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    Lady Takes the Case
    Lady Takes the Case
    Lady Takes the Case
    Audiobook8 hours

    Lady Takes the Case

    Written by Eliza Casey

    Narrated by Susan Lyons

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    When a dinner party turns deadly, the feisty Lady Cecilia Bates and intuitive cat Jack are on the case, in this first entry to an exciting new historical-mystery series. England 1912. Danby Hall is the only home Lady Cecilia Bates has ever known. Despite the rigid rules of etiquette and her mother the Countess of Avebury's fervent desire to see her married off, Lady Cecilia can't imagine life anywhere else. But now, with an agricultural depression sweeping the countryside, the Bates family's possession of the hall is suddenly in peril. A possible solution arrives in the form of the imperious American heiress Annabel Clarke. The Earl and Countess of Avebury are determined that Cecilia's brother, Patrick, will win Annabel's hand in marriage-and her fortune along with it. To help the lackluster Patrick in this pursuit, the Bates and their staff arrange a grand house party upon the heiress's arrival. When a guest dies after sipping from a glass meant for Annabel, it's clear the Bates have a more poisonous problem on their hands than a lack of chemistry. As the scandal seizes Danby, Cecilia sets out to find the culprit, with help from Annabel's maid, Jane, and Jane's curiously intelligent cat, Jack. After the poison that someone had stashed away inside the manor is discovered, Cecilia is left with two possibilities: Either a resident of Danby snapped and tried to kill the arrogant heiress, or the threat is coming from one of their guests, who would love to see the Bates family's decline become permanent.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateNov 26, 2019
    ISBN9781980059646
    Lady Takes the Case

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    Reviews for Lady Takes the Case

