Published
by Allison and Busby.
20 October 2014.
ISBN: 978-0-7490-1721-7
20 October 2014.
ISBN: 978-0-7490-1721-7
Rose McQuinn is a lady
investigator in Edinburgh. Although her first husband, Danny McQuinn, had been
the love of her life, she has become reconciled to Danny's death and is very
happy with her second husband, Jack Macmerry, and loves Jack's young daughter,
Meg, as if she was Rose's own child. Rose's stepbrother, Dr Vincent Laurie, is
doctor to King Edward VII, and has procured an invitation for Rose and Meg to
stay in a handsome cottage on the Balmoral estate, in company with Vince's
wife, Olivia, and their daughter, Faith, and Olivia's old school friend, Muriel
Penby Worth. Olivia is delayed and Rose and Meg travel north with Muriel, a
domineering and snobbish woman, and Muriel's silent, colourless maid, Lily.
The
cottage is commodious and all seems set for a pleasant holiday, all the more
exciting for Rose because Muriel invites her to a meeting of the local women's
suffrage group to meet her heroines Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst. However,
Rose cannot deny the feeling of foreboding that warns her all is not well,
especially when she sees amongst the ghillies a man who reminds her of her late
husband, Danny. This feeling of fear seems to be explained when Vince warns her
to keep her deerhound, Thane, out of sight of the royal household. The King is
a great lover of handsome dogs and horses and if he expresses a wish to possess
an object, a loyal subject is supposed to immediately offer it to him. Thane is
more than just a dog; he is a creature with mystical powers, Rose's protector
and Meg's adored companion.
Soon
after Rose's arrival, two deaths occur. They are dismissed as accidents but
Rose is determined to get to the truth of the matter. Despite her stepbrother
and husband's appeals that she should not meddle, Rose risks danger and
disgrace in order to investigate, and finds herself in great peril.
The
Balmoral Incident is the eighth book featuring Rose McQuinn and it says much
for the author's skill that it is easy to pick up the storyline and understand
the characters' relationships without having read the earlier books in the
series. At the same time, enough mystery concerning the back-story remains that
I will happily seek out and read earlier books in the series. The historical
background is beautifully drawn and the characterisation is strong and vivid,
with likeable central characters who remain believable despite the vein of
supernatural power that runs through the book. The Balmoral Incident is a compelling read.
------
Reviewer: Carol
Westron
Alanna Knight is one of
the most popular authors in UK libraries. Named as one of The Times’ “100
Masters of Crime”, she is a leading crime writer with three historical crime
series: the Victorian detective Inspector Jeremy Faro, lady investigator Rose
McQuinn, and time-traveller Tam Eildor.
She has published 75 works which include romance,
thrillers, historical novels and non-fiction. Alanna is an authority on Robert
Louis Stevenson and she has written true crime, 'how to write' guides and
biographies.
Hon President of Edinburgh Writers' Club, Honorary
President and founder member of Scottish Association of Writers, member of
Society of Authors and Crime Writers' Association, and Mystery People.
She appears regularly at Edinburgh International Book Festival and many other
literary events.
www.alannaknight.com
Carol Westron is a successful short story writer and a Creative Writing teacher. She is the moderator for the cosy/historical
crime panel, The Deadly Dames. Her crime
novels are set both in contemporary and Victorian times. The Terminal Velocity of Cats is the
first in her Scene of Crimes novels, was published July 2013. Her second book About the Children was published in May
2014.
www.carolwestron.com
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