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Lady Katherine Regency Matchmaker #2

The Baffling Burglaries of Bath

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Lady Katherine doesn’t want to take the matchmaking job for Mrs. Burwick whose daughter, Prudence, clearly does not want to be matched... until she realizes it provides her the perfect cover to investigate the string of robberies that have been taking place in the holiday town of Bath.

Katherine, her loyal maid, Harriett, and her tenacious Pug, Emma, soon find themselves knee deep in troubled waters as they try to piece together the baffling clues to reveal the truth. To further complicate matters, Katherine’s investigation is impeded by the incompetent detective hired by the Marquess of Bath to flush out the burglar.

Now Katherine must juggle advising Prudence on how “not” to land a Duke while she dives into the investigation in the hopes of narrowing down the suspects without making waves amongst the aristocracy, some of whom are her primary suspects.

When the burglary attempts turn violent, Katherine must take drastic measures to ensure her detective career isn’t all washed up before it even gets started.

460 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 18, 2018

1144 people are currently reading
514 people want to read

About the author

Leighann Dobbs

135 books1,862 followers
USA Today bestselling author, Leighann Dobbs, discovered her passion for writing after a twenty year career as a software engineer. She lives in New Hampshire with her husband Bruce, their trusty Chihuahua mix Mojo and beautiful rescue cat, Kitty.

Her book "Dead Wrong" won the "Best Mystery Romance" award at the 2014 Indie Romance Convention.

Her book "Ghostly Paws" was the 2015 Chanticleer Mystery & Mayhem First Place category winner in the Animal Mystery category.

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5 stars
362 (28%)
4 stars
493 (38%)
3 stars
325 (25%)
2 stars
79 (6%)
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21 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
Profile Image for Leslie.
507 reviews8 followers
March 21, 2018
Meh. How many times does an author have to explain ALL the motivations of her characters? The resolution of the mystery was disappointing and seemed contrived without really solving some of the plot. The romances were fun, though. An OK read if you're in a notion for a book that requires little attention.
Profile Image for Mara.
1,466 reviews110 followers
January 18, 2018
4.5 stars for this second Lady Katherine Regency Mystery.

Still working under the guise of being a Matchmaker, Lady Katherine and her charge, Prudence Berwick, along with her maid Harriet, and her sometimes helpful Pug, Emma arrive in Bath so Lady Katherine "help facilitate" a match between Pru and Lord Annandale. Lady Katherine's real reason for going to Bath is to investigate the baffling string of jewelry thefts that have been happening in Bath.

Her friend Bow Street Runner, Lyle, is in Bath to start work on a new invention which would use the minerals in the healing waters. Katherine's not happy when she finds that Captain Wayland has also come to Bath, and she's downright put out when Mr. Salmon, the worst detective ever, is hired by the Marquess of Bath to find the "Burglar of Bath". How is she supposed to investigate when she's got to give advice to Pru on how NOT to appear attractive to Lord Annandale and deal with Captain Wayland, AND Mr. Salmon when there are so many possible suspects? Speaking of Captain Wayland, Lady Katherine wonders what his motive is when he's so attentive to her and offers to help with her investigation in the thefts.

I enjoyed this second case of Lady Katherine. There's Pru who I thought protested a bit too much about not wanting to be matched to anyone, and it was fun to see her gradually change her tune. There were so many suspects I didn't know who the culprit was but I was surprised by the reason behind the thefts. This was an enjoyable read; I thought the scenery and events were well described, and the characters well developed. I think Lady Katherine needs to relax her feelings towards Captain Wayland, and I look forward to more of Lady Katherine's investigations.
Profile Image for Nola Arganbright.
1,592 reviews32 followers
August 27, 2020
These thefts are confusing

Katherine wants to follow in the footsteps of her investigator fathers footsteps, a choice not acceptable to Regency England. She poses as a matchmaker and travels to bath with her charge to solve a series of thefts.
A very fun series that I would recommend to any reader
Profile Image for Lisa Millett.
298 reviews10 followers
January 17, 2018
I received this book as an ARC for an honest review. This is the second book in the Lady Katherine regency mystery series. Lady Katherine is once again under the guise of matchmaker to solve the burglaries in Bath. She along with her charge Pru Burwick go to Bath under the pretense of pursuing Lord Annandale so that they can solve the case of the Bath Burglar. While in Bath Lady Katherine has her buddy Lyle from the row runners along to assist with his inventions and his experience in the law. Also present is her nemesis Captain Wayland who seems very interested in helping her investigate the crimes as well as interested in Lady Katherine herself. The storyline is intriguing, has loads of interesting characters and is set in regency England with excellent descriptions of the period clothing, architecture and pastimes of the ton or rich English men and women. It is fast paced, well written and keeps you guessing until the very end. This book was excellent and I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book to all mystery readers and especially those that like their mysteries set in regency England.
Profile Image for Jeanine Alsma.
35 reviews
July 20, 2020
I thoroughly enjoy a good romance novel, and the same goes for a good crime mystery. So a combo of those two could be a match made in heaven and for me book-halla. But alas... this was a true disappointment. Katherine is a truely annoying heroine, who pinches the bridge of her nose more that she has any insights or crime solving potential. And her whining about having to solve the crime herself, and the captain trying to steal her thunder... blimey but that’s the overdrive of annoying. All those pounding headaches should have told her she needs to find herself different ‘profession’! this series could have been amazing, and I’m really sad to have to conclude that I can’t even continue with listening to it as a nice background noise..
Profile Image for Eileen Lynx.
924 reviews13 followers
August 27, 2020
Too much romance and I figured out who did it way too early in the story.
1,700 reviews35 followers
January 15, 2018
Lady Katherine and Prudence go to Bath under the guise of finding Pru a husband, but in reality it's to investigate the thefts. As Katherine is trying to find clues. Things turn serious when the burglar attacks one of Lord Bath's guest in order to gain the jewels.
Wayland continues to befuddle Katherine with his constantly wanting to help her in her investigations, without seeming to want anything in return.
Will Lady Katherine be able to solve this one, or will the thief get away? And what of Prudence? Is her resolve to remain single as strong as she puts on?

