May 1, 2018
An English pet portraitist uses her keen perspective to probe the mysterious death of one of her rich customers.Though she doesn't come from wealth herself, Susie Mahl is all too acquainted with what title, family, and some money bring. In her job as a pet portrait artist, she rubs elbows with many of Spire's oldest and most well-established families, whose word of mouth is vital to her business. She got the commission to paint Antonia Codrington's deerhound, Situp, through her well-received portrait of a dog named Harriet some years ago. And her mastery of the niceties has made her a regular feature at Beckenstale Manor, where Lord and Lady Greengrass--Alexander and Diana--Harriet's family, hold court. While getting to know Situp for his close-up, Susie is summoned to Diana's side when Alexander suddenly dies on the local church grounds. Diana seeks Susie's steadiness and support as she navigates the details of the will with her son and daughter-in-law, Arthur and Asquintha. Well understanding Diana's inability to speak her mind about Asquintha's fitness to take on the title and the responsibilities that will now fall on her as Diana's rule at Beckenstale comes to an end, Susie takes on the unusual role of ad hoc lady-in-waiting, navigating Diana's world while learning all about the associated help. Already overwhelmed by the minutiae of Alexander's will, Susie scarcely knows how to react when it comes out that Alexander's death may have been foul play. If only she can transition from pet portrait artist to detective, with an eye on both upstairs and downstairs, she may be the one who learns the truth about what happened to Alexander.The heroine's uniquely comprehensive view of both the wealthy and their help is squandered in a debut more interested in expounding the details of estate law than going beyond the predictable.
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June 1, 2018
Susie Mahl's popularity as a pet portraitist means she's welcome at the homes of rich British landowners. She's staying in the village of Spire, when wealthy Alexander, Earl of Greengrass, is found dead in the church's graveyard. Alexander's widow, Diana, asks Susie to stay with her while they await the cause of death, and shockingly the police announce that the 75-year-old man was murdered. Susie's convinced she'll solve the case with the combination of her obsessive observation skills and her "nosy parker instincts." VERDICT As a contemporary homage to British Golden Age mysteries, this slow-paced debut mystery has an old-fashioned air; its rich details on the British leisure class may interest fans of Downton Abbey and G.M. Malliet's "Max Tudor" mysteries, but the egocentric amateur sleuth's fixation on her French lingerie seems out of place.--Lesa Holstine, Evansville Vanderburgh P.L., IN
Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 28, 2018
One summer weekend, while visiting the Earl and Countess of Greengrass at Beckenstale Manor in Dorset, pet portrait artist Susie Mahl, the narrator of British author Carter’s auspicious debut, meets Ben and Antonia Codrington, who commission her to paint a picture of Situp, the couple’s deerhound. The day of her planned departure, on a walk with Situp in the village of Spire, Susie and the Codringtons come across a shocking scene—the 75-year-old earl lying dead just outside the local church, an apparent heart attack victim. Lady Greengrass asks Susie to stay, and one more night turns into several. When the police determine that the earl was murdered, Susie takes it on herself to identify the culprit. Susie pays close attention to the relationships among the Beckenstale residents, in particular the countess’s with her son and the wife she thinks beneath him. Surprising bequests from the earl’s will and arcane inheritance rules create complications. Animal lovers, Anglophiles, and fans of humorous, socially observant whodunits will look forward to the next Susie Mahl mystery.
May 1, 2018
Fans of country-house cozies will delight in this series debut. Carter's heroine, Susie Mahl, is an artist who pays the rent by touring the UK painting portraits of the pets of the rich and titled. Mahl has two great advantages as a sleuth. First, she has a keen eye for detail. Second, she has a nearly aristocratic background herself and status as a supposedly eccentric artist, both of which make her a sought-after guest at country houses. She is also a witty narrator, giving the reader a behind-the-scenes tour of aristocratic customs and foibles. In this outing, Mahl is visiting two elderly friends, an earl and a countess, at a large estate in Devonshire. While the Countess of Greengrass plays the organ inside the village church, Lord Greengrass meets a mysterious end in the village graveyard. In true cozy style, Mahl's contacts and eye for detail put her far ahead of the local constabulary in solving the murder. While the plot and characterization here are on the thin side, they are more than made up for by the divine atmosphere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)