He thought he knew who he was. Now he’s a stranger to himself.
When Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith witness the suspicious death of a young man at the White City exhibition in London, they're keen to investigate--especially after the cause of death proves to be murder. But Police Inspector Redknapp refuses to let them help, even after they stumble onto clues to the dead man's identity.
Orlando's own identity becomes the subject for speculation when, while mourning the death of his beloved grandmother, he learns that she kept secrets about her past. Desperate to discover the truth about his family, Orlando departs suddenly on a solo quest to track down his roots, leaving Jonty distraught.
While Jonty frantically tries to locate his lover, Orlando wonders if he'll be able to find his real family before he goes mad. After uncovering more leads to the White City case, they must decide whether to risk further involvement. Because if either of them dares try to solve the murder, Inspector Redknapp could expose their illicit--and illegal--love affair.
Warning: Contains sensual m/m lovemaking and hot men driving Lagondas.
Because 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.
Es el año 1908 , en Londres la sensación es la exhibición franco-británica White City, el señor Stewart describe sus maravillas, y asi Jonty convence a Orlando a ir a verla, e inclusive a subir el Flip Flap.
Sin saberlo, la persona que ven 'dormida' en una silla les conducirá a otra de sus investigaciones .
Pero sin duda, este misterio se verá echo a un lado por la más importante inquisa acerca de la historia familiar de Orlando. A la muerte de su querida abuela, Jonty le confiesa el secreto que le han confiado del origen de su padre, pero sin mayores pistas, el joven Dr. Coppersmith se encuentra más perdido que nunca.
His thoughts were filled with his mother and father, whom he’d loved and who’d not known how to love their son in return. And his grandmother, who’d been the light of his young life. And of a little boy who still didn’t really understand why there had been such a knot of pain, kept hidden, but clear in its effect, within the Coppersmith family.
Aqui salen a relucir todos sus temores de sentirse en menor valia que Jonty y su familia, y el deseo de verlo como un igual.
Creo que Jonty falla en notar como esa falta de raices, de saber realmente quién es afecta toda la base de Orlando. Lo toma todo a pecho en su relacion sin comprender porque tiene una familia ideal, pero es importante para Orlando saber quién es, de donde viene, eso es básico para cualquier persona.
Mientras tanto, el inspector a cargo del caso del hombre muerto ,Halfpenny, una y otra vez trata de echar a los aficionados de su investigacion, y esto afecta más que a nadie a Orlando que se siente especialmente sensible.
Todo el comentario de los espias, me hace notar lo aislados que estan estos profesores de Cambridge , y eso que son educados, acerca de todo lo que se les vendrá encima con la primera guerra mundial.
Lo del auto y el aferrarse a los trenes y contra los inventos a motor, refeja un romanticismo muy de siglo XIX. Pues, miren que auto tan hermoso :)
This was a very personal segment of the series in that besides the usual murder case to keep them preoccupied during the long vacation, Orlando's grandmother dies and leaves him a tangled mystery about his family origins. Jonty is left alone to solve the murder which is difficult because the police detective wants no 'amateurs' as he calls them on the case. He is hurt by Orlando's distance and wonders if it will be fixable if the truth to Orlando's past never surfaces. In the meantime, Orlando has cut off all connections with the only people he regards as family thinking this was a quest that was his alone. He has his doubts about that decision and he is failing to discover anything about his past. He just wants to know like Jonty knows all about who he is and where he comes from.
There is a lot going on in this book and it felt a lot like the tying up of loose ends and the final piece of the puzzle needed through all the 'lessons' the two Cambridge dons must learn. Jonty and Orlando learn they are best when together- really together, Jonty's sister, Lavinia's story is wrapped up in an individual way, Miss Peter's story gets a nice peek-in and the elder Stewarts are there as colorful, sparkling and engaging as ever. The fellows learn what they must and manage to do what they do best in the process.
The mystery wasn't as scintillating as usual, but I loved the time spent discovering the secrets of Orlando's family. That was an interesting twist.
And now the long anticipated eighth story awaits me. I have been warned what to expect. I just love this series and recommend it heartily to m/m historical romance/mystery lovers.
Ahh how I do love those Cambridge dons. Book 7 in the series, Lessons in Trust, actually steps back up from the slightly lackluster performance of book 6. Perhaps I was the only one that felt the last book didn’t have the same spark and sizzle as others but even so there are few if any complaints about this new offering. The latest book returns with witty dialogue, heartfelt emotion, and an interesting set of mysteries. The familiar style of writing is once again in top form here with the languid pace and enjoyable, easy narrative. If anything I read this offering even faster than others and really frankly enjoyed the story thoroughly. Fans of the series will be very pleased at the newest addition.
