The Firebird's Feather

by Marjorie Eccles

A young woman investigates the murder of her mother in this absorbing historical mystery

London, May, 1911. The new king, George V, is preparing for his coronation. The suffragettes are campaigning for women to get the vote. The East End seethes with unrest. And 18-year-old Kitty Challoner is looking forward to coming out in London society.

But Kitty's secure, sheltered world is about to be torn apart. Lydia Challoner is shot dead while out riding in Hyde Park, and during the ensuing murder investigation Kitty discovers that there was so much she didn't know about her mother. Was Lydia really the killer's intended target? Is there a link to her Russian heritage? Why had she been behaving so strangely in recent weeks? Was she having an affair?

As Kitty determines to uncover the truth and wonders exactly whom she can trust, she learns that the household in which she lives harbours a number of dangerous secrets.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, 20th Century

224 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2014

About the author

Aka Judith Bordill, Jennifer Hyde

Marjorie Eccles has written several romantic and crime novels, which have been published both in the UK and in the US. Many of her book shave been translated and serialised around the world. She has one grown up son and now lives in Hertfordshire

Reviews

[Tara Chevrestt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a light mystery set in 1911 London. Actually, the word "light" is probably wrong. After all, a woman is shot to death in Hyde Park. That's serious stuff. But the telling of it all, the lack of emotions from the characters gave it a light feel.

Except for a nervous Bridget (the niece) and a flighty sister, the women in the story were like robots: the assistant, the daughter. The men seemed to be fleshed out a little more, namely the beau and the nephew. (The husband didn't seem as affected as I would expect.) I guess that would be my main quibble with the book and I'll just get that out of the way. The characterizations were presented to us in such a way that while we're given lots of details (some of them impertinent to the story) about each character, we never come to care for them at all. At least I didn't.

The story itself, the plot, is really somewhat exciting. A wealthy married woman who writes racy romances in her free time and has a male companion (not her husband) taking her to shows and riding with her in the park is just shot dead one day. There's missing property, Russian connections, and strange secrets about her popping up here and there during the investigation.

At the heart of it all is the possible beau who really wants the woman's daughter, the robotic daughter, a bluestocking niece, a flighty sister, a husband with a missing gun, and a mysterious assistant as well as a nephew who runs a controversial newspaper. The story throws just enough details at you to throw you off and keep you guessing. What does one have to do with the other? Is this even relevant, you wonder as you read and pick up clues.

But it's rather slow and on top of my above quibble, I also grew irritated at the "jumping" around. Example: The scene is on Marcus. He is about to go visit the newspaper. Scene ends. Then it goes to the daughter and Marcus shows up to visit her. I thought he was going to the paper? Then he sits down to tell her about his trip to the paper and we jump to that scene.... I'd prefer it be in chronological order. There was also something off with the historical aspect. It's a historical setting--with horses, dresses, rules and etiquette, and a coronation, but I never felt transported as I tend to do with good historicals.

http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2014/...

[Barb · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very loose and airy mystery where the characters were not well developed and their relationships were revealed in only the most superficial way.

I really enjoy character driven fiction and even when I choose a mystery I like the characters to be realistic and dimensional. This mystery was not satisfying to me on either variable.

I did like the author's detail in regard to the period, though some details were repeated almost word for word. There was a bit of a lag in the pacing of the mystery and I found myself pushing through to finish reading.

I've never read Marjorie Eccles's fiction before so I can't compare this to her other work. But this mystery falls into the light reading category for me. I didn't dislike it but would have enjoyed it more if the characters and their relationships had been developed more.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 out of 5 stars -- "Wishes are sometimes liars. They hold out too much hope, so always be careful what you wish for."

Historical fiction involving a murder investigation and family secrets set in Britain circa 1911. King Edward has just died and preparations are underway for the coronation of King George. Despite the celebratory mood in London, brave women are protesting for the right to vote and all of those demonstrations have not been peaceful ones. In the Challoner household, not far from Hyde Park, the aristocratic family is about to experience its own upheaval in the form of the shooting death of the lady of the house, Lydia Kasparov Challoner.

Lydia, the daughter of a Russian revolutionary who fled to Britain for asylum, was shot with a gun known to be the weapon of choice for many foreign revolutionary gangs while out riding with her escort one Sunday. It's suspected that her murder might be connected to the Letts -- terrorists who had also fled Russia and joined other lawless expatriates leading to violence in the streets. How might Lydia have been involved with any of these activities since her father had died long ago and why was she targeted? Her daughter, 18-year old Kitty, is caught up in the search for her mother's killer as the police question all of Lydia's family and acquaintances. Kitty joins forces with Marcus Villiers to do some sleuthing on her own.

