The Lady Hardcastle Mysteries | Review
This lovely series brought me into the world of cozy mystery books and I absolutely adore it. If it wasn’t for Kindle Unlimited recommendations, I wouldn’t have found this series. This is a series that I would love to see as a series on BritBox or AcornTV. I can picture the characters so vividly in my mind and love every story written so far. But I’m gushing and need to actually write about the books, so let me get down to it.
Apologies for the crappy screen grab but it was the easiest way to get all the covers pictured here without bombarding this post with large images. The three titles on the bottom row of the image were published in (L-R)2020, 2022, 2022. There is a short story, Christmas at the Grange, which isn’t pictured here. That title was published in 2017.
Author T.E. Kinsey delivers heartwarming, humorous, intelligent female characters with Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstong. The series is set in Edwardian Gloucestershire, England and written from a first person point of view by Florence, lady’s maid and best friend of Lady Hardcastle. After years of service to King and Country as spies, the women retire to the countryside in pursuit of a quieter life. But country life is anything but quiet in Littleton Cotterell. While spying for the King may be behind them, they make a name for themselves as amateur sleuths garnering the trust of village folk and the police constabulary.
Each book brings new insights into the lives of the main characters but several recurring characters that are a staple in Littleton Cotterell and towns beyond. T.E. Kinsey has developed not only the lead characters but the recurring characters beautifully. I find myself wanting to live in the village, have tea up at the Grange and even ride along in the motorcar with Lady Hardcastle driving, even if she’s prone to taking corners on two wheels. The relationship between Lady H and Flo is an incredible friendship as well as mutual admiration for each other’s talents which breaks the mold of the typical relationship between gentry and service folk.
This is and will always be my absolute favorite series. Yes, it was my first cozy mystery series and I’m working my through other series recommended by Kindle Unlimited. But as the saying goes…
“You always remember your first love.”
You can purchase this series on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Thrift Books. They’re also available to read free if you’re subscribed to Kindle Unlimited.
