King Devil

by Charlotte MacLeod

A historical mystery set in early twentieth-century New England from the acclaimed author of the Peter Shandy series. Upon graduating from an academy for respectable young ladies, Lavinia Tabard heads to the New England countryside and her rich cousin Zilpha’s summer cottage with the low expectations of a charity case. Lavinia intends to endure Zilpha’s saccharine sweetness and her “companion” Tetsy’s bullying ways only until she can plan an escape that doesn’t involve marriage.   A welcome distraction comes when, as she works on a grave rubbing at the local cemetery, Lavinia notices something strange about the dates on the stone. Her questions lead to the doorsteps of several interesting neighbors, including a self-made young architect with a temper as fiery as his red hair. Hayward Clinton and his partner have an office on Zilpha’s property, an awkward situation that won’t change until the mysterious disappearance of the business’s original owner is solved. It’s a case too curious for Lavinia to resist—but someone will stop at nothing to ensure that she does.  King Devil is an entertaining tale of suspense from the acclaimed author of the Peter Shandy Mysteries, as well as the Boston-set Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn series.  

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Cozy Mystery

233 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Naturalized US Citizen

Also wrote as Alisa Craig

Charlotte MacLeod, born in New Brunswick, Canada, and a naturalized U.S. citizen, was the multi-award-winning author of over thirty acclaimed novels. Her series featuring detective Professor Peter Shandy, America's homegrown Hercule Poirot, delivers "generous dollops of...warmth, wit, and whimsy" (San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle). But fully a dozen novels star her popular husband-and-wife team of Sarah Kelling and Max Bittersohn. And her native Canada provides a backdrop for the amusing Grub-and-Stakers cozies written under the pseudonym Alisa Craig and the almost-police procedurals starring Madoc Rhys, RCMP. A cofounder and past president of the American Crime Writers League, she also edited the bestselling anthologies Mistletoe Mysteries and Christmas Stalkings.

Reviews

[lucky little cat]

Fun historical romance whodunit, expertly plotted and surprisingly fresh considering its 1978 publication date. Lovingly detailed and dead accurate about the 1910 setting, especially class consciousness and women's issues. The heroine's a poor-relation daughter-of-a-black sheep who has to Cinderella it for her much wealthier Boston Brahmin cousin. The only anachronism is the heroine's sassy backtalk aimed at the grumpy, decent-but-misunderstood hero, which is pure 1970s women's magazine fiction dialogue. But, y'know, in a good way.

[Jenny Koch]

I absolutely adored the heroine - such a delightfully intelligent and fierce lead character!

[Ed]

1978 young adult offering from Charlotte MacLeod. The last of MacLeod's young adult mysteries before starting her better known adult series of humorous cozy mysteries. It's 1908 and Letitia Tabard, "getting on for twenty ...", has finally been removed from boarding school and sent to live with wealthy cousin Zilpha Tabard and her companion, Tetsy Mull. Zilpha is isolated from reality but has very definate ideas of what is proper. Tetsy is devoted to Zilpha and resents the arrival of Letitia. Zilpha is renovating a property purchased from Jonah Jenks, who went missing seven years ago. Her property is also occupied by a two man architectural firm; the firm was owned by Jenks and willed to Ronald and Hayward, but they can't move it until the missing Jenks is pronounced dead. Zilpha finds Ronald is a distant relative and attempts to match him with Letitia, a move to Ronald's liking since it would move him closer to Zilpha's prestige and money. Letitia, however, forms an attachment with Haywood, the socially unacceptable son of a carpenter. Letitia's inquisitiveness creates friction and raises questions about the fate of the missing Jenks.
King Devil, the name ascribed to the dandelion-like flower found on the grave of a Jenks ancestor, is a colloquial name for Hieracium caespitosum, also known as Yellow Hawkweed.

Non-series - YA - The last thing Lavinia thinks she will encounter when she goes to live with rich cousin Zilphia in 1908 is mystery and romance.

[Rosemary]

I was a bigger fan of the author's Sarah Kelling series than her Peter Shandy novels, mostly because of Kelling's blue blood Boston relatives and the complications that caused in her relationship with art detective Max Bittersohn. You can see foreshadows of that relationship in this historical cozy mystery written the year before the first Kelling/Bittersohn novel, Family Vault (1979). The heroine is from a blue blooded and rather odd New England family, her beau is the son of a working man, and things are not quite right at her rich relation's new summer retreat. Set in 1910, the story has all the bright characterization that you expect from MacLeod, a solid mystery with multiple suspects and a missing corpse, and a corker of an ending. While I'm glad she gave us Sarah and Max for multiple novels, I'm sorry that the author never followed up with more adventures of Lavinia and Hal. They make a charming pair of detectives.

[Jenn Estepp]

The perfect book for me at the moment.

Knowing that she was a fan (or at least vested enough to write a biography, which I've yet to read), I sort of see this as MacLeod's homage to Mary Roberts Rinehart. Which I am all about. I super enjoyed the characters and the historical setting was mostly delightful and I didn't figure things out at all, but MacLeod's voice is just as familiar as in her cozies.

[Yue]

It is like a Gothic book: orphan girl goes to live with her aunt, there is a mystery about the death of one older owner of some property; the MC has moments of danger; there is definitely someone trying to get rid of her; there is a tiny bit of a romance (I specially liked that she called the MIL "the ginger cat" XD)

[Lori Lee]

Fun book from Charlotte MacLeod!

I very much enjoy Charlotte MacLeod's other books. This is a one off and rather on the light side, but it kept my attention and I did enjoy the story. I'm only giving it 4 stars because it really is only a bit of fluff when all is said and done.

[Cyd]

Not just a mystery but well drawn portrait of what it was like to be female during that time. Also, an excellent YA novel.

[Heidi]

Young adult novel from the 1970’s. Enjoyed the nostalgia.

[Mare]

Fun read. Classic Ms. MacLeod.

[Jeanne]

It may be where I am just now but it could not hold my interest. I think all the strictures that are applied to women and women have to push against our little too much with me right now.

[Adie]

Definitely a fun read, a new fave. Reminds me of a cozy mystery version of The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery. Must be a Canadian thing. :)

[Cherry. R]

Débil king de yoss y Luis (nota personal)

[Charlie Moses]

Not part of any series, this single book is a good read. It has a coherent and well-realized plot, it is easy to like the characters and to understand their motivations, to root for them and hope that things work out as they should. MacLeod is a mystery writer who likes to do her work in miniature. Rather than large canvases and broad brush-strokes, she prefers the intimacy of the small canvas, in which she works with incredible detail. The well-drawn characters and their milieu, portrayed with wit and charm, help to bring to live an interesting and memorable story.

[Bibliophile]

Delightful historical mystery with a no-nonsense heroine who becomes an accidental sleuth trying to escape her exasperating relatives and get down and dirty with a grumpy ginger architect. As a bonus I learned about gravestone rubbing, which apparently is still a thing.

[Amy]

Fun read.