This novel is quite short and meanders a bit as snippets of information and clues are revealed or discovered. None of the characters are very well-developed and are quite superficially portrayed. The plot is a bit thin and when the murderer is identified it seems anticlimactic after all the red herrings. Described as "a late-Edwardian mystery," the book is a quick read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the e-book ARC to review.

[Thea Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Plot Of The Story:

Kitty Challoner was born into money and as young ladies of a certain age back then did she's about to be presented to society. Its a very exciting time for Kitty but it all gets horrifically marred when her mother Lydia is shot dead while out horse-riding. The Challoner family is shocked and deeply distressed by Lydia's death, but none more than Kitty who takes it upon herself to learn more about her mother, only to find that maybe she didn't even know her beloved mother at all. In finding out about her mother's little secrets Kitty begins to uncover the truth about her death, with a little help from Lydia's young male companion Marcus Villier, who was with Lydia when she died, and the local police force.

This little book is a charming murder mystery novel set in Edwardian London during the suffragette movement, which also impacts heavily on this story. Don't go into this books thinking you'll have a book filled with a complicated romance as while you do get snippets of one that's not what this book is all about at all. At it's heart The Firebird's Feather is a good old fashioned murder mystery with no complicated bells and whistles. It does exactly what it says on the tin.... someone is killed and then we have to solve the clues to discover the killer's identity, well we don't have to sole the clues of course as Kitty and the police do it for us but if you're anything like me then as you read you're constantly making predictions about who the killer is...... and I got is completely wrong by the way so good on Marjorie Eccles for having me fooled!


The Main Characters:

Kitty Challoner - A young lady from a well off family on the brink of coming out into society. From a loving family with parents she thinks she knows well until her mother is killed and she realises she doesn't really know them at all. She lives an ordinary and uneventful life and she is a charming girl but seems to be quite conflicted within herself, she has all the naivety of her youth and is surprised to find how many secrets are lurking within her close knit family.

Lydia Challoner - A loving wife and mother but harbouring so many secrets about herself from those who love her that only become apparent after her sudden death. It's soon clear to see that Lydia is the most complex woman with a complicated life from her horrific Russian beginnings to her relationship with Marcus Villier who she may or may not be having an affair with. She's also an author of some fame.... or is she?

Marcus Villier - A young man with a reputation of his own. He has been a constant companion to Lydia Challoner for some time although no one really knows why such a young man would be so devoted to an older married woman like Lydia but Marcus has an agenda of his own, a reason for doing what he's been doing. Marcus turns out to be one of the more intriguing characters in this book and he has a great deal of mystery behind him and carries his own secrets which slowly become apparent during the course of the book.

The Police - The case of Lydia's murder is being investigated by two officers of the law that need mentioning as they pay a big part in the story and it's through their investigation that we learn a lot of the truths about Lydia's secret life. They are determined to discovered the truth and go to all lengths necessary to find their murderer.


The Book's Setting (Time and Place):

The book is set during the Edwardian period and is set, for the most part, in London but it's a London in turmoil as the book is set during the Suffragette movement, when they were at their most active and disruptive.

Despite the shortness of this book you do get a reasonably good feel for the time period and the surroundings which makes the book feel all correct and ship-shape although I personally would have liked a little more detail on the time and places described but that's just me being overly fussy and wanting that little bit more. You get just enough so you know where and when you are but only that.


The Writing:

Marjorie Eccles has written a lovely and charming book here, she has woven a wonderful murder mystery that as I said earlier had me completely fooled when it came to the true identity of the murderer and that doesn't happen to me very often as I can usually figure it out pretty quickly but not this time and I loved the book for that.
The writing itself is clear and easy to grasp and understand, it's to the point and is descriptive enough to give you the sense for the time and place but as I said I would have liked a little description personally to really pull me into the Regency time and to give me a better visual for the place, to make things clearer to my mind's eye. That's just me personally though as I would imagine that my personal preference is not for all of course.

Eccles's characterisation is great, her characters feel very feel with all the flaws needed to make them human and interesting to read about. She has done a wonderful job with the making Lydia as mysterious as possible, with a heart-wrenching secret life that's kept from her family and I think that mystery is the key to making this book such a success as it does make it harder t make a correct presumption on the killer and why I was so fooled.


Final Thoughts:

This is the second historical book I've read this year from a similar time period and again I did have trouble connecting completely with it. Is it me not liking the books in question or me not liking books set in this time period?

