What do you think?
Rate this book
Cambridge Fellows #1-4
A Syllabus of Love: A Cambridge Mystery Box Set
The first four enthralling murder-mysteries of the bestselling Cambridge Mysteries are collected here together in one must-have omnibus. Follow Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith on their first charming adventures, filled with wit, romance and intrigue.
743 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2009
35 people are currently reading
31 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Cochrane
86 books373 followersBecause Charlie Cochrane couldn't be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes. Her mystery novels include the Edwardian era Cambridge Fellows series, series, and the contemporary Best Corpse for the Job. Multi-published, she has titles with Carina, Samhain, Riptide and Bold Strokes, among others.
A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People and International Thriller Writers Inc, Charlie regularly appears at literary festivals and at reader and author conferences with The Deadly Dames.
A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People and International Thriller Writers Inc, Charlie regularly appears at literary festivals and at reader and author conferences with The Deadly Dames.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 17, 2019
Lessons in Love-4 stars-Orlando is a mathematics professor, Jonty a new English professor, and a former student. From their first meeting, they are destined to be friends, and more. As Jonty tentatively pursues Orlando, an innocent, Orlando begins to question all he learned from his parents about sex.
A murder of a student, followed by two more, all gay, makes the budding relationship between these two stall. They help the police find clues, and in the end, Jonty is saved by Orlando, leaving them traumatized, but still together.
Interesting story, set in the early 20th century at a catholic men’s college, a nice mix of romance and mystery.
Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Lessons in Desire-4 stars-on summer holiday, Jonty and Orlando meet Matthew and his father, motherly Mrs. Tattersall, and a few young girls. The girls are after them both, Matthew makes a pass at Orlando, then Matthew’s father is murdered.
It turns out he was a gambler and a rogue, and there are suspicions Matthew killed his father. But, the note left behind implies there could be blackmail regarding Matthew’s sexuality, and he is cleared eventually.
The murderer is caught due to Orlando’s cleverness, and in and around the mystery, the men avoid the ladies, Jonty gets Orlando to swim with him in public, and they finally fully consummate their love. Good mystery, I had no idea who the culprit was.
Lessons in Discovery-5 stars-this is the best book in the series. Poor Orlando takes a tumble and has a concussion that causes him amnesia. Jonty starts again, first being Orlando’s friend and filling in the gap of the last year, while not telling him of their relationship.
Jonty then gets a bad flue, and Orlando never leaves his side, worrying in a way he doesn’t fully understand. Orlando knows he’s different, and is drawn to Jonty in more than a friendly way.
While both men are convalescing, they are given the task of solving a murder from centuries earlier, since new information has come to light. Involving Jonty’s father and brother-in-law, they must decipher coded letters discovered during a renovation at the college.
My guesses were wrong again, and the code resolving was an interesting part of the story. Most importantly, the couple is reunited, and Orlando finally remembers everything about their relationship.
KU
A murder of a student, followed by two more, all gay, makes the budding relationship between these two stall. They help the police find clues, and in the end, Jonty is saved by Orlando, leaving them traumatized, but still together.
Interesting story, set in the early 20th century at a catholic men’s college, a nice mix of romance and mystery.
Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Lessons in Desire-4 stars-on summer holiday, Jonty and Orlando meet Matthew and his father, motherly Mrs. Tattersall, and a few young girls. The girls are after them both, Matthew makes a pass at Orlando, then Matthew’s father is murdered.
It turns out he was a gambler and a rogue, and there are suspicions Matthew killed his father. But, the note left behind implies there could be blackmail regarding Matthew’s sexuality, and he is cleared eventually.
The murderer is caught due to Orlando’s cleverness, and in and around the mystery, the men avoid the ladies, Jonty gets Orlando to swim with him in public, and they finally fully consummate their love. Good mystery, I had no idea who the culprit was.
Lessons in Discovery-5 stars-this is the best book in the series. Poor Orlando takes a tumble and has a concussion that causes him amnesia. Jonty starts again, first being Orlando’s friend and filling in the gap of the last year, while not telling him of their relationship.
Jonty then gets a bad flue, and Orlando never leaves his side, worrying in a way he doesn’t fully understand. Orlando knows he’s different, and is drawn to Jonty in more than a friendly way.
While both men are convalescing, they are given the task of solving a murder from centuries earlier, since new information has come to light. Involving Jonty’s father and brother-in-law, they must decipher coded letters discovered during a renovation at the college.
My guesses were wrong again, and the code resolving was an interesting part of the story. Most importantly, the couple is reunited, and Orlando finally remembers everything about their relationship.
KU
September 7, 2022
4.25 stars from me. Another one that's been buried in my never-ending TBR queue, and then got buried on my kindle carousel 🙄.
Books 1-4 introduce you to Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith our amateur sleuths, to their University life in Cambridge, and to an England [1907] before wars destroyed whole generations of young men worldwide. Jonty's parents and his whole family in general were terrific, the mysteries subtle but well-thought out, and the whole atmosphere and appropriate language used quite charming. There is NO on-page sex, it's hinted at and our two gentlemen definitely 'partake' 😉, but they both seem so innocent and personable that...well, there is nothing to see here folks 😀.
My main bugbear with the series so far is the appalling lack of punctuation [NO paragraphs whatsoever in my 700+ page box set, all of the type ran together] so that you carried on reading one characters words and would then realise that another character was actually 'speaking'. Such a blooming shame as the characters are so appealing, and the stories so interesting that the punctuation rather lets the side down 😒. Still, it hasn't stopped me from purchasing books 5 & 6, so I suspect I'm already becoming a huge Jonty and Orlando fan...like lots of other readers.
Books 1-4 introduce you to Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith our amateur sleuths, to their University life in Cambridge, and to an England [1907] before wars destroyed whole generations of young men worldwide. Jonty's parents and his whole family in general were terrific, the mysteries subtle but well-thought out, and the whole atmosphere and appropriate language used quite charming. There is NO on-page sex, it's hinted at and our two gentlemen definitely 'partake' 😉, but they both seem so innocent and personable that...well, there is nothing to see here folks 😀.
My main bugbear with the series so far is the appalling lack of punctuation [NO paragraphs whatsoever in my 700+ page box set, all of the type ran together] so that you carried on reading one characters words and would then realise that another character was actually 'speaking'. Such a blooming shame as the characters are so appealing, and the stories so interesting that the punctuation rather lets the side down 😒. Still, it hasn't stopped me from purchasing books 5 & 6, so I suspect I'm already becoming a huge Jonty and Orlando fan...like lots of other readers.
August 30, 2018
I am a fan and I tend to gush about this fabulous series that I discovered years ago. This historically authentic, cleverly twisting, story infused with colorful and engaging characters just gets better and better with each installment in the series. The boxed set was a must-have after I sampled the series and knew that I would be reading them all.
Jonty and Orlando are such opposites, but make a fabulous detecting pair. I loved getting their story from their first acrimonious meeting. The college campus setting was so clear and perfect for an atmospheric murder mystery, a secret romance blossoms slowly, and the hunt for clues kept me swiftly turning pages in this cozy armchair-style historical mystery collection.
Jonty and Orlando are such opposites, but make a fabulous detecting pair. I loved getting their story from their first acrimonious meeting. The college campus setting was so clear and perfect for an atmospheric murder mystery, a secret romance blossoms slowly, and the hunt for clues kept me swiftly turning pages in this cozy armchair-style historical mystery collection.
January 4, 2019
A perfect blend of history, love and mystery
Orlando is sweetly innocent, jonty is brash but vulnerable. Together they are the perfect team. Was pleased to see how well the writer handled their childhood issues.
Orlando is sweetly innocent, jonty is brash but vulnerable. Together they are the perfect team. Was pleased to see how well the writer handled their childhood issues.
November 16, 2023
A book written in UK English thank you
I get fed up when is writers write about the UK in books and forget that UK English is not the same as the USA English also names are not the same so thanks for a British book.
I get fed up when is writers write about the UK in books and forget that UK English is not the same as the USA English also names are not the same so thanks for a British book.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews