A puzzling country house mystery set amid the mansions of Newport's famous Bellevue Avenue. Innkeeper Caroline Kent becomes a detective when one of her wealthy guests is murdered. This description may be from another edition of this product.
In this case, the country house is one of the so-called "cottages" in Newport, R.I. Caroline Kent is a widow and with her mother-in-law she is trying to save her husband's family home by turning it into the Inn at Kenwood Court. The description of the inn makes you want to go and stay there for awhile, walk the Clift Path, maybe tour The Breaker's, just down the street. But not at the same time as this particular group of guests, the Hargreaves family. They are gathered to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Lionel and Emily. Included in the party are their sons and daughters-in-law, an unmarried son, as well as Lionel's brother, Maurice, the financial patriarch of the family and first victim. Caroline finds his body in the gazebo where he'd gone to do some uninterrupted paperwork. The police are called, of course, and are represented by Lt. Hank Nightingale and Sgt. Davies. Caroline wants to help get the case cleared up so she can get on with her innkeeping. At first, Lt. Nightingale is resistant but comes to recognize her ideas as valid. This book meets all the requirements of a good mystery. The first crime occurs early on, there are many interesting suspects, the setting is fabulous and there is just a hint of romance as the Lt. becomes attracted to Caroline. The denunciation at the end is worthy of a Poirot. I recommend it to anyone who enjoys classic mysteries.
Fabulous new series set in Newport, RI.
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
The Hargreaves have come to Kenwood Court Inn in Newport, Rhode Island, to celebrate Lionel and Emily's anniversary. Very quickly Caroline Kent, proprietor of Kenwood Court, realizes that there is a lot of bad blood between Lionel and his brother Maurice. It appears Maurice doesn't get along with many in the family. Then Maurice ends up shot in the gazebo.Caroline begins to look into things to help Lt. Hank Nightengale solve the murder. Her mother-in-law Mrs. Kent who lives with her assists. Their cook Mattie does not approve. Since the Hargreaves have just arrived, they are pretty sure it had to be one of the family members who came for the weekend. Or it could be the company attorney Mark. Everyone seems to have an alibi but also to have a motive for the murder. As Lt. Nightengale and Caroline both get close to figuring out the murder, there's another murder. Now more than ever Caroline is determined to get to the bottom of things.When her husband died in a car crash, Caroline decided to turn the family home into an Inn. She is concerned that the publicity of these deaths will close the Inn down. To keep that from happening, she turns up the heat and works diligently to find the killer, without putting herself or Mrs. Kent in too much danger.I love the Newport setting. We stopped in Newport for lunch on our way through New England. It has always held a place in my heart. I hope to go back. Kenwood Court sounds like a terrific type place to stay. This book is so rich with information about the area and the mansions. I loved all the descriptions. You can tell the author knows the area well. It made me want to return even more!I like Caroline and the relationship she has with her mother-in-law. I am hoping for a romantic interest to blossom in this series.This is the first in what I hope to be a long-running series! I highly recommend this book.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.