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Danger at Thatcham Hall
Come inside this English country house where mystery and murder lurk. Join ambitious lawyer Nelson Roberts, embittered by war, jilted by his fiancée, and trusting no one, as he aims to make his name solving the mysterious thefts and violence at Thatcham Hall, a country house in Victorian England. Olivia Martin, headstrong and talented, will stop at nothing to overcome the conventions of the day, avoid a miserable fate as a governess and fulfill dreams of a musical future.Enjoy a cozy crime set in the 19th century.The pair stumble on a body. Is the farmhand's death a simple accident, or something more sinister? Who attacked the livestock at the Hall and why are the villagers so reluctant to talk? Can Nelson and Olivia overcome their differences and join forces to unravel the web of evil that imperils the Hall?
282 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
December 5, 2015
If An Independent Woman was an enjoyable debut, Danger at Thatcham Hall is the former's much improved sibling, with great character development and real sense of mystery and danger that elevated the book into something that Agatha Christie might have been proud of.
High praise, perhaps. But the setting of Victorian England can be mismanaged in some tales I have read. The author clearly knows the setting well and every little detail has been poured over, thought about, and included in the story for us to enjoy.
As a mystery (and I have a few of these coming up to read now), it works exceedingly well. The drama and suspense holds up throughout. It's the slow build up that I liked, and was the hallmark of An Independent Woman.
Readers should probably read both in order, but if you catch this one first, it is well worth your time in reading.
If only we could go back to Victorian England. In this book, we can almost sense what that place and time was really like.
Enjoyed.
High praise, perhaps. But the setting of Victorian England can be mismanaged in some tales I have read. The author clearly knows the setting well and every little detail has been poured over, thought about, and included in the story for us to enjoy.
As a mystery (and I have a few of these coming up to read now), it works exceedingly well. The drama and suspense holds up throughout. It's the slow build up that I liked, and was the hallmark of An Independent Woman.
Readers should probably read both in order, but if you catch this one first, it is well worth your time in reading.
If only we could go back to Victorian England. In this book, we can almost sense what that place and time was really like.
Enjoyed.
August 3, 2015
This is the second of Frances Evesham’s Thatcham Hall Mysteries, 19th Century historical mystery romances set in Victorian England. It continues the story begun in An Independent Woman, in which Philomena, a woman from a lower class escaped London dressed as a boy, meets, falls in love with and later marries Hugh, Lord Thatcham. In this second novel, Olivia Martin, a thoroughly headstrong but impoverished young woman, is looking forward with dread to life as a governess and music teacher to support herself. While out for a walk, she is rescued from a cow, which she thinks is a bull, by Nelson Roberts, an up-and-coming lawyer from London. Together they discovered the body of a local farmhand. Roberts has been retained by Lord Thatcham to investigate attacks on his livestock and thefts of personal items from Thatcham Hall, a country house in Victorian England . The lawyer has been embittered by his role as an officer in the war in Afghanistan and has been jilted by his fiancée, so he approaches this task in a dark state of mind. Now he has the now added responsibility of discovering the truth of what happened to the farm hand.
As in the first book, there is more or less instant attraction between the two protagonists, although they are reluctant to acknowledge it, except to themselves. Olivia, upon being brought home by Roberts, hies herself off to Thatcham Hall for a previously arranged and convenient visit, hoping to see him again. There she is to spend time with the aforementioned Philomena and Hugh, as well as Miss Selena Dainty, Lord Thatcham’s only sister. She is a beauty with blond ringlets and blue eyes of whom Olivia cannot help but be jealous, especially of Selena’s prospects for the future.
Mr. Roberts begins his investigation, but circumstances keep throwing Olivia into his path, and eventually they combine forces to solve the various mysterious threads of the story. Various well-drawn and interesting characters begin to accumulate on the list of suspects: old witchy old woman, who knows and uses herbs as drugs, and her semi-wild grandson living in a hovel in the woods near Thatcham Hall; the baker’s daughter, who is pregnant and claims to have been seduced by a servant at Thatcham Hall; Major Lovell, an army officer with whom Roberts is well acquainted and to whom Miss Dainty is attracted. The reader quickly senses his evil nature. I can’t say more without giving away important details.
