The rival queens: A Countess Ashby de la Zouche mystery

Countess Ashby De La Zouche #2

by Fidelis Morgan

Once again, Anastasia Ashby de la Zouche, Baroness Penge, Countess of Clapham, former mistress to Charles II, finds herself embroiled in the darker side of 18th century London.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Historical, Crime, Historical Mystery, Mystery Thriller

384 pages, Hardcover

First published December 31, 2001

About the author

Actor, writer, director and historian, Fidelis Morgan is the author of a series of mystery novels featuring the Countess Ashby dela Zouche and a cast of outrageous characters. The books have been described as ‘A 17th century Armistead Maupin’, ‘Flashman for Girls’ ‘A bawdy PG Wodehouse’ and ‘Cagney and Lacey in Corsets.’
She has published many influential non-fiction works, mainly about the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Her latest suspense novel, The Murder Quadrille, is a modern day mystery. It is available as an eBook

Reviews

[Marguerite Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a reread for me, and I enjoyed it every bit as much second time around, and I think even more because I recently re-read Unnatural Fire.

What is not to like about Countess Ashby de la Zouche and her maid Alpiew? They are haphazard sleuths, who fall into a solution rather than deduce it. They are a very odd and endearing pair, and in a bawdy, vicious world, surprisingly naïve. The live in a house that is falling apart, as is the Countess herself, but they live by their own rules and though they are very often down on their luck they are never out.

Witty and funny, bawdy and full of vile, horrible, revoltingly compelling detail of London at the end of the 17th Century, this was a romp that was a real pleasure to read. Looking forward to the third book now, which is finally out on Kindle and which is new to me.

[Kidlitter · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is something so purely physical about Countess Ashby de la Zouche and her maid Alpiew, two single women living without male protection by their wits in London at the end of the 17th century. The hand-to-mouth nature of their careers as gossip-mongers, writers, pawnbrokers, bodyguards and accidental detectives means life is never dull but at times dangerous, humiliating, stressful but entertaining in a vile, funny, appalling sort of way. The research of these books by Morgan is breathtaking but it never stifles the vitality of the characters and the Countess is one of the greats. To learn there is a third adventure out there - calloo, callay!

[Marilena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun holiday read. Murder mystery set in late 17 century. Interesting historic detail of life around playhouses in London.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery based in the 1700s London. Some interesting info about that time period.

[Sophia · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars: the charactors were very likeable but i think this is more for someone who is into theater and historical fiction so for me it was just a fine read

[Rachel Stephenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

set in 17C London . Murder mystery , quite entertaining but very light . Some interesting historical details .

[Emma Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gentle cover really makes me laugh because the book is anything but gentle. So! This is the second installment in the Countess Ashby de la Zouche mysteries series. We're in the company of our old friends the Countess and her former maid Alpiew for another adventure in Restoration England.
First things first - this book wasn't as good as Unnatural Fire, the first book of the series, perhaps because the first book is funnier and the whole introduction makes it so we have to get accustomed to a kind of bawdy and linguistic humour we just don't read about nowadays. Yet, The Rival Queens is engaging and comfortably draws upon the tradition of the Restoration comedy so it's pure entertainment from cover to cover, with as always an impeccable sense of the period and some dramatic irony thrown in for good measure (often they dismiss things or people as irrelevant/useless when we know today they ended up being hugely famous and sought after, which is always pleasant!). Highlights include a scene in a sex shop (even then called 'sex shop') and more heads chopped off than under the guillotine. Pick this one up for a good time!
As far as I'm concerned, it has definitely inspired me to dig deeper into Restoration comedy - I already have a few titles in mind to try later :)

[JL Smither · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting light read. When I picked this up, I didn't realize it was a mystery or that it was the second in a series--yes, I just judged the book by its cover. But it kept me entertained and even guessing a bit over whodunit. It takes place in London in 1699, and the author made a point of dropping in little trivia about the time period to add to the atmosphere. Good for a plane or before-bed reading.

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not as good as #1 but then the "getting to know you" stage is always more interesting I feel. This one was a bit harder to follow- more characters and a more complex plot. Some plot pieces seemed to come out of left field. A pretty good sense of the period but somehow less vivid than in the first. I enjoy the humor in these especially the ironic aside where Ashby disses Pepys for his silly diary that will surely come to nothing- what could he possibly write about?

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everyone loves an unlikely detective, whether it's one of Beatrix Potter's animals, the Hardy Boys or Miss Marple. Here we have an aging beauty, mistress of the second King Charles , and her maid Alpiew. They're on the on from the bailiffs for debt, writing puff pieces for a rag of a newspaper to stay afloat - and solving a gruesome crime while they're about it. Delightfully silly.

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The characters of Alpiew and the Countess were much consistent. The thing I love best about this series is the age of the characters. Alpiew is in her forties, the Countess is in her sixties and Godrey is just old. It's good to see that the thirst for adventure doesn't end after twenty and that hardships occur to everyday people, even in books.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

As the stars say, 80 pages in and it was OK, just not what I wanted to read at the moment, so abandoned, for now at least. Hadn't read the previous one (it is the 2nd in a series) but that wasn't a problem.

[Delphine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uncannily funny. Good historical novel with a lot of humour. A must-read.

[Cece · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little choppy-if it were a movie the pace of scene switches would produce whiplash-but fun.

[Randi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be an enjoyable read about two unexpected detective types - an eccentric old countess and her maid. The timeframe was fun to read about as well - London at the start of the 1700s.

[Jdlewis57 · Rating 3 out of 5]

enjoyed setting/atmosphere of Eiizabethan London, but mysteries aren't really my thing.

[Milynda Guinn moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like all of the Countess Ashby books this was wonderful.

[Michael Rhode · Rating 2 out of 5]

I just couldn't get into this historical mystery, even though it was recommended by my wife. Just one of those things. The historical color was excellent (and disgusting).

[Sue · Rating 1 out of 5]

No queens here. Too many repetitions of the word Countess {on every single page} and others; poor writing. Trifling dialogue. ugh.