Mystery

An Act of Foul Play

An Act of Foul Play

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  • Create Date：2022-11-30 21:21:36
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：T.E. Kinsey
  • ISBN：B09ZHGYDMP
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Summary

November 1911。 Lady Emily Hardcastle is celebrating her birthday by seeing a play at the Duke’s Theatre in Bristol with her maid and confidante， the inimitable Flo。 Act One is a triumph。 Then Act Two opens with a body on stage—a real one。 One of the cast has been brutally murdered during the interval。

When other matters get in the way of Inspector Sunderland overseeing the case himself， he asks the ever-resourceful Lady H to keep a watchful eye on the suspects—and his police colleagues。 Rustling up some cunning disguises of their own， she and Flo are soon in deep cover among the cast and crew， pulling back the curtain on some shocking secrets and rivalries…

The problem is， everyone seems to have a motive， and everyone seems to have an alibi…In this locked-room mystery in which nothing is as it seems， the amateur sleuths need to put on the performances of their lives if they’re to stand a chance of shining a spotlight on the truth…

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Reviews

Anna Fox ，

I found this interesting， and the mystery kept me guessing。 I liked the characters and hope to read more in the series。Thank you to the author， publisher， and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review

Sarah Beavis ，

another great storyI love these books。 Fabulous as always。 Good to have a new adventure to devour。 Love the characters and love the stories。

Judy L Dane ，

ExcitingAgain Lady Hardcastle and Flo get to solve the case in a spectacular fashion。 Again the reasons for the murder are a bit obscure until the end。 A wonderful book。

Cynthia Grove ，

Delightful as always and so good to meet Flo's sister。 Delightful as always and so good to meet Flo's sister。 。。。more

Jessi ，

Of course Lady Hardcastle and Flo don't cause strange things to happen around them but somehow they are again caught up in a murder。 This time， it's Lady Hardcastle's birthday （44th） and they are attending the theater with a large group and enjoying themselves quite thoroughly。 But， after a long intermission， the curtain rises on the second act but one of the four actors on the stage is dead， stabbed。 It seems like only the other actors would have had the chance to do the deed。 They are joined i Of course Lady Hardcastle and Flo don't cause strange things to happen around them but somehow they are again caught up in a murder。 This time， it's Lady Hardcastle's birthday （44th） and they are attending the theater with a large group and enjoying themselves quite thoroughly。 But， after a long intermission， the curtain rises on the second act but one of the four actors on the stage is dead， stabbed。 It seems like only the other actors would have had the chance to do the deed。 They are joined in this adventure by Flo's twin sister who is taking a vacation while her husband is out of town for the army。 It was nice to have a new face in the adventures and to see Flo and Lady Hardcastle work with someone who wasn't the Inspector。 。。。more

Helen ，

Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review An Act of Foul Play。 All opinions and comments are my own。Lady Hardcastle’s birthday celebration -- a night at the theatre in Bristol， no Littleton-Cotterell this time -- is interrupted by a murder onstage。 Luckily， Inspector Sunderland is in the theatre party and able to begin the investigation chop chop。 Handy， that。 And Lady H and her “tiny servant” won’t be far behind in An Act of Foul Pl Many thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review An Act of Foul Play。 All opinions and comments are my own。Lady Hardcastle’s birthday celebration -- a night at the theatre in Bristol， no Littleton-Cotterell this time -- is interrupted by a murder onstage。 Luckily， Inspector Sunderland is in the theatre party and able to begin the investigation chop chop。 Handy， that。 And Lady H and her “tiny servant” won’t be far behind in An Act of Foul Play， the ninth in the long-running historical mystery series by T。E。 Kinsey。 Count on banter being the order of the day， too， in between our daring duo figuring out who had it in for thespian Paul Singleton。 They’ve got help this time -- Flo’s twin sister Gwenith Evans has come for a little visit。 If you don’t think this will figure in the plot， you deserve to turn in your mystery- book-reading card。There’s initial sleuthing to be done， undercover as it were， where they get all sorts of ideas and find out about jealousy and whatnot in the ranks。 A member of the company gets arrested， but Lady H and Flo know there’s more detecting （and more witty banter） to be had。 Oh， and as a side note， somebody’s stealing from the local pub。 They agree to look into this， too。 With satisfactory results， of course。 Author Kinsey makes sure that no turn is unstoned and all that。Then， a stagehand is murdered。 First thought -- a blackmailer？ I’ve been reading murder mysteries far too long。 Our author understands -- blackmail it is。 But of course， there’s always more to the story， and readers are kept working alongside Lady H and her handy helper Flo （with sister Gwen’s assistance） to ferret out more reasons for why Paul Singleton had to be eliminated。 As always， clues abound between all that the ladies discuss in their own inimitable fashion， so pay attention！And then we get the big twist -- such fun。 Lady H explains How It Was All Done。 Now she just needs to get the guilty one to ‘fess up。 A trap is set， and Flo is in at the rather exciting finish。 Another very satisfactory finish。 An Author’s Note explains more about the making of the story， the setting， and other inclusions。 It’s enlightening and definitely gives you a feel for the theatre setting。 An Act of Foul Play sees Lady Hardcastle and Flo back once again at the top of their game， ensuring that no one gets away with murder。 。。。more

Zakri Banker ，

Hours spent alongside Flo and Lady Hardcastle are never wasted。 Once again a murder instigates the sleuthing duo to pull out the crime board and snoop around。。。this time in a theatre and its troupe。 There are a handful of new characters who add humor and new insights to the happenings。 Overall， it was a delightful jaunt with two of my favorite fictional characters and I laughed out loud at the best paragraph ever written to explain a person's level of drunkenness。 Hours spent alongside Flo and Lady Hardcastle are never wasted。 Once again a murder instigates the sleuthing duo to pull out the crime board and snoop around。。。this time in a theatre and its troupe。 There are a handful of new characters who add humor and new insights to the happenings。 Overall， it was a delightful jaunt with two of my favorite fictional characters and I laughed out loud at the best paragraph ever written to explain a person's level of drunkenness。 。。。more

Cathy Cole ，

An Act of Foul Play takes one of my favorite investigative duos into the world of the theater， and although the pacing of the story dragged a bit from time to time， it was still a treat to watch Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong work their usual magic。 This time， readers also make the acquaintance of Flo's twin sister， Gwenith， and she made an entertaining addition to the witty repartee。 Hardcastle and Armstrong make short work of the bumblings of Inspector Wyatt while Gwenith proves to be An Act of Foul Play takes one of my favorite investigative duos into the world of the theater， and although the pacing of the story dragged a bit from time to time， it was still a treat to watch Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong work their usual magic。 This time， readers also make the acquaintance of Flo's twin sister， Gwenith， and she made an entertaining addition to the witty repartee。 Hardcastle and Armstrong make short work of the bumblings of Inspector Wyatt while Gwenith proves to be an important part of the solution to the mystery of who's stealing booze from the local pub， the Dog and Duck。  As this series has progressed， author T。E。 Kinsey has not only charmed me with his characters and their wonderful dialogue， he's given me glimpses into various aspects of English life in the 1910s。 This is a series that never fails to put a smile on my face， and I've even added a word to my vocabulary after reading An Act of Foul Play。 I would imagine that most of us titivate ourselves before leaving the house to go to work or shopping。 I just didn't know that that was what I was doing。Anyone who enjoys light-hearted historical mysteries really needs to make the acquaintance of Lady Hardcastle and her "lady's maid， part-time spy and full-time nosy parker，" Florence Armstrong。 I wouldn't dream of missing any of their adventures。（Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley） 。。。more

Marsha ，

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS QUASI-SPOILERSI love Lady Hardcastle and Flo Armstrong。 Love， love， love them！ That said， I think this book ended a little less "spectacularly" than I would have hoped。 I think I was a little disappointed because I happened to be reading this book at the same time I was listening to an audiobook by another British mystery author， and the two endings were EERILY SIMILAR。 I mean。。。 so similar I felt the need to mention the similarities to my 11-year-old。 I HONESTLY wondered if THIS REVIEW CONTAINS QUASI-SPOILERSI love Lady Hardcastle and Flo Armstrong。 Love， love， love them！ That said， I think this book ended a little less "spectacularly" than I would have hoped。 I think I was a little disappointed because I happened to be reading this book at the same time I was listening to an audiobook by another British mystery author， and the two endings were EERILY SIMILAR。 I mean。。。 so similar I felt the need to mention the similarities to my 11-year-old。 I HONESTLY wondered if both authors （same genre， same month of release for most if not all of their books） got some kind of challenge that said， "Write a British mystery novel that ends like this。" In case you're curious， I read this at the same time as the latest Jim Oldroyd mystery by J。 R。 Ellis， "The Railway Murders。" Had I not listened to the end of Ellis' audiobook earlier that same day， I would probably have found the end of this book to be more satisfying。 What I DID like about this book was the introduction of Flo's twin， Gwen。 I thought the author was really clever changing things to include her （e。g。 putting Emily's two-seater Rolls Royce in the mechanic's shop and having them use a 'loaner' so Gwen could join them in the car）。 She was a welcome addition to the "cast。" I want more Lady Hardcastle and Flo。 。。。more

Scilla ，

Lady Hardcastle and Flo are celebrating Lady Hardcastle with with Lady Bickle who has suggested a play at Duke's Theatre。 As the curtains open for the second act， they notice a manlying on his back with a dagger in his chest with convincing blood around it。 Of course， Inspector Sunderland asks for Lady H and Flo to help， especially since Inspector Wyatt who is handling the case keeps arresting one of the actors without a good reason。 Flo’s twin sister， Gwen， is visiting， and she helps as well。 I Lady Hardcastle and Flo are celebrating Lady Hardcastle with with Lady Bickle who has suggested a play at Duke's Theatre。 As the curtains open for the second act， they notice a manlying on his back with a dagger in his chest with convincing blood around it。 Of course， Inspector Sunderland asks for Lady H and Flo to help， especially since Inspector Wyatt who is handling the case keeps arresting one of the actors without a good reason。 Flo’s twin sister， Gwen， is visiting， and she helps as well。 It appears at first that almost anyone can be the killer。 The two understudies would love to have the leading parts。 When one of the stage hands is found murdered in a room in the basement， they realize he probably saw something during the first murder。 In the middle of all this， at the Dog & Duck， they are told that someone has been pilching booze， usually on Thursday night。 Gwen and Flo solve that mystery by dressing alike。 The culprit doesn’t realize that Flo has a twin， so they figure how to catch the culprit。Meanwhile， the theatre killer is more difficult to catch。 However， after they realize they’ve got the timeline wrong and at least one of them has lost their alibi！ Will they figure it out before someone finishes off one of them？ This is a fun addition to the series。 。。。more

Gretchen Louise ，

It's not often that a series is just as enjoyable by book number nine as it was at the beginning。 But T。E。 Kinsey continues to give us more hilarity from the fabulous sleuthing duo Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong。 This time， there's even a guest appearance from Flo's double！The theater setting of "An Act of Foul Play" felt like a unique glimpse into that time period and provided an interesting cast of characters， to say the least！ I look forward to seeing where their tenth adventure takes It's not often that a series is just as enjoyable by book number nine as it was at the beginning。 But T。E。 Kinsey continues to give us more hilarity from the fabulous sleuthing duo Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong。 This time， there's even a guest appearance from Flo's double！The theater setting of "An Act of Foul Play" felt like a unique glimpse into that time period and provided an interesting cast of characters， to say the least！ I look forward to seeing where their tenth adventure takes Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong。If you enjoy titles set in the early 1900s with theater and a bit of mystery， be sure to check out "In Spotlight and Shadow" by Rachel Scott McDaniel， as well。Content Warning: More sensitive readers may find a few of the jokes a bit more vulgar than normal for the series。 Disclosure: I received a digital review copy from NetGalley。 Opinions are my own。 。。。more

Verity W ，

****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****In the new book， number nine in the series， we've reached 1911 and our intrepid duo are at the theatre celebrating Lady Hardcastle's birthday when murder victim is discovered on stage at the start of the second half。 Of course they're soon investigating and trying to discover what's going on behind the scenes of the theatre company that could have led to murder。 I read it across about 24 hours and really enjoyed it - it was just the brea ****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****In the new book， number nine in the series， we've reached 1911 and our intrepid duo are at the theatre celebrating Lady Hardcastle's birthday when murder victim is discovered on stage at the start of the second half。 Of course they're soon investigating and trying to discover what's going on behind the scenes of the theatre company that could have led to murder。 I read it across about 24 hours and really enjoyed it - it was just the break from the day to day that I needed this week。 I don't think you need to have read the rest of the series to enjoy it， although if you have it will obviously work better for you。 。。。more

Caley ，

This was such a fun murder mystery I really enjoy the characters of Flo and Lady Hardcastle。 I think their relationship is so enjoyable and I love the witty back and forth that they haveThis book included Flo’s identical twin which added an extra element of mischief The mystery was very exciting and I enjoyed trying to work out whodunnit。 I do think that once a certain bit of information was revealed， it became really obvious who the baddie was。 I would have loved a few more red herrings but tha This was such a fun murder mystery I really enjoy the characters of Flo and Lady Hardcastle。 I think their relationship is so enjoyable and I love the witty back and forth that they haveThis book included Flo’s identical twin which added an extra element of mischief The mystery was very exciting and I enjoyed trying to work out whodunnit。 I do think that once a certain bit of information was revealed， it became really obvious who the baddie was。 I would have loved a few more red herrings but that’s me just being pickyThis was a fun read and such a quick readI’ve given it 3 stars but this is really a 3。5I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Caley ，

This was such a fun murder mystery I really enjoy the characters of Flo and Lady Hardcastle。 I think their relationship is so enjoyable and I love the witty back and forth that they haveThis book included Flo’s identical twin which added an extra element of mischief The mystery was very exciting and I enjoyed trying to work out whodunnit。 I do think that once a certain bit of information was revealed， it became really obvious who the baddie was。 I would have loved a few more red herrings but tha This was such a fun murder mystery I really enjoy the characters of Flo and Lady Hardcastle。 I think their relationship is so enjoyable and I love the witty back and forth that they haveThis book included Flo’s identical twin which added an extra element of mischief The mystery was very exciting and I enjoyed trying to work out whodunnit。 I do think that once a certain bit of information was revealed， it became really obvious who the baddie was。 I would have loved a few more red herrings but that’s me just being pickyThis was a fun read and such a quick readI’ve given it 3 stars but this is really a 3。5I received this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review 。。。more

Homerun2 ，

3。75 starsAnother adventure of Lady Hardcastle， aristo and investigator and adventuress， and her friend/investigative partner/erstwhile lady's maid Florence。 The setting is pre-World War I England。The ladies are out for an evening watching a play and having a birthday celebration for Lady H when one of the actors is discovered stabbed to death on stage。 Their typical somewhat madcap detecting follows， complicated by their decision to assume aliases during the investigation。The meat of this serie 3。75 starsAnother adventure of Lady Hardcastle， aristo and investigator and adventuress， and her friend/investigative partner/erstwhile lady's maid Florence。 The setting is pre-World War I England。The ladies are out for an evening watching a play and having a birthday celebration for Lady H when one of the actors is discovered stabbed to death on stage。 Their typical somewhat madcap detecting follows， complicated by their decision to assume aliases during the investigation。The meat of this series is the banter and solid friendship and history between Flo and Lady H。 Always a fun read with some quite competent sleuthing and logical deduction。 Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Brenda ，

It was 1911 and Lady Emily Hardcastle was at the theatre with friends， celebrating her birthday。 Her maid and friend， Flo Armstrong， was there also， and by the beginning of act two， they were involved in murder once again。 As the curtain lifted for the start of act two， a body was on the stage - but it wasn't part of the play as the scream from a cast member indicated。 With Inspector Sunderland part of Lady Hardcastle's group， he was soon on the stage and with an aside to Emily and Flo， he reque It was 1911 and Lady Emily Hardcastle was at the theatre with friends， celebrating her birthday。 Her maid and friend， Flo Armstrong， was there also， and by the beginning of act two， they were involved in murder once again。 As the curtain lifted for the start of act two， a body was on the stage - but it wasn't part of the play as the scream from a cast member indicated。 With Inspector Sunderland part of Lady Hardcastle's group， he was soon on the stage and with an aside to Emily and Flo， he requested their help in keeping an eye on things。。。Back home after the eventful evening， they were surprised by a visitor whom they hadn't expected。 Gwenith， Flo's twin sister， had arrived for a visit， and it wasn't long before she was helping the sleuths in the investigation。 There were plenty of suspects， and motives for them all - would they find the culprit before the cast and players moved on to their next destination？An Act of Foul Play is the 9th in the Lady Hardcastle mysteries by T。E。 Kinsey and once again I loved it。 Fun， entertaining and clever， it was also great to meet Gwenith and see how close the sisters are。 I'm looking forward to the next installment very much。 Highly recommended。With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

HM ，

I first read T E Kinsey in 2017 and am now an avid fan， keenly （but impatiently） waiting for each new release， then reading it immediately。 I've been delighted to get hold of this a little earlier on this occasion， except that I've now realised the next wait will be a little longer。 'An Act of Foul Play' （AAFP） is the latest and ninth book in the Lady Hardcastle series， and it is an absolute joy。 As a Welsh woman living in Gloucestershire， the characters feel like friends; their camaraderie is d I first read T E Kinsey in 2017 and am now an avid fan， keenly （but impatiently） waiting for each new release， then reading it immediately。 I've been delighted to get hold of this a little earlier on this occasion， except that I've now realised the next wait will be a little longer。 'An Act of Foul Play' （AAFP） is the latest and ninth book in the Lady Hardcastle series， and it is an absolute joy。 As a Welsh woman living in Gloucestershire， the characters feel like friends; their camaraderie is delightful and hilarious。 The physical setting （location） feels authentic and， despite this book being set in 1911， the story never feels far away。 The plot is engaging throughout with sufficient twists and foreshadowed clues that you're constantly flip-flopping between simply getting carried away in a great story， and trying to solve the case before you get to the end， My advice - read them all and enjoy the stories for what they do so exceptionally well。 Take an adventure with Flo and Lady H and lose yourself completely in their cosy adventures。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Beachcomber ，

Another excellent entry to the Hardcastle and Armstrong series - this one sees them involved in solving a murder in a theatre。 A lot of cosy crime struggles to create plausible reasons for the plucky protagonists to investigate， and certainly many are wafer thin at best。 T。 E。 Kinsey steers well clear of this pitfall each time， which is no mean feat。 Although this one was set predominantly in Brizzle， and very little in Littleton Coterell， we do still see a few of the village regulars thanks to Another excellent entry to the Hardcastle and Armstrong series - this one sees them involved in solving a murder in a theatre。 A lot of cosy crime struggles to create plausible reasons for the plucky protagonists to investigate， and certainly many are wafer thin at best。 T。 E。 Kinsey steers well clear of this pitfall each time， which is no mean feat。 Although this one was set predominantly in Brizzle， and very little in Littleton Coterell， we do still see a few of the village regulars thanks to a particularly sweet little subplot involving someone stealing booze from the Dog and Duck pub （I know， doesn’t sound sweet at first， but read on and you’ll see）。 And I loved seeing Flo’s twin sister Gwenith visit and play a sizeable role。 More please！ （On all counts）。 。。。more

Brenda ，

An Act of Foul Play is the ninth in the warm， clever and delightful Lady Hardcastle Mysteries series。 It is 1911 and Lady Emily Hardcastle and her dearest friend and personal maid Flo attend the theatre in Bristol to celebrate Lady Hardcastle's birthday。 A very realistic death scene on stage occurs。 Paul's acting career is over。 Nefarious doings occurred during the interval but thankfully the two friends， also amateur sleuths， were at hand。 To add to the heady mix is Flo's twin Gwen who is more An Act of Foul Play is the ninth in the warm， clever and delightful Lady Hardcastle Mysteries series。 It is 1911 and Lady Emily Hardcastle and her dearest friend and personal maid Flo attend the theatre in Bristol to celebrate Lady Hardcastle's birthday。 A very realistic death scene on stage occurs。 Paul's acting career is over。 Nefarious doings occurred during the interval but thankfully the two friends， also amateur sleuths， were at hand。 To add to the heady mix is Flo's twin Gwen who is more than willing to help solve the crime as the list of suspects includes fellow actors。。。and others。 As you can imagine the twin dynamic opens up a plethora of theatrics！ New arresting arrivals include the quirky couple Lady Bickle and Sir Benjamin who add yet another layer to the hijinks。 The series is cozy and therefore there is no real tension yet there is no lack of red herrings。 The story is also about the characters and their relationships。Historical Fiction Mystery readers ought to flock to this series， especially if oodles of wit and banter are your wheelhouse。 My sincere thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for providing me with an early digital copy of this fabulously fun frolic！ 。。。more

Alisa ，

Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong， along with some friends， attend a play for Lady Hardcastle's birthday。 When the curtains rise for act two of the play one of the lead actors is lying dead on the stage。 Inspector Sunderland is busy with another matter and the detective assigned to the case is ready to arrest the first person that comes to mind， so Sunderland asks our heroines to do the investigating。 Aaand they decide to do it using fake identities。 Also， Flo's twin sister stays with them Lady Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong， along with some friends， attend a play for Lady Hardcastle's birthday。 When the curtains rise for act two of the play one of the lead actors is lying dead on the stage。 Inspector Sunderland is busy with another matter and the detective assigned to the case is ready to arrest the first person that comes to mind， so Sunderland asks our heroines to do the investigating。 Aaand they decide to do it using fake identities。 Also， Flo's twin sister stays with them for the course of the book do more shenanigans ensue。One of my favorites in the series！ There was so much humor in this one， I feel like more than usual。 Lady Hardcastle and Flo have to infiltrate a group of actors and the theater to get to the bottom of things and we get to see all the interactions of the group behind the stage。 Oh， and we get to see Flo in action as there is a fight scene at some point。 If you haven't read the series yet I highly recommend， it is so much fun。 Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Carol Bisig ，

This was a new author and series for me， I love Historical Mysteries， so the setting was great， the characters were interesting to a point。 I like more shock of discovery， some nuances of what was considered funny were beyond me， and considering I only watch British TV， along with Golden Hollywood， I should have laughed more？ Anyway， this is for people who truly love no suspense in their books， no oh I think so and so did it， it's not that kind of book。 If you like non threatening light hearted This was a new author and series for me， I love Historical Mysteries， so the setting was great， the characters were interesting to a point。 I like more shock of discovery， some nuances of what was considered funny were beyond me， and considering I only watch British TV， along with Golden Hollywood， I should have laughed more？ Anyway， this is for people who truly love no suspense in their books， no oh I think so and so did it， it's not that kind of book。 If you like non threatening light hearted murder mysteries then this is for 。 Thank you #Netgalleycarolintallahassee 。。。more

Gina ，

It's November 1911， and Lady Hardcastle is celebrating her birthday with friends at a theatre in Bristol。 But before the curtain drops， she and her maid， Flo， will be pulled into solving yet another murder。 The lead investigator makes more of a mess than the murderer。 Can they set things ship shape and Bristol fashion before the killer kills again？As always， it's the banter and love between Emily and Flo that make this such a fun read。 The mystery maybe isn't quite as twisty as some of their cas It's November 1911， and Lady Hardcastle is celebrating her birthday with friends at a theatre in Bristol。 But before the curtain drops， she and her maid， Flo， will be pulled into solving yet another murder。 The lead investigator makes more of a mess than the murderer。 Can they set things ship shape and Bristol fashion before the killer kills again？As always， it's the banter and love between Emily and Flo that make this such a fun read。 The mystery maybe isn't quite as twisty as some of their cases， and the actors are peculiarly indifferent to， you know， having a murderer in their midst， but honestly， I read the books more for Emily and Flo's antics than for the actual mystery。 This time out， we get to meet Flo's twin sister， Gwen。 Gwen helps out with not only this case， but a smaller case where someone is pilfering from the local pub。 While it's nice that their friend Inspector Sunderland trusts and respects them enough to ask for their help， in this book， it seemed more like he was asking them to do his work for him。 It's true that Flo and Emily were investigating on their own， and would have， whether he wanted them to or not， but I thought better of the inspector before this。As usual， our heroines solve the case and save the day。 Ride along in their Rolls for a fun and funny historical cozy。4 out of 5 stars。I received an advance copy from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more

Barbara Rogers ，

Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 StarsSeries: Lady Hardcastle #9Publication Date: 11/29/22Period: 1911 – Littleton Cotterell， UKNumber of Pages: 300As always， I loved this book by T。 E。 Kinsey – it is witty， intelligent， well-written， and filled with wonderful characters and a puzzling mystery。 While it can be read as a stand-alone if you want a fuller， richer experience you should at least read a few of the first books in the series。 Lady Emily Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong （her maid/friend） have a Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 StarsSeries: Lady Hardcastle #9Publication Date: 11/29/22Period: 1911 – Littleton Cotterell， UKNumber of Pages: 300As always， I loved this book by T。 E。 Kinsey – it is witty， intelligent， well-written， and filled with wonderful characters and a puzzling mystery。 While it can be read as a stand-alone if you want a fuller， richer experience you should at least read a few of the first books in the series。 Lady Emily Hardcastle and Florence Armstrong （her maid/friend） have a very colorful background and you’ll learn all about it in the earlier books – which will make their ‘poking into’ police investigations much easier to understand。 They were， after all， spies and certainly have the background for it。It is Lady Hardcastle’s birthday and she， along with several friends， is celebrating by attending a play in Bristol。 The Duke’s theater is featuring a comedy written by the brother of one of Lady Hardcastle’s friends。 The first act was hilariously entertaining and after the curtain came down for the intermission， they could hardly wait for the beginning of the second act。 Little did they know how exciting that opening would be – for there， on the stage floor， was the body of one of the stars of the play。 No， it wasn’t part of the play – it was real。 Luckily Inspector Sunderland was in attendance as part of Lady Hardcastle’s celebration and he quickly took over the case。 He got everything in motion only to be replaced by the totally incompetent， bumbling， lazy， Inspector Wyatt。 When Wyatt quickly arrests someone， everybody knows he doesn’t have the evidence needed to make a case - and it is probably the wrong person anyway。 Lady Hardcastle， Flo， and Flo’s twin sister （who is visiting） Gwen， know they need to investigate on their own， but they have to keep out of Inspector Wyatt’s way。 Wyatt has an exaggerated view of his skills and would not appreciate their interference。 They use a ruse to gain entry to enter the theater and the company of actors and begin the investigation。 Can the murderer be one of the actors？ Is it the leader of the troop？ What about the director？ Then – there is a second murder。 Obviously， it is related to the first – but how？ Did that victim know something he shouldn’t have？This is， as always， a highly entertaining， witty read， and I loved every word of it。 I can definitely recommend it and I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did。I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy （ARC） of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more

Phrynne ，

The ninth episode in this five star series and I loved every minute of it。It is 1911 and Lady Emily Hardcastle is celebrating her birthday with a trip to the theatre。 Of course， with her luck， someone dies on stage， and she and Flo are caught up again investigating a murder。 There even two Florences in this story when her identical twin sister joins her for a visit， and this causes some fun as well as helping to solve a secondary crime。As usual in this series there is plenty of humour， loads of The ninth episode in this five star series and I loved every minute of it。It is 1911 and Lady Emily Hardcastle is celebrating her birthday with a trip to the theatre。 Of course， with her luck， someone dies on stage， and she and Flo are caught up again investigating a murder。 There even two Florences in this story when her identical twin sister joins her for a visit， and this causes some fun as well as helping to solve a secondary crime。As usual in this series there is plenty of humour， loads of lovable characters and a tricky mystery with the inevitable red herrings to keep readers on their toes。 There are also a number of interesting historical facts dotted throughout， things like the price of shoes in 1911， and the service provided by Rolls Royce。 All good fun and a really entertaining read。Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book。 。。。more

Elaine Tomasso ，

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of An Act of Foul Play， the ninth novel to feature Lady Hardcastle and her ladies maid， Florence Armstrong， set in Gloucestershire in 1911。Lady Hardcastle and Flo are attending a play in Bristol with friends， but when the curtain goes up for the second half one of the actors is lying dead on stage， fatally stabbed。 Inspector Sunderland takes charge initially but has to pass the case on so he asks Lady Hardcastle to keep I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of An Act of Foul Play， the ninth novel to feature Lady Hardcastle and her ladies maid， Florence Armstrong， set in Gloucestershire in 1911。Lady Hardcastle and Flo are attending a play in Bristol with friends， but when the curtain goes up for the second half one of the actors is lying dead on stage， fatally stabbed。 Inspector Sunderland takes charge initially but has to pass the case on so he asks Lady Hardcastle to keep an informal eye on both the investigation and the suspects。 The problem is that everyone has both a motive and an alibi。I thoroughly enjoyed An Act of Foul Play， which is a fun read with a fiendish puzzle attached。 It is told from Flo’s point of view and as she has quite a caustic approach to life her narrative is amusing， as is the interplay between her and Lady Hardcastle - they are quite the double act。 As ever they run around quizzing the suspects on their motives and opportunities， but draw a blank until Lady Hardcastle puts certain events together to work out the rather ingenious way the murder was committed and Flo steps forward to catch a murderer， literally。 I don’t think many readers will guess both killer and motive because the necessary information is not available until the denouement。 Still， it’s clever and fun。I have read all the novels in this series and while it’s fun it lacks the exuberance of some of the previous novels。 Perhaps it’s all the commuting to Bristol from Little Cottingham or simply that the plot doesn’t lend itself to that kind of emotion。An Act of Foul Play is a good read that I can recommend。 。。。more

QNPoohBear ，

I recieved an e-ARC from NetGalley。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not affected by the giveaway。4。5 starsWhile out for a night on the town in Bristol， Lady Hardcastle's birthday celebration at the theater is interrupted by a murder！ Inspector Sunderland suspects foul play from one of the theater types but no one is talking to the police。 The Inspector， however， is not the one assigned to the case and he fears the inspector on duty will muck up the investigation by arres I recieved an e-ARC from NetGalley。 All opinions expressed in this review are my own and not affected by the giveaway。4。5 starsWhile out for a night on the town in Bristol， Lady Hardcastle's birthday celebration at the theater is interrupted by a murder！ Inspector Sunderland suspects foul play from one of the theater types but no one is talking to the police。 The Inspector， however， is not the one assigned to the case and he fears the inspector on duty will muck up the investigation by arresting the most convenient person。 Inspector Sunderland asks Emily and Flo to have a look around and see what they can find out。 Pretending to be suffragette theater owner wannabes， Emily and Flo have a great time visiting with the actors and learning about life in the theater。 When one of the actresses is arrested， confirming Sunderland's fears， Emily and Flo are convinced she's innocent。 Yet， one of the others must be guilty but which one and how to prove it？ Flo is also quite busy with a visit from her twin sister Gwen。 The twins have a grand time getting up to old tricks and Gwen is eager to assist with the case。 Meanwhile， back in Littleton Cottrell， Joe， the barman， is concerned because some bottles keep going missing from his cellar and he wants the perpetrator caught。 Daisy asks Flo to ask Emily if they can help。 The sleuths readily agree and even Gwen gets in on the act。 Certainly these thefts can't be related to some minor thefts at the theater in Bristol or even the murder but it will give the friends something to do while they puzzle out the murder。 Can they catch the killer before the curtain goes down on the show and everyone moves on？This story is back on track from the previous meandering episode。 It's more succinct with fewer supects。 However， I missed the three interconnected mysteries from the early books and some of the intrigue of learning Lady Hardcastle's backstory。 They give a tantalizing hint about something that happened off page and I hope they relate the whole story soon。 This story mainly involves the theater and tourism in Bristol so if you're not into the theater， this one might seem a little boring。 I happen to love the theater but some of the details were a little boring for someone who has read other mysteries set in the theater but it was super well researched。 I especially liked the details about Bristol and had to stop and look up a picture of the Christmas Steps。 I also discovered Lady Bickie's home is an apartment hotel now and most everything the sleuths see is still there。 The mystery is super difficult to figure out。 It sounds like it would be easy。 There are several actors and a couple of motives。 The final clue that led Emily to figure things out also clued me in but even then I wasn't 100% sure。 It could have been any of them， aside from Rosie who was wrongfully arrested。 Having twin sleuths really changes the pattern of the mystery and I really liked it。 I apprecited the sympathy towards mental illness in one character but suspect that another character is also mentally unwell for similar reasons and that went overlooked。 I was surprised though by the compassion for the first person given the time period， just before WWI。 As always， the characters are a delight！ Old and new characters shine on the page。 I missed the Farley-Strouds who are once again absent but other than that， the regulars are all here。 We even meet Inspector Sunderland's wife for the first time。 （Emily and Flo have met her off page previously）。 The banter between Emily and Flo never gets old。 I adore their friendship and how comfortable they are with each other after all these years。 Emily acts like the dotty middle-aged widow but Flo begins to suspect it's actually an act - or is it？ She's not sure but she's fond of Emily either way and looks after the older woman like her daughter。 Apparently it's Flo who instigates the banter because she does it with her sister too！ Gwen is a lot of fun。 Her personality is more lively than her sister's。 She's married and rising to middle class which leaves her bored and lonely while her military husband is away。 Even though the twins haven't seen each other in years， they've written and are still close。 They seem to pick up right where they left off as children with good natured teasing and double trouble！ Gwen made a great addition to the sleuthing team。 Inspector Sunderland is not on the case but he pops in to help smooth the way for the ladies and listen to their observations， in case he is put on the case after the other guy mucks it up。 His wife seems very nice and accepting of his job taking him away from her at all hours。 Dinah Caudle is eager for a news story but is also capable of being a friend when needs be。 She's not super patient but the ladies promise her a story when it is over so she accepts that。 New characters include Lady Hardcastle and Flo's new friend， Lady Bickie。 She's a good and loyal friend but can't hold her liquor and can't lie convincingly。 She nearly ruins the investigation。 Her husband， Sir Benjamin is a dear and has a good sense of humor。 They seem like a nice couple。 At the theater， we meet a lot of new people。 Paul Singleton， the man who was stabbed and left on stage， was really not a very nice person。 He was a ladies' man so his character really depends on who you ask。 He was a rogue and a charmer but also a bit slimy。 Still， he didn't do anything that would get him killed - unless someone is lying。 Lady Bickie's old school friend Helena Bartlett has a brother， Hugh， who is a playwright。 He writes the plays for the acting troupe- wonderfully funny comedies that bring the house down。 He approached Lady Bickie without introduction which makes me suspicious。 She claims she sees a family resemblance but does she really？ Why has no one else ever really seen this playwright？ He comes across as shy and reclusive， dedicated to his craft but what if he's hiding something？ He's my chief suspect for murder。 His alibi is quite shocking but not entirely susprising。 I kind of suspected something of the sort early on。 Yet his alibi is not airtight and he could still be the murderer。 Edwin Adlam， the theater manager， is eager to sell tickets。 He seems friendly but a little smarmy at the same time。 Could he have been so ghastly as to commit murder to sell more tickets to a ghoulish public？Harris Bridges， the leading man， is handsome and thinks he's clever。 He's one of those pomopus bores who speaks for everyone and speaks to everyone。 He thinks he knows it all。 I hate that type。 He's an experienced actor who has been with the company since the beginning so why would he wait until now to kill his fellow actor？ He was once engaged to Rosalie Harding， a sweet young woman， who fell in love with Paul。 That does give Bridges a motive for murder！ Rosie seems sweet at first but apparently she has a temper and can hold her own。 Did she kill Paul in anger？ Paul's role is taken by his understudy， Patrick Cowlin， a man who has been waiting in the wings for a long time for an opportunity to take a leading role。 That would certainly give him a motive for murder。 He comes across as cold and standoffish at first but the ladies soon learn to appreciate his better qualities。 It doesn't let him off the suspect list though。Sarah Griffin is the oldest lady in the cast。 She's more cynical and not so friendly than some of the others。 She's accepting of the ladies poking around and happy to show them around。 Should they take her into their confidence？ What if she turns out to be the murderer？ Does she have a motive？ As it turns out， she does and a decent one， unless you believe what she says is true。 Nancy Beaufort is the female understudy。 She's young and insecure。 I think she could easily have been swayed by someone else to murder Paul。 Emrys Thornell， the director， could have had the opportunity for murder but what is his motive？ A late twist with another murder， the murder of a stagehand， throws everyone's motives into question！ Was Dickie Bickell in the wrong place at the wrong time？ Did he witness the murder and had to be silenced？ Detective Dick Wyatt is on the case。 He's lazy and incompetant and a wannabe ladies' man。 He's an ineffective detective and if he manages to solve this case， it will be a miracle。 I'm not even sure Lady Hardcastle and Florence can solve this one easily！ 。。。more

Janette ，

This is the ninth outing for Lady Emily Hardcastle and her maid Flo and this time the murder occurs while they are at the theatre。 As the curtain rises for the second act of a comedy， one of the actors is discovered on stage having been stabbed to death。 I have enjoyed the previous books in this series and this one felt like discovering old friends。 The dialogue between Lady Hardcastle and Flo is still as sharp as ever and they are joined this time by Flo’s identical twin sister which adds to th This is the ninth outing for Lady Emily Hardcastle and her maid Flo and this time the murder occurs while they are at the theatre。 As the curtain rises for the second act of a comedy， one of the actors is discovered on stage having been stabbed to death。 I have enjoyed the previous books in this series and this one felt like discovering old friends。 The dialogue between Lady Hardcastle and Flo is still as sharp as ever and they are joined this time by Flo’s identical twin sister which adds to the fun。The plot was an interesting one and I loved the theatrical theme。 As usual， a lot of time is spent on the details of their normal lives but I felt that the murder mystery was almost secondary this time。 It’s a fun read for lovers of this series but I don’t think that it is one of the author’s best。 Thank you to Net Galley and Amazon Publishing for my ARC。 。。。more

Jan ，

This CANNOT be an unbiased review because i LOVE the Lady Hardcastle series！This time Lady Hardcastle and lady's maid Florence bring Florence's twin sister into the sleuthing。 An actor was murdered onstage and the detective on the case is unusually slipshod， so the women get involved to do the REAL sleuthing and see justice served。 Good sleuthing and a cast of zany characters！Of course I loved it！I requested and received a free EARC from Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley。 Thank This CANNOT be an unbiased review because i LOVE the Lady Hardcastle series！This time Lady Hardcastle and lady's maid Florence bring Florence's twin sister into the sleuthing。 An actor was murdered onstage and the detective on the case is unusually slipshod， so the women get involved to do the REAL sleuthing and see justice served。 Good sleuthing and a cast of zany characters！Of course I loved it！I requested and received a free EARC from Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more

Aria Harlow ，

A quick， easy and enjoyable cosy murder mystery。 It was well written with a well developed cast of characters that were funny and easy to like and a storyline that i liked and kept me engaged。 I will definitely check out some more from this series。

Susan Willis ，

Lady Emily and Florence are once again pulled into solving a murder when an actor is found dead on stage in their presence。 It must be one of his fellow Astor's - right？ There are plenty of secrets and alibis to wade through。 Luckily for them， Flo's twin sister arrives to help。 As always the book is full of fun dialogue and great characters。 Lady Emily and Florence are once again pulled into solving a murder when an actor is found dead on stage in their presence。 It must be one of his fellow Astor's - right？ There are plenty of secrets and alibis to wade through。 Luckily for them， Flo's twin sister arrives to help。 As always the book is full of fun dialogue and great characters。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=An Act of Foul Play

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=An Act of Foul Play&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,An Act of Foul Play&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0