Bellfield Hall: Or, the Observations of Miss Dido Kent

by Anna Dean

Book Overview

1805. An engagement party is taking place for Mr Richard Montague, son of wealthy landowner Sir Edgar Montague, and his fiancee Catherine. During a dance with his beloved, a strange thing happens: a man appears at Richard's shoulder and appears to communicate something to him without saying a word. Instantly breaking off the engagement, he rushes off to speak to his father, never to be seen again. Distraught with worry, Catherine sends for her spinster...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312562942
• ISBN13: 9780312562946
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 300 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.3" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Beautifully written fits many genres

Apparently this is the first in a series,one I am looking forwad to continuing. It is a lovely study in manners, as well as an intriguing mystery. Like the plots and characters of Jane Austen, so much depends on the accepted standarda of the era. The writing is gorgeous and witty, the red herrings are fun, and the characters are fully described and unique. there is a raging controversy amongst Regency fans about the tendency to "heat up" the stories with graphic sex scenes. Although the plot of this book recognizes the consequences of passion, it is all in keeping wit the conventions of the time. As for the multi genres, it has elements of the cozy, the romantic , and the historical mystery, as well as the wit of Austen. I highly reccommend it. As for the story line about the Colonel and the young servant, this demonstrated just how sheltered the upper middle class single woman of the day was. Miss Kent was very intelligent, yet somewhat naive. I look forward to meeting her again.

Jane Austen meets Agatha Christie!

When I discovered A Moment of Silence a few months ago, I immediately added this book to my wish list since it was described as a mystery novel with a touch of Jane Austen and Agatha Christie. I don't think I need to tell you how much I love Jane Austen and Agatha Christie, because if you follow my blog, then I suppose you are already familiar with this fact. Thus, I was eager to read this book because I knew that I would love it. And I must say that I really did love this charming novel and I am looking forward to reading more works by Anna Dean in order to find out more about her main character Miss Dido Kent. But now let's have a look at the plot: In 1805, Miss Dido Kent arrives at Belsfield Hall, the country estate of the Montague family, in order to help her niece, Catherine, deal with the fact that her finacé, Richard Montague, has suddenly broken their engagement and disappeared. Miss Dido learns that at Catherine's engagement ball, a peculiar thing had taken place: a stranger had appeared at Richard's shoulder and had looked at him without saying a word. Afterwards, Richard had immediately broken off his engagement to Catherine and left Belsfield Hall, never to be seen again. Therefore, heartbroken Catherine seeks the help of her spinster aunt Dido in order to discover the motive for Richard's strange behavior and disappearance. But it seems that Miss Dido will have to solve yet another mystery, since after her arrival at Belsfield Hall, the discovery of a body in the shrubbery is made. However, Catherine's aunt enjoys solving mysteries, thus she is eager to shed light on the strange and shocking events that have taken place at Belsfield Hall. Nevertheless, she must pay heed, as everyone seems to have something to hide and people are willing to do everything in order to keep their dark secrets safe. The Montague family seems to have a few skeletons in the closet, and Dido must be careful not to put herself in danger while trying to uncover the mysteries of the past. A Moment of Silence was a delightful book and it was a real joy to read such an entertaining novel! As I was reading this book, I often caught myself smiling because the main character is so amusing with her interrogations, assumptions and observations. Miss Dido Kent is such a likeable character; she is very clever and she reminded me of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple, with her witty way of questioning everybody and with her many enchanting thoughts. What I really loved about A Moment of Silence was the fact that Anna Dean has given the reader a glimpse into Miss Dido's mind by allowing the protagonist to reveal her thoughts through letters. That way, we can witness what is really on Miss Dido's mind and furthermore, we can conclude many things by knowing how she feels about a certain matter. In my opinion, this was very cleverly done by the author and I found it very refreshing to read Miss Dido's letters. A Moment of Silence was the perfect book for me, as I love a good

A country house mystery in early 1800's England.

