The summer of 1810 and a young women barely alive is found on Letho land. Charles Murray and his friend Blair feel that it is their duty to determine who she was and the name of the murderer. While a little later one of Murray's kitchen-maids, is attacked and at another household a kitchen-maid disappears.
A delightful read and an enjoyable introduction to the characters of the village of Letho. ( )

I had never heard of this author before I won a copy of her book from librarything and now I know what I was missing. This is a very good book!

It's the fourth in a series but I read it as a stand-alone. I'm sure some aspects of the characters might have been clearer if I had read the others but I didn't feel that I missed anything by starting with this one.

The basis of the book is that a woman is found on the path in a small village dying of a knife wound. No one admits to knowing her so she ends up buried in a pauper's grave. The laird of the village, Murray of Letho, and his houseguest, Mr. Blair, do not want to let it go at that and begin to investigate it themselves. They are not the typical amateur sleuths, they are very much gentlemen of their time so the investigation is rather subtle but the story is quite engaging.

This would be called a historical mystery because it is set in the Georgian era in Scotland but any mystery lover, whether you like period pieces or not, will enjoy this. The characters are very realistic as is the dialogue. The setting feels authentic and the mystery is challenging. I loved the personalities of the villagers. I'll be looking for the others in this series ( )

An ill woman is found outside the walls of the manse in Lexie Conyngham’s AN ABANDONED WOMAN. It is later discovered that the cause of her death was bleeding out from a stab wound. Who is the lady? Where did she come from? When later a cook’s assistant is missing from the Fairlie home, can there be a serial killer in Letho? One of the maids in Charles Murray’s employ has been assaulted while walking home one evening. Was it the killer?

Lexie Conyngham has captured the period of the early 1800’s very well. Her characters are true to the period in actions, thoughts, words, and deeds. I can say that she could have written in during that time period because her style is similar to Jane Austen’s style. I liked how she gave us a list of characters at the beginning so if I forgot who someone was I could check the list and remind myself. AN ABANDONED WOMAN can be read as a standalone novel but it is the fourth book in her MURRAY OF LETHO series.

AN ABANDONED WOMAN is a good mystery. There is romance but much of it is bittersweet. A good picture of life in the pre-Regency years is given here. People help one another but there is a definite class system which only when troubles come do they look beyond that system and work together. I did not figure out who the murderer was. I picked several characters out but I was wrong about them all. When it is all solved I was surprised and why the woman was murdered was shocking. I did like that no excuses were made for the murderer, that justice was to be served. There was a rigid moral code that was followed.

I want to read the first three books in the series and look forward to any more to come. Beautifully done. ( )

Story synopsis: Summer in Fife is hot, bringing with it all of the issues with which a landowner must deal. Unwanted guests, a house in disrepair, a flirty young girl, and now a murder of an unknown woman complicate the summer. Laird Charles Murray must wade through all of his responsibilities, plus solve a rather complicated murder that brings into question the background of well-respected men in the village.
Review: Fourth in the Murray of Letho Series set in Georgian Scotland (early 1800s), An Abandoned Woman works well as a stand-alone novel. The setting, dialog and the characterizations are spot-on for the 1800s. Ms. Conyngham is a self-proclaimed ‘waffler’ and does lead the reader along with a good deal of information about the setting and the period that I found a bit frustrating. I am more appreciative of stories that use every sentence to add to the plot either through well-crafted character background, clues or red herrings. However, Ms. Conyngham’s writing is very good and I did find her asides interesting. I would recommend this book to folks who like historical mystery. ( )

An Abandoned Woman by Lexie Conyngham is the fourth book in a series of mysteries featuring an early 19th century Scottish gentleman named Charles Murray. Fortunately for me (as I did not read the first books) it stands alone well and has any back story necessary built in the story. An unknown young woman is found dead outside the churchyard. While Murray intends to find out the truth, events keep distracting him from his pursuit.
Do not be misled by the rather plain cover, there is plenty of color inside. Well-plotted with fascinating and realistic characters, plenty of red herrings and misdirections, An Abandoned Woman has a very satisfying startling ending that wraps up all the loose ends and drops a surprise at the very last minute. Even the inclusion of quite a bit of local language added flavor but was not overwhelming. I love the instant gratification of a definition every time I highlighting a new work on my Kindle. However, even the “No Definition Found” didn’t take away the pleasure of reading this book. If you are looking for a historical mystery that has some intricacy; this is a good read for you.
I received this book for free in order to review it and immediately went out and bought the next one. It was that enjoyable. ( )