This is another fun tale from Leighann Dobbs and Harmony Williams. Strong characters, a great story line, and several twist to keep you guessing.
Profile Image for Lyn Jenkins.
628 reviews1 follower
February 6, 2018
Baffling is right.

The first book in the series is wonderful and while this one is a good story, I found myself annoyed that Lady Katherine didn't really do herself justice. Hopefully in future books Katherine will write details down and not ASSUME that the Ton are all trustworthy unless they are down on their luck. I found myself more enarmoured of Pru who truly acted the part of a woman who could careless what people thought.
Profile Image for L.J. Evans.
Author 32 books1,321 followers
February 13, 2018
I adore the pug Emma and how her mischievous nature helps solve the mysteries and I adore the tension between Lady Katherine and Captain Wayland. This mystery kept me on my toes and was not easy to figure out. I can’t wait for more in this series.
Profile Image for Kymm.
1,019 reviews52 followers
May 20, 2019
Very enjoyable read. I love this series of mysteries by Leighann Dobbs. They're my go to books after I've read a really heavy, deep story or a book that was really in depth. They are about a female detective in the 1800's who portrays herself as a matchmaker in order to get invited to all these upper class events where crimes are taking place, so she can solve the crime. She travels with her friend Lyle, who's an inventor and a member of the police force, her maid, who helps her solve the crimes and her pug dog named Emma, who is a rascal and gets into all sorts of mischief. They aren't going to go down as my all time favorite books, but I enjoy the stories and the characters are fun. There are 4 in the series. This one was number 2. Good book if you're looking for an enjoyable, quick read with a good story.
Profile Image for Reina Brouwers.
124 reviews1 follower
December 19, 2018
Cozy mystery!

I really loved this story. I was not able to put it down and had a few late nights. Some twist and turns throughout the story that made you rethink who the real thief was.
Profile Image for Kim.
129 reviews
January 19, 2018
I received an ARC from the author to read and give an honest review.

Lady Katherine goes undercover as a match maker to try to solve a string of jewel thefts. Because of gender bias, women are not considered detectives.
Well developed plot with lots of twists to keep you trying to figure out who the thief is. Very likeable main characters, with complex relationships.
Some of the language is a little hard to follow, even though I have read many (100's) of Regency romances over the years.
But all-in-all a very good book, I enjoyed reading it.
Profile Image for Linda.
294 reviews
October 19, 2018
This was so bad I considered not finishing it. The first book was annoyingly poor but I'd hoped that the 2nd book would improve. However this woman is not only the most bumbling and inept detective imaginable, she is also a self involved twit. I almost wonder if the author is really a misogynist man trying to make women look like idiots. And on top of all that, they never did actually solve the thefts. Though they figured out some of them, there were a couple that went unresolved. That might have been palatable if it had been fleshed out a bit more fully.
Profile Image for Nancy Lanko.
54 reviews1 follower
January 18, 2018
Lady Katherine is at it again, going undercover as a match maker to investigate a crime. Doing a man's job in a man's world. Characters are so well developed it is easy to picture everything, yet with the twists and turns, I was kept guessing at who the thief was as well as the motive...
At times the language of the time can be confusing , but the meaning can be figured quickly
Ms Dobbs and Ms Williams have knocked it out of the park once again!
Profile Image for Tracy.
Author 1 book5 followers
January 20, 2018
This Is a wonderful period book about Katherine, a strong, intelligent woman. I loved the twists and turns as she tries to solve a string of thefts in Bath. I was pleasantly surprised by the ending as she solves the mystery. It is a fun romance of matchmaking for Pru (Katherine's cover), crime solving, and complications (What does Captain Wayland really want?). Give me a comfortable chair, a glass of wine and this book...I'm a happy camper.
49 reviews
January 23, 2018
Lady Katherine is again posing as a matchmaker in order to solve the jewelry thefts in Bath. She has a number of suspects but the clues keep leading her to dead ends. There were numerous twists and turns before the thief was discovered. The story was well written and kept me guessing until the end. Leighann Dobbs and Harmony Williams have again given us a great mystery with well developed and believable characters. I can’t wait for the next mystery that Lady Katherine sets out to solve.
Profile Image for Denise King.
105 reviews1 follower
January 25, 2018
A lovely addition to the new Regency inspired cozy mystery series. The characters are growing, the dye is being cast for a (hopefully) permanent crew of mystery solvers. Katherine has a better group of helpers then she thinks she needs, but they are indulgent of her quirks so it makes for a great read. The authors lead you to believe the thief is one person with inference, then surprise you with the real one. Looking forward to the third installment. And love the phrase bacon-brained lol.
48 reviews
August 21, 2018
I very much liked how leighann dobbs continues to develop the cast in this series. It’s not just lady Katherine who gets to think out loud, but her maid, the common policeman who is treated like an equal regardless of class, the aristocrat who doesn’t want to be matched, and someone trying to take over. I appreciate how very clearly it is pointed out what role women play and how powerless they were in this society setting. It’s a struggle and I enjoyed it very much.
Profile Image for Michael Brunson.
67 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2018
A better mystery than most cozy mysteries.