The story picks up with Jonty and Orlando in London viewing the White City exhibition. As usual the two men are of different minds about the mechanical wonders and Jonty’s delight in teasing Orlando is offset by Orlando’s yearning for detective work. When a murder falls into their laps, Orlando leaps with glee before thinking of the potential consequences. Complicating matters is a shocking revelation once Orlando’s grandmother has died, sending him on a complicated search to discover his family’s past. Although the two men have been together for years and pledged their love, trust and sharing burdens doesn’t come easily.
The plot this time mixes two mysteries – Orlando’s search for family and the dead man in the exhibition. The two don’t connect very much but both remain interesting and help direct the story. Orlando’s search is more emotional and shows his fears, flaws, and need for identity; while the dead man mystery keeps the pace quick and interesting alongside. The second mystery really works for me due to all the small details. Part of this is the man’s name, Halfpenny, which makes me smile every time I read it. The resulting details of his life and death are just well crafted and remain interesting from start to finish. There are some clues to figure out the resolution early but the telling is just as much fun to read.
Orlando’s search for his identity is touching and shows he’s both foolish and endearing. His need to stand on his own shows a crack in his armor that I hadn’t realized he felt. His internal musings are heart felt and even though he does some stupid things like running off without Jonty, his reasoning is understandable even if not agreeable. The resolution to Orlando’s search opens up possibilities for future interactions and definitely peaked my interest. Just as the glimpses at favorite characters helped round out a story that has more supporting character participation than usual.
Although I prefer Jonty and Orlando detecting together, their separation in this offering made sense and deepened their relationship. Orlando’s insecurities are not likely to disappear overnight and they’re still somewhat new in discovering everything even after a few years together. The ease of their interactions and the connotation of being each other’s best friends first and lovers second set the lovely tone for their romance, one that is fabulous from book to book. There is no explicit sex but the euphemisms and allusions are still creative and interesting even after seven books.
While each book may technically be read alone and readers can easily do so, the entire series builds subtly on itself and thus best read in order. I’m impressed the series has remained interesting and innovative seven books in, covering the beginning few years. I’m not sure how much longer the series will run but so far, the ride with Jonty and Orlando is delightful.
I am really enjoying this series. The MCS are both interesting whilst being supported by a great cast of secondary characters. This time Orlando and Jonty get involved in trying to solve a murder when they discover a dead body at an exhibition. This is then coupled with Orlando going off to try and solve his family mystery at the death of his grandma.
A must for all who love romance no matter what the gender.
I have really enjoyed all of this series but I am especially glad you wrote this one. It rounds off their story. It has been such a gentle, intelligent series filled with so much love. It didn't need overt sex scenes to show how much Orlando and Jonty loved each other. In my imagination they lived to be 90 so that they could see that love become legal. My only regret is that I become to the end of their story, no more of their books to read. I shall miss them.
I love the way that Charlie Cochrane weaves her storylines throughout these books. In the previous story, a hint is dropped that Orlando's heritage holds secrets. When grappling with these revelations after his beloved grandmother's death, Orlando's reaction is so believably in character as is Jonty's frantically worried response which made the story so heartfelt.
The mystery was ingenious and the careful hints that the author dropped about upcoming world events were very neatly woven into the central story.
Jonty and Orlando, two Cambridge professors and amateur sleuths are involved in two mysteries in this seventh book in the series. Orlando's beloved grandmother dies and leaves him in a quandary about his family origins. He leaves his lover to try to find clues not letting Jonty know where he actually is. Jonty is very worried but pushes ahead tracking clues in a murder in London. They of course find they work better together. The men learn their lessons in trust and each mystery wraps up most satisfyingly.
1908 and while visiting the White City Exhibition Jonty Stewart and Orlando Coppersmith are drawn into, against the wishes of the police, an investigation into the case of the dead body. Meanwhile Orlando, upon the death of his grandmother, wants to learn more about his family. Another enjoyable well-written story in this cozy mystery series.
Jonty and Orlando find themselves wrapped up in two cases this time. One, the unknowingly witnessed murder of a young man and two, Orlando's true heritage. There's twists and turns, and both Orlando and Jonty doing dumb things as only they can do. As always, entertaining. And I love the extended family, all the Stewart family characters, McBride characters, they all enrich the story.
Goodreads continues to screw around with me, insisting I haven't read a given book just because I reviewed a different edition of it. Arg. Please ignore this duplicate review --
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I love this whole series. The books are just such a comfort to read -- they make you feel like cuddling up in front of a warm fire with some hot cocoa. Ahhhhh. ;-)
Anyway -- this installment was much more satisfying for me than the previous volume. This time around, Jonty and Orlando are solving two mysteries -- one involving the murder of a young man who may or may not be who everyone thinks he is, and one involving the mystery of Orlando's own true identity. Questions of "trust", from the title, are much in evidence here -- trust in oneself, trust in relatives, trust in associates, trust in lovers. This one gets quite emotional at times, and even leads to the estrangement -- however temporary -- of our two heroes.