If I'm truthful I think it may be that this time period doesn't grab as there is nothing fundamentally wrong with The Firebird's Feather, it has a great murder mystery with large as life characters and yet it didn't completely hook me in but I don't really why specifically why. It never had me to the point of being desperate for bedtime and booktime and it's need for my bed which funnily enough shows me it's a great book. Saying that it IS a good read, it's slow winding in a steady and meaningful manner as it grows in pace until it reaches an inevitable and spectacular finale as the murderer is finally revealed. I'm glad I did read it as it was enjoyable but for me personally it didn't completely blow me away.

[Laurie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read! Set in London at the turn of the century and on the eve of the coronation of King George V. A woman, wife and mother, killed while riding in Hyde park with seemingly no motive. This mystery kept me intrigued and guessing until the end! I loved it!

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kitty Challoner has always been fascinated by her mother, Lydia, a beautiful but moody woman. Kitty especially loves Lydia's tales of her childhood escape from Tsarist Russia in the dead of winter with her beloved father. Kitty loves to look at the Russian Orthodox icon in her mother's room and the lovely firebird box. On the eve of Kitty's come out, Lydia is shot and killed while riding her horse in Hyde Park. In the chaos of a suffragette demonstration, the killer got away. The police immediately suspect Lydia was involved with the Bolshevik terrorists who have recently robbed a jewelry store and murdered policemen. The police also believe Lydia could have been involved in the women's suffrage movement. Kitty is perplexed and confused by the police questions and why would they take her father away? It seems like everyone in the house is hiding secrets and those secrets may or may not lead to the killer. Kitty turns to her mother's companion on that fateful day, Marcus Villiers, for help. He would do anything for Kitty but he too has secrets and he feels guilty that he may have inadvertently caused Lydia's death.

This story isn't much for a story. It's a great background on the social issues of the time, especially the events that led to the Russian Revolution in 1917. This is one of the few times I will say there's too much history and not enough plot. The little plot there is moves sooooo slooowwwwly. There are a large number of suspects and each has a complicated backstory and secrets that are all revealed at once. The point-of-view shifts too frequently between each of the characters which is confusing and complicates the plot with a lot of unnecessary subplots. There's really not much below the surface of the story. It's mostly a compilation of the research the author did with a mystery thrown in. I guessed some of Lydia's secrets so it didn't come as a huge surprise. The killer's motive however, was super lame and not what I expected. The romance plot comes out of thin air and then rushes to an unlikely conclusion. I was hoping for more plot. Everything is just told and not really shown. It reads more like an outline than a novel...mirroring a subplot in the novel!

Kitty Challoner is a pretty but empty headed young lady. She just goes with the flow until her world is rocked by her mother's murder. I can relate to Kitty's interest in her family's heritage and love for the family heirlooms but her major interest to begin with, is protecting her mother's reputation. The whole mystery could have been solved a lot faster if people just told what they knew.

Kitty's father Louis is not all that likable. He's a respectable British businessman and I don't see how the lively Lydia ended up with him. He is shaken by his wife's death which apparently gives him an excuse to become an alcoholic and be rude to his daughter. His business partner is creepy and there's a backstory there that isn't fully revealed. His business partner's wife Fanny's point-of-view makes her husband into a cold fish while everyone else sees him as a Latin lover and her as the cold fish. Which is it? Who do we believe? She's not a very nice person either but I did feel kind of bad for her.

The rest of Kitty's family are so flat. There's Aunt Ursula, who is very kind but not a deep person. Her children Jon and Bridget, on the other hand, reject all they've been brought up to believe. Why? I don't know. Jon prefers living in a hovel and editing a socialist radical newspaper to a life of privileged for no good reason at all except he was influenced by his Aunt Lydia's beliefs in justice. Bridget falls in with the suffragettes in an unrealistic way. There's a subplot about her infatuation with a suffragette leader that is dropped in like a lead balloon and never fully develops.

Marcus' plot comes out of nowhere and has potential to be an interesting story in and of itself. We get some of his emotions and feelings about what he has done and should do but they're still on the surface and told to us. There's no real passion or true romance in his plot though he claims he loves a certain character.

The best characters are the servants. Emma has a backstory that is apparently hair raising but we never get the full of it or see much of her. We're just told about her. Hester Dax has the most interested and complicated story but again it never really gets fleshed out completely. She makes some strange decisions for no known reason. She was my favorite character and the only one I really felt sorry for. She alone was truly affected by Lydia's death - until the unrealistic ending.