Ms Dobbs again has a delightful new sleuth series replete with a cast of colorful characters to assist her. This group stars Katharine the headstrong female sleuth who uses being a matchmaker as a cover. She exposes the criminal and makes matches for her clients with equal skill and luck. There are also the athletic men in her life that none of us mere mortal men can live up to.
Profile Image for Book Geek Reviews.
Author 0 books19 followers
November 8, 2018
A light cozy mystery set in the regency time period. I got a little frustrated with the main character. She knows her dog is always getting loose and stealing things, and yet she does very little to keep it controlled. It feels like a contrived thing to explore clues. Also, she does some stupid things. But that said, I still liked it. I'll read the next book. And probably any after that because I love cozy mysteries as a break from life.
Profile Image for Kyla.
61 reviews
September 7, 2018
Emma wins the day

While I continue to enjoy this series, you know you’ve read several when repeat phrases begin to annoy you. Lady Katherine bites the inside of her cheek so often it’s a wonder it’s not turned to hamburger. In any event, I enjoy the writing and the interaction of the characters.
Profile Image for Phthon.
2,299 reviews7 followers
January 25, 2018
This was a delightfully fun read! I enjoyed the misleads and dead ends that threw me off. Lady Katherine is delightful and all the characters are either very likable or detestable. I seriously recommend this book!
Profile Image for hollace turnage.
90 reviews
January 29, 2018
Cozy and clever

Leigh Ann Dobbs has rapidly become one of my favorite cozy authors. Good character development and fun twists and turns, make reading her books well worth the time and effort.
6 reviews
February 27, 2018
I really enjoyed both Lady Katherine books, they keep you in suspence. And the plot of being a matchmaker adds to the story. Also what will happen between her and the Captain? We'll have to wait and see.
Profile Image for Linda.
121 reviews2 followers
September 5, 2018
I don’t think I will be reading future books from this author. The heroine/ detective suspects everyone, jumps from this person to the next, not remembering what someone said prior. And seems to only stumble on the culprit.
Profile Image for Christina (A Reader of Fictions).
4,574 reviews1,757 followers
November 2, 2020
Lady Katherine travels to Bath to investigate a series of burglaries while pretending to matchmake a new charge who wishes to remain unwed. The mystery was again very predictable, with the burglar being who I thought, though there are definitely red herrings along the way, and .

What I liked best about The Baffling Burglaries of Bath was the way the wealthy decided it was a status symbol to be robbed, which is hilariously dumb but somewhat believable. There are hijinks from Emma the pug, another accidentally perfect matchmaking, and some acknowledgement of the flirting with the rival detective.

These still lack a level of depth for me, but I do think this one had a bit more meat to it than the prior.
1,353 reviews6 followers
August 14, 2018
Katherine is with Pru in Bath as the last book suggested. Pru's mother has stayed home making their non-matchmaking goals easier as well as Katherine's reluctance to actually make a match. A thief is taking jewelry and members of the Ton are actually vying to be the next victim as some perverse status symbol. Rather than being a deterrence to tourism it is actually a boon. Katherine gives some interesting advice to Pru about being unladylike that angers the rival matchmaker. An inept detective is on the scene as is Wayland. Katherine and Wayland is most annoying part of the book - why does her father dislike him - hundreds of pages later I still have no idea. Again good false leads and reasonable choices but the anachronisms are just silly especially since they are on purpose
689 reviews3 followers
September 2, 2019
I really liked this cozy mystery. A zany group of characters join Lady Katherine, her friend Prudence and Lyle Murphy as they arrive in Bath to solve the recent jewel thefts. As a member of the ton Katherine can not openly investigate crimes or she would be banned from the very places that she wishes to do her investigations, so she pretends to be a matchmaker. Captain Wayland shows up to Katherine's irritation and seems to be dogging her every step. I liked how the story played out. My only complaint is that for an investigator Katherine is oblivious to the real reason that Wayland is there. If you like amateur sleuths set in a historic period pick this book up and enjoy!

Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews

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