Death in an Elegant City

Murder on Location #4

by Sara Rosett

Sightseeing can be murder…

Location scout Kate Sharp is thrilled to be part of a scouting trip to the historic city of Bath, England to research the location for a Jane Austen documentary. But before Kate gets a chance to stroll the elegant boulevards where Austen once lived, murder cuts the sightseeing short. Now Kate must rearrange her itinerary and find the killer before she and the production are shut down permanently.

Perfect for fans of British detective mysteries,Death in an Elegant City blends the puzzle of a whodunit with the mystique of Jane Austen. It is the fourth installment in the popular Murder on Location series, a collection of traditional British cozy mysteries. Escape into a quintessentially English cozy with a Sara Rosett mystery today!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Audiobook, Fiction, Cozy, Contemporary, British Literature

264 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 28, 2016

About the author

USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett writes lighthearted mysteries for readers who enjoy atmospheric settings, fun characters, and puzzling whodunits.

She is the author of the High Society Lady Detective historical mystery series as well as three contemporary cozy series, the Murder on Location series, the On the Run series, and the Ellie Avery series. Sara also teaches an online course, How to Outline A Cozy Mystery.

Publishers Weekly called Sara's books, “satisfying,” “well-executed,” and “sparkling.” Sara loves to get new stamps in her passport and considers dark chocolate a daily requirement. Find out more at SaraRosett.com.

Reviews

[JoAn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Death in an Elegant City by Sara Rosett was a intriguing addition to this series. I actually listened to the audio book and the narrator did a wonderful job of distinguishing each character throughout the book. A tightly paced plot and several suspects made this an enjoyable read from beginning to end.

[Polly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun addition. I really enjoyed reading about Bath, it's tunnels and other areas of interest.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Sharp is excited to do some location scouting in the city of Bath for the next set of three episodes of the Jane Austen documentary she's been working on. Unfortunately Kate could do without the bickering duo of her boss, producer Elise Dupont and the newly assigned director, Cyrus Blakely. She's also nervous about reuniting with Alex after some time spent living and working overseas. Kate likes the charming city of Bath and the Bath Spa Inn but she soon discovers that Jane Austen would never consider Cyrus a gentleman. Cyrus seems to know the deepest, darkest dirt on everyone and isn't afraid to insinuate he'll use it as leverage. Still, Kate is shocked when she discovers Cyrus's dead body in the Roman baths. Elise is frantic the police will consider the crew members and the whiff of scandal will halt production. Elise charges everyone with attempting to establish alibis so they can get on with the show. This proves rather difficult, however, in a busy city filled with tourists. Will Kate be able to solve the murder before she's out of a job? While out roaming around Bath Alex runs into an old friend who seems to want more than plain friendship. Can Kate trust Alex?

This mystery is tight and really really good. It's the best mystery of the series. I did guess who the killer was but not right away and I wasn't totally positive. I did not like the second murder at all! That was really horrific and tragic.

I love the details of Bath! I've been to the Roman Baths but didn't know about the tunnel tours and didn't know about some of the other locations in the museum. The tunnel tours may be new since I was there a few years before the author visited. Overall, the description of Bath is excellent. I felt like I was there and I geeked out over the same sites Kate did, even walking up Gay Street to stand outside the dentist's office that was once the Austen's home. What I don't understand about this story is why they didn't ask at the Jane Austen Centre or the public library where other films have shot. There are tons of movies and TV spots filmed in Bath because of the city being a listed historic building. I would also expect that an inn near the Bath spa would be beyond this production's budget. The only major problem I had with this novel is the gun issue again. Unless laws have changed in the 20 years since I studied abroad in London, the author seems under the impression her characters can easily obtain guns or perhaps Kate fears this because she's used to American laws. By now I would think she would know the rules in the UK.

Character-wise this story reunites us with the production crew. Melissa is only on the periphery as she has transferred to costumes and works at the Museum of Fashion. Elise is back to being her usual "Type A" autocratic self. She's especially bossy here when her job and freedom are on the line. I have more sympathy for Felix here as we get to know him better. I saw where his plot was headed quickly. I don't remember Paul from any of the previous books. He's silent but he seems to hold in a temper. Poor Paul is forced to be a slave for the awful Cyrus. This man is beastly. He's lazy, selfish and nasty. It's not enough for him to take over the show but he has to try to blackmail people too. Kate's secret is not that huge of a deal and I don't think I could have kept my mouth shut. She was polite but firm about having been in SoCal taking care of her mom who was ill with pneumonia. Job or no job I probably would have been rude to Cyrus. I admire Kate for keeping her mouth shut. Alex is in a tough spot too, personally but he's still a great guy and really crazy about Kate.