This book was originally titled "A Moment of Silence". What a happy circumstance it was for me to discover this lovely novel. I really enjoy reading period mysteries and this one fits into the niche of "gentlewoman sleuth". And as if that wasn't enough of a challenge for the author to take on, she also makes a large portion of the story take the form of letters from our gentle detective to her sister. Any reader who enjoys the atmosphere of upper society England in the early 1800's will find this book well written and a quite good challenge for solving. If you are a stickler for exact correctness in period detail, you may find some examples of historical errors. I wouldn't know, I was too interested in enjoying the writing talents of this author to worry about those issues. For me, the mystery and the relationships between the characters will always come first. The plot is that Miss Dido Kent (a spinster probably somewhere in her 30's, but her exact age was a little unclear) has traveled to Bellfield Hall to support her niece Catherine during a very trying time for her. It seems that Catherine and the future heir to Bellfield, Richard Montague, had no sooner announced their engagement at the ball than something occurred which caused Richard to privately break the engagement and leave the area. Very soon thereafter the body of a murdered woman was found in the shrubbery and Dido discovered that she has a very curious nature and so set about trying to solve the mystery. I read so many mysteries that I honestly enjoy finding one where the author is able to wave a clue directly under my nose and have me miss it. Was I correct about who had committed the crime? Yes. Was I able to ferret out the other huge mystery which was the catalyst that set every other happening in motion? Absolutely not. What fun that was. There is another book in this series, A Gentleman of Fortune, which I already have. I can only hope that book is as good as this one was. Hopefully Ms Dean will continue to write more of the Dido Kent Mystery series.

A very charming book

I found this book based on the historical novel website review. It was a very pleasant surprise. The main character, spinster Miss Dido Kent, finds herself acting as detective at the request of her niece Catherine. Although asked to find a missing fiance, Dido ends up looking into murder. Much of the story takes the form of letters written to Dido's sister, Eliza. There is so much dry wit involved, as well as interesting side plots. At times Dido takes time to see things that we as modern readers notice immediately - but this doesn't detract from the story. All in all, this is one for those who enjoy Georgette Heyer. Of course, it can't hope to match the "mistress" of regencies, which aren't really mysteries, but it does have some of the charm, comedic aspects and interesting cast of characters to remind one of her. And, with luck, there will be more featuring Miss Dido Kent.

Miss Marple in Jane Austin's time - Absolutely wonderful!

A MOMENT OF SILENCE (Hist Mys/Ama. Sleuth-Dido Kent-England-1805) - Ex Dean, Anna - 1st book Allison & Busby, 2008, UK Hardcover - ISBN: 9780749079109 First Sentence: My dear Eliza, I must begin another letter to you, although it is not six hours since I sent my last. Catherine Kent is engaged to Richard Montague. During their engagement ball at Betsfield Hall, Richard reacts strongly to a red-headed man and then disappears after leaving Catherine a note urging her to break off their engagement. Catherine's father sends for his spinster sister, Miss Dido Kent. The same day Dido arrives, the body of a murdered woman is found under a hedge on the property and Dido decides it's up to her to discover the killer. Ms. Dean's writing is literate, intelligent, funny and completely captivating. I give her top marks for sense of time and place, as well as dialogue, which is delightfully appropriate to the period. Her observations on women, marriage and inheritance are done with a light, but informative, touch. Dido Kent is a wonderful protagonist. She is smart and clever without being malicious; something of a Miss Marple of 1805, but better. I particularly enjoyed the letters to Dido's sister, which convey Dido's internal questions, observations and explorations. All the characters come to life under Ms. Dean's deft hand. The story is very well plotted. Ms. Dean provides her readers all the clues as Dido uncovers them but, as one who let's the protagonist solve the crime, I was delighted watching the solution unfold. Those who are fans of Jane Austin, traditional mysteries, historical mysteries, should enjoy this book. Personally, I loved it!