- Paperback: 320 pages
- Publisher: Avon; 1 edition (Jun 14 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0061447498
- ISBN-13: 978-0061447495
- Product Dimensions: 20.3 x 15.7 x 2.9 cm
- Shipping Weight: 340 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #515,181 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Product Description
At the request of Queen Victoria's prime minister, Benjamin Disraeli, Liberty Lane is dispatched to Brinkburn Hall in search of answers. The deranged aristocrat Lord Brinkburn is nearing death, with his elder son, Stephen, eagerly waiting to inherit his title—until Lady Brinkburn's startling announcement that the heir is illegitimate. Chaos ensues.
The rivalry between Stephen and his younger brother, Miles, heats up dangerously. Liberty's arrival only stirs an already volatile mix, and she is greeted soon after by the odd disappearance of one brother . . . and by a shocking murder within the family's circle. Secrets and scandal run rampant throughout the cold and loveless Buckinghamshire estate far from the polish of London's aristocracy—as the plucky young investigator races to separate truth from falsehood, villains from victims, before death takes up a more permanent residence.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jousting & Murder in Victorian Times,
By
This review is from: A Family Affair: A Novel (Paperback)
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.I like to think of the Liberty Lane series as one of my guilty pleasures. I know I'm in for a quick dip immersion into the Victorian era with a light mystery and an easy read. I also know Liberty is not going to get into a romance with anyone, though someone will probably be trying to play matchmaker for her but Liberty has more important things to do as a "private intelligencer", a name coined for her line of work by her friend and politician Benjamin Disraeli. Disraeli also is in the habit of bringing work her way and that is how Liberty gets her case in this book. A classic tale of the class system, the Lord is in a private asylum and close to death at which point the Lady announces that the eldest son is not the Lord's legal heir throwing doubt on his legitimacy and placing the younger son in line to inherit the estate. Thus, the Lady then retires from talking about it. Liberty is hired by the lawyer to find out if the Lady is lying or simply mad. He has no interest if she is telling the truth; it is simply not an option. But Liberty finds out much more than legitimate birthrights are being kept secret when she arrives on the scene and a servant is found dead packed away in a barrel and the eldest son has simply vanished. She takes it on her own initiative to solve the answers to the many questions, secrets and mysteries she encounters at Brinkburn Hall. I have to say this has been my absolute favourite of the Liberty Lane mysteries by far! Liberty Lane is still written too far on the modern side to be entirely believable but having got to know the character through the three books, I don't really care anymore. She is a fun heroine, not afraid to go where the danger leads her and full of simple derring-do. I loved the mystery this time as well. I had all sorts of ideas wandering around in my mind; I did figure out one of the elements but so much was going on by the end it was a complete surprise when the shocking reveal came out. I read the first half of the book at a leisurely pace enjoying the new characters and setting which revolves around the Victorian love for all things medieval and includes the ill-fated joust, the Eglinton Tournament. Then the second half was quick paced as all the secrets started unraveling and danger threatened. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in the series and eagerly await the next. Historical mystery fans and lovers of cozy mysteries alike will enjoy this romp with Liberty Lane.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.4 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Brinkburn Family Secret,
By L. M Young - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Family Affair: A Novel (Paperback)
Once again Benjamin Disraeli summons Miss Liberty Lane to provide discreet information into a perplexing event: influential Lord Brinkburn is dying, and, inexplicably, his formerly retiring wife has circulated the shocking information that their eldest son Stephen is not legitimate; she claims she accidentally had sexual congress with a stranger in a hotel room in Italy and he was the result. Their younger son Miles, her favorite of the two boys, is the actual heir. Liberty, with a young urchin named Tabby in tow to play as her maid, poses as an artist who wishes to paint and sketch in a cottage on the Blackburn estate. In this way she hopes to gain the confidence of Lady Brinkburn and perhaps find out the truth behind this fantastical statement.This third Liberty Lane adventure starts off at a gallop during the re-creation of a joust held by bored young aristocrats and never slackens its pace. Bit by bit, Liberty peels back the layers of the Brinkburn family, to come to some astounding revelations and an action-filled conclusion to the story. Yes, Liberty's manner still seems too modern for an early Victorian-era young woman--in one sequence she's actually running around the countryside in a robe and her underwear, and seems not very nonplussed by the fact--but our plucky heroine, the narrative, the interesting supporting characters, and even the medieval re-creations by the indolent young lords all add up to an appealing mystery-adventure. 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Jousting & Murder in Victorian Times,
By Nicola Manning - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Family Affair: A Novel (Paperback)
Reason for Reading: Next in the series.I like to think of the Liberty Lane series as one of my guilty pleasures. I know I'm in for a quick dip immersion into the Victorian era with a light mystery and an easy read. I also know Liberty is not going to get into a romance with anyone, though someone will probably be trying to play matchmaker for her but Liberty has more important things to do as a "private intelligencer", a name coined for her line of work by her friend and politician Benjamin Disraeli. Disraeli also is in the habit of bringing work her way and that is how Liberty gets her case in this book. A classic tale of the class system, the Lord is in a private asylum and close to death at which point the Lady announces that the eldest son is not the Lord's legal heir throwing doubt on his legitimacy and placing the younger son in line to inherit the estate. Thus, the Lady then retires from talking about it. Liberty is hired by the lawyer to find out if the Lady is lying or simply mad. He has no interest if she is telling the truth; it is simply not an option. But Liberty finds out much more than legitimate birthrights are being kept secret when she arrives on the scene and a servant is found dead packed away in a barrel and the eldest son has simply vanished. She takes it on her own initiative to solve the answers to the many questions, secrets and mysteries she encounters at Brinkburn Hall. I have to say this has been my absolute favourite of the Liberty Lane mysteries by far! Liberty Lane is still written too far on the modern side to be entirely believable but having got to know the character through the three books, I don't really care anymore. She is a fun heroine, not afraid to go where the danger leads her and full of simple derring-do. I loved the mystery this time as well. I had all sorts of ideas wandering around in my mind; I did figure out one of the elements but so much was going on by the end it was a complete surprise when the shocking reveal came out. I read the first half of the book at a leisurely pace enjoying the new characters and setting which revolves around the Victorian love for all things medieval and includes the ill-fated joust, the Eglinton Tournament. Then the second half was quick paced as all the secrets started unraveling and danger threatened. I thoroughly enjoyed this book in the series and eagerly await the next. Historical mystery fans and lovers of cozy mysteries alike will enjoy this romp with Liberty Lane.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Love Liberty Lane!,
By book lover in Honolulu - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: A Family Affair: A Novel (Paperback)
So happy to see another book in this series!! Liberty Lane is a great character. I thought some of the story line was predictable, but I love the setting and the language/writing sometimes makes me laugh out loud. Looking forward to the next book. If you've liked the previous books, I think you'll like this one too.
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