PDF The Curious Case of Lady Latimer Shoes Stephanie Laurens 9780992278953 Books
PDF The Curious Case of Lady Latimer Shoes Stephanie Laurens 9780992278953 Books
Download As PDF : The Curious Case of Lady Latimer Shoes Stephanie Laurens 9780992278953 Books
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens brings you a tale of mysterious death, feuding families, star-crossed lovers—and shoes to die for.
With her husband, amateur-sleuth the Honorable Barnaby Adair, decidedly eccentric fashionable matron Penelope Adair is attending the premier event opening the haut ton’s Season when a body is discovered in the gardens. A lady has been struck down with a finial from the terrace balustrade. Her family is present, as are the cream of the haut ton—the shocked hosts turn to Barnaby and Penelope for help.
Barnaby calls in Inspector Basil Stokes and they begin their investigation. Penelope assists by learning all she can about the victim’s family, and uncovers a feud between them and the Latimers over the fabulous shoes known as Lady Latimer’s shoes, currently exclusive to the Latimers.
The deeper Penelope delves, the more convinced she becomes that the murder is somehow connected to the shoes. She conscripts Griselda, Stokes’s wife, and Violet Montague, now Penelope’s secretary, and the trio set out to learn all they can about the people involved, and most importantly the shoes, a direction vindicated when unexpected witnesses report seeing a lady fleeing the scene—wearing Lady Latimer’s shoes.
But nothing is as it seems, and the more Penelope and her friends learn about the shoes, conundrums abound, compounded by a Romeo-and-Juliet romance and escalating social pressure…until at last the pieces fall into place, and finally understanding what has occurred, the six intrepid investigators race to prevent an even worse tragedy.
A pre-Victorian mystery with strong elements of romance. A novel of 76,000 words.
An entry in The Casebook of Barnaby Adair series, the events in this novel occur between the events described in the Casebook novels, THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE and the upcoming LOVING ROSE THE REDEMPTION OF MALCOLM SINCLAIR.
Praise for the works of Stephanie Laurens
“Laurens’s writing shines.†Publishers Weekly
“Stephanie Laurens never fails to entertain and charm her readers with vibrant plots, snappy dialogue, and unforgettable characters.†Historical Romance Reviews.
Praise for Where the Heart Leads Volume 1 in the Casebook of Barnaby Adair
"A satisfying blend of mystery and romance." Publishers Weekly
"In an Amanda Quick-style suspense/romance, Laurens never loses touch with her characters' deep emotions or the haunting mystery." Romantic Times
PDF The Curious Case of Lady Latimer Shoes Stephanie Laurens 9780992278953 Books
"Um. Well. Frankly, I wish Stephanie Laurens would stick to writing romance with a touch of mystery, instead of mystery with a very little touch of romance. This book fell really flat for me. The mystery isn't all that compelling. The exclusivity of Lady Latimer's shoes (a type of shoe, not a single pair), their utility in snagging young ladies a husband, and the jealousy they evoke -- enough to lead to murder -- all seem far-fetched. The murder victim goes from being a sympathetic character at the beginning to almost unregretted by everyone at the end, and a long-time friendship makes little sense in light of what we eventually learn about her. And the mystery's solution is unsatisfactory in several ways.
None of that would matter quite so much if the mystery were incidental to the romance, but it's the other way around. The romance is tiny and gets very little page time - which may be just as well, given that it's not all that interesting, either. The romantic couple aren't even the main characters! Contrasted with a book like Laurens' "All About Love", where a compelling romance takes center stage and the murder investigation lends tension, danger, and suspense, "The Curious Case of Lady Latimer's Shoes" is curiously lackluster.
The only upside for me was spending some time with Barnaby and Penelope Adair, and to a lesser extent Stokes and Griselda, and Montague and Violet. They're familiar to me from earlier books, and I've always liked the first four; the last two I'm still getting to know. But a short story could have served the same purpose and kept more of the focus on those couples.
I really hate to give a Stephanie Laurens book a bad review -- I've been a fan of hers for almost 15 years. But if you want to read any of her work, read the first few Cynster books instead. This is one I wish I'd skipped.
