Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton (Laurence Bartram #2)

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 320 ratings · 94 reviews

When Great War veteran Laurence Bartram arrives in Easton Deadall, he is struck by the beauty of the place: a crumbling manor, a venerable church, and a memorial to the village’s soldiers, almost all of whom died in one bloody battle.
Now peace prevails, and the rest of England is newly alight with hope, but Easton Deadall remains haunted by tragedy—as does the Easton famil...more

Hardcover, 416 pages

Published June 26th 2012 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (first published May 1st 2011)

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 731)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Oct 07, 2012 Sara added it · review of another edition

Laurence Bartram returns in the second installment of the series. Laurence has been called to Easton Deadall by William Bolitho, a friend he met during the John Emmett business. Most of the young men of Easton Deadall, including the owner of the manor, died during the war and Bolitho is helping the owners of the manor to design a memorial window in the small chapel. Laurence has been called in as an expert on church architecture. The chapel is something out of the ordinary. But there is much in...more Laurence Bartram returns in the second installment of the series. Laurence has been called to Easton Deadall by William Bolitho, a friend he met during the John Emmett business. Most of the young men of Easton Deadall, including the owner of the manor, died during the war and Bolitho is helping the owners of the manor to design a memorial window in the small chapel. Laurence has been called in as an expert on church architecture. The chapel is something out of the ordinary. But there is much in Easton Deadall that is out of the ordinary.
In 1911, the only child of the house, a five year old girl named Kitty, disappeared from her bed in the middle of the night. Every effort was made, a ransom was demanded and paid, but no trace of the child was ever found. Then the war came and took most of the village’s men away with it. When Laurence arrives Easton Deadall is a village of mourning women and damaged men. Soon after Laurence arrives a maid goes missing during an outing. Then a body turns up in the crypt of the chapel.
Once again, Laurence finds himself drawn into a mystery tied up in secrets from years ago. It is impossible to shake off the feeling that everything happening now somehow ties back into what happened to Kitty so many years ago.
This is the second book by Speller that I read in a two week stretch. It confirmed that while she is an excellent author, she’s a bit too dark for me. I wanted to feel a sense of accomplishment, closure, or triumph at the end. I didn’t quite get that with either book. I felt sad at the end of The Return of Captain John Emmett and I felt a little puzzled at the end of The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton. The story was complex, and well written, but I felt that the ending was tweaked just a little too hard to fall in with the author’s outline. I didn’t feel like the course of events laid out were entirely plausible. I’m glad it ended the way it did, I’m just not sure I, as the reader, had earned that ending.(less)

like · see review

Jan 21, 2013 Jason Speck rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love this series, which captures the loss of the interwar period and displays the remains of The Great War's carnage with unflinching realism and pathos.

Once again Captain Laurence Bartram finds himself drawn into a mystery, as he's asked to examine an old church in Easton Deadall: what happened to five-year old Kitty Easton, long vanished these ten years? And when a servant of the house disappears from the British Exhibition of 1924, Easton Hall seems to be exhibiting a terrifying curse to ri...more

like · see review

Dec 30, 2012 Danny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: listened-to, library-book

Love a good British mystery. Why does it being British matter? I DON'T KNOW BUT IT DOES.

Tea and murder, please and thank you.

The detective here is Laurence Bartram, and he's not really a detective. He's an expert on English churches. He's been invited to an estate house, Easton Deadall (ominous, yes?), to help an architect friend with his knowledge. This is the second book featuring Mr. Bartram, however, so I believe that if the series continues that death will plague him to the point where he s...more

2 likes · like · see review

Jun 04, 2012 Judith Starkston rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-mystery, mystery

This review of The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton first appeared in the May 2012 issue of Historical Novels Review where it was featured as an Editors' Choice.

Set in post World War I England, The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton is an unconventional but compelling mystery. As with her first book, Speller’s main character is Laurence Bartram, not a sleuth, but a veteran now a teacher, who like so many of the lost generation, has put his life back together in fits and starts. An architect friend asks L...more

1 like · like · see review

Jun 02, 2012 Susan Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

One of the most interesting periods in England for a reader is after WWI. Owners of the old manors were faced with a real dilemna. Their sprawling homes needed manpower to function well but there was a shortage of people "in service". The country was decimated by wartime deaths and men were a premium. So the gentry limped along just making do. It is this setting that draws veteran Laurence Bartram to the estate and town of Eastman Deadall. The lady of the manor is creating some memorials includi...more

like · see review

Feb 03, 2012 Felice rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So disappointing but was it a surprise? …I would have to say yes. It’s The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton the new mystery by Elizabeth Speller. This is the second novel featuring post WW1 veteran, detective and all around sensitive guy Laurence Bartram

