The Secrets of Wishtide

By: Kate Saunders

Narrated by: Anna Bentinck

Mrs. Laetitia Rodd, aged 52, is the widow of an archdeacon who makes her living as a highly discreet private investigator. Her brother, Frederick Tyson, is a criminal barrister living in nearby Highgate with his wife and 10 children. Frederick finds the cases, and Laetitia solves them using her arch intelligence and her immaculate cover as an unsuspecting widow. When a case arises involving the son of the highly connected Sir James Calderstone, Laetitia sets off for Lincolnshire undercover as the family's new governess - quickly making herself indispensable. But the seemingly simple case - looking into young Charles Calderstone's inappropriate love interest - soon takes an unpleasant turn. And as the family's secrets begin to unfold, Laetitia discovers the Calderstones have more to hide than most.

©2016 Kate Saunders (P)2016 Dreamscape Media, LLC

Strange...

This mystery is fairly well written and well presented by the reader. However, what is very strange and disappointing is that the author chose to use one of the main story lines from DAVID COPPERFIELD as the basis of this book! I would think that if an author needed to borrow a plot from another author, that she would choose something other than one of the best known classics of English Literature.

Fantastic book

I truly enjoyed the the world the author created in this book. When she describes a place, it feels like you're there....like you can feel the grit on the wood table that you're sitting at. I can smell the wood smoke, see the haziness in the air. I'm so pleased to see a strong, assertive woman as the lead character with her brother as her sidekick. Their relationship is sweet, cute, formed in humor and love. This book is fantastic and so is the narration. Get this book!

Very Enjoyable

Although this was a murder mystery, this book was so interesting and calming I fell right to sleep. The performance was brilliant. The story was complicated in the best way. I'm looking forward to the second book.

Sad tale of abuse with a Victorian dust cover

I wanted to like this book. It is told in the first person by the main character, who at a very advanced age, looks back at her earlier career as a 50 year old private detective working for her brother's law practice. It started out rather well, except for the undertone of religiosity, which simply does not appeal to me but might to someone else. But I really had a hard time listening to the litany of women who become victims in their relationships with men because they love their abusers so much. Not all of the abuse is physical, although there is plenty of that. In some cases, it is merely taking advantage of the fact that in 19th century Britain and the US, women had no rights and were basically treated like chattel. Except in the rare instance in which you were married to a member of the clergy. Then it was all fun and roses. While this picture may be historically accurate, it cuts a little too close to the present reality of womanhood in light of all the sordid revelations of the MeToo movement. One can wish for a cast of women with a bit more spunk, feisty heroines who get the upper hand in the end. I also found the end of the story very unsatisfying and cheated the reader of a real sense of justice for the wronged and the dead and a public vindication of the heroine. Ms. Saunders writes well and I think could have done so much better. Ms Bentinck does some voices very well and others not so much, hence only 3 stars. I know that many other readers simply love this kind of melodrama. Laetitia and others consume a great deal of tea in the course of the story, but this book may not be a cup of tea to everyone's liking.

Engrossing and engaging

A really great cozy mystery. No shortage of plot twists. Writing, plot, character development, narration - it’s all there. I would read 10 of these.

Loved This Book

I loved this book and it kept me wondering exactly how it would end for quite some tome.

my review

Interesting story,kept my interest but not riveting, performance was well done,all in all a good read( listen)

very good

A bit of a slow start, but definitely worth the listen. Well written, well narrated.

Not a Cosy mystery....

The sweet cover is misleading as this looks like a a nice Cosy, but oh no..the bodies pile up right and left. But it's a a good thing, a VERY good mystery!

Charming Twisted Tale

I liked the old English feel of this more traditional murder mystery. It felt like Miss Marple had morphed into Pride and Prejudice. I enjoy stories with strong, solid female characters and Laetitia did not disappoint. She is smart and cannot be stopped by her plight as a poor widow. She creates her own opportunities despite the culture of the period and the obstacles in her path.