Roberts and Olivia alternate between confrontation and attraction for most of the book. Some of this seems a bit contrived, as is their sudden attraction, and I found this the most tedious aspect of the book. However, Olivia’s independence and spunkiness was refreshing against the backdrop of societal propriety.
The author has done a wonderful job in her descriptions of the customs, mores and dress of the times; I was fully drawn into the world of Thatcham Hall. She has also done a good job of creating and tying together her main plot and subplots, leaving good surprises both along the way and at the end. This book was overall a good read, and I can recommend it to lovers of this genre.
As in the first book, there is more or less instant attraction between the two protagonists, although they are reluctant to acknowledge it, except to themselves. Olivia, upon being brought home by Roberts, hies herself off to Thatcham Hall for a previously arranged and convenient visit, hoping to see him again. There she is to spend time with the aforementioned Philomena and Hugh, as well as Miss Selena Dainty, Lord Thatcham’s only sister. She is a beauty with blond ringlets and blue eyes of whom Olivia cannot help but be jealous, especially of Selena’s prospects for the future.
Mr. Roberts begins his investigation, but circumstances keep throwing Olivia into his path, and eventually they combine forces to solve the various mysterious threads of the story. Various well-drawn and interesting characters begin to accumulate on the list of suspects: old witchy old woman, who knows and uses herbs as drugs, and her semi-wild grandson living in a hovel in the woods near Thatcham Hall; the baker’s daughter, who is pregnant and claims to have been seduced by a servant at Thatcham Hall; Major Lovell, an army officer with whom Roberts is well acquainted and to whom Miss Dainty is attracted. The reader quickly senses his evil nature. I can’t say more without giving away important details.
Roberts and Olivia alternate between confrontation and attraction for most of the book. Some of this seems a bit contrived, as is their sudden attraction, and I found this the most tedious aspect of the book. However, Olivia’s independence and spunkiness was refreshing against the backdrop of societal propriety.
The author has done a wonderful job in her descriptions of the customs, mores and dress of the times; I was fully drawn into the world of Thatcham Hall. She has also done a good job of creating and tying together her main plot and subplots, leaving good surprises both along the way and at the end. This book was overall a good read, and I can recommend it to lovers of this genre.
October 10, 2015
Having only just read (and loved) An Independent Woman by Frances Evesham, I found myself immediately buying Danger at Thatcham Hall. Although following the stories of entirely different characters, we're still treated with Lord Thatcham and Philomena as minor characters in the tale. This helps to welcome us into the fold of Thatcham Hall again, and reassures us that our much-loved characters from the previous novel are doing well, and still very much in love. Despite this, Danger at Thatcham Hall would work well as a standalone novel, however I'd absolutely recommend reading An Independent Woman first.
We're given again a strong heroine, a tortured hero, and a series of mysteries. This time, instead of unravelling the characters' past, we focus on events happening in the present. Nelson Roberts is shipped in from London to solve the crimes, and Olivia Martin, also from London, is visiting as a friend and cousin of the family. Both of these characters struggle against the social expectations of their situation, and this is something I'm always interested to read in Victorian fiction. Olivia in particular is facing a life as a spinster governess due to her lack of wealth; men generally wanted to marry women from a prosperous family, as both a means of income and also for social status.
Evesham flips the narrative from chapter to chapter to allow us an insight into both Nelson and Olivia's mindset. Where they both feel the other is untrustworthy, it's entertaining to see their feelings and ideals are far similar than both of them imagine. Their attraction to each other takes them by surprise, and we're taken along with them as they try to hide their desire for each other.
The cast of characters is delightful, as expected. Evesham weaves their backgrounds intricately into the story, and we feel close to them, regardless of hero or villain. The mysteries are baffling to all, and are solved at a perfect, delectable pace, with no strikingly obvious motives or perpetrators.
Once again, Evesham's research into the age and setting is flawless. I particularly enjoyed more of a peek into the lives of the villagers close to Thatcham Hall. Their customs and colloquialisms were strikingly different to the residents of the hall, and although they seemed socially closer to the servants, it was clear to see working in a respected establishment such as the Hall houses the servants a level above the villagers. Evesham's hints to the politics, etiquette, and even fashion of the day are so subtle, yet fascinating. I really cannot fault her attention to detail.
It's been a long time since I've been so wrapped up in a story, and I'd like to thank the author for inviting me into her world. Both An Independent Woman and Danger at Thatcham Hall have helped me escape from my own world, and have brought me hours of suspense, fun, and awe. These are an absolute imperative read for fans of Victorian fiction; I look forward to (hopefully) a third.
We're given again a strong heroine, a tortured hero, and a series of mysteries. This time, instead of unravelling the characters' past, we focus on events happening in the present. Nelson Roberts is shipped in from London to solve the crimes, and Olivia Martin, also from London, is visiting as a friend and cousin of the family. Both of these characters struggle against the social expectations of their situation, and this is something I'm always interested to read in Victorian fiction. Olivia in particular is facing a life as a spinster governess due to her lack of wealth; men generally wanted to marry women from a prosperous family, as both a means of income and also for social status.
Evesham flips the narrative from chapter to chapter to allow us an insight into both Nelson and Olivia's mindset. Where they both feel the other is untrustworthy, it's entertaining to see their feelings and ideals are far similar than both of them imagine. Their attraction to each other takes them by surprise, and we're taken along with them as they try to hide their desire for each other.
The cast of characters is delightful, as expected. Evesham weaves their backgrounds intricately into the story, and we feel close to them, regardless of hero or villain. The mysteries are baffling to all, and are solved at a perfect, delectable pace, with no strikingly obvious motives or perpetrators.
Once again, Evesham's research into the age and setting is flawless. I particularly enjoyed more of a peek into the lives of the villagers close to Thatcham Hall. Their customs and colloquialisms were strikingly different to the residents of the hall, and although they seemed socially closer to the servants, it was clear to see working in a respected establishment such as the Hall houses the servants a level above the villagers. Evesham's hints to the politics, etiquette, and even fashion of the day are so subtle, yet fascinating. I really cannot fault her attention to detail.
It's been a long time since I've been so wrapped up in a story, and I'd like to thank the author for inviting me into her world. Both An Independent Woman and Danger at Thatcham Hall have helped me escape from my own world, and have brought me hours of suspense, fun, and awe. These are an absolute imperative read for fans of Victorian fiction; I look forward to (hopefully) a third.
July 19, 2015
I was lucky enough to be contacted by the author, and given a copy of this book for review. I really enjoyed it and got immersed in this Victorian world, with a strange death setting the scene for the brief encounter between the two main characters, Nelson and Olivia.
I have been a huge fan of crime fiction in the past (I have a lot of Agatha Christie books!) and had not read a book like it in a long time. Overall, I thought it was a fantastic read. Extremely well-written, with well thought-out characters, and an intriguing plot.
Nelson is an interesting character, who survives a costly war in Afghanistan, where he was one of the few survivors. He carries a few battle scars and resents certain Officers who claim to be war heroes. The truth, as he saw it, was very different with many Officers putting their lives before that of their men. However, he has reinvented himself as a highly sought after lawyer who gets called upon to try to solve some of the issues occurring in Thatcham Hall.
Since I am currently working on a historical novel set in the Victorian era, and have a love of Austen and Bronte, I followed the historic setting and understood the problems that resulted from Officers bad decisions. Even though hard to imagine, history has taught us that those in charge are not always the most knowledgeable!
