel in the series will know about). So, when her little sister is getting ready to make a Big Mistake, she's prepared to spend some of her inheritance to make sure that doesn't happen. Pretty soon, she doesn't have to worry about it -- but there's something else to worry about, namely, a murder. So Vi and her twin Victor are off to find a killer, in the company of Inspector Jack Wakefield, in the Kennington House Murder.
  
  The dialog is crisp and in keeping with the time frame, the settings are well defined (and pretty fabulous), and I loved the characters that the author brings to life. There's a bit of a proofreading problem in the ereader edition, but while that was distracting, it wasn't enough to ruin my enjoyment of the plot and the author's attempt to bring readers a good story. Looking forward to the next in the series.
• 
  Krystyna

  A bit too melodramatic
  
  A good read, a bit over the top with the drama but the put downs she issued were amusing. Enjoyed getting a more personal view of her family and the characters involved.
  Their trip away has been curtailed by the news that her young stepsister is getting married. However they find out that the groom to be might be exaggerating his wealth, trying to part them from their money (in their absence), that he is old enough to be her father if not her grandfather, that he has set up a scheme that looks like a scam and that he has been dallying with another innocent. All their attempts to thwart the wedding are in vain but only the actual wedding day he is found with his head caved in. Who killed him? Was it due to the scam? Perhaps the father of the other woman? Or was it something else? Will they be able to find out? Plus what will she do about her growing feelings for Jack and the growing number of people she has taken under her wing?
• 
  Tony Hisgett

  After finishing the first book I wasn’t too impressed with the story, but I thought Violet had potential. I started this book in the hope that her new financial security would mean she would become the independently minded woman I was anticipating. Then Jack Wakefield turned up again, I nearly just gave up, the author didn’t even have the decency to allow her to get past the first two chapters before throwing in a man!
  
  Violet’s vacillating over her feelings for Jack was irritating, but I was very pleased with the way she interacted with the other characters and in fact this was the best part of the book. It’s a real pity that the author didn’t believe a female character can stand on her own without being propped up by a ’strong’ man.
  The mystery part of the story was straightforward and it was fairly clear who was the perpetrator, but it did provided a good vehicle for following Violet.
  
  Without Jack I would happily given 4 or even 5 stars.
• 
  PJ

  A series of 32 books with 33 out soon. I enjoyed these books and raced through them.
  
  Very gentle stories of Lady Carlyle and her friends solving murders wherever they go along with her twin, Victor.
  
  I enjoyed this series BUT they were littered with Americanisms throughout which were sometimes SO American that they just spoilt the book. I understand the author is American BUT this book is about English characters in England so you NEED to drop all the American spellings AND the American terminology within. Not a complete turn-off but it was definitely extremely annoying for an English reader to hear sidewalk instead of pavement, boardwalk instead of promenade, mom instead of mum, smashed peas instead of mushy peas and so they go on. Even stranger is that she gets a lot of English terminology correct but then she messes up by adding an American term then goes back to English again! Very odd and uneven. It throws the reader and takes the shine off what is otherwise a nice cosy read.
  
  There are “sloppy” bits in the book especially in the series when she marries Jake Wakefield and they are also typically “over the top” American slush that makes you cringe. I do like the characters though,mainly, but what the heck is the point in Lila and Denny???? Complete waste of time and no substance. Neither bring anything to the stories or solving the mysteries and Denny is someone who you would just like to slap! He’s lazy, immature, weak and has nothing to add to these books at all. Scrap Lila and Denny then the books would be more enjoyable!
  
  All in All these books were enjoyable but annoying, cosy but uncomfortable (in places) and got me through the week.
• 
  Toby

  Unread shelf project 2022: book 41.
  
  Sloppily written here and there, but this series is one that is a very good nightmare antidote as well as an anxiolytic so I am definitely going to keep reading it as long as I’m enjoying it.
  
  There are some things that seem a bit out of place in terms of historical accuracy but I am not a historian and I don’t know for sure, so I’m letting it slide. And focusing instead of just enjoying the story and the characters. I just bought the 4th & 5th in the series as I already own the third.
• 
  Janet

  I like this series because it so clearly evokes the era of Roaring 20's and the Bright Young Things. Luckily, Violet and Victor aren't the idle, vapid, type of Bright Young Things but capable and intelligent and caring. In this one, their baby sister, Isolde, is forced into a marriage to a financial con artist old enough to be her father. Other than, of course, the evil stepmother, Lady Eleanor, Isolde was the least likable character. Wet noodle for a spine, anyone? No. Good mystery but a bit of an unresolved ending. Of course we are meant to read the next one. Ok. I will.
• 
  Elizabeth

  Vi, Vic and the gang are back and are a bit better than the first book. I can tell the author is honing her skills as the characters are a bit more defined, the ambiance is a tad better and over all the story is of a better quality. There are still one or two glairing mistakes that the editor should have caught but it is still pretty good.
  The story line isn't intricate or involved but the relationships between the characters are developing nicely.
  Not bad for a second try.
• 
  Vongai

  This book started off well but then it just turned into a typical romance novel with not much story. The relationship between Jack and Violet seems flimsy to me and I don't see how or why they're so serious about each other. Also the mystery wasn't that mysterious, nor was the way things were wrapped up. A disappointing read especially since the first one wasn't that great either and this is worse
  
• 
  Eleanor Doherty

  The wonderful roaring twenties
  
  Besides keeping up with Violet and her twin brother keeping up with them working to solve a murder while you are kept guessing. Oh and learning so much about clothes life in the 1920's. This book is well worth reading. The danger they get into. A book well worth reading
• 
  L Kate

  Loving it
  
  Book 2 in the series doesn’t disappoint with another good mystery, lots of great characters and action; and gosh I would love to be able to just go out and buy any beautiful 20’s-style dress, shoes and hat that caught my fancy. Just to try it out, you understand, I wouldn’t have anywhere to wear such glorious clothes.
• 
  Kellye

  A fun little romp. It would be hard to follow if you hadn't read the first book however. This appears to be a series that you need to read in order. The characters are likeable, and even though I have easily figured out whodunnit in each book pretty easily, the storyline is more than a mystery and so I find myself interested to the very end. On to book 3...