by: Kathleen Buckley
Genre: Historical Mystery
Release Date: March 24, 2025
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Ellen Cuthbert’s husband, Randolph, is now the Earl of Keswick’s heir. Their marriage is a sham, and Randolph’s mistress, Lydia, is present at the house party. When she is found murdered in a locked room, all the evidence seems to point to Ellen. And how could the murderer have escaped the locked room except by witchcraft? Sir Hugh accompanies his cousin, a magistrate, to the scene of the murder. They investigate, appalled to find their childhood friend Ellen appears to be the chief suspect. Hugh’s lack of prospects years ago prevented their marriage. Now if he cannot find the real murderer, there may be only one final service he can perform for Ellen to spare her a slow death at the end of the hangman’s rope.
Keswick strode to the door and spoke sharply to the footman who hurried away to return in a matter of minutes with two candlesticks holding tapers.
“Hold the candle for me, Hugh.”
Wallace knelt by the heap, which had been a woman. She lay on her left side, swathed in a night rail, its white linen embellished around its low neck and cuffs with white silk embroidery. The cushioned stool lay on its side at her feet. She must have been sitting there, ready to retire, when someone struck at least one hard blow. That much was obvious from the blood matting the side of her head, horribly visible against hair as pale as flax.
“You see the problem, Seaton.”
“Apart from the murder?” his cousin asked.
The earl gave an irritable grunt. “The scandal, man. No one in attendance at this affair is titled but myself, and all but she”—he jerked his chin at the corpse—“and a family of Cits are related to me in some degree. I can control them. The servants are another matter. Threaten as I may, keeping this quiet may be impossible. The best solution I can hope for is that the inquest finds she fainted or had drunk to excess and hit her head on the table.”
This was clearly a suggestion that Seaton should endorse one of these explanations. Hugh managed not to reveal his opinion of such fiddling with facts and legal procedure.
“Hold the candle for me, Hugh.”
Wallace knelt by the heap, which had been a woman. She lay on her left side, swathed in a night rail, its white linen embellished around its low neck and cuffs with white silk embroidery. The cushioned stool lay on its side at her feet. She must have been sitting there, ready to retire, when someone struck at least one hard blow. That much was obvious from the blood matting the side of her head, horribly visible against hair as pale as flax.
“You see the problem, Seaton.”
“Apart from the murder?” his cousin asked.
The earl gave an irritable grunt. “The scandal, man. No one in attendance at this affair is titled but myself, and all but she”—he jerked his chin at the corpse—“and a family of Cits are related to me in some degree. I can control them. The servants are another matter. Threaten as I may, keeping this quiet may be impossible. The best solution I can hope for is that the inquest finds she fainted or had drunk to excess and hit her head on the table.”
This was clearly a suggestion that Seaton should endorse one of these explanations. Hugh managed not to reveal his opinion of such fiddling with facts and legal procedure.
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After a career which included customer service, light bookkeeping, working as a paralegal, and a stint as a security officer, she began to write as a second career, rather than as a hobby. Her first historical romance was written after re-reading Georgette Heyer’s Georgian/Regency romances for the tenth or twelfth time and wondering if she could do something like that. Apparently she could, as her eleventh will be released on 3/24/2025. As a change of pace, it’s a murder mystery, but still set in the mid-1700s (but still with some romance).
Warning: no bodices are ripped in her romances, which might be described as "powder & patch & peril" rather than Jane Austen drawing room. They contain no explicit sex, but do contain the occasional den of vice and mild bad language, as the situations in which her characters find themselves sometimes call for an oath a little stronger than "Zounds!"
Places to find Kathleen Buckley:
You can follow the A Murder of Convenience Blurb Blitz here.
Kim, thanks so much for having me here today. This release is a particular thrill, because although it's my eleventh historical novel, it's the first out-and-out mystery, although the previous ten have all included some crime, skulduggery or (euphemism alert) ethically-challenged behavior.
ReplyDeleteHappy release day! Congratulations. Good luck with the book. Thank you for stopping by.
DeleteThanks, Kim.
DeleteThank you so much for featuring A MURDER OF CONVENIENCE today.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Marcy. I hope readers will enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
DeleteI liked the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteCongratulations, Kathleen! I am currently devouring this new release confident I will come away satisfied, just as I have with other stories you have written.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Colleen. I always hope readers will enjoy my stories as much as I enjoy writing them.
DeleteLooks like a very interesting book.
ReplyDeleteSherry, thank you.
ReplyDeleteSounds very good! Thank you so much for the excerpt! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks and you're welcome.
DeleteThis sounds like a great Historical Mystery. I like the cover and excerpt.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. When I was writing it, I found the difference between modern crime investigation and what the 18th century was able to do fascinating.
Deleteinteresting
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteDo you have any advice for new writers?
ReplyDeleteJamie, I do have advice. Write every day if you can. It doesn't matter much if it's a long, chatty letter to a friend or relative, a vignette about something you saw, heard or thought about, a book or movie review, or a story, as long as you write it as well as you can. Most people do not write well (or even coherently) unless they've worked at it, although being an avid reader and would-be writer helps. Don't talk to people about writing unless they're aspiring writers, too. Find a writers' group either locally or online or find a critique partner. This is maybe the most important thing: although criticism of your work is painful to hear, the only way you can improve your writing is by learning what is wrong with it. Granted, some criticism will not be valid...but some will be. And if you get the same input from two or more people, take it seriously. For example, if your critiquers say something like, "Your story needs some action. Basically, you've got these people sitting around and talking and nothing happens," they may be right. Also, grammar, construction, and punctuation count. Words and phrases are like bricks: they need to be put together correctly so that the reader can understand what you mean. Example: "Let's eat, kids" and "Let's eat kids" do not mean the same thing. Finally, keep writing.
DeleteHave you ever won a giveaway?
ReplyDeleteNo, I never have.
DeleteWhat advice do you have for new authors?
ReplyDeleteSoha, see my long, long answer to Jamie Martin, above (3/25/2025). It's possible to write entire books with advice to new authors, but I think that paragraph covers virtually everything. If you want to write, just sit down and start. That's how we all began.
DeleteWhat do you do when you feel discouraged?
ReplyDeleteIf it's about my work-in-progress I do something else for a while: a day or two or even several weeks. I know from experience that it means there's something wrong with the story, specifically the part I've been working on. Sooner or later, I know what it is, and make the necessary changes. Usually it's because I've been trying to make a character do something inconsistent with the way he or she has been developed. Now, if I'm discouraged over something else, like a house or car repair, that's a quick fix. I buy a pint of good ice cream. Maybe dulce de leche or mint chocolate chip.
DeleteI love a good mystery read!
ReplyDeleteIs on my to read soon list.
Thank you for sharing it.
And thank you! I hope you enjoy it.
DeleteBe honest - how organized are you with your writing stuff?
ReplyDeleteNot very. I don't plot my books out in detail in advance. I know where they'll start and how they'll end. In between...sometimes that's a surprise.
Deletelooks like a fun one
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a good read.
ReplyDelete