Prague, a Secret from the Past
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-15 10:19:23
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Adriana Licio
- ISBN：B093WN3ZB3
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A look of pure hatred cuts across a packed theatre foyer， where one of the revellers has only hours to live。
The morning after a convivial evening， retired teachers Etta and Dora， on a homeswap from the South of Italy， are rudely awakened by Leon， the adorably mischievous Basset Hound who’s ready for his walk – at quarter to six！ Taking advantage of the empty streets and pausing to admire the views over Kampa island from Charles Bridge， the trio find themselves instead looking down upon a murder scene。
Recognising the striking red dress she had seen a glamorous businesswoman wearing the previous evening， Etta identifies the victim’s body for Czech policeman， Jan Baloun。 But despite notable successes when sleuthing on previous trips around Europe， this time， the friends simply want to enjoy their holiday。 And Leon？ This lovelorn hound only has eyes for the pretty she-Basset in the flat opposite。
When their new friend disappears hours after telling them about the dark days of Communism， and Etta and Dora themselves narrowly escape being attacked on their way home， the case becomes personal。 What is the humorous Lieutenant Baloun hiding？ Who was the traitor in the US Embassy， leaking vital information to the secret police during the tense days in 1980s Prague？ And what bearing could that have on a crime committed nearly three decades later？
◆◆◆ Cosy fans， join Etta， Dora and Leon on an evocative delve into Prague’s hidden secrets。 Can you piece together the puzzle before the killer strikes again？ ◆◆◆
***
Prague a Secret from the Past is the fourth book in the The Homeswappers Mysteries， a humorous cosy series following the adventures of two retired teachers and their Basset Hound as they explore the most delightfully murderous European travel destinations and put their skills as sleuths to the test。
Written in British English， each light-hearted mystery is clean – no violence， sex or strong language – and can be read as a standalone or enjoyed in sequence:
0。 Castelmezzano， The Witch is Dead – An Italian Cosy Mystery （A Prequel Novella）
1。 The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies – A German Cosy Mystery
2。 A Wedding and a Funeral in Mecklenburg – A German Travel Mystery
3。 An Aero Island Christmas Mystery – A Danish Cosy Mystery
4。 Prague， A Secret from the Past – A Czech Travel Mystery
5。 Murder on the West Highland Way – A Scottish Cosy Mystery is the next book to come…
More adventures to follow！
The morning after a convivial evening， retired teachers Etta and Dora， on a homeswap from the South of Italy， are rudely awakened by Leon， the adorably mischievous Basset Hound who’s ready for his walk – at quarter to six！ Taking advantage of the empty streets and pausing to admire the views over Kampa island from Charles Bridge， the trio find themselves instead looking down upon a murder scene。
Recognising the striking red dress she had seen a glamorous businesswoman wearing the previous evening， Etta identifies the victim’s body for Czech policeman， Jan Baloun。 But despite notable successes when sleuthing on previous trips around Europe， this time， the friends simply want to enjoy their holiday。 And Leon？ This lovelorn hound only has eyes for the pretty she-Basset in the flat opposite。
When their new friend disappears hours after telling them about the dark days of Communism， and Etta and Dora themselves narrowly escape being attacked on their way home， the case becomes personal。 What is the humorous Lieutenant Baloun hiding？ Who was the traitor in the US Embassy， leaking vital information to the secret police during the tense days in 1980s Prague？ And what bearing could that have on a crime committed nearly three decades later？
◆◆◆ Cosy fans， join Etta， Dora and Leon on an evocative delve into Prague’s hidden secrets。 Can you piece together the puzzle before the killer strikes again？ ◆◆◆
***
Prague a Secret from the Past is the fourth book in the The Homeswappers Mysteries， a humorous cosy series following the adventures of two retired teachers and their Basset Hound as they explore the most delightfully murderous European travel destinations and put their skills as sleuths to the test。
Written in British English， each light-hearted mystery is clean – no violence， sex or strong language – and can be read as a standalone or enjoyed in sequence:
0。 Castelmezzano， The Witch is Dead – An Italian Cosy Mystery （A Prequel Novella）
1。 The Watchman of Rothenburg Dies – A German Cosy Mystery
2。 A Wedding and a Funeral in Mecklenburg – A German Travel Mystery
3。 An Aero Island Christmas Mystery – A Danish Cosy Mystery
4。 Prague， A Secret from the Past – A Czech Travel Mystery
5。 Murder on the West Highland Way – A Scottish Cosy Mystery is the next book to come…
More adventures to follow！
Reviews
Phthon
，
Poor Leon！ Such a decision should never have to be made by such a magnificent beast！ Etta and Dora are inevitably pulled in to another baffling mystery！ This one involves people and events from 30 years in the past。 Etta has a truly incredible mind and Dora has some very impressive social skills。 I enjoy reading about the escapades the these two ladies find themselves on！ I loved it！
Roxx Tarantini
，
Dora and Etta are back – oh and Leon too！ The mischief these three can get into is entertaining indeed。 Retired schoolteachers， Dora and Etta decided to combine their living arrangements so that their meager pensions would allow them to pursue the travels they’d always dreamed of。 Enter Dora with the brilliant idea of joining a Homeswappers group， making travel even more affordable。 It was on one of those adventures that Leon – more formally known as Napoleon – found them and took them under his Dora and Etta are back – oh and Leon too！ The mischief these three can get into is entertaining indeed。 Retired schoolteachers， Dora and Etta decided to combine their living arrangements so that their meager pensions would allow them to pursue the travels they’d always dreamed of。 Enter Dora with the brilliant idea of joining a Homeswappers group， making travel even more affordable。 It was on one of those adventures that Leon – more formally known as Napoleon – found them and took them under his wing。 After all， these two elderly women needed a dapper dog-about-town to keep them from getting lost。 AND to lead them to the clues！I’ve loved these two from the very first volume。 Licio has an uncanny ability to draw characters with a truth and honesty [and likely why I see more than a little of myself in the acerbic Etta] that makes them your friends and invests you in their exploits。 Prague was no different。 Well， yes it was， but only in that the erstwhile Leon is finally given more latitude。 He plays a much bigger role this time – he even has a love interest！Don’t miss this latest tale in the perils of the Homeswappers， you won’t be disappointed！[I was fortunate to receive a pre-publication copy of this book from the author， with no obligation to review。 The opinions expressed herein are entirely my own and given freely。] 。。。more
Margery Baker
，
Makes you want to go thereAnother intriguing read about the traveling duo， Etta and Dora， along with their four-legged companion Leon。 As in the previous books in this series， the descriptions of Prague made me feel like I was right there with them。 Leon gets them started when he leads them to a clue， and his parts of the book had me laughing out loud （husband thought I was nuts）。 Can’t wait for 5！I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book。
Sharon
，
Etta， Dora， and Leon arrive in Prague for another home swapping。 They take Leon for a long walk then go back to their new home and leave him there alone。 It upsets him that he has been abandoned。 But it worries him too that his two humans are out there without him。 Who is going to look after them and keep them out of trouble？ He goes to the window to look and see if the ladies are almost home。 He doesn't see them but he sees a pair of eyes looking right at him from the window across the street。 Etta， Dora， and Leon arrive in Prague for another home swapping。 They take Leon for a long walk then go back to their new home and leave him there alone。 It upsets him that he has been abandoned。 But it worries him too that his two humans are out there without him。 Who is going to look after them and keep them out of trouble？ He goes to the window to look and see if the ladies are almost home。 He doesn't see them but he sees a pair of eyes looking right at him from the window across the street。 He realizes it is a she -basset。 He is in love。 Leon shines in this story。 He is the star。The next morning they all go for a walk and come across a murder scene。 They recognize the red dress。 They talk to a policeman and identify the body。 Etta knows she has to investigate。 Of course， Dora will be right there with her。 There are twists and turns that will keep you flipping pages。 A well thought out plot and the story is well written。There are wonderful descriptions of Prague and we also learn some history。 Very enjoyable story。 A must-read。 I voluntarily received a copy of this book and I'm voluntarily posting a review。 My opinions are entirely my own。 。。。more
Charlene
，
wonderful read！ I love all the quirky and interesting characters！ Lots of twists and turns to solve this mystery。 I love the details in this book！ a must read！
Isabel Thomson
，
Another super book。Once more， Adriana Licio excells with her description of places。Thanks to her I felt I was in Prague again。As allways Napoleon’s philosophy makes him adorable， not to mention Etta and Dora the two heroines of the storyI can’t wait to read the next book（ I hope it will be a nexta one）， featuring Etta， Dora and Napoleon
Christmas Angel
，
Adriana knows how to really enthrall us。 Along with Etta， Dora and our beloved Leon， there are devious characters in intriguing scenes。 Descriptions and information on the beauty and wonders of Prague make you want to get on the first plane out and savor it all for yourself。 Data on The Velvet Revolution and Shirley Temple Black fit in perfectly with the narrative。 This is an outstanding series that captures your attention in the best and most delightful way。Superb and Very Highly Recommended。
Merry Chapman
，
Once again， the author takes us on an incredible tour of Prague that is so specific you feel like you are there！ Etta， Dora and their absolutely adorable Basset Hound Leo are on the next leg of their vacation swapping house tour in Prague。 when they arrived， the present ambassador， Christine has invited them to a party where they were meeting Czech business people who were interested in doing business with America。 A woman in a red dressed who was said to be a very competitive business woman sto Once again， the author takes us on an incredible tour of Prague that is so specific you feel like you are there！ Etta， Dora and their absolutely adorable Basset Hound Leo are on the next leg of their vacation swapping house tour in Prague。 when they arrived， the present ambassador， Christine has invited them to a party where they were meeting Czech business people who were interested in doing business with America。 A woman in a red dressed who was said to be a very competitive business woman stood out to Etta and Dora only to be found dead later that night by the ladies when they took Leo for a walk。 