In this one we also see more of the progress of time. Jonty has now actually purchased his own automobile (or the Metal Monster, as Orlando calls it), and we see more use of telephones and telegrams and electric lights as well as details from the Franco-British international exhibition of 1908. Now in the years leading up to WWI, Jonty and Orlando are already becoming surrounded by rumors of espionage and Austro-Hungarian unrest. What lies in store for them next?(less)
Merged review:
I love this whole series. The books are just such a comfort to read -- they make you feel like cuddling up in front of a warm fire with some hot cocoa. Ahhhhh. ;-)
Anyway -- this installment was much more satisfying for me than the previous volume. This time around, Jonty and Orlando are solving two mysteries -- one involving the murder of a young man who may or may not be who everyone thinks he is, and one involving the mystery of Orlando's own true identity. Questions of "trust", from the title, are much in evidence here -- trust in oneself, trust in relatives, trust in associates, trust in lovers. This one gets quite emotional at times, and even leads to the estrangement -- however temporary -- of our two heroes.
In this one we also see more of the progress of time. Jonty has now actually purchased his own automobile (or the Metal Monster, as Orlando calls it), and we see more use of telephones and telegrams and electric lights as well as details from the Franco-British international exhibition of 1908. Now in the years leading up to WWI, Jonty and Orlando are already becoming surrounded by rumors of espionage and Austro-Hungarian unrest. What lies in store for them next?
I'm going to preface this by saying that I'm not fond of historicals in this particular period and I was reading this for a reading challenge. I happened to win this one in a GR giveaway, and Charlie offered to send me the first of the series instead of this one (the seventh), but I liked the story behind this one more and opted to keep this one instead. She did warn me it would probably be better to start the series from the beginning.
If I had it to do over again, I would listen to her and take the first one. While I don't feel like it was absolutely required to have read the prior books, I could tell there were many references made to prior events which I would have benefited from understanding. But even more so, there was a lot of character development in the earlier stories which I missed out on, and that was probably the biggest problem with starting in the middle of the series.
This was my first book of hers, and while it had difficulty keeping my attention in the beginning, by the end I was very entertained. The writing and descriptive elements were wonderfully well done and created the perfect ambiance for the story. It felt appropriate and made it a relatively pleasant read for me, even though I was reluctant to read it (and probably wouldn't have if not for the challenge). I might even pick up the rest of the series at some point to read all of the references and character building I missed. =)
I debated what rating to give this, settled on 3.5, and rounded up to 4 because I figure that my lack of preference for the historical aspect is coloring my opinion enough that others who enjoy such would likely enjoy this.
I say with great regret, for the genuine enjoyment I have missed, that “Lessons in Trust” by Charlie Cochrane [Samhain Publishing, 2010] is the first of the “Cambridge Fellows Mysteries” I have read. Fortunately it is not the first of Ms Chochrane’s stories I have reviewed, for “Sand,” (her contribution to the “Last Gasp Anthology”) holds that delightful distinction. Nevertheless, Lessons in Trust gives a much broader picture of her remarkable talent, and it has left this particular reader yearning for more of the same.
The book blurb quite adequately covers the story outline, and so for my part I will ‘read between the lines,’ so to speak.
The early 1900s was an interesting and colourful era with vestiges of Victorian stodginess reluctantly giving way to what would soon become the “Flapper” generation. In between were bright, ‘modern’, fashionable young men like Jonty & Orlando, with a foot in both generations. The common ground was style, and these two—from quite different backgrounds—had it in spades.
What delighted me about this read is that the author has been able to capture this with remarkable credibility: Victorian correctness mixed with a ‘bending of the rules’ (correctly, of course); a begrudging acceptance of the motor car (but properly dressed for the occasion); and wit and scintillating conversation to carry it all off.
The mysteries are truly mysteries, too, and will leave any reader turning pages. I guarantee it.
Another lovely book from “Cambridge Fellows Mysteries” delivered by Charlie Cochrane. The seventh book in the series challenges Jonty and Orlando to solve not one, but two mysteries. The first mystery involves the death of a young man which Jonty and Orlando witnessed. Unlike the previous cases, I knew the answer of this one when I was only a quarter throughout the book. And I have to admit that this case didn't hold my attention to much. I was far more interested to follow Orlando in his quest to solve the mystery of his ancestors. Orlando's struggle to find his family and Jonty's to find Orlando were so emotional, and they revealed a mature relationship between Jonty and Orlando (that definitely didn't exist in the previous books).