    3.5/5

    19 ratings4 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I've long been intrigued by the American heiresses who traveled to England in search of titled husbands so combining that idea with a 1912 set murder mystery sounded completely delectable. Add in a down to earth aristocratic sister turned investigator and a humble but lovely lady's maid and the cat she's rescued and you have all of the ingredients for a pleasant, diverting read.Danby Hall is clearly in need of funds as the slightly shabby interiors and missing possessions attest. The Earl and Countess of Avebury have invited an American heiress to the country to meet Patrick, the absent-minded, gentle scientist heir to the estate, in hopes that he and the rather trying Annabel Clarke will make a match of it, securing her fortune so they do not lose their ancestral home. All seems to be going reasonably well until a guest is murdered at a pre-party dinner they've thrown for Annabel. In order to prevent her brother from being considered the primary suspect in this crime and because she isn't entirely convinced that local law enforcement will uncover the real murderer, Lady Cecilia Bates, Patrick's level-headed and intelligent younger sister, starts investigating the crime herself with the help of Jane, Annabel's lady's maid.The house and the relationship between the aristocracy and below stairs is well drawn. Cecilia and Jane's friendship developed very quickly, even if it was meant to show how relatable and kind Cecilia is despite her title, but it was also necessary to have an instantaneous rapport so that they could investigate both above and belowstairs equally. There are a lot of other characters in the novel all at Danby Hall for Annabel's visit but many of them have limited function in this first in the series. Perhaps they will be more integral to the overarching story as it goes on in later novels. Jack, the cat that Jane saves, who features on the cover and in the series title (The Manor Cat Series), is not really a major part of uncovering the murderer, which for me as a reader was actually welcome but might be a disappointment for those looking for a larger role for the ginger feline and the reveal of the murderer and the motivation behind it was rather predictable in the end. Despite these quibbles, this was still a fun, amateur sleuth mystery, perfect for a busy time of year.
    • 2/5
      This was a first novel debut by the author. The concept was not bad but I felt the whole plt was incredibly predictable and I was somewhat bored by it. I got tired of all the emotional outbursts by Annabel as well.
    • 4/5
      It is rare for me to purchase a book from a glance at the cover art for as a life-long reader and as a retired librarian I know the English idiom "don't judge a book by its cover." The cover of this novel was shared on one of the Facebook cozy mystery groups that I follow and I was instantly intrigued. The home reminded me of the English homes featured in the television series of "Downton Abbey" and "Belgravia." Then the cute little ginger tabby caught my eye and I was quite curious what role he might have to play in the mystery. With the lovely reminder of the wonderful stories by Julian Fellowes and my curiosity about the little cat, I made my purchase.The setting is the springtime of 1912 England and with visions of the grandeur of "Downton Abbey" and "Belgravia" scenes dancing in my mind, I could easily envision each scene in "Lady Takes the Case." I was also my own casting director transferring actors and actresses from the British drama and mystery series that I've watched on PBS Masterpiece Theater and AcornTV to now star in my mind's visions of "Lady Takes the Case" as I turned each page.I loved Lady Cecilia Bates from the very first paragraph as her bedroom was described as over the years I have chosen those same colors as my favorites for this room and have also thought of this room as a quiet sanctuary. Her polite consideration and kindness to family, friends, villagers, and servants alike characterized her as an individual it is always lovely to meet and have as a friend on one's life journey. I was also delighted as Lady Cecilia (or Cec as called by her brother) came to become the amateur sleuth as she worried that her brother was going to be named as the prime suspect in the murder that shockingly as occurred in the midst of a dinner party in the home their family has lived in for generations.Another character that I liked from her first introduction into the storyline was that of Jane Hughes, maid to American heiress Annabel Clarke. I liked Jane's adventurous spirit and was happy every time she managed to spend more time with Lady Cecilia than Annabel as Jane herself described Annabel as "bossy and persnickety."The introduction of the ginger tabby named Jack was as charming and plausible as I hoped it would be from my first glance at his appearance on the front cover. I won't divulge any more of this affectionate and intelligent furry face but suffice it to say that he's the purr-fect assistant to Lady Cecilia and Jane.Another mystery is the name of the author as Eliza Casey is a pseudonym for a multipublished author. Her books are said to have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. I can only hope that some day she reveals her name.I can't wait to read the next novel in the series!
    • 4/5
      *** 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 ***This book covers a lot of firsts – I believe it is the first book by the author, it is the first book in this series and it is my first read by this author. I have to admit I was a bit hesitant to request this book because I wasn’t sure if I was going to get a talking, magical cat or – well – something else. Happily, it turns out it is just a normal cat doing normal cat things and the sleuthing is left up to the two ladies.The mystery itself isn’t too challenging to figure out, but it was interesting to see how the resolution unfolded. Historical mysteries are my favorite sub-genre and this fit right into that mold – although 1912 is a bit later than my normal reading period. I enjoyed the setting – a period when young ladies are trying to figure out what to do with themselves; the beginnings of the suffragette movement, etc. Given that, I think it will be fun to see Lady Cecilia work her way through what she wants for herself and her life – while solving mysteries, of course. In order to satisfy my reading requirements though, I’ll need a love interest for Cecilia and I didn’t see that. I did see one potential, though inappropriate, possibility in a private investigator who makes a brief appearance. We’ll just have to see what happens in the romance department before I decide whether to continue, long term, with the series.The Blake family, like many others of the time, are titled and rich in properties, but poor in the money to actually support those properties or the lifestyles that go with them. If they don’t come up with a solution soon, they will be forced to sell their beautiful estate, Danby Hall. The family, Lady Cecilia, Lord Patrick (Viscount Bellham), and Lord Avebury are going along with Lady Avebury’s plan to marry Patrick off to an American heiress. Patrick is one of those lovely, sweet, befuddled people who is always lost in his own world of scientific (botany) experiments. He’s a very handsome young man, just oblivious to the world around him.The Blake’s are hosting a house party with the American heiress, Annabel Clarke, as the guest of honor. It turns out the lady is quite a demanding, temperamental diva and is quite full of herself. Yet, she charms Patrick and he seems totally smitten. Cecilia notices some strange undercurrents among the guests, but they are a varied lot and some have old enmities. Most of the guests, however, don’t even know each other. That makes it really hard to figure out what is going on when a guest suddenly dies in the middle of dinner one evening. It seems he was poisoned and the heiress is sure that it was meant for her.Lady Cecilia has always been curious about what was going on, but when it seems Patrick is the prime suspect, she is determined to solve the mystery. I love that Cecilia and Jane become instant friends and both have an insatiable curiosity. They work well together – one covers the upstairs folks and the other covers the belowstairs folks.There was a lovely epilogue that sets up the next book, Lady Rights a Wrong, and that will be interesting to see. I’ll certainly read that addition to the series to see if a romance is added in and then I’ll decide whether to continue with the series or not.This was a fun read and I think the author did a nice job of creating an interesting mystery with red herrings and distractions. I believe that Eliza Casey is a pseudonym for a multi-published author, but I don't know which one.I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.