Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Review: A Husband is Hushed Up

 A fatal fall. A duchess determined to uncover the truth. And barely any time for tea.

Fenshire, 1891. It was meant to be a birthday celebration weekend in the country—cucumber sandwiches, polite conversation, and maybe a waltz or two. But when the Duke of Stortford is found dead in a crumpled heap at the foot of the stairs everything goes dreadfully sideways. The police declare it a tragic accident. His wife, Alice, has her doubts. After all, only hours before, the Duke had promised to give up his mistress and make a go of their marriage. Now he’s inconveniently deceased. 

Driven by a need for answers, and helped by her fiercely loyal maid Maud, her observant footman George, and her childhood friend Lord Rushton, Alice sets about uncovering the truth. But as she navigates a house full of secrets, simmering tensions, and more than one guest with murderously bad manners, her suspect pool grows to include those closest to her. Can she piece together the truth? Or will her husband’s murderer get away with it after all?

The guests are leaving. The killer may be among them. Time is running out…

 

Review

This was a very fun little British mystery. There are plenty of suspects and only one clever duchess can solve the puzzle. If you are in your cozy mystery era, you will love this throwback to the era of Miss Marple. This book is so well-written that you will feel as if you were invited to tea. 

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Husband-Hushed-Duchess-Stortford-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FB916FDV

https://www.amazon.com/Husband-Hushed-Duchess-Stortford-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0FB916FDV

 

About Helen Golden

Helen Golden spins mysteries that are charmingly British, delightfully deadly, and served with a twist of humour.

With quirky characters, clever red herrings, and plots that keep the pages turning, she’s the author of the much-loved A Right Royal Cozy Investigation series, following Lady Beatrice and her friends—including one clever little dog—as they uncover secrets hidden in country houses and royal palaces. Her new historical mystery series, The Duchess of Stortford Mysteries, is set in Victorian England and introduces an equally curious sleuth from Lady Beatrice’s own family tree—where murders are solved over cups of tea, whispered gossip, and overheard conversations in drawing rooms and grand estates.

Helen lives in a quintessential English village in Lincolnshire with her husband, stepdaughter, and a menagerie of pets—including a dog, several cats, a tortoise, and far too many fish.

If you love clever puzzles, charming settings, and sleuths with spark, her books are waiting for you.

 

​Follow Helen Golden

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/helengolden_author

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helengoldenauthor 

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@helengoldenauthor 

https://twitter.com/HelenGoldenAuth 

Review: The Falconer’s Lost Baron

 A sweeping Regency tale of identity, devotion, and unexpected romance.



Lady Antonella thought she knew who she was—until a shattering family secret strips her of her name, her place in society, and her future. Cast adrift in Cornwall, she finds an injured goshawk in a poacher’s net and begins to nurse it back to health. But the hawk belongs to the war-scarred Lord Atherleigh—a man haunted by loss, determined to dismantle his mews, and certainly not expecting a spirited young woman to upend his solitude.

In London, her twin sister Belinda—radiant, poised, and newly on the marriage market—has only one goal: to find a worthy match… for Antonella. But when Hector Gainesworth, a charming rogue with laughter in his eyes and secrets of his own, turns his attention to Belinda instead, her heart begins to spin in an altogether unexpected direction.

As the sisters navigate betrayal, desire, and the demands of their hearts, two men must decide whether to risk everything for love. And Antonella’s goshawk may be the wild, winged thread that binds their fates.

Review

This is an in- depth historical fiction with a strong romance element  Falconry is a major plot device, which I found very interesting  The characters are strong and well-developed The romance delivers all the necessary elements without letting itself become formulaic  overall, a really strong story told in the right way  

Purchase Links

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Falconers-Lost-Baron-Forgiveness-Double-Dilemma-ebook/dp/B0FPBG1P54

https://www.amazon.com/Falconers-Lost-Baron-Forgiveness-Double-Dilemma-ebook/dp/B0FPBG1P54

Author Bio – Susanne Dunlap is the author of over a dozen historical novels featuring strong women, from Medieval times to the 20th century. This is the fourth Regency Romance in her series of Double-Dilemma Romances. Susanne lives and writes in Biddeford, Maine.

Social Media Links – 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanneRomance

Instagram: https://instagram.com/susanne_dunlap

TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@SusieRegency



Review: A Husband is Hushed Up

  A fatal fall. A duchess determined to uncover the truth. And barely any time for tea. Fenshire, 1891 . It was meant to be a birthday celeb...