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Lord Francis Powerscourt #10
Death in a Scarlet Coat
Master of the Hunt, the fifteenth Earl of Candlesby, has come to lead his riders once again. But this time he comes as a corpse, wrapped in blankets across his horse, a corner of his scarlet coat visible in the morning mist. Only three people see the body. One dies. Another vanishes. Now only one man knows how he was killed. Powerscourt is summoned to investigate murder in a crumbling house where the paper is peeling off the walls and the stuffed owls each only have one leg.
The estate is virtually bankrupt as Powerscourt uncovers a world of jealousy, revenge and hatred, where the sons are as dissolute and dangerous as the father. The fifteenth earl had left a trail of duels, theft and adultery across the flatlands of Lincolnshire. It takes another death and a deadly chase under the crumbling estate before Powerscourt unlocks the secret of death in a scarlet coat.
Praise for David Dickinson:
'Splendid entertainment' Publishers Weekly
'Detective fiction in the grand style' James Naughtie
'Beguilingly real from start to finish... you have to pinch yourself to remind you that it is fiction - or is it?' Peter Snow
'Dickinson's customary historical tidbits and patches of local colour swathed in... appealing Victorian narrative' Kirkus Reviews
353 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
3 people are currently reading
93 people want to read
About the author
David Dickinson
68 books51 followersDavid Dickinson was born in Dublin. With an honours degree in Classics from Cambridge, David Dickinson joined the BBC, where he became editor of Newsnight and Panorama, as well as series editor for Monarchy, a three-part programme on the British royal family.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
September 14, 2012
The story was quite intriguing but the plot wasn't fast enough to keep me interested.
June 30, 2019
Another series I'm reading out of order!
The hunt are waiting outside the house for the Master to appear - he's late again. A horse comes up the drive being led by a retainer and there is something over it's back. The eldest son meets them and the horse is then led to the stable and the doctor is called. So begins the mystery - is this a natural death or murder? The doctor asks to see Lord Powerscort as he has something to say.
There is quite a bit of political history in this one. Lloyd George has set a budget which the Lords must vote on. It hits the landed estates so which way will the Lords vote on it.
The hunt are waiting outside the house for the Master to appear - he's late again. A horse comes up the drive being led by a retainer and there is something over it's back. The eldest son meets them and the horse is then led to the stable and the doctor is called. So begins the mystery - is this a natural death or murder? The doctor asks to see Lord Powerscort as he has something to say.
There is quite a bit of political history in this one. Lloyd George has set a budget which the Lords must vote on. It hits the landed estates so which way will the Lords vote on it.
March 14, 2022
Really enjoyed the story and found myself wanting to know what was going to happen next, but it was quite slow and overlong and the end was sadly anticlimactic, particularly with no one person actually having committed the murder! I'm starting to find his novels too boring (I have already given up on one before getting even halfway through as there was too much going on) so I hope the next one improves or I may decide not to read the others of his that are on my list!
August 19, 2017
This is a new author and series for me. Classic, and very well written, detective fiction that doesn't really "read" like fiction. Great characters that seem to fit well in pre-World War 1 Great Britain. I enjoyed this so much that I will start reading the other books in this series, in order.
September 18, 2018
My favorite Powerscourt book by far.
September 29, 2018
It is a good novel which is a classical murder story. There was a sad part when the other two brothers abused the youngest child. Who has a stutter. Would I recommend the book? Yes
March 22, 2021
Full of subtle humor and irony. If you don't like historical fiction, give it a miss.
July 10, 2011
First Sentence: It was very cold at nine o’clock on a breezy autumn morning in Lincolnshire.
The Earl of Candlesby is dead; an event more to cause celebration than mourning. Yet no one is allowed to see his body and the local, very elderly doctor is forced into signing a death certificate stating “natural causes.” Lord Francis Powerscourt, one of the most respected inquiry agents in Great Britain, and his wife Lady Lucy stop in Lincolnshire on their way to one of her many relatives. There they help out the local vicar and meet the doctor who later requests Powerscourt’s help in relieving the doctor’s conscience and finding out how the Earl really did die.
One of Dickinson’s many strengths is establishing a sense of time and place. His descriptions are so evocative, they are auditory, visual, and even one gets when standing on the site where the past and the present converge. Weather effectively becomes another character. His references to meals and fine wines make it easy to envision not only the food but the settings in which they are partaken. Dickinson is an author who also knows how to use humor effectively such as when a vicar starts to introduce the Powerscourts and inadvertently segues into the benediction.
His descriptive powers extend to the characters as well, from the protagonists of Lord and Lady Powerscourt and their friend Johnny Fitzpatrick who fought alongside Powerscourt but is afraid of cars, to the minor players, making each distinctive and memorable. There is a real sense of empathy for and natural humanity given to the characters, even those less meritorious. Nor does he overlook the importance and contribution of the secondary characters to the story.
While there is one story thread some may feel could have been omitted, it provided a strong sense of reality, historic perspective and relevance related to the political and economic state as well as pressure for the right to vote for all men, but without ever slowing the story down. He incorporates historical figures while keeping them in their actual roles, adding veracity to the story. A particularly enjoyable reference is made by a young reporter about having had two of his short stories published in “The Strand Magazine.” There is also, what could be considered, a rather large coincidence at the beginning of the book. It could, however, also be interpreted as a case of serendipity.
