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Society for Paranormals #4
The Fourth Mandate
“Beatrice Knight is as delightful as Elizabeth Peters' Amelia Peabody…” “Her handy cane is like a Swiss Army Knife on steroids…” “Wonderfully different, quirky & had me laughing out loud …”
Having offered her firm and unequivocal resignation, Beatrice Knight is certain she is clear of her former employer, the Society for Paranormals, and is now free to proceed with her life and a wedding. It all seems quite simple, until the Society’s Director Prof Runal shows up at the train station, her cousin announces horrifying news and a ponytailed dwarf decides he needs her powers to eradicate all non-humanoid paranormals. At least one thing is certain: anything is manageable with a pot of tea and a fully loaded walking stick.
Case 4 in “Society for Paranormals”: A series concerning dead husbands, African legends and the search for a perfect spot of tea. For those readers who are enamoured with “Pride & Prejudice”, adore Amelia Peabody, and / or would appreciate a supernatural safari through colonial Kenya.
New to the series? Read Case #1 - Ghosts of Tsavo - for FREE!
Having offered her firm and unequivocal resignation, Beatrice Knight is certain she is clear of her former employer, the Society for Paranormals, and is now free to proceed with her life and a wedding. It all seems quite simple, until the Society’s Director Prof Runal shows up at the train station, her cousin announces horrifying news and a ponytailed dwarf decides he needs her powers to eradicate all non-humanoid paranormals. At least one thing is certain: anything is manageable with a pot of tea and a fully loaded walking stick.
Case 4 in “Society for Paranormals”: A series concerning dead husbands, African legends and the search for a perfect spot of tea. For those readers who are enamoured with “Pride & Prejudice”, adore Amelia Peabody, and / or would appreciate a supernatural safari through colonial Kenya.
New to the series? Read Case #1 - Ghosts of Tsavo - for FREE!
230 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 7, 2015
44 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
Vered Ehsani
99 books313 followersI've been a writer since I could hold pen to paper, which is a lot longer than I care to admit. I live in Kenya with my family and other animals. When I'm not writing, I pretend to work as an environmental consultant.
Visit my world at http://veredehsani.co.za/free-books/ & pick up 3 FREE books about paranormal mysteries set in colonial Africa.
Visit my world at http://veredehsani.co.za/free-books/ & pick up 3 FREE books about paranormal mysteries set in colonial Africa.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
August 20, 2015
So hooked on this series.
Bee is back and planning her wedding to Mr Timmons! But so many complications arise before that can even happen.
It is so nice to be back with characters I feel have become old friends and I just really want more. After this book, I have more questions and of course want more answers.
My slight issue is Prof Runal went all the way to Nairobi to warn Bee about the dwarf when earlier, he had sent her to Lagos to face Koki and she survived? It seems as if there's a lot more to it than that and it isn't answered here so that bummed me out a bit. But the action is still lots of fun, coupled with Bee's wit.
I can't wait to find out what happens next.
Also, the excerpt at the end that shows us what happened with Koki was a great read. Confused me at first because I already read about the encounter in the last book but this is longer and more in depth and of course, more time with Bee is always good!
Bee is back and planning her wedding to Mr Timmons! But so many complications arise before that can even happen.
It is so nice to be back with characters I feel have become old friends and I just really want more. After this book, I have more questions and of course want more answers.
My slight issue is Prof Runal went all the way to Nairobi to warn Bee about the dwarf when earlier, he had sent her to Lagos to face Koki and she survived? It seems as if there's a lot more to it than that and it isn't answered here so that bummed me out a bit. But the action is still lots of fun, coupled with Bee's wit.
I can't wait to find out what happens next.
Also, the excerpt at the end that shows us what happened with Koki was a great read. Confused me at first because I already read about the encounter in the last book but this is longer and more in depth and of course, more time with Bee is always good!
May 9, 2016
I believe this one is my favourite of all in the series. I was constantly chuckling while reading, occasionally laughing out loud.
To bad it was kind of short. Maybe it wasn't but I just read it too quickly.
The author has sent me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
To bad it was kind of short. Maybe it wasn't but I just read it too quickly.
The author has sent me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you!
September 9, 2015
By the time I got to this book, I was so hooked on the series, that I read it in one sitting.
Bea is slowly losing confidence in all that she has been told about herself, her family history and the Society for Paranormals for who she has been working. Her life is changing, her outlook is widening and Africa is turning into her home, not just a place to stay while her uncle rejuvenates the family finances. The development of her character is well done, and I was rooting for her all the way through.
I hated the bad guys and loved the good guys and hmmed about the characters in between.
This book features more about the society, which has been sitting behind the plot for most of the other stories. They are front and centre and widen the perspective of the series as other motives and background information come into play.
I am eagerly awaiting book 5!
Bea is slowly losing confidence in all that she has been told about herself, her family history and the Society for Paranormals for who she has been working. Her life is changing, her outlook is widening and Africa is turning into her home, not just a place to stay while her uncle rejuvenates the family finances. The development of her character is well done, and I was rooting for her all the way through.
I hated the bad guys and loved the good guys and hmmed about the characters in between.
This book features more about the society, which has been sitting behind the plot for most of the other stories. They are front and centre and widen the perspective of the series as other motives and background information come into play.
I am eagerly awaiting book 5!
February 13, 2017
Adventure, humor and strange entities, October 16, 2016
This review is from: The Fourth Mandate (Society for Paranormals Book 4) (Kindle Edition)
I purchased the set, Society For Paranormals, rather than the individual volume. Even though this is book 4 in a series, it is not needful for understanding or pleasure to read them in order. These books are in linear order but each can stand alone much as P. G. Wodehouse's books even though they have recurring characters and references to past events. In addition to that similarity, Ms. Ehsani's wit bears more than a passing resemblance to Wodehouse. Adventure, wit, romance, terror and more in British Colonial East Africa circa 1900.
This review is from: The Fourth Mandate (Society for Paranormals Book 4) (Kindle Edition)
I purchased the set, Society For Paranormals, rather than the individual volume. Even though this is book 4 in a series, it is not needful for understanding or pleasure to read them in order. These books are in linear order but each can stand alone much as P. G. Wodehouse's books even though they have recurring characters and references to past events. In addition to that similarity, Ms. Ehsani's wit bears more than a passing resemblance to Wodehouse. Adventure, wit, romance, terror and more in British Colonial East Africa circa 1900.
August 20, 2015
Enchanting, whimsical paranormal with a dash of exotic and a side dish of witty humor, that and so much more you'll find in The Fourth Mandate. The Society for Paranormals is a gem of a series and its fourth installation is a great read. The characters are growing and the setting is evocative and colorful. I'm looking forward to reading the fifth book, and I hope it won't take long to come out.
August 8, 2015
Another fun chapter in the tales of Beatrice Knight. In this one she faces up to Professor Rumal, finds out what really happen when her first husband died and in between attempts to prepare for her wedding. A fun romp.
June 13, 2016
What a fantastic series!! I'm so hooked!
September 4, 2015
Such fun books. Elizabeth Peters meets paranormal.
November 9, 2016
The last in this box set (though not the end of the series). Beatrice's misadventures continue much as before in a series of slightly bizarre events but eventually the latest peril is averted and she returns to
Nairobi and a wedding - and an interview with her erstwhile superior in the Society.
One of the joys of this series is the mismatch between 'normal' late Victorian sensibilities and the setting (East Africa), not in itself perhaps that surprising - there were a number of female explorers and travellers, Mary Kingsley being the one that springs to my mind though she was mostly in West Africa. Marry those to the supernatural elements, many unfamiliar to western readers and the result is a refreshing mixture of the mundane and the bizarre which probably shouldn't work but somehow does...
Nairobi and a wedding - and an interview with her erstwhile superior in the Society.
One of the joys of this series is the mismatch between 'normal' late Victorian sensibilities and the setting (East Africa), not in itself perhaps that surprising - there were a number of female explorers and travellers, Mary Kingsley being the one that springs to my mind though she was mostly in West Africa. Marry those to the supernatural elements, many unfamiliar to western readers and the result is a refreshing mixture of the mundane and the bizarre which probably shouldn't work but somehow does...
