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Flora Maguire
Series – Book II
Anita Davison
Aria Fiction (Head
of Zeus)
1 December 2016/ ASIN: B01J5X8ZRC
Mystery/Historical
Reviewed
by Rachel A Hyde
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Butler’s daughter,
Flora Maguire, is now married to gentleman motor car enthusiast,
Bunny Harrington, and is living in Richmond. Their married bliss
(apart from her mother-in-law) is shattered when the house catches
fire mysteriously, and Flora receives a letter. Her father has
died suddenly, and thus the pair travel to Flora’s former
home, Cleeve Abbey, to oversee his burial. But why was he out
riding when he never rode? And what is the mystery surrounding
the death of Flora’s mother when Flora was a child?
I enjoyed reading the first in the series, Murder on the Minneapolis,
and was eager to read more of Flora’s adventures. I was
surprised to find her married, as the first book introduced
Bunny as a character that Flora had become attached to as a
fellow sleuth and possible future love interest but no more.
I imagined reading several books that dealt with their growing
relationship, so having them as a newly married couple very
in love was rather sudden. The plot was enjoyable but fairly
easy to guess; however, that did not detract from the engaging
characters and well described environment of an Edwardian country
house. This book has a lot in common with the gothic romances
and their “governess in peril” themes that were
popular in the 80s, and which I always loved; reading a new
book that updates that type of story is a great idea. There
is always something going on, all of which is germane to the
plot, and the fact that Flora is genuinely upset about her father’s
death raises the tale above that of a puzzle to be solved and
adds a sense of realism. The only jarring element was in having
missed out on the courtship of Flora and Bunny, making their
close relationship seen contrived, particularly in light of
their vastly different backgrounds. That being the case, I still
eagerly anticipate the next book in the series as there is so
much else to enjoy.
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