Last year I was perplexed as to why I enjoyed Speller’s first mystery novel featuring Bartram, The Return of Captain John Emmett as much as I did. I think it was a combination of the victim’s back story and the time period. The mystery itself and B...more

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 07, 2012 Victoria rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-in-a-series, fictional-history, family, mystery-thriller, world-war-i

I loathe starting books mid-series, although from perusing some other reviews, it doesn’t seem as though there is much overlap beyond a few of the characters in this sequel to The Return of Captain John Emmett. There are a few obvious references to its predecessor here, but there is no indication of anything vital connecting the two novels. When I first discovered that this is the second book in a series, I planned on going back and reading it, but now that I have finished this snail-paced histo...more I loathe starting books mid-series, although from perusing some other reviews, it doesn’t seem as though there is much overlap beyond a few of the characters in this sequel to The Return of Captain John Emmett. There are a few obvious references to its predecessor here, but there is no indication of anything vital connecting the two novels. When I first discovered that this is the second book in a series, I planned on going back and reading it, but now that I have finished this snail-paced historical mystery, I have no intention of doing so.

The initial premise of this story - a deteriorating manor is slowly starting to come back to life after an early tragedy of a missing five-year-old girl until more tragic circumstances call the past back to the present - sounds so much more intriguing than its execution. The slow pacing makes the book feel much longer than its four hundred pages and the frankly unlikable cast of characters offers readers not much to connect with here. The series title character, Laurence (or Laurie), makes an unconvincing sleuth (his motivation for his nosiness is never full explored), and the majority of the action takes place in the long sections of conversations - conversations which often feel a bit repetitive.

While Speller’s research into her post-WWI time period is obviously impeccable, a lot of that historic detail is crammed into every nook and cranny of the story. There are a wide-range of details presented, which would have been more interesting with a greater balance of character development and plot progression. The book’s pacing literally does not start picking up until after the 191st page! And unfortunately any momentum gained by the actions there quickly peters out into a most unsatisfying conclusion. With several references to Agatha Christie, it feels like Speller attempted to emulate that style and format of mystery. Unfortunately, with less-than-charming characters and a plot that does not follow logical progression and compounded with one of the most unsatisfying conclusions that that I have read in a long time, this novel is a far cry from Mrs. Christie’s work. Needless to say, I don’t plan on catching up or continuing on with this series.(less)

1 like · like · see review

Jan 31, 2012 Ali rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At Christmas I was delighted to receive a new hardback edition of the sequel to John Emmett, ‘The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton’ through an online secret santa exchange.

It is now three years later than the events chronicled in John Emmett. Captain Laurence Bartram travels to Easton Deadall, in Wiltshire, and the Easton estate there, to assist his friend – whom we also encountered in the previous novel – architect William Bolithho. Wheelchair bound William, had been employed to improve farm worker...more At Christmas I was delighted to receive a new hardback edition of the sequel to John Emmett, ‘The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton’ through an online secret santa exchange.

It is now three years later than the events chronicled in John Emmett. Captain Laurence Bartram travels to Easton Deadall, in Wiltshire, and the Easton estate there, to assist his friend – whom we also encountered in the previous novel – architect William Bolithho. Wheelchair bound William, had been employed to improve farm workers cottages and was designing a maze for the estate grounds, and knowing Laurence has an expertise in old churches, asks him to look at the church at Easton Deadall. Laurence is obliged to stay in the house with the Easton family, who he quickly sees have been living under a shadow since 1911 – when young Kitty, the 5-year-old daughter of Digby and Lydia Easton disappeared from her bed. Since then the fortunes of the Easton estate have been in decline, Digby is dead, Lydia terribly unwell, and brothers Julian and Patrick somewhat estranged. What seems to be a tragic puzzle take on a slightly different turn following a trip to London and a visit to The British Empire Exhibition. Laurence Bartram then is set upon a trail – to discover the truth about what happened to Kitty.

The writing of this novel is excellent. Both well crafted and well plotted ‘The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton’ is that marvelous thing – a well written intelligent page turner. Elizabeth Speller explores brilliantly, the psychology of those men who survived the trenches of the first world war, of the communities that having joined up together – fought side by side under the leadership of their “lord of the manor” – and then so often of course died together. The fragility of families and their secrets – we don’t always knows what goes on behind closed doors – repression and fear, keeping people’s mouths shut – the tragedies that come out of such silence are deftly examined and brought to life.

Plenty of red herrings keeps the reader guessing – and indeed kept me reading very late last night – making for a hard to put down novel that is wholly satisfying and continually engaging. I love the characters of Laurence Bartram and Eleanor and William Bolitho – they are people I want to know better and encounter again. They are real people with pasts, intelligent, perceptive people with vulnerabilities and huge strengths.(less)

like · see review

Sep 04, 2012 Heffalumpi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2012

This was a really good book, set between the two world wars and of an era when the role of the country house in society started to decline.

The book featured on a complex family with many members, each with their own secrets intertwined with the secrets of others. The descriptions in the book were brilliant and really gave a clear sense of the place and time. The story centres around the disappearance of a child, Kitty Easton, and how this has affected the wider family. The story moved along at a...more

like · see review

Dec 09, 2012 Sabina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction

This is the sequel following The Return of Captain John Emmett, although it would be ok to read as a stand-alone novel as there is no direct continuation of any storyline from the previous book. It's 1924, 3 years after the events of the first book, and Laurence Bartram sets out to the small village of Easton Deadall to join his friends the Bolithos to help create a maze as a memorial to the fallen men of the area and restore a church. It soon becomes clear that everyone at Easton Hall still liv...more

like · see review

Sep 03, 2012 Maggie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-books

I didn't realise that this was a second book in a series when i started reading, but from what i gather it didn't carry on from the first except that i may have got more of the story of Laurence Bartrum, no matter i really enjoyed this book

If you pick this book up thinking it's going to be a fast paced mystery, forget it, the pace is slow and meandering. The story is set in the years following WWI With Laurence Bartrum visiting Easton Deadall to supposidly look at the old church, St. Barbara's....more

like · see review

Aug 27, 2012 Lynne Perednia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Laurence Bartram is getting accustomed to life after WWI, teaching and adjusting to life without his wife and newborn, who both died, and the woman he loves, who is separated from him while her husband, with no hope of recovery, clings to life.

Laurence accepts the invitation of his friend William, a talented architect who lost the use of his legs in the war, to look over the restoration of a church on a country estate. William, his ardent political wife Eleanor, and their young son Nicholas are...more Laurence Bartram is getting accustomed to life after WWI, teaching and adjusting to life without his wife and newborn, who both died, and the woman he loves, who is separated from him while her husband, with no hope of recovery, clings to life.

Laurence accepts the invitation of his friend William, a talented architect who lost the use of his legs in the war, to look over the restoration of a church on a country estate. William, his ardent political wife Eleanor, and their young son Nicholas are stayiing with the Eastons, a prototypical country gentry family riddled with tragedy and secrets.

The tragedy that weighs heaviest on the family members is the disappearance of five-year-old Kitty more than 10 years ago. The lord of the manor, Digby, fell deeper into drink and tyrannical ways after the child vanished from her room one night. He was killed in France, while younger brother Julian survived to carry on at home. He pines for Digby's widow, Lydia, who is becoming more frail by the day and who cannot acknowledge her daughter may be dead. Youngest brother Patrick plays the role of ne'er-do-well, but his story, like that of all the Eastons, is deeper than first appearances.

It takes pages and pages for anything to really happen, but the church restoration -- and underground discoveries -- and an ill-fated trip to a London exhibition are trigger events that eventually bring to light most of the Easton secrets.

Speller's second Laurence Bartram novel is leisurely paced, better reflecting an era when people counted time in days and weeks, rather than minutes, and no one multi-tasked. The pacing highlights how events large and small could have lasting effects on the characters. The characters demonstrate qualities that may seem quaint today -- loyalty, thoughtfulness, reluctance to gossip but truthfulness when asked forthright.

The novel does require knowledge of characters from the first Laurence Bartram novel. Like this one, The Return of Captain John Emmett uses the crime fiction genre to explore how a people try to return to a way of life after war nearly destroys it. Laurence's decisions at the end of Kitty Easton portend interesting possibilities for continuing the series, as do the actions of other returning characters.

(less)

like · see review

Jan 29, 2012 Linda Baker rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

The second book in Elizabeth Speller's series set in the aftermath of WWI, while interesting and well-plotted does not quite measure up to The Return of Captain John Emmett (first in series). Laurence Bartram has been asked to travel to Easton Deadall in Wiltshire to assess the ancient church on the Easton estate. The invitation comes from William and Eleanor Bolitho who we first met in John Emmett.

Laurence is at first taken by the beauty of the estate, but soon discovers that the village and es...more The second book in Elizabeth Speller's series set in the aftermath of WWI, while interesting and well-plotted does not quite measure up to The Return of Captain John Emmett (first in series). Laurence Bartram has been asked to travel to Easton Deadall in Wiltshire to assess the ancient church on the Easton estate. The invitation comes from William and Eleanor Bolitho who we first met in John Emmett.

Laurence is at first taken by the beauty of the estate, but soon discovers that the village and estate are under the shadow of multiple tragedies- the loss of all the village young men in WWI and the complete disappearance of 6 year old Kitty Easton in 1911. The only man to return is Julian Easton, second son of the Easton family. His younger brother, Patrick, was declared unfit for service and has been away from the estate for many years. The widow of Digby Easton and mother of Kitty refuses to declare Kitty dead so the inheritance is unresolved. Laurence soon becomes embroiled in solving the mystery of the fate of Kitty Easton and also discovers the many Easton family secrets. Secrets,and the evil they can cause, are the theme which runs throughout the book.