Dominic and Annie Bell are the proprietors of the Bath Spa Hotel. Annie is cheerful and involved in many charitable and volunteer efforts. She has had an accident and forced to get around on crutches. I really like her and don't want her to be a killer but could she have hit Cyrus in the head with a crutch and caused him to fall? He knew her long ago and perhaps knows something she doesn't want revealed. Her husband Dominic, seems possessive of her and doesn't enjoy her volunteer endeavors. I really don't think they're well matched and I sense a sad story in Annie's past. I'm not sure why she married him in the first place. Mia, an energetic young woman works at the hotel and the Pump Rooms. She is a little too eager to help for my tastes. What young person cheerfully grabs luggage and hauls it up several flights of stairs? She's hard-working anyway. Yet, Mia was in the right spot possibly at the right time to have killed Cyrus. Octavia Blakely is hardly the grieving widow. I find her superficial, shallow and very Hollywood. She seems the type that is happy spending her husband's money but difficult to get along with. With a husband like Cyrus, who needs enemies? Did she kill him for some reason?

Also new here is Alex's old friend Viv. She's a bit too enthusiastic and clingy upon meeting Alex again. He needs to tell her he's just not that into her. I appreciate the fact that Kate trusts Alex, she just doesn't like Viv. Does Viv have a reason to resent Kate? Is she behind a mysterious incident in the Abbey? Viv comes across too strong. Perhaps she's nice and just wants to reconnect with an old friend. DCI Byron is the inspector on the case. He has a suspicious mind, which he should, as a cop but I don't think he's doing his job correctly if Kate and Alex can come up with information ahead of him. He doesn't have a warm personality but he does respond to Kate's submission of evidence. He doesn't dismiss her concerns quickly. Still, he isn't as likable as DCI Quimby.

I miss Slink and Grace, Beatrice and Sir Harold. I wish they would all remove to the Cotswolds so Kate and crew could work in Bath all the time. So far, this book has the most Austen content without capitalizing on Jane's fame. I can't wait to see what Kate gets involved in next. Stay tuned in just a few more minutes for my next review!

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of times, a cozy mystery series starts becoming predictable and boring after about 4 installments. I was a little worried after reading Book 3 in the On Location series that this might be true of these books as well. However, "Death in an Elegant City" is a strong 4th book. I actually liked it as much as I did the first book. The change of location and slightly more complex plot is what I think did the trick. I was also pleased that again the romance is there, but it hasn't become the focus of the series. Another favorite aspect for me is that the author seems to understand not everyone reading her books are huge Jane Austen fans. I like how added tidbits of Austen facts are included but don't overwhelm the main plot. Now I want to visit Bath.

[Kaitlyn Dunnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enjoyable entry in this series. I hope there will be more.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

again a good plot and a few twists, but not as good as the previous book in the series - nevertheless a few nice descriptions of Bath that I visited some years ago, and it were nice memories

[Linniegayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I continue to really enjoy this series. I especially liked the setting of Bath for this entry. The Jane Austen documentary production company is filming another episode, this time in Bath, and has a completely disagreeable new director. I enjoyed getting to know the main characters more, and also the mystery.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but as someone who just visited Bath, the setting was actually a bit of a disappointment. It pretty much just mentions everything in a Bath PR pack, nothing you couldn't gather from a quick google search.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bun Bun!! Bun bun!! Bun friends!!

[msleighm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook. Solid 4 stars book and narration.

Bath has catacombs. Who knew this and never told me? More for the next trip 🤔😏

[Bobbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good cozy mystery.

[Linda Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

review to come

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Sharp is a location scout. She’s currently back in England working on a Jane Austen documentary in Bath. She’s thrilled to be back in England and working, but unfortunately the crew that she works with, specifically the Producer, Elise, and the Director, Cyrus, are at it again. They don’t agree on aspects of this particular production and it’s making the rest of the crew miserable listening to their verbal sparring sessions.

When the crew finally settles into the Bath Spa Hotel and begins their scouting work for the production, one of the crew members winds up dead and leaves them all scrambling to clear their names.

I almost forgot how much I enjoyed the first book in this series.  Even though this is book 4 and I skipped ahead, it was still easy to follow and could easily be a standalone. I loved all the references to Jane Austen’s life and books throughout the story. The location, Bath, heightened my interest in the mystery. I’ve enjoyed several of Jane Austen’s books and I fondly reflected on those memories as I listened. The descriptions of locations in Austen’s books was a plus.

The mystery itself played out well. With almost every character there was at least a hint of suspicion. The actual revelation was clever and believable.

The audio narrator has a voice suitable to cozy mysteries. It’s calm and soothing and I looked forward to hearing her tell the story.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read and I look forward to another book in the series.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 'elegant city' of the title is Bath, in England. Kate is back as a location scout for the Jane Austen documentary. Many of the characters from the previous books reappear.When Kate finds a body at the Roman baths, she has some difficulty explaining why she was wandering in the catacombs. When a staff member of the hotel where they are all staying is also killed, suspicion falls on practically everyone. The descriptions of Bath, the abbey, and the baths brought back memories of my visit there years ago. The basic story is right along the lines of the previous books - they are all rather cookie-cutter - but the changes in venue and meeting new characters keep interest alive. The characterization of the various people whom Kate meets and/or works with is excellent. The love interest with Alex, which is slowly progressing through the series, is fun but not oppressive or tiresome. A nice light and entertaining read.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whereas the previous book, Death in a Stately Home features very little of Kate Sharp's workmates, Death in an Elegant City highlights them. Kate, Alex, Elsie, and the rest of the production crew head to Bath to scout locations and do pre-production work on the second set of three episodes for their Jane Austin documentary television series. But trouble starts before the film crew even reaches Bath as Elsie and the new director, Cyrus argues about everything from the best route to take to Bath to what to film when they get there. Even once they have arrived at the hotel and Elsie is handing out assignments, Cyrus refuses to follow Elsie's common-sense direction, telling her he wants to "absorb the ambience" of the location. But it isn't just Elsie that Cyrus treats with disrespect. He's rude, mean, and bullying to everyone on the production. So it's no great surprise when Cyrus is murdered. It's even Kate who finds his body in the famous Roman Baths.
The police interview everyone in the production: Kate and Alex the location scouts, Elsie the producer, Felix and Paul, and Melissa the continuity person who wants to go into costume design. Elsie becomes obsessed with getting alibis for everyone, but Kate and Alex are more practical, investigating who would kill Cyrus and how (and really, it's more like who wouldn't want to kill him since he not only made enemies of everyone on the production, he was also feuding with his wife). Kate and Alex also need to do their jobs, taking photographs of the famous locations in Bath - the Roman Baths, the Clock Tower, and a nearby picnic area that had actually been used by Jane Austen.
Suddenly, at breakfast, in the small hotel where the film crew is staying, there's a second murder. The hotel's young waitress and maid is killed, her throat cut. Elsie is picked up by the police after they find her glove nearby. And Kate finds what may be a blackmail note. She sends a picture of the note to the police and they call her, asking her to wait for an officer to pick up the evidence from her even though it's the early hours of the morning. But before the officer arrives - the murderer does. Kate is knocked out and awakens in a basement storage area. She escapes into a tunnel that connects to the catacombs beneath the city and then to the Roman baths. Exploring in the dark, she manages to find a police officer at ground level and speak to him through a grate, but he can't get her out. The chase continues between Kate, the murderer, the police, and even Alex who is worried for her safety. Luckily, the police are competent and organized and send in officers from the Roman Baths entrance to the tunnels, the hotel entrance to the tunnels, and the regular tourist entrance to the city's catacombs. They catch the murderer and rescue Kate. Then everything is explained.
I enjoyed this book very much. I love this series, and it was a nice change for the story to focus on the people Kate works with. I now feel I know all of them much better. I highly recommend Death in an Elegant City and the rest of the Murder on Location series. I've downloaded the Christmas short story that takes place next and the next two books in the series for my Kindle app.

[SOS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kate Sharp is back at work, scouting locations in Bath, England for a Jane Austen documentary. The crew settles into an inn owned by friends of the documentary’s director. They’ve hardly had a chance to absorb the historic atmosphere or visit the residence Austen lived in for a while before someone dies. Of course, Kate discovers the body. As always, she can’t just let the police deal with the investigation. She delves in to discover clues and details.

There’s a little bit of everything in this book, detective work, action, adventure, romance, and danger. While the story develops slowly and methodically, it’s a thrilling read. Sara Rosett doesn’t disappoint. Her stories are well thought out and beautifully written.

There’s a surprise at the end of Death in an Elegant City, another book, a novella length tale titled Menace at the Christmas Market. As Christmas approaches, Kate finds herself between productions. She joins a friend in order to drive to a Regency-themed market in the hope of finding a present for her boyfriend, Alex. He’s off visiting his mother for the holiday. Her friend wants to get a signed copy of an author’s Austen sequel book. Once there, they discover that the author is missing, supposedly enjoying a holiday on the same island as Alex. As always when Kate is involved, one thing leads to another. I thought it was a brilliant shorter listen.

The narrator of both books, Sarah, Mollo-Christensen, does an exceptional job in voicing all the characters and bringing life to the words. Her voice is easy to listen to, and she offers just the right amount of drama and intensity each scene calls for. You won’t go wrong with her narration.

I was lucky enough to receive this audio book for free from the author, with no strings attached. I’m posting this review because I want to share my honest reactions to these books. I enjoyed them thoroughly.

[Karina S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Jane Austen documentary takes Kate and her colleagues to Bath this time. The atmosphere is a bit tense as Elise and the new director don't get along with each other. He loves to point out their sore spots to others and makes a lot of enemies. Therefore, it's no surprise that he is the first murder victim in this novel. Elise, worried about the future of the project, pushes the team to verify alibis and shed light on the background of the death. This doesn't leave much time for location scouting until another murder occurs. This crime is very bloody and in my opinion it was a bit out of the scope of previous killing methods. It doesn't fit into the genre "Cosy Crime" that well.
I was missing the romantic component between Kate and Alex in this novel. There is little progress in their love story. Since everything takes place in Bath, I also missed the well-known characters from Nether Woodsmoor. There were again some red herrings for the reader and tension was built up, but it was not as "cosy" as in the previous books of the series. Nevertheless the plot is solid and the resolution was not really predictable for me. So I give four stars.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[Alison C · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s November, four months since Kate Sharp has been working in England; she had returned to Los Angeles to care for her ailing mother, but now her mother is better and she’s back with boyfriend Alex Norcutt, both still working on the production of a television series about Jane Austen. This time, they and their colleagues go to Bath to search out locations related to Austen’s life there, but before they can do more than marvel at a few of the outstanding buildings and the famous Roman Baths, they find themselves embroiled once again in murder. This time, it’s the obnoxious new director of the series, Cyrus Blakely, and the possible suspects range from their boss, producer Elise Dupont, to Cyrus’s estranged wife Octavia to pretty much anybody who ever had the misfortune to so much as speak to Cyrus…. This is the fourth in the series, and is as amusing as ever. Having visited Bath years ago, I enjoyed the descriptions of the various attractions of the place (and the reminder of how hilly the place is!) and the murder mystery is nicely played. Nothing earth-shattering here, but a pleasant way to spend an afternoon or two; recommended.

[Snow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here’s my review for “Death in an Elegant City” by Sara Rosett. This is the 4th installment of her “Murder on Location” series. This book is set in Bath, England and Sara does an amazing job of beautifully describing the location. This is typical Sara - artfully described exotic locations - and I was happy to recognize her resurrecting this talent after I read the “On the Run” series.

This is another mystery, though it’s set in Bath vs. Nether Woodsmoor. What starts as a pre-pro for season 2 of the Austen documentary turns into murder in a glamorous town. Kate and Alex get to spend most of this book together, which is helpful for their relationship (and for readers trying to believe that there’s a relationship). Essentially, the entire production team become suspects in the murder and spend most of the book trying to prove their innocence.

Bath is beautifully described in this book and I have added it to my “must visit” locations. This book earned a solid 4 stars for interesting storyline and intriguing location.

[Amy · Rating 1 out of 5]

In her “Story Behind the Story” at the end of the book, Rosett talks about not having her characters behave in a “TSTL” (too stupid to live) manner, but it seemed to me very early on that she fell hard into this trap with the behavior of the character Elise, immediately following the first murder. I am as willing as the next reader to suspend belief, to a point. But the sheer idiocy of the events so early on in the book made much of the rest of it a real chore to read.

It's a shame. I had thought Rosett was going to be one of those writers who doesn’t fall into such awkward and annoying plotting ploys. I suppose it’s a common problem for people who write mysteries about amateur sleuths, having to come up with what can often turn out to be a convoluted and absurd excuse for the main character to start playing detective. Usually it’s handled in a moderately successful way, but in the case of this book, I feel it spoiled the whole story.

[Hilary (A Wytch's Book Review) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Sharp and her boyfriend Alex are location scouts and this time they (and some other people) are headed to Bath to do another series based on the works of Jane Austen, Elise the Producer can be rather sharp but knows how to get stuff done, her assistant Paul is fairly laid back, the driver and general Gopher Felix can be grumpy, but the worst person of all is Cyrus the Director, who seems to think he is the Bee's Knees and has a habit of finding out interesting facts about people and making not so subtle digs about them.  However nobody expects Cyrus to wind up dead no more than 4 hours after they arrive in Bath.  Now with the rest of the team in the local police viewfinder, Elise wants Kate to start digging and find out the truth, .... but then there is another murder and things get worse!

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Location scout Kate is in Bath with the rest of her production team for the Jane Austen documentary series when she finds a body in the Roman baths. It is their newly assigned director, a man no one liked. If one of her colleagues is not to be indicted for the crime, Kate needs to figure out who did kill the man. Recently reunited with her boyfriend Alex, Kate is keen to keep her job and to enjoy at least some aspects of her first time in Bath. The local constabulary, however, is determined to assign the blame to Kate's producer. When a waitress from the group's hotel also turns up dead, the stakes are raised considerably. The setting of this mystery is delightful and Kate is a likable investigator.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another enjoyable easy read in this murder mystery series based in England but with a mixture of American and English characters. The main characters are involved in filming a Jane Austen documentary and this book takes them to Bath where, of course, a murder occurs and the sleuthing begins. I think what I most enjoy about these books is that the author does a great job of describing England -- the countryside, the architecture, the people. Having lived there for a few years, it brings back great memories. Another thing is that there is never any profanity or sex and each book finds the two main characters (Alex & Kate) continuing their burgeoning romance. This particular book also included a Christmas novella at the end.

[Sheri Heiner]

I loved this entirely delightful novel!

It may be that this is not my favorite in this series. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the trip to Bath. Its mystery and history were the stars of the book. The whodunit was not that easy to figure out and that in itself is pretty fabulous. Ms. Rosett has a wonderful way with description and I could almost feel the wind in my hair. The characters are fun and well fleshed out giving the series the continuity and humanity so necessary in a series with several books. Kate and Alex are a great couple, very believable as is their growing romance. I'll be back for more of their escapades. I do really appreciate that Kate is not T.S.T.L! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read, both for the history and the mysterious deaths in this ancient city of Bath. Kate and Alix are part of the scouting group for the next Jane Austin documentary show. They are based in a small boutique hotel with an ancient history as they roam the city taking photographs of places to use for filming. Fun to tag along with Kate as she explores the Abby, Roman baths, and streets that Jane Austin had walked. But, murder first takes their director and then the waitress at the hotel and as Kate begins to question why the director was killed, several suspects turn up with reasons to want him dead. You will tour from the height of the tall bell tower to the catacombs beneath the city to find the killer.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate and Alex find themselves in Bath to continue the Jane Austen documentary. There's a new director who argues incessantly with Elise, the producer. While scouting filming locations Kate is in the famous baths taking pictures until she sees something odd in one of them. Upon investigation she finds the body of the director and once again is embroiled in a murder investigation. Fans of Regency romances will thoroughly enjoy a closer look at parts of Bath that they may have read about. Kate's skill of observation once again plays a critical role in solving the murder mystery. This book is a nice addition to the series.

[Karen Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely series!

I have quickly become addicted to the series so it's not a surprise that I loved this addition to the series. The writer's style is wonderful and the story is interesting, pretty unique. I don't know of any other books based on a location scout. This only adds to the books though. Kate is smart , quick on her feet and observant. While she is a strong capable woman I love her and Alex together. The work group that Kate has ended up with works well and it is great for their adventures on location. Hopefully Kate and Alex have many more stories to come, I haven't read enough of their story yet.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have always been fascinated by the city of Bath in England - having read all the Jane Austen books she uses Bath as the city to vacation at in her novels. Kate Sharp and crew go to Bath to scout out locations for the next 3 segments on Jane Austen and her writing. And of course Kate stumbles on the body of their much disliked director murdered and left at the famous baths of Bath. There are no lack of suspects as none of the group like the director even a little. So did one of them murder him or was it a random act. Then a second person is murdered - a waitress at the bed and breakfast they are staying at - connected or not, random or planned?

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like that this one went on the road and away from the village. It made a nice change of pace, and a way to bring in more outside characters. Hard to describe without spoilers but I thought the murderer and reason for the murder was a little bit of a letdown at the end. It just seemed too simple after so much investigating and running about. Hoping to see less of Elise in future books. She can be downright annoying but yes, I know some type of conflict is always needed, and she drove a good deal of the plot on this one. Still an enjoyable series that I will continue on with.

[Jane Irish Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars. Kate and Alex are location scouting in Bath for the Austen documentary with the rest of the scout crew, but a new director had been added — a director who upset the harmony of the group, from the producer, Elise, on down. So when Kate finds him murdered it is not actually a surprise. Elise wants everyone to verify their alibis rather than focus on scouting, but Kate and Alex (naturally) do a little investigating on the side. I found this a quick read, but the plot was rather simplistic, and the murderer easily guessed.