Review: The Hidden House Murders: Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate: Book 3

The Hidden House Murders: Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate: Book 3 by Celina Grace
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Received an ARC for an honest review.
To start honest, this kind of mystery might not really be my cup-a-tea: I read Agatha Christie last when I was still reading in German (translation) only, maybe age 10 or 12 (1976, 1978).
The book takes place in England, but in the past (20th century), I think, which would prevent me from buying this, as I have long stopped reading most books playing too long ago in the past (with exceptions).
But I am paying for this with a review, so I will see how I like this (TANSTAAFL).

Well, better than expected. You feel like visiting the UK between the two Word-Wars, I think, cannot exactly pin the time down, as no real indication is given, they have cars, wireless, a telephone in the house with the need to call an operator (could also be before the first WW, but I guess that not many people had a Telephone way back then).

Very well done, even though I would have liked more suspense. You get to know how servants work and live their life in a wealthy household in the UK. There is lots of eating and tea-drinking, and even if the female servants-team Hunter / Hart try to solve the crime, work comes first, feeding their household, even the other servants. And, having been in the UK a few time during the 1980's for vacation, I can assist, that they still drink a lot of tea, so that is realistic.
The main women are very well described, deeply fleshed out, with the few man mostly described with an outline, but not very deep, only the inspector, which I understand was also in the book(s) before this one is more fleshed out, but not overly so, in comparison to the MC's.

The crime and solving is a lot like in the Agatha Christie books I remember from my childhood, with a rounding of all (surviving) people and staging a big reveal. Not really something I would buy today, I am sorry to say. But in exchange for a review, I must admit, it was very well written, with a certain insight in life at that time I did not expect.

So recommended 4 stars it is, if you want a lighter mystery, not much blood and I did not guess at any point what really happened. No sex, but that is to be expected, and you get a little romance thrown in, some real and some pretend. Having been in the mood for this certainly helped, else it would be a 3 star/recommended.

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