Rating: 
Summary: A decent read...
Review: *A Bicycle Built for Murder* is the first book in the Manor House series by Kate Kingsbury. This was my first encounter with a Kingsbury novel, and I definitely plan to come back for more.It's World War II, England, and a murder has occurred in Sitting Marsh, where Lady Elizabeth is responsible for the residents within. The deceased, Beryl, has been known to flirt endlessly with the American soldiers protecting the area, and it seems that a "Yank" would be the likely suspect. Elizabeth digs through the clues hoping to find the murderer before the testy relationship between Sitting Marsh residents and the Yank soldiers completely degrades. While Lady Elizabeth is working the case, we meet the employees of the manor: Violet, the slightly severe cook/maid, Martin, the senile butler, Desmond, the wacky gardener, and Polly, the flirtatious teen maid. Each of the supporting characters are well-developed, entertaining, and enjoyable. I hope they will return in book two, *Death is in the Air*. All in all, it was a decent start to this new series. I look forward to reading the next book.
Rating:
Summary: A decent read...
Review: *A Bicycle Built for Murder* is the first book in the Manor House series by Kate Kingsbury. This was my first encounter with a Kingsbury novel, and I definitely plan to come back for more. It's World War II, England, and a murder has occurred in Sitting Marsh, where Lady Elizabeth is responsible for the residents within. The deceased, Beryl, has been known to flirt endlessly with the American soldiers protecting the area, and it seems that a "Yank" would be the likely suspect. Elizabeth digs through the clues hoping to find the murderer before the testy relationship between Sitting Marsh residents and the Yank soldiers completely degrades. While Lady Elizabeth is working the case, we meet the employees of the manor: Violet, the slightly severe cook/maid, Martin, the senile butler, Desmond, the wacky gardener, and Polly, the flirtatious teen maid. Each of the supporting characters are well-developed, entertaining, and enjoyable. I hope they will return in book two, *Death is in the Air*. All in all, it was a decent start to this new series. I look forward to reading the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: A great start
Review: A big fan of Kate Kingsbury's Pennyfoot series I cried when it came to an end. With this book she has introduced a charming new set of characters, the confused butler, the feisty house maid, the unfortunate cook and the handsome major. The village of Sitting Marsh is a contrast of old English customs and the modern World War Two culture. Lady Elizabeth is an independent woman who is determined to care faithfully for her village and its inhabitants. She takes her duty as Lady of the Manor very seriously. She starts out to find a missing girl and ends up solving a murder. I found myself caught up in the personalities, the war effort and the noisy plumbing. The murder almost becomes a subplot. An excellent beginning I recommend it to Pennyfoot fans as well as WWII buffs.
Rating:
Summary: Good enough way to spend a couple of hours
Review: Adequate start to a new series. However, the characters are a bit stereotypical and Lady Elizabeth is not particularly likeable. Easy Read.
Rating:
Summary: Good enough way to spend a couple of hours
Review: Adequate start to a new series. However, the characters are a bit stereotypical and Lady Elizabeth is not particularly likeable. Easy Read.
Rating:
Summary: A great beginning --
Review: Having enjoyed all the visits to the Pennyfoot Hotel by this author, I felt no hesitation in picking up this first book in her new series. I hope it lasts as long--or longer--as the other one. In fact, I hope they both continue for a good long time. Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton is the owner of the Manor House of Sitting Marsh, in Norfolk. Proximity to the coast soon brings the war rather closer than it might have been, as a group of American officers are to be billeted with her, much to the dismay of her small staff. Martin, the butler, and Desmond, the gardener, are decades past the retirement age, but all the younger men are off to the war or other more 'important' tasks, so they stay to protect and serve their 'lady'. Violet, the woman-of-all-work, has been part of the House since before Elizabeth (now thirty-one and divorced) was born and has no blinders over her eyes whatever. Tart-tongued and hard-working, she nonetheless loves her young mistress, and is at the same time afraid for her, with all these young men to be staying in their house! Major Monroe, whose first name is really Earl (the same title held by Elizabeth's deceased father) is a fine example of the young men who fought so bravely during World War II, but wishes she would unbend enough to call him by his first name. She, on the other hand, adheres to the old customs and cannot conceive of such informality. This emphasis on civility and courtesy is one of the strongest points in the book, replicating as it does real life at that time. One of the village girls, a bit too boy-crazy for her own good, goes missing, and her distraught mother asks Lady Elizabeth to find her. Unfortunately, the girl, Beryl, is soon found--dead. And pregnant. Neither Beryl's mother nor Elizabeth have much confidence in the local constabulary, so in spite of all her other more pressing duties, Elizabeth undertakes to find the person responsible. The countryside around Sitting Marsh abounds with eccentric characters, most of whom will bring a smile or two when encountered by the interested reader. Some more than others, to be sure; but I for one, adored Martin, and hope he buttles right on through the war. It is greatly to be hoped there will be many more such Manor House Mysteries in the forseeable future.
Rating:
Summary: A cozy read
Review: I enjoyed A Bicycle Built for Murder.The clues were skilfully laid, and the solution addressed with real panache. However, I wish somebody could have picked up on details that were very jarring, despite a generally nice feel for the era. Trades people don't work "in a manor", English aristocrats seldom talked about"dating" and the people of rural England sometimes referred to American soldiers as something other than "Yanks".(I mean that politely.)Looking forward to the next installment, but I hope old Martin has met his maker by then.
Rating:
Summary: A Bicycle Built for Murder
Review: I just read the previous review from Eleanor Warder and I totally disagree. I am a computer programmer analyst and consider myself quite smart, but I didn't find the clues easy at all. And I don't think the book was fluffy. Ms. Kingsbury has built a reputation of writing cozies, and this book only enhances that reputation. I think the characters were strong, Ms Kingsbury strong point, as proven in her previous series, The Pennyfoot Hotel Mysteries. And the clues are not as easy as Ms Warder thinks they are. Maybe they are to her, but to the average reader, I think not. This is a delightful book, well entertaining, and I would rate it very highly and recommend it to all of my friends. It kept me guessing until the end who the murderer was, and I think it did to most people. Kudos to Ms Kingsbury for yet another wonderful start to another wonderful series. I can wait for the next one to come out.
Rating:
Summary: Charming cozy period piece, but the mystery is fluffy
Review: In this first book of Kate Kingsbury's new Manor House series set in World War II England, delightful characters abound. The lead character, Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton, is the last member of her impoverished but noble family, living on the rents she receives from her tenants. Lady Elizabeth takes her duties seriously, and tries to keep the villagers of Sitting Marsh on an even keel, in spite of rationing, possible invasions, and Yanks. When a local girl is found murdered, Lady Elizabeth takes a hand in investigating the incident, as the local constabulary is less than adequate due to war-time enlistments of the regular officers. Kingsbury's attention to detail is delightfully accurate, from Lady's Elizabeth's courtesy title to that often repeated refrain "Yanks--overpaid, oversexed, and over here!" Lady Elizabeth is an interesting character, as are her household staff members. Unfortunately, the mystery is decidedly fluffy. Kingsbury's clues are overwhelmingly obvious, causing the reader to wonder how Lady Elizabeth could miss them. The murderer's identity was obvious from the beginning of the book, which is why I gave the book only a 3-star rating. I do look forward to the next book in this series, when the American officers take up quarters in Lady Elizabeth's family home. I just hope the clues are less blatantly obvious in that one.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Kate Kingsbury has never written particularly clever mysteries, but her Pennyfoot series was long on charm and interesting characters. This book lacks even that. I wasn't pulled in at all, and the mystery itself was dull. I won't be reading the next installment -- there are too may other good books around.
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