Lest you think these are light, non-action books; think again. The crimes are brutal, the risk and suspense can be high and bodies do accumulate. The plotting is exceptional, even to the final chapter. “Death in a Scarlet Coat” was one excellent read.
DEATH IN A SCARLET COAT (Hist Mys-Lord Francis Powerscourt-England- 1909/Gaslight) – Ex
Dickinson, David – 10th in series
SOHO Crime, ©2011, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781569479124
The Earl of Candlesby is dead; an event more to cause celebration than mourning. Yet no one is allowed to see his body and the local, very elderly doctor is forced into signing a death certificate stating “natural causes.” Lord Francis Powerscourt, one of the most respected inquiry agents in Great Britain, and his wife Lady Lucy stop in Lincolnshire on their way to one of her many relatives. There they help out the local vicar and meet the doctor who later requests Powerscourt’s help in relieving the doctor’s conscience and finding out how the Earl really did die.
One of Dickinson’s many strengths is establishing a sense of time and place. His descriptions are so evocative, they are auditory, visual, and even one gets when standing on the site where the past and the present converge. Weather effectively becomes another character. His references to meals and fine wines make it easy to envision not only the food but the settings in which they are partaken. Dickinson is an author who also knows how to use humor effectively such as when a vicar starts to introduce the Powerscourts and inadvertently segues into the benediction.
His descriptive powers extend to the characters as well, from the protagonists of Lord and Lady Powerscourt and their friend Johnny Fitzpatrick who fought alongside Powerscourt but is afraid of cars, to the minor players, making each distinctive and memorable. There is a real sense of empathy for and natural humanity given to the characters, even those less meritorious. Nor does he overlook the importance and contribution of the secondary characters to the story.
While there is one story thread some may feel could have been omitted, it provided a strong sense of reality, historic perspective and relevance related to the political and economic state as well as pressure for the right to vote for all men, but without ever slowing the story down. He incorporates historical figures while keeping them in their actual roles, adding veracity to the story. A particularly enjoyable reference is made by a young reporter about having had two of his short stories published in “The Strand Magazine.” There is also, what could be considered, a rather large coincidence at the beginning of the book. It could, however, also be interpreted as a case of serendipity.
Lest you think these are light, non-action books; think again. The crimes are brutal, the risk and suspense can be high and bodies do accumulate. The plotting is exceptional, even to the final chapter. “Death in a Scarlet Coat” was one excellent read.
DEATH IN A SCARLET COAT (Hist Mys-Lord Francis Powerscourt-England- 1909/Gaslight) – Ex
Dickinson, David – 10th in series
SOHO Crime, ©2011, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9781569479124
August 11, 2011
A minor motoring accident leads to Lord Frances Powerscourt involvement in the death of the Earl of Candlesby and his heirs, who live in a decrepit Lincolnshire mansion. Only three people have seen Candlesby's body--and one is dead and a second has disappeared. When Powerscourt and the police finally do exhume the body, they find that the Earl was murdered, despite the local doctor's certificate of natural death. But worse is to come, and it looks as though there's no solution to a mysterious series of crimes.
July 30, 2014
My first Powerscourt mystery and I found this highly enjoyable. Gently paced and in the 'cozy' tradition, Lord Powerscourt travels to Lincolnshire to investigate the murder of a country gentleman on the eve of a big hunt. The book is set in the times of Lloyd George's 'People's' budget as means of background. The story contains probably a unique way of murdering someone, it is unlikely this method will appear in any agatha christie. I recommend the book and will check out others in the series.
February 27, 2012
Another in the series featuring Lord Francis Powerscourt, a peer and a detective on the side. This tale features the murders of a father and son, lords of the manor, who are hated by the locals. The story started out rather well but I felt it disintegrated once the solution came into view. Pretty far fetched and the weapon used to kill one of the victims defied belief. Enjoyable but certainly not one of the best of this series.
July 2, 2011
I just noticed that this is the tenth in a series, and it certainly has that feel - it's well-written, but the plotting suffers from that mid-series slump that can affect authors that spend a lengthy period of time with the same characters. The conclusion's believable, but the story simply lacks that sense of urgency that makes you want to know more.
March 10, 2014
A bit more gruesome, perhaps, than the usual Powerscourt adventure but still thoroughly enjoyable! The only thing that bothered me a bit in the beginning is how perfect Lady Lucy is....she knows everything and everyone, how to do everything, and can do no wrong. But that's just jealousy speaking. :) I really do love these books!
April 2, 2012
This one was a brick. I enjoyed Dickinson's writing style but the story went on long, hard, rough and immovable. A few things he pulled out of the air at the end. Some plot development issues. Perhaps, if it was 75 pages shorter I'd enjoy it more. Rate it C [3 stars].
October 6, 2011
An enjoyable mystery -- happy to have found another series to enjoy!
November 13, 2011
This was a wonderful edition to the Lord Powerscourt series. Can't wait for the next one.
March 30, 2012
Excellent mystery with dodgy upper classes
September 28, 2015
A peer, and amateur detective, investigates when a lord is killed.
I found this book incredibly dry, slow paced and a bit repetitive, plus some of the plot points were a bit bizarre.
I found this book incredibly dry, slow paced and a bit repetitive, plus some of the plot points were a bit bizarre.
June 27, 2011
Great English mystery!
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews