Nice series, nothing really complicated but well written. ( )

There will be a new Earl after all! An American, a classics professor from Boston. But will he survive his first few months in Selchester? Who wants to kill him and why? Good fun, perfect for knitting. This reader, Michael Page, was better.***1/2 ( )

I enjoyed this almost as much as the first in the series. The writing is very good and the storyline excellent. A real English cozy.
I do, however, think the kindle edition I read may have been put out a little early without sufficient editing. I felt rushed through the first two chapters trying to get a handle on the characters, trying to remember what I had read in the first book. It could have been slowed down somewhat. But there are also a lot of typos - repeated words and words missing. Something to consider before launching book 3, but I will be looking forward to it nonetheless. An excellent read. ( )

A Question of Inheritance - Edmondson
audio performance by Michael Page
4 stars

I think it’s wonderful that there are so many English country villages that have such a constant supply of mysterious corpses. Selchester has a castle with a recently discovered, newly installed, American Earl. He has amusing teenaged daughters. There’s the headquarters of a less than secret government ‘statistics’ installation. The ace spy and detective, Hugo Hawksworth, works there. It’s Christmas, and there’s a murder. The plot hangs together reasonably well. I like the characters, the setting, and Michael Page’s performance. Good, lightweight, entertainment.
( )

Both my second book by this author and second book in this series.

Book opens with the new Earl of Selchester and his family driving to his new home. The Castle of Selchester. I felt both vaguely worried and vaguely confused. Last we met, so to speak, there was no Earl. The line had died out. And so . . . book opens with me being all confused. The worried part involved worrying that the book would focus on the new family to the exclusion of the characters from the prior book. I need not have feared.

I knew, going in, that there was a short story in between the first book and second. I figured I didn’t really need to read it. Only to have the book open with me already lost. So I did a rare thing. I stopped reading the book and went to get the short story. Only . . . it wasn’t available. At least not right then on my Kindle. Back to the book I went. Prior book was referenced a lot. The ‘poking their noses in’ investigation that occurred in the short story was referenced, also, a lot but never elaborated upon. It mostly went in terms of ‘if not for you meddling kids I’d have the castle and all that money’ *angry fist shaking* (Okay, I don’t know why flashed back to Scooby Doo, but meh). So yeah, I felt disjointed, confused, etc.

This book was another strong solid plot – continuing to follow a spy conduct a murder investigation (yeah, another dead body turned up, strange how that happens, eh? Convenient little dead bodies turning up to be investigated). While a spy investigation was also conducted, mostly in the background, though again interwoven into the main plot.

I’m not sure if a romance between Hugo and Freya is actually supposed to happen at some point, but other than everyone around them saying how much good they would do together (more or less), the connection between the two was even less um hmm. They still had a connection, they still did things together – investigative things, it’s just that whatever spark was there in the first book didn’t seem to be there in the second. Then again, Hugo was also left off the hook from having to deal with Vivian (the woman who wishes to persuade him to marry her). She once again didn’t appear, though this time she was only talked about (as opposed to talked about, and talked to on the phone). I’m not sure why I’m going into romance and Vivian. This is a straight forward mystery set back in 1953. During Christmas time.

Did I fail to mention that? Right, I did. So, Sonia, the new Earl of Selchester and family, two ‘friends’ of Sonia’s, Georgia, Hugo, and Freya all are at the castle for Christmas. Well, one of the two men who arrive with Sonia is one Oliver something or other. An art expert. Called down, or invited by Sonia, to talk with the new Earl, Gus. He was only supposed to be there for a day but the weather prevented Oliver’s escape. Later murder prevented everyone’s escape. I mean, escape in terms of leaving. For most of them. Until after the murder investigation was concluded.

The new family, Gus and his daughter’s Polly and Babs were interesting. Gus was likeable enough. Polly was quite intelligent but had no common sense or filter. And Babs was a slouchy, always wearing black, avant-garde type. Also a quite good artist.

I had mentioned in my review of the last book that I didn’t particularly like Georgia until I realized she was 13. Well her more negative traits really came to the forefront this time around. Specifically her bully-ing nature. I mean, telling ghost stories is one thing. Doing so after knowing someone took them the wrong way? Bullying.

All in all, good solid plot. Book pulled me in and wouldn’t let me go until I’d read it. The bit of Christmas was a nice touch. Book did kind of fall apart a little near the end though. Everything was coming together and then . . . there was a kind of matter of fact relaying of some of the events, but mostly ‘off screen’. Also, the first book made a big deal about how the chief of the secret service that Hugo worked for is someone that Hugo could talk to and lunch with. Yet when he fell into trouble with his people, that big boss guy was never even thought about by Hugo. ( )