Loved this book. I've read every book so far and this author/series has become one of my absolute favorites. I love the author's clever, sharp writing and his wonderful characters. Exchanges like this one (paraphrased from memory below) are trademark Kinsey and are what make his writing so very enjoyable for me:
Emily: That was excellent advice. I really should heed you more.
Flo: That's what I always tell you. But you never heed me.

I love the uniquely drawn characters, the gentle, absurd dialogue, the mystery (which felt slightly more haphazardly executed in this one), the unique relationship between Emily and Flo... I can't wait until the next installment. Please keep them coming!!!!

My thanks to the publisher for provider an ARC via netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This is probably the best Lady Hardcastle book. They are fun to read and Lady Hardcastle is way ahead of her time. For a women in 1910, she and her maid, Flo Armstrong are smart, strong, and clever. In this book they go to the Steep Holm View Hotel, a boutique hotel on the English seashore, in Weston-super-Mare. They find it's a fairly small hotel and when they go to dinner, there are only six tables; four are each occupied by one well dressed man, and one by two women, one middle aged and other quite young. After sitting at the last table, a fifth man comes in and they invite him to join them. He is introduced as Dr. Goddard. He is a scientist working for the government. They meet after the theater and have a drink, and the next morning Dr. Goddard has disappeared.

Since they were to see him the night before, the hotel manager asks Lady Hardcastle and Flo to do a little investigation. The room has been ransacked, but the valuables are not missing, but a large heavy strongbox under the bed was missing. The best prospect was soon found murdered, himself, and then the next - one by gunshot and the other by knife. Lady Hardcastle calls her brother in the "special branch", and he sends his men to get the bodies and tells her not to get involved. Of course, that doesn't stop Lady Hardcastle.

Soon there are two more deaths, and the young woman is missing. Lady Hardcastle and Flo are left to resolve everything on their own.

This is a wonderful addition to the series. Characters are familiar and fun to read about. Eagerly wanting the next adventure!!

A new mystery featuring Flo and Lady Hardcastle is always a reason to celebrate! T.E. Kinsey writes with a wonderful sense of humor and wordplay and this book adds a touch of madcap farce too, ans, as always, the mystery aspect is also well done. Flo and Lady Hardcastle finally take a well earned vacation at the seaside. Unfortunately, their vacation is interrupted by a missing hotel guest and his strongbox, numerous international spies, and of course a murder. I'm so glad I happened across a Lady Hardcastle mystery in a used book sale a few years ago, this series has filled a figurative hole in my bookshelves (literally speaking my bookshelves are filled to bursting)..

Lady Hardcastle and Flo take a well deserved trip to the seaside. Unfortunately, the guests at the hotel are not what they seem and the hotel manager is unable to cope. It's down to the intrepid duo to solve the mystery. The relationship between Flo and Lady Hardcastle is such fun and makes for such an enjoyable read.

Four out of five strongboxes to Death Beside the Seaside by T. E. Kinsey.

Oh, this was a delight! After the gloopy tediousness of the last book I read, Death Beside the Seaside was fun, silly, witty and trotted along at an excellent pace.

I actually have read the first book in the Lady Hardcastle series, but it was a couple of years ago, when I was finally realising that I basically hated any new (to me) book that I read. I thought a nice cosy crime might be all right but apparently not – looking back on Goodreads I see that I gave it a lukewarm three stars and a pretty negative review. It’s rather sad that it suffered because I couldn’t take in New Stuff at that point, so I’ll definitely go back and read it again.

In the meantime, this one was a romp from beginning to end. Indeed, there was a point where it bordered dangerously on farce! The plot is entirely unbelievable and even after all is revealed it makes very little sense – it’s one of those things where people have made incredibly complex plans which depend heavily upon other people, who know nothing about it, just happening to make exactly the right decisions so that everything will fall into place. Whatever. It was fun and I didn’t really care about the plot as long as it made enough sense that I could handwave the rest.

The main characters, Lady Hardcastle and her maid, Florence, are delightful. I love how capable and clever they were, and how resourceful. Between the pair of them I should think they could vanquish pretty much any criminal – they certainly drive the one in this book to distraction! I particularly enjoy the parts where Florence beats people up but that may just be because I’m bloodthirsty. Also, she narrates the books and her thoughts on her friend and employer – as well as everything else – are most enjoyable.

One of the oddest things about Death Beside the Seaside was the way it reminded me incredibly strongly of Agatha Christie’s At Bertram’s Hotel. I’ve no idea if it was a deliberate homage or parody, but there were several things, especially in the set-up of the book, that sent sparks of recognition through my brain. This led me to be extremely suspicious of the American young lady, Eleanora – after all, it’s not so far from Elvira! But you’ll have to read the book to see whether my suspicions were justified or not.

There’s not much more to say about Death Beside the Seaside. It’s pretty much what it looks like: a fun, light-hearted prance around a seaside town, with lots of murders and two splendid women to solve them. I'm very glad I requested this from Netgalley, because sometimes that’s all I want!

3.75 stars

Another fun outing with Lady Hardcastle and her associate/maid/chum Flo. With every book we find out more about this interesting pair. I do believe that this one would be confusing without having read earlier entries.

Lady H and Flo decide on a seaside holiday only to find themselves in an odd lodging situation. There seems to be an international group of suspiciously nosy people and rumors of a hidden chest. When Lady H's spy brother warns her to keep out of things, she and Flo are convinced this is a gathering of spies. And then the bodies begin accumulating.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review. I recommend this series.

