Lady Beatrice is shocked and distraught at the death of her husband in a car crash. But she is more upset by the unyielding questions from the police officer Richard Fitzwilliam.
Readers of the series will be aware of the antagonistic relationship between Bea and Richard but this takes us right back to their first meeting.The author clearly states that this should be read as a prequel and not alone. I think this would be enjoyable enough on its own but benefits from us knowing what happens in the future.
The focus of this book is more on Richard and his personal life which was refreshing to see his perspective. He has had a series of promotions but this has put his marriage at risk. He isn’t really a people person so interviewing witnesses in not his forte. There was humour and also a wonderful self awareness of his own flaws which made him much more easy to like.
Lady Bea has a lesser role in this book and Simon and Perry are mentioned but not greatly developed as characters. It is fascinating to see how they were in the past and contrast this with the characters we know from the present day series. I love the fictional royals and the warmth with which the whole series has been written.
An Early Death is a great prequel which really sets up the series by adding extra detail.
An Early Death
BREAKING NEWS Mystery Woman was in the Earl of Rossex’s car when it crashed
Reports are coming in that an unidentified woman was in the car that killed James Wilshire (24), the Earl of Rossex, when it crashed in Fenshire late on Tuesday evening and died from her injuries later in hospital. The police have not named the woman, but sources at Francis Court, where the earl lived with his wife Lady Beatrice (21) claim the dead woman was the wife of a member of staff.
The impertinence of the man! Who does this Detective Sergeant Richard Fitzwilliam think he is asking personal questions about the state of her marriage and insinuating that James was having an affair with the estate manager’s wife? Of course he wasn’t! She knew her husband and he wouldn’t do that to her. But what was James doing back in Fenshire on that fateful night when he’d told her he would be London? And why was Gill Sterling in the car with him when they barely knew each other? Unless, of course, she didn’t know her husband as well as she thought she did…
PLEASE NOTE: This is a prequel in the A Right Royal Cozy Investigation series and is not intended to be read as a standalone.
Hello. I’m Helen Golden and I write British contemporary cozy whodunnits with a hint of humour. I live in small village in Lincolnshire in the UK with my husband, my step-daughter, her two cats, our two dogs, sometimes my step-son, and our tortoise.
I used to work in senior management, but after my recent job came to a natural end I had the opportunity to follow my dreams and start writing. It’s very early in my life as an author, but so far I’m loving it.
It’s crazy busy at our house, so when I’m writing I retreat to our caravan (an impulsive lockdown purchase) which is mostly parked on our drive. When I really need total peace and quiet, I take it to a lovely site about 15 minutes away and hide there until my family runs out of food or clean clothes