December 7, 2020
There are not very many series that can really hold up well for more than 4 or 5 books. There are even fewer that can hold you attention to complete the entire series from book 1 to book 10 with that desperate need to know how it all ends. Miss Knight is like Parasol Protectorate meets Amelia Peabody. Victorian ladies all with little regard for the societal strictures of their day. Then there is Yao (a personal favorite of the many characters in this series). If this was a sitcom, he would be the one-off character who garnered so many fans that he had to be written in as a regular. Highly recommend.
December 12, 2021
I still absolutely love this series, this is the fourth in the story.
Miss Knight is still a fun character, I am so glad she had her happy ending. Mr Timmons is still my favourite character though, I just adore his one liners and how protective he is.
The story is short and sweet but really good fun.
I would definitely recommend and will continue reading the series.
Miss Knight is still a fun character, I am so glad she had her happy ending. Mr Timmons is still my favourite character though, I just adore his one liners and how protective he is.
The story is short and sweet but really good fun.
I would definitely recommend and will continue reading the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 9, 2022
I know I read this earlier in the year but for some reason must have marked it #to be read instead of #read. Anyway. I enjoyed Beatrice's antics and how she uses what she knows and can do to get the best out of a situation. The more we learn about her, her family and friends, the more I want to know.
August 11, 2017
The weakest of this series so far. Seemed unfinished somehow, but it has things in it to keep the series going. Hopefully the next book gets back to being as good & enjoyable as the first three books were.
July 13, 2018
It has been a long time since I've found an author whose series of books I love so much! I l love the story line, the characters, the history of the location and the wacky humor. I can't wait to start the next book in the series! Paranormal fans should stop and grab the first book of this series.
February 22, 2021
I am addicted to these books!
Just when you think Miss Knight cannot possibly get herself embroiled any other shenanigans, along comes a nameless dwarf and a mute illustrated man and air travel and a gaseous nag and and and...
Absolutely perfect lockdown madness!!!!!
Just when you think Miss Knight cannot possibly get herself embroiled any other shenanigans, along comes a nameless dwarf and a mute illustrated man and air travel and a gaseous nag and and and...
Absolutely perfect lockdown madness!!!!!
February 28, 2021
Never a dull moment in this series. And I enjoy learning some African folklore.
April 18, 2021
Loved it!
March 24, 2023
Enjoying this series.
Read
October 15, 2016Our heroine finally reaches a happy ending but only after losing something precious, losing her ghost husband, fighting new & dangerous paranormal creatures, and being kidnapped by a psychotic dwarf.
March 8, 2017
Another excellent installment!
October 2, 2016
Sigh...
Beatrice Knight, the fierce and funny heroine of Vered Ehsani's series of novels about the Society for Paranormals, has gotten married, much to my chagrin owing to the fact that I've harbored a not-so-secret crush on her since she first appeared in "Ghosts of Tsavo."
That aside, in "The Fourth Mandate" Ehsani spins another wildly imaginative tale in which Beatrice - an occasionally proper Victorian widow - deals with a vengeful giant praying mantis as well as a demented dwarf bounty hunter; must try to once again rescue her late husband Gideon (he's a ghost); and come to grips with a monstrous betrayal by the man who not only heads the society but who also served as her surrogate father when her own parents were killed.
Oh, and, yes, she must also cope with wedding plans that have been made more difficult as a result of her encounter with Koki, the giant praying mantis. (I won't tell you why they have been made more difficult because that would spoil the surprise.)
This is the fourth book in the series and once again Ehsani uses her considerable writing talents (and equally considerable sense of humor) to mine the rich vein that is African myth and legend. In addition to the praying mantis - who can also appear as a stunningly beautiful woman - Ehsani has introduced her readers to Koki's husband (a giant spider), a lightning god, shape-shifting girls and their shape-shifting mother (they all can turn into lions), a man who can turn into a giant bat (he's married to her cousin), and a host of other amazing - if not always friendly - characters. She also provides her readers with a glimpse of what life was like in late 19th-Century Nairobi when it was little more than a railroad construction camp.