Even though not mentioned, the Charge of the Light Brigade is a classic film written about the blunders that resulted in the Crimea because of Officers who had no knowledge of battle, made hasty decisions, or for costly mistakes resulting from a lack of communication. (There were no mobile phones you could use with which to abort a mission if it was obvious it would go sour!)
I mention this because his character is important, and the attraction with Olivia is almost blighted by his own misgivings.
Olivia is a strong and intelligent young lady who is a keen musician, but living in a man's world believes she can do no better than get a job as a governess. In those days, a woman's choices were limited! I loved the way her curiousity and better judgement came through in the end!
I would highly recommend this book to readers of crime and Victorian historical novels. Even though their relationship is of interest, I would not call this book a romance novel, but would suggest that if you like some hints of romance and a feel-good ending this is the book for you.
It certainly worked for me!
http://westerreadsandreviews.blogspot...
I have been a huge fan of crime fiction in the past (I have a lot of Agatha Christie books!) and had not read a book like it in a long time. Overall, I thought it was a fantastic read. Extremely well-written, with well thought-out characters, and an intriguing plot.
Nelson is an interesting character, who survives a costly war in Afghanistan, where he was one of the few survivors. He carries a few battle scars and resents certain Officers who claim to be war heroes. The truth, as he saw it, was very different with many Officers putting their lives before that of their men. However, he has reinvented himself as a highly sought after lawyer who gets called upon to try to solve some of the issues occurring in Thatcham Hall.
Since I am currently working on a historical novel set in the Victorian era, and have a love of Austen and Bronte, I followed the historic setting and understood the problems that resulted from Officers bad decisions. Even though hard to imagine, history has taught us that those in charge are not always the most knowledgeable!
Even though not mentioned, the Charge of the Light Brigade is a classic film written about the blunders that resulted in the Crimea because of Officers who had no knowledge of battle, made hasty decisions, or for costly mistakes resulting from a lack of communication. (There were no mobile phones you could use with which to abort a mission if it was obvious it would go sour!)
I mention this because his character is important, and the attraction with Olivia is almost blighted by his own misgivings.
Olivia is a strong and intelligent young lady who is a keen musician, but living in a man's world believes she can do no better than get a job as a governess. In those days, a woman's choices were limited! I loved the way her curiousity and better judgement came through in the end!
I would highly recommend this book to readers of crime and Victorian historical novels. Even though their relationship is of interest, I would not call this book a romance novel, but would suggest that if you like some hints of romance and a feel-good ending this is the book for you.
It certainly worked for me!
http://westerreadsandreviews.blogspot...
August 3, 2015
Frances Evesham has taken us back to Thatcham Hall, a large country estate in Victorian England, to encounter and solve more mysteries and encounter sweet romance.
Danger at Thatcham Hall is easy to love if you enjoy well-written, entertaining, moving, exciting, and romantic, crime novels, set in Victorian England. It was easy for me to love. Victorian England is my favourite place, so it was a joy to spend several hours wandering around the English countryside, solving crimes.
On this occasion, there are two guests at the Hall, and a murder mystery to be unraveled, which endangers the lives of the residents at the Hall. Nelson is Lord Thatcham’s ambitious lawyer, who is a physically and spiritually scarred man, having experienced trauma at war and the betrayal of his fiancée. He meets Olivia, a strong willed pianist, who fears she may have to become a governess due to the constraints women faced when pursuing musical careers.
They stumble across a dead body, and Lord Thatcham asks Nelson to investigate the accusations against one of his staff. Nelson accepts the job and with Olivia’s help finally disentangles the mystery.
There are plenty of richly drawn characters including a villain, a spoilt child, the imposing Dowager, the lovers, a mysterious healer, villagers, farmhands, and servants at the Hall. The reader is submerged with the characters into daily life in Victorian England, including a visit to London.
Once again, the author shows expert knowledge of Victorian England, which she transmits wrapped up in an enjoyable parcel of mystery, action, and romance.
Danger at Thatcham Hall can be read as a stand-alone. The action in the first book in the series, An Independent Woman, revolved around Lord Thatcham and how he met his wife-to-be, Philomena. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more involvement of these two impressive characters in this second novel. Of course, it is no longer their story, but I came to like them enough to want to know more. If you have not read an Independent Woman yet, I also highly recommend it, too!
Danger at Thatcham Hall is easy to love if you enjoy well-written, entertaining, moving, exciting, and romantic, crime novels, set in Victorian England. It was easy for me to love. Victorian England is my favourite place, so it was a joy to spend several hours wandering around the English countryside, solving crimes.
On this occasion, there are two guests at the Hall, and a murder mystery to be unraveled, which endangers the lives of the residents at the Hall. Nelson is Lord Thatcham’s ambitious lawyer, who is a physically and spiritually scarred man, having experienced trauma at war and the betrayal of his fiancée. He meets Olivia, a strong willed pianist, who fears she may have to become a governess due to the constraints women faced when pursuing musical careers.
They stumble across a dead body, and Lord Thatcham asks Nelson to investigate the accusations against one of his staff. Nelson accepts the job and with Olivia’s help finally disentangles the mystery.
There are plenty of richly drawn characters including a villain, a spoilt child, the imposing Dowager, the lovers, a mysterious healer, villagers, farmhands, and servants at the Hall. The reader is submerged with the characters into daily life in Victorian England, including a visit to London.
Once again, the author shows expert knowledge of Victorian England, which she transmits wrapped up in an enjoyable parcel of mystery, action, and romance.
Danger at Thatcham Hall can be read as a stand-alone. The action in the first book in the series, An Independent Woman, revolved around Lord Thatcham and how he met his wife-to-be, Philomena. My only complaint is that I would have liked to see more involvement of these two impressive characters in this second novel. Of course, it is no longer their story, but I came to like them enough to want to know more. If you have not read an Independent Woman yet, I also highly recommend it, too!
August 16, 2015
In John Bowen’s talk filmed at Horace Walpole’s miniature gothic Strawberry Hill—birthplace of the gothic novel—the Professor of 19th century literature at the University of York lists the essential elements of the gothic genre. Danger at Thatcham Hall, Frances Evesham’s latest novel, provides a seamless illustration of each point:
A proper gothic requires its heroine to be transported to a strange place, such as a wilderness or prison. When Olivia Martin’s father dies leaving his wife and daughter in dire financial straits, they accept her cousin Hugh’s offer of an empty manor house near his own estate, Thatcham Hall. Although only a train ride from London’s amenities, the English countryside is a place full of unknown terrors for London-raised Olivia, who we first meet during her encounter with a terrifying horned beast—which turns out to be a placidly grazing Jersey milk cow. Her fear is mocked by an elegant stranger, barrister Nelson Roberts, also a London transplant brought in by Lord Thatcham when one of his servants is falsely accused of animal maiming. In best gothic fashion, her relief that the cow isn’t an attacking bull is short-lived, as another stumble leads to the discovery of a murdered body. Of course, a proper gothic also includes a contrast from the past, and Olivia soon meets that in the form of a strange young boy and his even stranger grandmother, whose tragic history is connected to both Thatcham Hall and to Nelson Robert’s military service as a British Major during a botched Afghan campaign.
Power is always a theme in gothics, and frequently expressed in their fascination with sexuality. Vulnerable young women are threatened, either explicitly with rape or at least with the sexual power of patriarchal figures who seem to have no restraints on their desires. But the gothic is all about the ways in which those seemingly fragile and vulnerable women triumph over such supposedly unbeatable forces. In Danger at Thatcham Hall, Olivia is indeed vulnerable, seemingly without protection or resources. As she and Nelson investigate the mysterious deaths and other events, however, we learn that she is both self-reliant and strong, with a plan to escape her fate. The hero, interestingly, is not part of this power dynamic. His job, plain and simple, is to be strong, preferably witty, and save the heroine while (unsuccessfully, of course) attempting to conceal his tortured soul (from which torment, of course, she rescues him). Olivia senses the darkness and conflict in Nelson, suffering from what we would today call post-traumatic stress disorder.