This is the first book of this series I have read (nothing like starting in the middle of the characters' lives, right?) and unfortunately my library has NONE of the other books! I don't tend to buy books full price if I haven't read them, but these will probably be an exception to the rule. I love historical romance and detective stories, and this was a great combination of the two. I wish I had been able to read the series from the beginning, as some things would have made a lot more sense, but this was a good book to start with regardless, seeing their relationship withstand a particularly tough personal challenge. I've already recommended the series to a few people and am looking forward to reading the rest of it soon.
Another great entry in this series. We find Jonty & Orlando in London partaking in the exhibits of the White City when they find themselves a dead body and it's surrounding mystery, although they don't know it's a dead body at the time. Dealing with a new detective who clearly doesn't want any help from Cambridge's version of Holmes & Watson, they find themselves digging into this one on their own, with the aid of Jonty's father of course. Before too much headway is made, Orlando is dealt a serious blow to who he thought he was. Determine to discover the truth on his own, he leaves Jonty in the middle of the night to solve the mystery of him alone. Well written and two intriguing mysteries to solve, we are rewarded with yet another classic entry.
This was difficult to get through. The thing that makes me enjoy these books is the relationship between Jonty and Orlando. They're delightful the way they play off each other.
Favorite Quote: "He deserves at least a nice black eye for all the worry he's put you to, the toad."
Just easily consumed in one dollop of joy - Jonty and Orlando back again, this time with Mr and Mrs Stewart in full view. I enjoyed the two main themes - the mysteriously dead visitor to the exhibition at White City (and also enjoyed the Googling this required of me!) and Orlando's family history. Ralph and Lavinia hopefully get a sex life now curtesy of a lemur - how enterprising! enjoyed this little theme though it was undoubtedly true for lots of women but I bet they didn't have an understanding Ralph. Orlando was suitably aloof and restrained and ran off all macho. Jonty was shored up by family and friends.
No 7 does not dissappoint it is as well written as the others in all aspects especially the love between Orlando and Jonty and how is grows every day. The way it is shoen with simply looks and touch where they gather so much love and strength from each other. Very beautiful love scenes. The murder mystery was well written even if i did guess what was going on before they did lol. The secondary characters as wonderful as always charming, funny, strong and loving. I am going to miss these characters alot once the series ends.
I have to be in the right mood to read the Lessons books, but when I am I enjoy Jonty and Orlando. I like their relationship, their slightly unworldly enthusiasms, and their mannerly conversations with passion kept behind locked doors (in an era when getting caught could mean a 2-year prison term). This is a good installment. Orlando faces a loss and learns some new truths about who he is, and Jonty copes with the emotional fall-out. The mystery didn't really grip me in this one, but the personal story did.
I love this series so much I find that the books are getting 5 stars across the board. I did find this a little hard to read since I really hate it when Orlando and Jonty are separated. Their closeness and banter always has me smiling so this one had me worried. Orlando should NOT be away from his Jonty. He needs him too much!.
I'm worried about the next book in the series. War is never easy to deal with.
Recommended. ============================ 1st read - Mar 10, 2015 2nd read - Jan 20, 2016
I have not had a chance to write a lot of reviews lately, but, for the record, I love this series. So far, this book, Lessons in Trust, is my favorite. Charlie Cochrane has a flawless and addicting writing style. Jonty and Orlando are awesome characters as are the supporting cast members. In this book, readers get two mysteries, and, more importantly, we get a special insight into Orlando in this book. We also discover a new depth to the love between these two characters. Orlando has become such a dynamic character. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
I have really enjoyed each installment in the Cambridge Fellows series and this one was no different. Although, I must admit to being furious with Orlando for part of the story. There is not one, but two mysteries included with the second being quite personal and exposing new information about Orlando's background. Lavinia and Ariadne have a nice side story and the theme of the "metal monster" was fun. I am glad this is a long series as I am still left with many books to look forward to reading.
Jonty and Orlando are at it again, this time in summer, in London. They get involved in a murder investigation, despite the Inspector who doesn't want them involved. Plus, Orlando's grandmother dies and Orlando is faced with solving the mystery of his family's past. Another great book in the series, and the last of the Edwardian line.
Definitely my favourite of the series so far. Lovely descriptions of the White City with its wide variety of exhibits and rides, and I had great joy at the varying reactions to Jonty's new motor car. Both mystery plots were suitably intriguing, and excellently resolved, and all the characters shone. Highly recommended.
I will review this when I finish the series. But a warning: Do NOT read Book 8 after this one, go to Book 10 which chronologically follows Book 7. You will need to check the chronology of Jonty and Orlando's lives before you continue on. Go here for the pathway: http://charliecochrane.livejournal.co...