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    Case of the Dotty Dowager, The: A cosy mystery set in Wales
    Unavailable
    Case of the Dotty Dowager, The: A cosy mystery set in Wales
    Unavailable
    Case of the Dotty Dowager, The: A cosy mystery set in Wales
    Ebook318 pages5 hours

    Case of the Dotty Dowager, The: A cosy mystery set in Wales

    By Cathy Ace

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    “A gratifying contemporary series in the traditional British manner with hilarious repercussions. Cozy fans will anticipate learning more about these WISE ladies” - Library Journal Starred Review

    Meet the Women of the WISE Enquiries Agency. The first in a new series.

    Henry Twyst, eighteenth Duke of Chellingworth, is convinced his mother is losing her marbles. She claims to have seen a corpse on the dining-room floor, but all she has to prove it is a bloodied bobble hat.

    Worried enough to retain the women of the WISE Enquiries Agency – one is Welsh, one Irish, one Scottish and one English – Henry wants the strange matter explained away. But the truth of what happened at the Chellingworth Estate, set in the rolling Welsh countryside near the quaint village of Anwen by Wye, is more complex, dangerous, and deadly, than anyone could have foreseen . . .
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSevern House Publishers
    Release dateJul 1, 2015
    ISBN9781780106410
    Unavailable
    Case of the Dotty Dowager, The: A cosy mystery set in Wales
    Author

    Cathy Ace

    Cathy Ace was born and raised in Wales, but now lives in Canada with her husband and two chocolate Labradors. She is a proud member of Crime Writers of Canada (CWC) and Sisters in Crime (SinC). She is also the author of the Cait Morgan Mysteries.

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    Reviews for Case of the Dotty Dowager, The

    4/5

    28 ratings7 reviews

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    • 5/5
      It does all the things a cozy should do. So many cozies that are written today are simply comic books without pictures. The plot developed logically and the characters were depicted with sufficient depth to be seen as more than cardboard cutouts. Over the many decades of my life I've probably read somewhere between two and three thousand mysteries, all in series, no stand-alones. If the other three novels in this series are as good as this first in that series I'm hoping the author might write some more as for right now there are only four entries. The writer, Cathy Ace, has another series and going by the descriptions I've read, of a decidedly different nature. Six of those titles are available here on Scribd and I've decided to read the first one in that series before I return to the four WISE women.
    • 4/5
      I've certainly enjoyed reading the first book in this new recently published series (available only in Kindle and currently at a bargain price). The characters of the four members of the WISE Enquiries Agency are well drawn, very distinct from each other. I'm not sure about the entire credibility of the plot but there was enough good stuff to keep me going.I will certainly be going on to Book 2 sometime in the future.
    • 3/5
      Why the W.I.S.E. Enquiries Agency? Carol is Welsh (and since she's pregnant she's put in charge of the command center in London); Christine is Irish (and with her wealthy background, she's perfect for dealing with aristocrats); Mavis is Scottish (and a former nurse); and Annie is English (and not only English but a Cockney). Put their nationalities together, and you've got the name of their agency. Not a bad idea, eh?Cathy Ace has gathered together four women who have the personalities, skills, and blind good luck to carry off an enjoyable series. For this first book she's also come up with a brilliant mystery involving Waterloo teeth. I knew nothing about these teeth, and I certainly do enjoy learning things while I read. But while the cast and the mystery are first-rate, the method of delivery fell short for me. I couldn't really immerse myself in the story because most of it was told to me instead of shown. Instead of following along with the characters, becoming accustomed to their voices, and learning things as they learn them, we're told about almost all of it, and that puts a distance between reader and story.If "told not shown" doesn't bother you, The Case of the Dotty Dowager should be your cup of tea. The book certainly has a lot going for it. As for me, I'm undecided on continuing with the series.
    • 5/5
      Four women (Welsh, Irish, Scots and English) of varying ages and backgrounds decide to form a detective agency. As they struggle financially they are called to a castle in Wales where the owner thinks his mother has "lost it" as she reports seeing a dead body that is no longer there. A fun romp with great characters and just how often do you read a mystery with the theft of Waterloo Teeth being investigated? A well-written and entertaining traditional mystery which I highly recommend. Am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series
    • 4/5
      The Case of The Dotty Dowager by Cathy Ace was a fun British cozy mystery. It is the first book in A WISE Enquiries Agency Mystery series. Henry Devereaux Twyst is the 18th Duke of Chellingworth. He was not raised to be the Duke. He was enjoying his life of painting watercolors until his older brother died. Now Henry is responsible for Chellingworth Hall. Henry gets a late night call from his mother, Althea (Dowager Duchess of Chellingworth). Althea swears there is a dead man in her dining room. She called her son instead of waking up any of her staff (she has a cook, lady’s aide, and gardener/handy man). When Henry arrives at the house, he finds it locked up tight with the alarm on. Althea is in her bedroom with her dog, McFli and a fireplace poker in her hand. The body is gone! All that remains is a bobble hat that Althea picked up and took with her to her bedroom. Henry doubts his mother actually saw a body (he has been hearing rumors that she has been talking to herself).Henry awakens the staff. All of them were sleeping very deeply and were hard to awaken. None of them heard a thing. The police are called the next day, but they do not believe the Dowager Duchess. Henry decides to call the WISE Enquiries Agency (they think detective sounds to American). Annie Parker, Mavis MacDonald, Carol Hill, and Christine Wilsom-Smythe make up the agency. Their individual skills complement each other. Carol is pregnant and cannot venture far from home. Her job is getting information (online and via phone) as well as keeping them all updated. Mavis will stay with the Dowager, Christine will visit Henry at Chellingworth Hall, and Annie will go to the local village. Each will investigate and keep the others updated. Did Althea see a dead body in her dining room? If so, where did it go? And most importantly, why were they in the Dower House?The Case of the Dotty Dowager was an amusing British cozy. I give The Case of the Dotty Dowager 4 out of 5 stars. I liked the nice mix of characters as well as the lovely setting. I did not, though, like Annie Parker’s character. I found her very abrasive and hard to understand. She has such a thick accent that it is hard to figure out what she is saying. Mavis’ Scottish accent was much easier to figure out (of course, I have been watching a lot of Outlander). I think if Annie’s was toned down just a little, she would be a more pleasing character (they have her as loud, clumsy, and rude). Overall, The Case of the Dotty Dowager had good writing, great mystery, lovely town, and some interesting characters.I received The Case of the Dotty Dowager from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Carol is Welsh, Christine is Irish, Mavis is Scottish; and Annie is English (and not only English but a Cockney). Put their nationalities together, and you've got the name of their agency: the W.I.S.E. agency. That was just TOO CUTE and I thought about giving up the book. But once the background and abilities of each team member were presented, the name just was and it wasn't belaboured anymore.It was an average mystery; in fact, I don't remember a lot about it, so not memorable. But it was fairly clued I think and the women really are quite likeable.
    • 5/5
      I just read an amazing book recently, y'all — The Case of the Dotty Dowager: A cosy mystery set in Wales by Cathy Ace. Let me tell you a little about it.