The indispensable tools of the Gothic-genre are the uncanny and the sublime. The former surfaces as Olivia and Nelson see familiar items used in peculiar ways, such as personal items stolen from Lord Thatcham’s family, rope with strange items twisted into it, or seemingly innocent herbs. For eighteenth century readers and still today, terrifying and overwhelming natural events such as storms or fire—things outside of the usual categories of beautiful or harmonious—contained sublime meaning. In Danger at Thatcham Hall, for example, a storm rages the night Nelson is accused of murder, while a climactic fire provides answers to the final mysteries.
As they describe frightening events, gothics usually fall into either terror or horror categories. Some, such as Frankenstein or Dracula, embrace supernatural phenomena to evoke horror. One of the early masters of the gothic, Ann Radcliffe, believed that terror could be “morally uplifting” by not explicitly showing horrific events, but only warning readers of their possibility. Horror, on the other hand, would describe those events fully, and thus be “morally bad”. In choosing terror over horror, the writers often looked for a natural or realistic explanation for perceived supernatural phenomena. For example, the ghostly sounds and events Jane Eyre witnesses prove to be caused by her lover’s very-much-alive hidden wife. As they investigate the mysteries in Danger at Thatcham Hall, Olivia and Nelson hear whispers of witchcraft, curses, and echoes of past evil.
It is such a pleasure to see an expert at work, and Frances Evesham is clearly a master of the gothic novel genre. Danger at Thatcham Hall is the second book in her Thatcham Hall Mysteries, but also stands well on its own. The main characters, Olivia Martin and Nelson Roberts, are at the same time perfectly shaped by their world and struggling against the limits imposed by their backgrounds and demographics. By rights, as the daughter of an impoverished widow, Olivia should be destined for a life as a governess or paid companion. Nelson should have been at the center of a group of military heroes telling tall tales of his exploits. But she is determined to earn a living with her music, while he struggles to make a name for himself as a barrister. Frances Evesham’s technique of alternating points of view between the two main characters allows us see them both from the outside and also get a glimpse of the people beneath their conventional facades. The Victorian vocabulary of the gothic is particularly entertaining, such as Olivia becoming properly “breathless” when being carried by Nelson. And I’m no expert on Victorian times, but I’m bowled over by the amount of period detail and research she commands.
My complaints are fairly minor. Even Victorians, I believe, would not be so formal in private as to have Miss Dainty refer to her cousin and friend Olivia as “Miss Martin” even when the two are alone. More significantly, I just couldn’t buy the final revelation of the identity of the villain who is manipulating the whole chain of events. Without going into spoiler-territory, I have to say I didn’t see enough buildup in the story to ever believe that “the villain” could possibly have the understanding and depth to influence and/or cause the events.
But overall, for the pitch-perfect orchestration of the gothic genre in all its elements, for the beautifully paced and written narrative, and for the creation of two wonderful lead characters, I would give Danger at Thatcham Hall four and a half stars out of five. And I certainly can’t wait for the next book in this incredible series!
A proper gothic requires its heroine to be transported to a strange place, such as a wilderness or prison. When Olivia Martin’s father dies leaving his wife and daughter in dire financial straits, they accept her cousin Hugh’s offer of an empty manor house near his own estate, Thatcham Hall. Although only a train ride from London’s amenities, the English countryside is a place full of unknown terrors for London-raised Olivia, who we first meet during her encounter with a terrifying horned beast—which turns out to be a placidly grazing Jersey milk cow. Her fear is mocked by an elegant stranger, barrister Nelson Roberts, also a London transplant brought in by Lord Thatcham when one of his servants is falsely accused of animal maiming. In best gothic fashion, her relief that the cow isn’t an attacking bull is short-lived, as another stumble leads to the discovery of a murdered body. Of course, a proper gothic also includes a contrast from the past, and Olivia soon meets that in the form of a strange young boy and his even stranger grandmother, whose tragic history is connected to both Thatcham Hall and to Nelson Robert’s military service as a British Major during a botched Afghan campaign.
Power is always a theme in gothics, and frequently expressed in their fascination with sexuality. Vulnerable young women are threatened, either explicitly with rape or at least with the sexual power of patriarchal figures who seem to have no restraints on their desires. But the gothic is all about the ways in which those seemingly fragile and vulnerable women triumph over such supposedly unbeatable forces. In Danger at Thatcham Hall, Olivia is indeed vulnerable, seemingly without protection or resources. As she and Nelson investigate the mysterious deaths and other events, however, we learn that she is both self-reliant and strong, with a plan to escape her fate. The hero, interestingly, is not part of this power dynamic. His job, plain and simple, is to be strong, preferably witty, and save the heroine while (unsuccessfully, of course) attempting to conceal his tortured soul (from which torment, of course, she rescues him). Olivia senses the darkness and conflict in Nelson, suffering from what we would today call post-traumatic stress disorder.
The indispensable tools of the Gothic-genre are the uncanny and the sublime. The former surfaces as Olivia and Nelson see familiar items used in peculiar ways, such as personal items stolen from Lord Thatcham’s family, rope with strange items twisted into it, or seemingly innocent herbs. For eighteenth century readers and still today, terrifying and overwhelming natural events such as storms or fire—things outside of the usual categories of beautiful or harmonious—contained sublime meaning. In Danger at Thatcham Hall, for example, a storm rages the night Nelson is accused of murder, while a climactic fire provides answers to the final mysteries.
As they describe frightening events, gothics usually fall into either terror or horror categories. Some, such as Frankenstein or Dracula, embrace supernatural phenomena to evoke horror. One of the early masters of the gothic, Ann Radcliffe, believed that terror could be “morally uplifting” by not explicitly showing horrific events, but only warning readers of their possibility. Horror, on the other hand, would describe those events fully, and thus be “morally bad”. In choosing terror over horror, the writers often looked for a natural or realistic explanation for perceived supernatural phenomena. For example, the ghostly sounds and events Jane Eyre witnesses prove to be caused by her lover’s very-much-alive hidden wife. As they investigate the mysteries in Danger at Thatcham Hall, Olivia and Nelson hear whispers of witchcraft, curses, and echoes of past evil.
It is such a pleasure to see an expert at work, and Frances Evesham is clearly a master of the gothic novel genre. Danger at Thatcham Hall is the second book in her Thatcham Hall Mysteries, but also stands well on its own. The main characters, Olivia Martin and Nelson Roberts, are at the same time perfectly shaped by their world and struggling against the limits imposed by their backgrounds and demographics. By rights, as the daughter of an impoverished widow, Olivia should be destined for a life as a governess or paid companion. Nelson should have been at the center of a group of military heroes telling tall tales of his exploits. But she is determined to earn a living with her music, while he struggles to make a name for himself as a barrister. Frances Evesham’s technique of alternating points of view between the two main characters allows us see them both from the outside and also get a glimpse of the people beneath their conventional facades. The Victorian vocabulary of the gothic is particularly entertaining, such as Olivia becoming properly “breathless” when being carried by Nelson. And I’m no expert on Victorian times, but I’m bowled over by the amount of period detail and research she commands.
My complaints are fairly minor. Even Victorians, I believe, would not be so formal in private as to have Miss Dainty refer to her cousin and friend Olivia as “Miss Martin” even when the two are alone. More significantly, I just couldn’t buy the final revelation of the identity of the villain who is manipulating the whole chain of events. Without going into spoiler-territory, I have to say I didn’t see enough buildup in the story to ever believe that “the villain” could possibly have the understanding and depth to influence and/or cause the events.
But overall, for the pitch-perfect orchestration of the gothic genre in all its elements, for the beautifully paced and written narrative, and for the creation of two wonderful lead characters, I would give Danger at Thatcham Hall four and a half stars out of five. And I certainly can’t wait for the next book in this incredible series!
April 4, 2018
2nd of 2 (so far) murder mysteries set at Thatham Hall in the 19th Century. Good fun reading
October 19, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
July 14, 2015
Olivia Martin, impetuous 19 year old heroine of “Danger at Thatcham Hall” shares many characteristics with Jane Austen’s Elizabeth Bennett. She is forthright and courageous and too intelligent to fall in love with every handsome young man she meets.
Early in the first chapter, Olivia finds herself marooned in the alien world of “the Countryside” with an unnerving stranger and tales of maimed animals and a possible murder. She longs to return to London to follow her dreams of success in music but she knows that this is not possible for a young lady with limited funds. Instead she finds herself aiding an infuriating older man, with a mocking smile, to solve the mystery of dangerous events.
But can she trust Nelson Roberts, an ex-army officer, recently trained as a lawyer, who has come to help Lord Thatcham? As readers we soon realise that Nelson is a complex man who wrestles with unpleasant memories from his time in Afghanistan and his motives change as the plot moves forward. Both he and Olivia have put their own lives at danger.
Thatcham Hall is in the reliable hands of Mayhew the butler and Mrs Rivers the housekeeper but some of the other servants seem less trustworthy. The villagers are not very friendly and deep in the wood lives an old lady who brews herbal remedies. The setting is vividly described as each new twist of the plot is gradually revealed.
I cannot fault this well-crafted story which contains all the best ingredients for a mystery, romance and period novel without being in any way derivative. If you pick it up to read you won’t want to put it down.
Early in the first chapter, Olivia finds herself marooned in the alien world of “the Countryside” with an unnerving stranger and tales of maimed animals and a possible murder. She longs to return to London to follow her dreams of success in music but she knows that this is not possible for a young lady with limited funds. Instead she finds herself aiding an infuriating older man, with a mocking smile, to solve the mystery of dangerous events.
But can she trust Nelson Roberts, an ex-army officer, recently trained as a lawyer, who has come to help Lord Thatcham? As readers we soon realise that Nelson is a complex man who wrestles with unpleasant memories from his time in Afghanistan and his motives change as the plot moves forward. Both he and Olivia have put their own lives at danger.
Thatcham Hall is in the reliable hands of Mayhew the butler and Mrs Rivers the housekeeper but some of the other servants seem less trustworthy. The villagers are not very friendly and deep in the wood lives an old lady who brews herbal remedies. The setting is vividly described as each new twist of the plot is gradually revealed.
I cannot fault this well-crafted story which contains all the best ingredients for a mystery, romance and period novel without being in any way derivative. If you pick it up to read you won’t want to put it down.
August 13, 2015
"High quality Victorian drama"
I take my hat off to writers who research their subject in such detail as this. The reader is transported to a time in history that is so foreign to us today. The countryside around Thatcham Hall and its inhabitants, whether above or below stairs; the setting, the mode of dress, the language and social mores are all perfectly described. Subtle references to political, social and industrial events and the significant changes so prevalent in mid-nineteenth century England, serve to pin the story exactly in place. The mystery itself is a complex one for Olivia Martin and Nelson Roberts to unravel. A sudden death, a few stolen trinkets, the cottage in the woods; all have some bearing on the mystery. Will they uncover the truth? Could there be the faintest prospect of romance in the air?
I take my hat off to writers who research their subject in such detail as this. The reader is transported to a time in history that is so foreign to us today. The countryside around Thatcham Hall and its inhabitants, whether above or below stairs; the setting, the mode of dress, the language and social mores are all perfectly described. Subtle references to political, social and industrial events and the significant changes so prevalent in mid-nineteenth century England, serve to pin the story exactly in place. The mystery itself is a complex one for Olivia Martin and Nelson Roberts to unravel. A sudden death, a few stolen trinkets, the cottage in the woods; all have some bearing on the mystery. Will they uncover the truth? Could there be the faintest prospect of romance in the air?
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