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Harriett Honeywood #2

Why Kill a Countess?

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Harriet Honeywood anticipates a delightful stay in the country when she and her soon-to-be-husband Aubrey, Viscount Talisker are invited down to Bellincourt, the country estate of the Dowager Countess, Lady Gracedale.

But instead of tranquility and the opportunity to steal some time with her beloved, Harry finds the atmosphere of the house to be singularly tense. Nobody seems to like each other in the least and grudges, both old and new are quick to surface. It is all most uncomfortable - especially for the luckless Mr. Charles Lampforth who has been lured down with the promise of an agreeable few days in the country - and discomfort turns to alarm when the Dowager Countess turns up dead.

Will Harry, Aubrey and Charlie be able to unmask a brutal killer before they disappear back into Society? Or will the malice that walks in beautiful Bellincourt reach out to take even more lives?

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2013

37 people are currently reading
72 people want to read

About the author

Kate Harper

115 books50 followers
Like most writers I've always read and I've always got something going on in my head, story-wise. Mostly dialogue - at least, I hope that's dialogue and not something more serious - which inevitably makes demands on me.

I can recall lying under my bed when I was nine with a candle, a piece of scrap paper and a pencil, rewriting a disappointing ending to a book that had been pretty good up until those final pages. I'd 'borrowed' a highly unsuitable romance from an elderly lady and had gobbled it down in a day. I took away three things from that first sojourn into making up my own, far more satisfactory world. 1/ the hero really needs to end up with the heroine, no matter how irritating she is cause that is what romance is all about. Happy endings, even if they're unexpected. 2/ I liked storytelling so much that maybe it was something I could do on a regular basis. My people could behave as they were supposed to. And... 3/ burning a candle under a pile of highly combustible bedding is a really stupid thing to do. Or so my mother pointed out. I'm lucky I'm not toast.

Writing is a wonderful escape and nothing says run away with me better than romance. So that's what I pursue... historical (particularly Regency... oh man, Regency. Where the men wore breeches and the women appreciated the fact), suspense and contemporary. You can always check them out on Amazon or at www.kate-harper.com. On a more personal note, I live with my partner (no breeches), my kids and a hoard of animals that shed fur into my coffee on a regular basis. We live in a particularly beautiful part of Victoria, in Australia and feel pretty lucky to do so.

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Community Reviews

5 stars
112 (31%)
4 stars
131 (36%)
3 stars
74 (20%)
2 stars
29 (8%)
1 star
11 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Pamela.
1,811 reviews39 followers
July 2, 2025
A well meaning Dower Duchess invites Miss Honeywell to her estate ,along with her fiancee for a weekend away from wedding preparations. What they hoped for a restful, and quiet weekend turns out to be anything but. The majority of the other guests do not like their step mother, or each other. The cutting remarks go on, and on. This becomes quite tedious. I felt very sorry for the hostess, who had lost her husband, and had planned this get together, in the hopes that some unity could be reached. One of her lady friends had also agreed to come, and could hold her own. Even with those that were on her side, l found the atmosphere in the house, and even outside heavy with tension. I personally would have kicked them all out. I guess as a hostess this was not an option, and soon the obvious happens a murder. . They even fought about that. My life is stressful with a husband who is very ill. I read to relax my stress level. This book made me tense. They were money hungry, and cruel, and even turned on each other. I knew that the young couple would jump into the murder mystery, but I kept putting the book down, and ignoring it for days. I gave it a 2.5, rounded off to a three. I DNF, but made it past the 3/4 of the story. Then skipped to the last three chapters..
6 reviews
July 31, 2015
Entertaining, but needs update

Entertaining read, light mystery. Stars were deducted for detractions. The author used "cache" in place of "cachet" in numerous locations, "boat-licker" took the place of boot-licker, bridge was cited yet the game began in 1886, far after Regency, and as "Biritch whist", not bridge, and commas were dropped in a couple of places rather significant to meaning.
Profile Image for Susan.
7,136 reviews69 followers
March 26, 2016
Harriet Honeywood, her fiancee Viscount Talisker with their friend Charles Lampforth are invited to a weekend house party by the Dowager Countess, Lady Gracedale.
Anticipating a quiet weekend with the Dowager's family turns into an investigation of murder.
An enjoyable read
Profile Image for Kim Power.
Author 4 books12 followers
May 15, 2019
Terrific

If murder and delightful can be used in the same sentence, this is a delightful book. It’s delightful because it is well written and edited, creates a positively Gothic atmosphere appropriate to the mystery, and though quite a large cast is involved, the characters are not stereotypes. The romance is also delightful. Harriet and Aubrey are a witty, loving couple, plus Charlie, their mutual friend has hidden depths. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Katherine.
173 reviews1 follower
May 2, 2019
It took so long to kill the countess! It was so obvious that she was going to die so I didn't get attached and then I just got bored.

I don't generally do well with house party mysteries, there's often too many people introduced too quickly with too similar names...

Disappointing as I very much enjoyed the first one in this series
15 reviews
January 17, 2020
A very interesting challenge

The first time I read this book, I felt it was to wordy and slow. I never really completed it. I have reread it at intervals as it is not the type of story that should be read in a day (I read that way usually). Reading it slower, I found bits more interesting than I had at first and began to feel like I was on the team to find the killer.
Profile Image for Ramona Sprague.
39 reviews
June 14, 2015
Why Kill A Countess? By Kate Harper

This regency murder mystery is a delightful read after you get pass the introduction to all the House guests to the weekend party at the Countess's country estate of Bellencourt. There are three sleuths to solve this mystery. I will not tell you anymore because I don't want to spoil the story. Just read and enjoy.
59 reviews
September 14, 2015
Why kill a Countess when you can kill two?

This is book two in the mystery series involving the lovebirds Aubrey and Harry and their shared friend Charlie. The are a disparate trio but are a quirky trio for murder mysteries. I am definitely going to visit Amazon to pick up the first mystery involving madness and blackmail. I look forward to another good read as this one was.
Profile Image for Kristin.
285 reviews
January 29, 2014
This sequel to Lord Scoundrel Dies didn't delight me as much as the first, but it was still a very enjoyable little mystery with just enough romance to be fun.
217 reviews1 follower
March 5, 2015
A great mystery

I loved the plots twists and turns. There's romance done tastefully. The main characters are likeable. It was a fun quick read.
34 reviews
Read
September 25, 2015
Interesting supporting characters

The players in this mystery are more roundly developed than usual, giving the overall plot a bit ore fullness. A nice, light read.
Profile Image for Mrs. Ann E. Griffiths.
31 reviews
November 18, 2016
Excellent

As good as the first one in the series, looking forward to the next. The characters are well thought out and likeable.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews

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