      The Case of the Dotty Dowager is the first book in a new series, the WISE Enquiries Agency Mysteries. WISE is an acronym for the nationalities of the four Enquiry Agents — Welsh, Irish, Scots, and English. By the way, for those of y'all unfamiliar with the term, my Kindle's trusty Oxford Dictionary of English informs me that Enquiry Agent is a British term for private detective. [This Kindle dictionary has come in handy when I read books set in the UK and Australia, so I can translate English to US English!]

      From the very first page of The Case of the Dotty Dowager, I was immediately caught up in the mystery and couldn't stop turning the pages. The story is told in third person from multiple points of view, which I enjoyed and found to be an interesting technique for keeping my attention.

      I really like the four women of WISE. They are different ages (20s, 30s, 50s, 60s), nationalities and ethnicities, are from different backgrounds, and have different work experiences prior to forming WISE. They work very well together despite, or perhaps because of, these differences.

      I also really like the allegedly-dotty dowager, Lady Althea. She is a Monty Python fan, with a great sense of humor. (Her son Henry, and her Lady's Maid Aide, not so much.)'She hasn't always been a maid, have you, Jennifer?' said Althea quietly.
      'You mean aide, Your Grace,' replied Jennifer.
      'Do I?' responded the dowager.
      Henry had never understood his mother's love for, and fascination with, the entire canon of those Monty Python chaps. He didn't think they were even slightly amusing. Whenever he dared to mention this fact, his mother would tell him he'd been given a sense of humor bypass immediately after she'd given birth to him....I like Henry anyway, despite his lack of appreciation for all things Monty.

      I think you'll like Henry also, and his mother Althea, and the WISE women — Carol, Christine, Mavis, and Annie — and all the other characters (except the despicable evil-doers, of course) created by Author Cathy Ace in her wonderful new cozy mystery The Case of the Dotty Dowager: A cosy mystery set in Wales. The second book in the series, The Case of the Missing Morris Dancer: A cosy mystery set in Wales, is available for pre-order from Amazon US and will be released on February 1, 2016.


      Note: I received a complimentary copy of The Case of the Dotty Dowager in exchange for my honest review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.

      Originally published on my blog Jane Reads here.