[REVIEW ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED on The Bookwyrm's Hoard blog]"
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The Curious Case of Lady Latimer Shoes Stephanie Laurens 9780992278953 Books Reviews :
The Curious Case of Lady Latimer Shoes Stephanie Laurens 9780992278953 Books Reviews
- Heavens, it seems like I'm the only reader who disliked this book! As a long standing fan of Stephanie Laurens, I've been increasingly disappointed by her last three or four books. In this book, I knew both who and how within two or three pages following the "murder". The plot line was overly complex and unrealistic. The only saving grace was yes, the way in which the three couples worked together to solve the case and the glimpse into each of their lives. Having said that, Barnaby and Penelope are becoming increasingly mawkish. And as an aside, whoever researches the period for Ms Laurens needs a kick in the pants for the jarring anacronisms which have crept into the novels.
I may just wait for her next novel to appear in my public library before deciding whether to buy the e-version. - Um. Well. Frankly, I wish Stephanie Laurens would stick to writing romance with a touch of mystery, instead of mystery with a very little touch of romance. This book fell really flat for me. The mystery isn't all that compelling. The exclusivity of Lady Latimer's shoes (a type of shoe, not a single pair), their utility in snagging young ladies a husband, and the jealousy they evoke -- enough to lead to murder -- all seem far-fetched. The murder victim goes from being a sympathetic character at the beginning to almost unregretted by everyone at the end, and a long-time friendship makes little sense in light of what we eventually learn about her. And the mystery's solution is unsatisfactory in several ways.
None of that would matter quite so much if the mystery were incidental to the romance, but it's the other way around. The romance is tiny and gets very little page time - which may be just as well, given that it's not all that interesting, either. The romantic couple aren't even the main characters! Contrasted with a book like Laurens' "All About Love", where a compelling romance takes center stage and the murder investigation lends tension, danger, and suspense, "The Curious Case of Lady Latimer's Shoes" is curiously lackluster.
The only upside for me was spending some time with Barnaby and Penelope Adair, and to a lesser extent Stokes and Griselda, and Montague and Violet. They're familiar to me from earlier books, and I've always liked the first four; the last two I'm still getting to know. But a short story could have served the same purpose and kept more of the focus on those couples.
I really hate to give a Stephanie Laurens book a bad review -- I've been a fan of hers for almost 15 years. But if you want to read any of her work, read the first few Cynster books instead. This is one I wish I'd skipped.
[REVIEW ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED on The Bookwyrm's Hoard blog] - Stephanie Laurens has a nice knack for writing plots, but her writing style is in a passive voice, I.e., Once upon a time.....I love and enjoy books that allow you to feel and share what the characters feel, but this book seems to (I don't know for certain) include several couples from previous books so in making room for everyone, the author doesn't write with passion or spunk.
Characters move from place to place doing things but I felt more of a moral lecture than suspense.
I would have given the book 2 1/2 stars because the plot was unusual (not great, just unusual, actually kind of morbid and sad) and the female characters were smart and independent but I had trouble keeping track of which H belonged with h and I am not certain who were the main characters?
S.L is a very successful author who formerly worked in the Science field which makes sense when you read this book because it is dry and analytical but lacks fun and whimsy. Every author deserves respect because they actually wrote a book which is difficult, but this book, if it was a cake recipe would need a lot more flavoring and icing because it is very dry. - The story was excellent. The mysterious case was enjoyable to watch unfold. However the love story did not have much happen until the final chapters. You never really got to know the two characters that should have been the primary H and h but rather, got mostly updates on the characters from previous books. Don't want to spoil the ending for future readers so SPOILER ALERT I neither need nor want long morality tales to over shadow the HEA. I love reading romance because love triumphs. A concise summing up of Lady Galbraith's errors would have been fine. But instead we got each character from the previous books take on her flaws. Somewhere in there the H and h from THIS book got together, their families reunited. That part, unfortunately felt rushed and the HEA GOT LOST IN THE MORALITY TALE THAT WAS MORE A LECTURE! This was very unfortunate, because the rest of the series, including the books before Barnaby Adair's own story were delightful. This book took me forever to read. Not normally the case with this authors books. My advice. Skip this book. There are plenty of updates on your favorite characters from previous books in the rest of the series and this one doesn't need to detract from the otherwise fn and well written series.
- The mystery was way too easy. But the depth of characters, descriptions of the social modes and motivations of the era were outstanding. Love without gratuitous sex was nice.
- If you are expecting your typical Stephanie Laurens romance - you will be disappointed. This is another installment of the Barnaby Adair casebook. And I think it is the best one so far!!
I love reading about characters I have come to know and love. I like reading their "ever after". In this book we get to read about Barnaby, Penelope, Stokes, Griselda, Montague and Violet.
The mystery is very well done and kept me wondering until almost the end. The book also features a romance between secondary characters - but the primary focus of the book is the mystery.
I am really looking forward to the next casebook!
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