When Etta identified the body for the Czech policeman， Jan Balou she knew they had to get involved。 It was just in their nature， much to Balou， who humorously calls Etta Jessica Fletch！ As the ladies and Leo get deeper into the investigation and one of the friends they made， a woman who was in the Embassy years ago when some of the suspects were there goes missing。 Leo has great instincts in this book that will make you laugh。 And we add to that a she-basset hound living across from where Leo was staying that made him crazy with love thoughts and of course he puts his two cents in on the investigation and protecting his humans who he believes he is smarter than！ I LOVED this book in the series and Leo has become a main character not to be reckoned with as he tries to keep his humans safe and out of the danger they seem to find themselves in。 I can't wait for the next adventure of Etta， Dora and Leon。 I received and ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own。 。。。more
Alice Hazelbaker
，
Etta， Dora and of course their Bassett Hound Leon， are off on another homeswapping adventure， this time to Prague。 It seems wherever they go， murder seems to find them， and they get involved in investigating the crime。 And this time is no different！ Soon after arriving， they attended a Korean concert at the National Theatre （which Dora loved， and predictably， Etta hated） by invitation of the American Embassy， the Ambassador， a friend of their homeswapper host。 After， they were introduced to a nu Etta， Dora and of course their Bassett Hound Leon， are off on another homeswapping adventure， this time to Prague。 It seems wherever they go， murder seems to find them， and they get involved in investigating the crime。 And this time is no different！ Soon after arriving， they attended a Korean concert at the National Theatre （which Dora loved， and predictably， Etta hated） by invitation of the American Embassy， the Ambassador， a friend of their homeswapper host。 After， they were introduced to a number of VIPs， many attending the US Embassy Conference on Trade。 While walking Leon the next morning they discover the police pulling a body out of the jetty， and they identify her as Eva Kladivova， whom they had met the previous night。 So their investigation begins， seemingly with ties to the past Velvet Revolution！ I am on Andrea Licio’s ARC team and am in love with this series！ So I write this voluntary review。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Nadine
，
What an EXCELLENT book！A great start！ Drew me in immediately。 Leon’s POV is so funny。 Poor abandoned Leon and his two mean bipeds… Just read and you’ll see。 The Basset Hound is such a character！ He was his usual adorable-when-he-wants-to-be-but-mostly-very-stubborn self。 And he has a big decision to make in this book！ The book had just the right tone， I think。 The descriptions of Prague were very vivid （now I want to go back to Prague！） and it felt like I was there right along with Etta and Dora What an EXCELLENT book！A great start！ Drew me in immediately。 Leon’s POV is so funny。 Poor abandoned Leon and his two mean bipeds… Just read and you’ll see。 The Basset Hound is such a character！ He was his usual adorable-when-he-wants-to-be-but-mostly-very-stubborn self。 And he has a big decision to make in this book！ The book had just the right tone， I think。 The descriptions of Prague were very vivid （now I want to go back to Prague！） and it felt like I was there right along with Etta and Dora。 Etta， well， she’s got spunk in spades， while Dora is more emotional， sweeter， a bit naive even， although don’t underestimate her！ While Dora is a little bit more relatable to me， I can sympathize with Etta more in the early mornings LOL。 The two women are so different， but their bond is growing ever-stronger。 And I loved learning more about the history of Prague。 So interesting。 A history full of violence and cruelty， but also of hope and good people fighting for freedom。 Yes， of course I knew some of it， but now I learned some details that I never knew and I love that。 Works perfectly well as a standalone。 Favourite quote， about Leon the Basset Hound: “But his two humans were deaf to his pleas。 He was brutally dragged their way， wondering whether he had a case for putting his Basset superpowers to use。 This hound could not only glue his bum to the asphalt， he could multiply his weight a hundred times。” 。。。more
Anne Newman
，
Once again we meet Etta， Dora & Leon on their travels。 This time in the beautiful city of Prague。 I’ve never been there， but， I’ve seen photos & the rich descriptions in this book add to them。I knew Shirley Temple Black had been an ambassador， but， not that she had been there when the second revolution happened。 She’d also been there when the first one was ended by the invasion by Russia。 If you are interested in history， this part of the book is worth reading with out all the other things that Once again we meet Etta， Dora & Leon on their travels。 This time in the beautiful city of Prague。 I’ve never been there， but， I’ve seen photos & the rich descriptions in this book add to them。I knew Shirley Temple Black had been an ambassador， but， not that she had been there when the second revolution happened。 She’d also been there when the first one was ended by the invasion by Russia。 If you are interested in history， this part of the book is worth reading with out all the other things that are happening in the book。Murder discovered before they get to the scene， but， Etta & Dora recognise someone they’d met at the concert the night before， or at least， firstly they recognised her dress。 Even if they didn’t want to investigate Leon leads them straight to a clue。 I love the parts of the book written by Leon！ Fun。Naturally Etta sorts it all out in her head just before the ending！ 。。。more
Ann
，