A Death By Arson

Euphemia Martins Mystery #9

by Caroline Dunford

Following an eventful Christmas Euphemia Martins, like her employer Richenda Muller, is looking forward to a quiet start to 1913. Their hopes are dashed when Richenda's husband Hans announces that they are to visit the home of Sir Richard Stapleford, Richenda's nefarious twin. Sir Richard is holding a grand party at his Scottish estate, to celebrate the New Year, and Hans is looking to seal a business deal or two. The Muller household, plus Richenda’s brother Bertram, soon discover that Richard has rather a big surprise up his sleeve… Against her better judgement, Euphemia becomes mixed up with blushing brides and tales of ghosts – and faces from the past serve to complicate things further. When a body is found, Euphemia investigates – and finds herself under suspicion. Meanwhile, Richenda is decidedly (and calamitously) off cake – and Bertram is overjoyed at the technological progress of the motor car... The ninth in the Euphemia Martins series of historical murder mysteries by Caroline Dunford.

Genres: Mystery

244 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 26, 2016

About the author

Like most authors I did several jobs before I settled down to writing full time. I've been a journalist, a development officer, and a psychotherapist. I am a novelist, short story writer, mentor, tutor and playwright.
Throughout my life I've been fascinated by people - to the extent I even did a psychology degree before training in psychotherapy. I firmly believe that we all make sense of the whole through narrative- even if it's only the one inside your own head.
My Euphemia Martins Mysteries are inspired by my maternal great grandmother, who left a life of luxury to go into service.
However, everything I do inspires me. The best way of me to make sense of what often seems a very chaotic world is to tell stories. And in those stories I'm always asking questions.
Recently my play Burke has gone into its third production. It tries to make sense of what Burke and Hare, still the UK's most successful (?) serial killers did what they did. How they started.
You'll find traces of questions like this is the Euphemia stories where I often explore why people can and do do unpleasant things.
But - and this is a big but - I also believe that if you want to look at the darker side of human nature you must also pay homage to the lighter side, the truly selfless and generous acts that all humans are capable of doing.
And you need humour. Life can deal all of us harsh knocks and laughter is one of the greatest weapons in our armoury - along with love.

Reviews

[Eibhilin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book in the series sees Euphemia, Rory and Bertram travelling to Scotland to Richard's estate there: I particularly liked the turn of phrase in this book, with some real gems in the descriptions of people, and Euphemia refusing to pass the bread rolls to Bertram at dinner, "despite his pleading expression".

As with the other books in the series the plot is very much secondary to the characterisation, but I like that as it makes these books easy reading and very good to relax to.

[Avid Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lost one star in the final page. A very annoying ending

[Anne Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have read all the Euphemia Martins books and I want to love them, but I can only summon a mild affection that is increasingly replaced with irritation. All of the books are in need of good, solid copy editing and perhaps some developmental editing to help with pacing and plotting. The errors, wrong words, and missing words sometimes distract from the generally good writing and engaging characters. The majority of the books have a tendency to rush at the end - draw things out, draw things out, then sort of cut it off with no satisfactory resolution. The reader feels cheated by the abrupt and arbitrary endings. I've also noticed a tendency for telling vs. showing, a cardinal no-no in novel writing. As the reader, I feel distanced from the characters and their actions when I'm not actually there with them, seeing what they see, feeling what they feel, hearing what they hear, etc. Several of the books left me expecting a surprise or plot twist of some kind because we only learned about a particular death or other event second or third hand. There was one in particular where I was sure the murdered girl had not in fact been murdered and would resurface. If the heroine (and hence the reader) never see the body, how do we know there was an actual murder? But the book ended with no such reappearance by the supposed murder victim. Characters I found charming and engaging I now find tiresome. I will not seek out any future Euphemia Martins books unless I am asked to copy edit them - which I would do so gladly.

[Fiona Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

A traditional Scottish Hogmanay for Euphemia?

New Year's Celebrations for 2013 find our heroine with the Staplefords in Scotland for a Hogmanay wedding. It wouldn't be Euphemia if a death didn't occur, but who died and why? The latest instalment of the Euphemia Martins Mysteries is as gripping as ever with a final page leaving you eager to read more.

[Miss Sharon Burstow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

I have read all of these books and after the last one I hoped this would be better and surprise .it was! Back to the euphemia we all love, really good except the cliff hanger !! Can't wait to read the next one!

[Betty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lord A Mighty

Rating not changed due to proofreading or lack thereof.
Characters still living life through a spider's web knots and tangelos. Stumbling through clues to solve as amateurs the mysteries of the castle both old and new. Just when you think they've got it...To be continued. Enough to infuriated the loyal reader that ordinarily would have to wait for a subsequent publication to put an end to this, however I am playing catch-up and will continue on and wrap up this series. If it indeed has an end.