The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds

A Dizzy Heights Mystery, Book 1

By: T E Kinsey

Narrated by: Simon Mattacks, Elizabeth Knowelden

Missing diamonds. Mysterious deaths. And all that jazz.

London, 1925. With their band the Dizzy Heights, jazz musicians Ivor ‘Skins’ Maloney and Bartholomew ‘Barty’ Dunn are used to improvising as they play the Charleston for flappers and toffs, but things are about to take a surprising turn.

Superintendent Sunderland has had word that a deserter who stole a fortune in diamonds as he fled the war is a member of the Aristippus private members’ club in Mayfair - where the Dizzy Heights have a residency. And the thief is planning to steal a hoard of jewels hidden there under the cover of a dance contest.

As mutual pal Lady Hardcastle has suggested, Skins and Dunn are perfectly placed to be Sunderland’s eyes and ears - and Skins’s wife Ellie soon lends a hand with a bit of light snooping. But the stakes change dramatically when a mysterious death at the club brings a sinister note to the investigation.

With the dance contest fast approaching, the trio must solve the mystery of the missing diamonds, unmask the murderer, and prevent more deadly crimes - all without missing a beat.

©2020 T E Kinsey. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

It's a hit!

I have been enthusiastically awaiting this first book in T E Kinsey's new series since the release of his last Lady Hardcastle book and it did not disappoint. If you enjoy Lady H & Flo, you'll love Skins, Elly and all their antic loving, mystery solving friends.

Gotta love history…

The character development appeals to anyone who appreciates “meeting” the book’s “staff”. Didn’t care for the narrator’s attempt at female American inflection-needed a higher pitch instead of sounding like a male American. That’s the only reason for 4 stars under performance. Looking forward to continuing with the series. (Am a Lady Hardcastle and Flo fan!)

Masterly Mixup of Characters, Puzzles, & Setting

Jazz band is well done. Focus on ‘Greatest Rhythm Section in London’ (& family) is a good way to limit main character group so story can move forward. Enjoyed the story and most of the narration. Simon Mattacks did well. I dislike the extra reader E. Knoweldon. I prefer by far to stick to a single voice narration even if another reader has voiced a character in other books. In this case I disliked Knoweldon’s performance in the Lady Hardcastle series, which made the shock of her appearance all the greater.

Not bad. But not as good as Hardcastle.

I like the Lady Hardcastle series better. But this one likely will get better over time!!

Great Story, Excellent Performance

T E Kinsey has done it again with this spin-off from the delightful Lady Hardcastle series. The Dizzy Heights story has just enough connection with our favorite jazz-age duo to feel familiar, while introducing a new twist and cast into the mix