- Mass Market Paperback: 288 pages
- Publisher: Saint Martin's Press Inc. (1 July 1999)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0312970943
- ISBN-13: 978-0312970949
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 9.7 x 2.3 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,373,278 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Aphra begins to regret casting the Earl of Rochester's mistress in her new comedy when she learns of a bet between him and the Duke of Buckingham that Elizabeth Decker is going to become the best actress on the London stage.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.4 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Playwright / spy stars in Restoration-era mystery, 19 Sep 2000
By Author Bill Peschel "Writers Gone Wild" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Invitation to a Funeral (Mass Market Paperback)
While the Restoration London of 1676 is full of paranoia about French, Dutch and Catholic spies infiltrating Whitehall, the heroine of Molly Brown's "Invitation to a Funeral" seems far away from all that. When first we meet Aphra Behn, she is waking with her head aching and mouth dry from a night's revelry. The playwright is broke after her last play flopped, and her new play must run at least three days for her to make any money on it. To make matters worse, the Earl of Rochester managed to cast his mistress in the lead, despite her obvious lack of talent, as part of a bet that Aphra can turn her into London's best actress.
When a man who befriended her many years ago is found dead, she arranges for his funeral to repay an old debt. But her innocent act has drawn the attention of some mysterious figures, including the head of the king's secret service.
"Invitation to a Funeral" is full of Restoration figures, noble and common: King Charles II, his competing mistresses such as the actress Nell Gwyn and the Duchess of Portsmouth (nicknamed "Squintabella" by Nell), and the carousing Earl of Rochester. Those who know the era will recognize some of the incidents Brown uses for her own devices.
Aphra Behn stands out among the general run of amateur detectives for her refusal to act like one. She is not Jessica Fletcher teleported to the 17th century, just a single working girl trying to keep body and soul together while working in a profession which most people of the time considered one step removed from prostitution. What with shepherding her play to the stage, dealing with Rochester's mistress, running deeper into debt and avoiding her debtors (as well as an ex-lover attempting to win her back), she doesn't have time to play detective. How she manages to get into serious trouble anyway makes "Invitation to a Funeral" a pleasurable jaunt back to another historical era.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An enjoyable character driven historical mystery ., 13 Aug 1998
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Invitation to a Funeral (Hardcover)
What makes this Historical Mystery story such a great read is the careful deliniation of characters as well as the absolutely accurate feel to the setting in time and place, in all it's splendor and squalor. It reminds me of the Brother Cadfael series in that respect. Aphra Behn, real life former spy turned playwright, is a pefect choice for a heroine. Also, 17th centruy England was full of enough intrigue to funish the plots to several books, which is a fervent hope of this reader and not a criticism. My only quibble with the book, and it is a minor one, is that it seemed a little thin in some places and that the ending was a little abrupt, (except that it is a perfect set up for a sequel). This is not to say that the book is dissappointing, just that the world Molly Brown brought to life was so compelling, that I wanted to spend more time in it.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A rollicking romp that's fun to read., 12 Dec 1998
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Invitation to a Funeral (Hardcover)
Invitation To A Funeral is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. It's fast-moving and funny, with as lively and witty a group of characters as any reader could wish for. But fun as it is, there is a much harder edge to this book than you find in the traditional historical cozy. The book is not as light as it appears at first glance; there is an element of gritty realism here, that to my mind, makes the book as a whole a much more satisfying experience. All in all, I recommend Invitation To A Funeral to anyone who is interested in a rollicking read with wonderful characterization and a great sense of fun. I'm looking forward to the sequel!
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