[Viviane Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eighteen year-old Kitty Challoner is getting ready to come out to upper class society in 1911 London, England. It’s a vibrant time and place in which to be alive as the London world awaits a new world, women are fighting for the right to vote – a fiercely controversial debate, and politicians are vying for power while decrying the foreign elements taking violent action in the streets of London. The fear of Bolsheviks is huge as Communism begins to form and spread throughout the world!
In the midst of this chaotic atmosphere, Kitty’s mother, Lydia, goes out one day with her male companion and is killed by a gunshot wound while riding through Hyde Park. Kitty is about to enter an investigative stage of her life that will shed her of all innocence and at the same time reveal the forces of power prevailing in post-Victorian London society.
At first the police are suspicious about Lydia’s husband but that quickly changes to their belief that something about her Russian roots is connected to the Bolshevist campaign of violence. Lydia was fiercely faithful to her Russian roots but what does her death have to do with a missing gun, a real and fake Russian icon with significant mysterious meaning, the formation of Bolshevist newspapers with their inflammatory essays and reports, the life behind her well-behaved male companion, and half of a sketch of a wolf found instead a box decorated with the highly symbolic firebird?
Marjorie Eccles is a wonderful mystery writer who knows exactly where to tone down and ramp up the exhilarating facts and circumstances around this mysterious crime. The novel gives ample background and ambiance to the prevailing historical realities in London news and in the connection to Russian exiles now residents in England. The Firebird’s Feather is excellent mystery fiction that twists and turns in unpredictable but exciting ways. Every page is a leap forward in being educated in history’s social, political and criminal world in London, England and Russia! Great, short read that this reviewer recommends as a terrific novel!

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is set around the coronation of George V. The suffragette movement is taking pace looking to get the vote for women. Lots of emotion surrounding both of these issues- celebration and angst from the suffragettes. Kitty Challoner is the main character and her mum is shot whilst out riding. Why was she a target? She discovers lots of information about her mother during the investigation- little chunks of events are released along the way. Her mum had links to a Russian revolutionary who fled to Britain for asylum. Was she the intended victim? She tries to find the truth and comes across dangerous secrets lurking in her house. Who is responsible?
This was a fairly quick read and is set in one of my favourite eras for a novel.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I could see this story, characters, and setting for a Downton Abbey episode. Lots of plot twists with a surprise ending. As women we take for granted our right to vote. Parts in the book remind us of the real struggle back in early days.

[Marianne K. Benvenuti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

Slowly but surely we find out Lydia's secrets and the secrets of the other characters. Maybe a little too slowly for me. I did finish the book, but I can't say that it is one of my favorites. Sorry.

[Jean Walton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I occasionally worked for this author's husband in my past but I never met Marjorie or read any of her books until I picked up this one. It was an easy read and not hard to guess the perpetrator despite several red herrings.

[Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but not amazing. Took me about 100 pages to get into it, but I liked the second half a lot better. Still think the Marcus/Kitty situation was a little random but loved the clock in the newspaper office and how that tied together in the end.

[Marcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better "who dun it" I have read in a long time. When every character has a secret to hide, it makes it an interesting read and a challenge to piece it all together.

[Dale Edmonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

Odd experience to read, well structured and detailed but lifeless because the characters are so dull. I didn't give a damn about any of them, so the mystery was mechanical.

[Gauri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story and a great mystery. The book could have been written better.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kitty is about to make her debut in society and life in London is exciting but also dangerous as George V prepares for his coronation. The year is 1911 and there is industrial unrest and the suffragettes are gathering support. Exciting times for a young girl about to become an adult. Out of the blue Kitty's mother Lydia is shot while out riding in Hyde Park. Could it be her Russian ancestry which has led her to associate with dangerous political allies?

Kitty doesn't believe it - her mother just isn't interested in politics. But Kitty isn't in a position to investigate and try and find her mother's killer. The police are puzzled by the case, Marcus Villiers - Lydia's friend and escort to social occasions - feels there is more going on that he is aware of. Jon - Lydia's nephew is stunned by her death and fears his own extremist acquaintances could be implicated.

This is an intriguing and exciting historical mystery and a charming love story too. It is well written and the historical background is well researched and vividly brought to life. If I have a criticism it is that there were just too many strands to this book and as a consequence none were developed as much as they could be. I felt there was a longer and much more detailed story attempting to escape from the straightjacket of this shorter one.

In spite of this it was an entertaining read and I liked the two police characters involved - Gaines and Inskip - and wondered whether perhaps they would feature in other stories. If you like historical crime stories then you may enjoy this one and it does paint an evocative picture of London in 1911. I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley for review purposes.

