If you love cozy mysteries set in England the Lady Hardcastle Mystery Series is for you!
I discovered the Lady Hardcastle series back in 2017. It quickly became a favorite mystery series!
If you had asked me tens of years ago if I enjoyed mystery books, I probably would have said no. Or at least not very many of them.
Author Charles Finch changed that though with his Charles Lenox mystery series. I love that series and it made me realize that you can have a good mystery story, without all the gory, graphic, and bloody details.
I shared my love of the Charles Lenox series on my site Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures and one of my readers suggested that I try the Lady Hardcastle books by T. E. Kinsey. I decided to give them a try and I fell in love with the Lady Hardcastle books.
The Lady Hardcastle books are a fun mystery series, that contains good mystery without all the graphic details.
The series takes place in England during the early 1900s. The main characters are an English widow, Lady Hardcastle, and her maid Florence.
They retire to the country, in Gloucestershire, for a quiet life, but adventure and murder keep finding them. These former spies become amateur detectives.
This series mixes life in the English countryside and murder, with some humor mixed in.
There is crime and murder, but the author turns it into a fun entertaining read.
Yes, there is some entertainment in these. These books are not your serious hard-core mystery books, which is probably why I like them so much.
I also love that I have yet to guess the correct murderer until right before it is revealed. To me that makes it a great mystery book.
If you love graphic and scary details in your murder mysteries then this series probably isn’t for you. But if you love a good clean, entertaining, well-written mystery, give this series a try.
I have bought all of these on ebook because I love reading them on vacation or on car trips. I bought the fifth book for a weekend trip recently and read it in one day. It was an easy fun read perfect for vacations and summer reading.
If you enjoy reading cozy mysteries or mysteries that are lighter reads, I think this is a series you will enjoy.
The Lady Hardcastle Mystery Series In Order
As of now, May 2023, this series is free on Kindle Unlimited. If you have Kindle Unlimited it is a great series to try. If you do not have Kindle Unlimited it would be a great time to try it.
Book 1- A Quiet Life in the Country was published in 2016.
Lady Hardcastle and her maid move to the country for a quieter life, but the quiet life quickly comes to an end when a body is found in the woods.
Book 2- In the Market for Murder was published in 2016.
It is the spring of 1909 and Lady Hardcastle and Florence are on the case of a murder when a local farmer is found dead.
Book 3- Death Around the Bend was published in 2017.
It is the fall of 1909 and Lady Hardcastle and Florence spend a week at Lord Riddlethorpe’s country estate. What was supposed to be a holiday, changes when a driver dies in a crash. Was it an accident or was it murder?
Book 4- A Picture of Murder was published in 2018.
In October of 1909, after the screening of a moving picture, multiple actors turn up dead. Can Lady Hardcastle and Florence solve the case?
Book 5- The Burning Issue of the Day was published in 2019.
A journalist is killed in January 1910 and the suspects are a group of suffragettes. Can Lady Hardcastle and Florence prove that they didn’t do it?
Book 6- Death Beside the Seaside was published in 2019.
Lady Hardcastle and Florence head to the seaside for a summer vacation, but their vacation doesn’t last long when they have to solve a case.
Book 7 – The Fatal Flying Affair was published in 2020.
Lady Hardcastle’s brother calls on her to solve a case at an aeroplane factory. Can Lady Hardcastle solve the case for her brother?
Book 8 – Rotten To the Core was published in 2022.
It is the apple harvest of 1911 and there is a heatwave. The harvest takes an unexpected turn when a body is found in the orchard. I am currently reading and enjoying this one.
Book 9 – An Act of Foul Play was published in 2022.
I listened to this book on audio and really enjoyed it. Lady Hardcastle is celebrating her birthday, but as usual things do not go as planned.
Book 10 – A Fire at the Exhibition will be released in September 2023.
I plan to listen to this one on audio this fall after it is released. This series makes for great fall reads.
I stumbled across mystery writer, Louise Penny. Like you, I said not for me. I am so glad that I did! On book 7 now! My only complaint is the language usage (lots of 4 letter words that I am uncomfortable with).
I have thought about reading Louise Penny, but haven’t yet. I guess I was afraid they were too graphic. Would you consider them a cozy mystery type of books? I might have to give one a try. Which one would you recommend starting with? Is it best to start with her first one?
This looks like a series I’d really enjoy!
If you like cozy mysteries I think you will! It is one of my favorites when I want a clean easy mystery read.