This is one of my favorite series. I love the creative mysteries and unique historical bits. But most of all, I love Florence and Lady Hardcastle. I love them individually but as a pair, they Re wonderful. I always am sad to reach the end. I can only hope for another installment soon!

I have not read any of the previous books in this series, but this one stands well enough on its own.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Despite being a murder mystery, it is light hearted and silly. The joking between Lady Hardcastle and Florence is what makes the book. The cast of other characters are all well written.

The whole book is amusing and the perfect kind of silly. I will definitely be reading the previous books in this series.

I was given a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a great, easy read series and whilst it could be read as a stand alone I'd recommend you the read the rest in order first.

This isn't my favourite book in the series, I prefer trying to solve the mystery rather than have as much action. I also felt that the characters could have been explored a bit more. I think I missed the usual characters in the village and felt something was missing.

I like the end where the author goes through the research and what I'd fact and fiction.

Overall I did enjoy the book and look forward to reading more.

Thank you netgalley for giving me an arc.

England, sly-humor, verbal-humor, spies, punny

Lady Hardcastle and Flo are the most hilarious 'retired' spies ever! Off on 'vacation' near Clevedon, they share the wonderful old hotel with a number of people from other countries who suddenly wind up missing or dead, one after another, along with a messing strongbox. The staff have interesting names, the manager has a penchant for fainting, and the weather is abysmal. Lady Hardcastle's brother is employed by an agency of the government and sends along a bumbling pair of operatives to 'help' with things like body removal. Add it all together and have tons of fun! I loved it and plan to hunt down some of the earlier books!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Amazon Publishing UK via NetGalley. Thank you!

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. This was an ok read but did not realise that it was No.6 in the series.

A seaside boutique hotel where virtually every guest is a spy, the waiters are on invisible roller skates and in the employ of the secret service. Add a missing strongbox and it all sounds pretty much like an old fashioned farce. In a way it is but none the less delightful. I confess to being an avid fan of Flo and Lady H and as per all the others this book held me from start to finish. Personally I always get the “feel good factor” having read each book in the series so thanks to Amazon Publishing and Net Galley once again.

A delightful mystery, 'Death Beside the Seaside' is full of suspense and surprises with every turn of the page. This story is intriguing because it has many twists and turns. My two favorite genres are historical novels and cozy mysteries. Lady Hardcastle's and Miss Armstrong's story in 'Death Beside the Seaside' by T E Kinsey is a fun mystery set in the 1930s. It has it all. The characters in this book are colorful and fun. Each guest has a quirky air about him. The description of the period is wonderful, however, I would have liked to hear more. I received the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. In my opinion this book is a winner. I give it 5 stars.

Just finished and was absolutely addicted from the beginning. I love this series and it just keeps on getting better. This is by far the best book yet. I love the level of factual accuracy, alongside a certain amount of poetic license. Learning more about Lady Hardcastle and Flo's past together along a with a cracking mystery to boot, all combined to make this a spiffing romp of a read!

I have read or listened to every story by T.E. Kinsey in the Lady Hardcastle series. They are delightful mysteries. The interaction between Lady Hardcastle and her "tiny servant" are sarcastic, funny and heartwarming. The secondary characters that fill the houses they visit and the villages and town are unique, interesting and believable. Death Beside the Seaside didn't disappoint. I can't wait to read the next one!!

I do love this series of books. This time Lady Hardcastle and Flo are off on their holidays (busman that is). Even though their outrageous romps seem ahead of the time period the books are set in they are wonderfully believable and true escapism. I cannot wait for the next installment.

This is the first book by this author I've read. It was a fun, enjoyable read. I loved the interactions between the characters, the stories they told the other characters and the way they solved the mystery. I look forward to finding the other books by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another genuinely fun outing with Flo and Lady Hardcastle - this time surrounded by nefarious spy types at a bijou hotel in a not-quite-Brixton seaside town. This is honestly one of the most enjoyable cozy-ish mystery series out in these streets; the writing is stellar and the characterization honest and insightful. If I had one small quibble it was that I got very, very lost during the "who did what" summary in later chapters but that's likely my fault and not a slur on the clarity of plot. A new reader can jump in and not be overly lost, but why deprive yourself of a good time? Start at the beginning! A strong recommend.

I really like this series and jumped at the chance to read the newest installment. The mystery in this book has a bit of a keystone-cops flavor: lots of running up and down staircases, looking for missing suspects, murdered bodies, and a mysterious strongbox; and the story does get bogged down in one or two places. But the ongoing relationship between Hardcastle and Armstrong, their witty, idiosyncratic dialogue, and their deft (and sometime dubious) management of everyone and everything around them remain as delightful and clever as ever. I love their complete refusal to take themselves, or anyone else or any situation too seriously, while at the same time time maintaining an absolutely authentic friendship, and dedication to the cause. The author remains mostly true to the strictly proscribed, but changing roles of women in early 20th century England, but the characters exploit those external proscriptions to their own wickedly successful advantage. They also use those stereotypes to hide the unusual skills and experience they posses that make them so successful at solving mysteries and outwitting criminals—and sometimes, even their own, plodding, proper (male) police and British forces.
I highly recommend this fun series, but do yourself a favor: start at the beginning and read all six (so far) in order to really enjoy the full effect.