[Elspeth G. Perkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Firebird’s Feather was my first title but certainly not my last read from Ms. Eccles. With a setting and plot I would never decline an invitation to visit, I had no idea what to expect and by the last page I had a neutral feeling that finally settled this morning on I liked this title enough to try another. A light historical mystery is how I would describe The Firebird’s Feather; enough details shared to capture a wispy postcard of London during 1911 with a genteel lady’s murder at the center and the beginning of a desperate quest for answers for a young woman on the cusp of entering society. This alone would usually completely enchant this reader but I am sorry to say I had a difficult time staying focused on this title in the beginning and a few parts throughout.

Characters were introduced only at a distance and the main character even more at a distance to this reader. It seemed many times the main character fluttered from event to event and I never felt engaged and more interested in following other characters. Unfortunately no character could be found however what I did find to follow were the unique details and topics that propelled the story. With the brilliant introduction of Slavic folklore and particularly the story of the Firebird this title became an interesting find and a clever meeting of England and Russia that I would recommend to those potential readers who love to encounter unorthodox and Orthodox themes.

*I would like to thank Severn House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and enjoy The Firebird’s Feather.

[Judy Lesley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm giving this novel two stars because it was just an okay reading experience for me. Not something I completely enjoyed, but also not something I would counsel others against reading. I simply didn't find very much emotion or passion here and that surprised me since it was dealing with murder - definitely a subject which would suggest passion - and also the suffrage movement in London in 1911, which inspired passionate feelings on both sides of the issue. I think so much of the action was described to me, rather than allowing me to follow along as the activity happened that it removed me from the intimacy and reality of the events. The story was also presented from the viewpoint of many characters so I didn't feel that I became invested in eighteen year old Kitty Challoner, the main character, or anybody else in the novel for that matter. Even the victim remained illusive because of the lack of dialog which would have given me insights into personality characteristics, motive for the murder, and a sense of loss when the murder happened. I also had a hard time even wanting to figure out who was responsible for the murder so I just read along until the villain was revealed.

Obviously this wasn't a style of novel which worked well for me, okay but not an unqualified success. If you choose to read it, I sincerely hope it will suit you better.

I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley.

[Caroline Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Firebird’s Feather is a historical mystery set in the Edwardian period amidst the upheaval of the new king’s coronation, suffragette protests, and revolutionary fervor. The book opens on a Sunday in the Challoner household with Kitty, the daughter of a wealthy stockbroker and Russian expatriate. Her world comes crashing down when her mother Lydia is shot while riding in Hyde Park. Sensing that the police will never find her killer, Kitty sets out to solve the crime with Marcus Villiers, the last person to have seen her mother alive.

The Firebird’s Feather perfectly captures the social discontent of the early 20th century. The usual suffragette theme is in play, but the interesting addition of the various Russian discontents is area not usually explored in fiction. While Eccles is a competent writer, she employs the popular method of telling the tale through the eyes of multiple characters. This method slows the pace to a crawl. Nearly a quarter of the novel is devoted to the coming and goings of the primary and secondary characters, of which there seem to be too many. While the pace does pick up, readers will have to employ some fortitude to get through the introductory chapters.

Overall, The Firebird’s Feather is an interesting novel that will appeal to mystery lovers and Edwardian-era enthusiasts alike.

[Gwen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every once in a while I like to venture into different categories of books that are offered up for review and I was glad of the opportunity to read this book. Marjorie Eccles takes an interesting part of history in England and adds a twist of mystery to it as we have a young lady, getting ready to debut in all the social circles in 1911 London, with women's rights and the new king getting ready for his coronation and puts a murder down in the middle of it.
This is my first time reading a book by this author but it certainly will not be my last.

[Chrissy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn't really wow me. I liked the time period, and I liked learning about the women's suffragette movement in England at that time. I liked the parts about the Russian Revolution. But the characters weren't really that compelling, and I didn't become attached to any of them. The mystery was interesting, but not enough so that I HAD to keep reading. The pacing was off, I think. Just an ok book.

[Tessa's Books and Tea Room · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out my review at Tessa's Books and Tea Room! @Tessa_books
http://wp.me/p3EoiQ-bS

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perfectly pleasant story of romantic suspense, a little light on each.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short read

[Shirley West · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed very much.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

good story, somewhat sloppy writing.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of Edwardian mysteries I've read.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overly wrought writing but I kept reading it. Plot got a bit unbelievable at the end but the historical setting was interesting.

[Tessa · Rating 2 out of 5]

A holiday light read not as good as her previous books. The characters had no depth and the lady murdered was not very believable. I was disappointed in this novel.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

The blurb says a daughter but the most detective work of the police detectives. Pretty good otherwise