This book is actually a twofer: In addition to "The Fourth Mandate," Ehsani has given her readers a novella that details how Beatrice first met Koki and why the giant praying mantis has no love for our intrepid heroine. Told with the same sense of adventure - and humor - as her longer books, "That Night in Lagos" is an excellent read on its own.
Part Steampunk, part paranormal adventure, and great fun: "The Fourth Mandate" is a wonderful read and a book I highly recommend.
Beatrice Knight, the fierce and funny heroine of Vered Ehsani's series of novels about the Society for Paranormals, has gotten married, much to my chagrin owing to the fact that I've harbored a not-so-secret crush on her since she first appeared in "Ghosts of Tsavo."
That aside, in "The Fourth Mandate" Ehsani spins another wildly imaginative tale in which Beatrice - an occasionally proper Victorian widow - deals with a vengeful giant praying mantis as well as a demented dwarf bounty hunter; must try to once again rescue her late husband Gideon (he's a ghost); and come to grips with a monstrous betrayal by the man who not only heads the society but who also served as her surrogate father when her own parents were killed.
Oh, and, yes, she must also cope with wedding plans that have been made more difficult as a result of her encounter with Koki, the giant praying mantis. (I won't tell you why they have been made more difficult because that would spoil the surprise.)
This is the fourth book in the series and once again Ehsani uses her considerable writing talents (and equally considerable sense of humor) to mine the rich vein that is African myth and legend. In addition to the praying mantis - who can also appear as a stunningly beautiful woman - Ehsani has introduced her readers to Koki's husband (a giant spider), a lightning god, shape-shifting girls and their shape-shifting mother (they all can turn into lions), a man who can turn into a giant bat (he's married to her cousin), and a host of other amazing - if not always friendly - characters. She also provides her readers with a glimpse of what life was like in late 19th-Century Nairobi when it was little more than a railroad construction camp.
This book is actually a twofer: In addition to "The Fourth Mandate," Ehsani has given her readers a novella that details how Beatrice first met Koki and why the giant praying mantis has no love for our intrepid heroine. Told with the same sense of adventure - and humor - as her longer books, "That Night in Lagos" is an excellent read on its own.
Part Steampunk, part paranormal adventure, and great fun: "The Fourth Mandate" is a wonderful read and a book I highly recommend.
September 22, 2016
Loved these quirky tales - will definitely be reading the rest in the series
January 6, 2017
Truths Uncovered
Poor Mrs. Knight. She finds out a lot of secrets about her family and events in her youth. But she is also in peril from a most surprising source. And all this is happening while she tries to adjust to a horrendous injury and plan a wedding. One of the reasons I love this series is because a lot is going on but it flows so well. And of-course the characters are marvelous.
Poor Mrs. Knight. She finds out a lot of secrets about her family and events in her youth. But she is also in peril from a most surprising source. And all this is happening while she tries to adjust to a horrendous injury and plan a wedding. One of the reasons I love this series is because a lot is going on but it flows so well. And of-course the characters are marvelous.
February 8, 2017
Still really enjoying the Society of Paranormals.
Beatrice's boss arrives from London and he isn't bringing good news. But what do you expect from a secret keeping werewolf?
Beware of ponytail wearing dwarves!!!
Beatrice's boss arrives from London and he isn't bringing good news. But what do you expect from a secret keeping werewolf?
Beware of ponytail wearing dwarves!!!
January 24, 2017
Another hit
Again, fun characters move through an interesting tale while exchanging witty repartee and sipping tea. Fans of Amelia Peabody and Alexia Tarabotti will love Beatrice Knight.
Again, fun characters move through an interesting tale while exchanging witty repartee and sipping tea. Fans of Amelia Peabody and Alexia Tarabotti will love Beatrice Knight.
September 22, 2016
Love all the kooky characters in this series. Keeps getting better with each book.
January 22, 2017
Fun read
Love this series. Combining adventurous, paranormal and steam punk for a fun quick read. Can't wait for next book in series.
Love this series. Combining adventurous, paranormal and steam punk for a fun quick read. Can't wait for next book in series.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews