Mystereity Reviews's Review of Death Comes To The Fair (Kurland St. Mary Mystery, #4)

by Catherine Lloyd

It’s harvest time in the village of Kurland St. Mary as Lucy and Robert prepare to wed—but a murderer has taken an unseasonable vow of vengeance . . .

As Miss Lucy Harrington, daughter of the village rector, and Major Sir Robert Kurland plan their nuptials, the major is beginning to wonder if he’ll ever hear wedding bells. He’s seen complex military campaigns that involved less strategy, and he’s finding Lucy’s meddling family maddening.

When the body of Ezekiel Thurrock, the church verger, is discovered crushed by a gargoyle that has fallen from the bell tower, the wedding is delayed. But the evidence suggests this was no accident, and Lucy wonders if bad blood at the village fair had anything to do with the man’s mysterious demise, since there was much bitterness over Ezekiel’s prizewinning vegetables.

As Lucy and Robert uncover long-standing village feuds, the town’s dark secrets begin to take their toll and the couple soon finds they too are in grave danger . . .

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I've enjoyed this historical mystery series from the start, and each book is better than the last. In Death Comes to the Fair, Robert is impatiently awaiting his wedding to Miss Lucy. Acting as a judge at the harvest fair's vegetable contest, Robert awards most of the prizes to Ezekial Thurrock, angering many villagers. When Thurrock is later found dead, Lucy begins to suspect that his death wasn't an accident. Was he killed by an angry villager? Or is his death connected to a decades old feud?

The suspenseful plot was enjoyable and tricky; there's a whole village of suspects, including the victim's brother, whose claims against the Kurland land and the story behind it were a great subplot. The plot unwound steadily up to an action packed ending, where Lucy proves herself a resourceful and stubborn woman, and I look forward to watching how Robert and Lucy spar once married - and their future investigations!

This book can be read as a standalone, or as an entry into the series, but I definitely recommend starting from the beginning, as there are some plot threads that run through the books.

Overall, Death Comes to the Fair is an excellent historical mystery that will appeal to fans of regency era stories.

Thank you to Kensington Books and Netgalley for providing an advance copy of the book in return for my honest review

Death Comes To The Fair (Kurland St. Mary Mystery, #4)

by Catherine Lloyd

Reviewed by Mystereity Reviews on Nov 10, 2016

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