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A Death in the Family
 
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A Death in the Family (Paperback)

by Caroline Dunford (Author)
5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
RRP: £6.99
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Product details

  • Paperback: 230 pages
  • Publisher: EPRINT Publishing (10 Oct 2009)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 190563790X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1905637904
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11 x 2.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 922,886 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

A sparkling and witty crime debut with a female protagonist to challenge Miss Marple. --Lin Anderson, Award winning Scottish crime author and screen writer


Product Description

I briefly considered the option of swooning in a ladylike manner, but I was denied this by virtue of position: I was a maid; and by natural inclination: I have never known how to swoon. Instead I did what I believe most females of sensibility would have done finding themselves alone with a murdered corpse. I screamed exceedingly loudly, quite in the common manner and pelted out of the room . . . In December 1909 the Reverend Joshia Martins expires in a dish of mutton and onions leaving his family on the brink of destitution. Joshia's daughter, Euphemia, takes it upon herself to provide for her mother and little brother by entering service. She is young, fit, intelligent, a little naive and assumes the life of a maid won't be too demanding. However, on her first day at the unhappy home of Sir Stapleford she discovers a murdered body. Euphemia's innate sense of justice has her prying where no servant should look and uncovering some of the darker secrets of the Stapleford family. All she has to defend herself with is her quick wits, sense of humour and the ultimate weapon of all virtuous young women, her scream.
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A Death in the Family
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A Death in the Family 5.0 out of 5 stars (5)
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Average Customer Review
5.0 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars A good dose of Edwardian country house intrigue, 14 Nov 2009
I'm a big fan of historical crime fiction, and `A Death in the Family' by new crime writer Caroline Dunford was exactly what I was looking for - a rattlingly good dose of Edwardian country house intrigue with plenty of twist and turns and clues to puzzle through along with the heroine of the book, Euphemia Martins.

Euphemia, the eighteen year old estranged granddaughter of an Earl, has fallen on hard times due to the death of her vicar father - just one of the deaths alluded to in the title. To help support her family, she assumes a false name and goes into service, where she promptly stumbles over a dead body in a secret passage. As her virtue is put to question, and the household suspect she's not quite who she claims to be, she makes a number of unlikely alliances in order to find the murderer and restore her good name.

In Euphemia Dunford has created a strong lead character - clever, courageous and witty, yet she's got enough vulnerability and naivety to make her believable. And although forced by necessity to seek a position below her social standing as a maid, a strong sense of romanticism and - I'm sure - a desire for adventure clearly shines though behind her career choice. She's also refreshingly unsure of herself and doesn't always make the right decisions, which just made me want to cheer her on all the more!

Without stooping to lecture at any point, A Death in the Family is also a stark reminder of the lot of women at the turn of the century, where everything depended on virtue, and class divides were often insurmountable. I was also delighted by the Edwardian setting - one of my favourite eras, and often overlooked by other authors.

I'm very pleased to see another Euphemia book is on the cards for next May, and look forward to seeing how the series, as well as the character, develops further.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Country house mystery turned on its head, 8 Nov 2009
By M. H. PAGE "Martin H Page" (Edinburgh) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This is a rollicking good 1900s country house mystery, but turned on its head - the detective narrator is a down-on-her-fortune vicker's daughter learning about life below stairs the hard way, with amusing consequences.

The wonderfully arch and witty 1st person narrative style gives us *just* enough distance from the nasty stuff, while pulling no punches; in this world, a woman's virtue has practical implications, and it seems only exploitation can bridge the gap between the world of servant and master.

And yet, this is no Marxist whinge fest: Dunford captures what's cool about the era - the clothes, the great houses, and the frenetic last gasp of the country house set.

Throughout, the historical context is there as a given. The great house exists in the wider world of Suffragettes and the arms race, but Dunford is too busy telling a good yarn to flaunt her solid research. This is how historical detective fiction should be written.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Undercover Euphemia, 3 Nov 2009
By GameWyrd (Scotland) - See all my reviews
I enjoyed A Death In The Family and how quickly Euphemia found herself propelled from the discovery of a dead body, to becoming a suspect and into the strange and often funny life as an undercover maid.

Euphemia has a boldness and innate ability to jump with both feet into any situation she comes across. This makes her a compelling character to follow as the book happily wishes along from one well balanced scene to another.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Murderously good!
I'm not normally a reader of murder mysteries, but I found this to be a very enjoyable read.

This book is concerned with the family and servants of a large... Read more
Published 23 days ago by J Walsh

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down!
I bought this book as Lin Anderson reviewed it (and I enjoy Lin's books), and I wasn't disappointed. It's written with wit and humour and Euphemia is a very likable heroine. Read more
Published 23 days ago by craftsmadmaz

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