In the author's note, Ms. Speller mentions her fascination with the archaeology of ancient Wiltshire. This fascination I think becomes a liability in the pacing of the book. There is a very long section in which Laurence and Patrick are lost in the labyrinth underlying the church that bogs down the narrative flow, even though it leads to a discovery that blows apart all the family secrets. A trip to the 1924 Great Exposition is also drawn out seemingly unnecessarily. The wrap up of the book is very rushed in comparison. The ending is satisfactory, considering all the possible fates of Kitty Easton.

The first book is the series was so good that I was really expecting more from The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton. That being said, I liked it well enough to look forward to the next one which appears to be set in Italy during the time of Mussolini's ascension to power. Laurence is slowly digging out of his own personal tragedies and taking charge of his own fate again.(less)

like · see review

Jun 19, 2012 ABookVacation rated it 3 of 5 stars

While I enjoyed this novel, it wasn’t really what I expected. I was thinking it would be a fast paced sleuthing novel dealing mainly with the disappearance of Kitty Easton, but I personally found the entire first half of the book a little bland for me as it dealt with the historical aspect of the time period more than I like in my novels (detailing the house, the people, the church, etc.) and I found that I occasionally lost interest due to all the descriptions. This is a very lengthy novel, and...more

like · see review

May 16, 2012 Lullyweb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library, 1920s, british-authors, crime, england, families, first-world-war, fiction, grief-and-loss, historical-fiction, loss, mystery, post-war, read-in-2012, veterans

First World War veteran Laurence Bartram made his first appearance in The Return of Captain John Emmett, when he was asked to look into the mysterious suicide of his former classmate. The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton is set shortly afterwards, on a country estate in Wiltshire, where Bartram's friend William Bolitho has been commissioned to create a memorial for the village's war dead. William wants Laurence to investigate the history of the small church on the estate, but before long Laurence ha...more

like · see review

Feb 01, 2013 S.M. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I nearly gave up after 108 pages when the plot was moving at such a glacial pace, there were so many characters to keep track of and the story wasn't particularly interesting. Then something happened that picked up the pace, but then it gradually wound down to finally end at a two star review. I didn't realize that this was the second book of a series - it could stand alone except for the several-times mention of someone named "Mary" and "Pip" who aren't explained very well - I guess you should...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 03, 2012 Debbie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A few too many characters to keep track of to begin with, but after I had it all sorted out the book moved along. About 1924, Lawrence Bartram goes to the manor house at Easton Deadall to consult about an ancient church. The Easton family is consumed with the memory of a young child of the family who disappeared in 1911, and the entire village is laid low by the number of the men of the village who were killed in one battle during WWI. After the initial consultation it is hard to say what the pu...more

like · see review

Feb 06, 2013 Hannah rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2013-reads, mysteries

Enjoyable mystery set in England between the wars. Reminded me (a tiny bit) to Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series.

There were some parts that were very suspenseful and page turning, but as my lower rating indicates, these moments were few and far between times when nothing much happened with the plot at all. Not sure what Speller was trying to go for: a mystery, a character study, a period piece exposition. There was a little bit of everything, and the story overall seemed to suffer as a r...more

2 likes · like · see review

Aug 16, 2012 Mary Ronan Drew rated it 5 of 5 stars

In The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton, the title character disappeared in 1911, 13 years ago as this novel opens, and her loss shrouds the estate of Easton in mystery and fear. Having been without men to work the land during the Great War, the estate is crumbling and the church has not been used for many years. Laurence Bartram, an expert on historic churches, is visiting at the request of his friend, William Bolitho, an architect who has been hired by Lydia Easton to repair workers' cottages, des...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 07, 2013 Anne Mulder rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The location was interesting, large old family manor after WWI (like many English mysteries) and the story drew a lot of threads together. What happened to Kitty is only part of the story. Why was the floor in the church covered over? What was here before? To me, in some cases, it seems to have made more of a tangle than a story.

The book moves backwards and forwards through WWI and its effect on the family and attendant villagers. This book was interesting historically but I kept waiting for it...more

like · see review

Jul 05, 2012 Kestrell rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A well-written but extremely depressing story which is not so much a mystrey but rather a gothic, with women and children passively but nobly suffering the abuse and violence of men, while the "good" male characters alternately pretend they don't see or make excuses for the male abusers. I kept waiting for someone to do something active, but even the ending is something of a nonaction on the part of the protagonist. The mysteries are not very mysterious and the plot is somewhat plodding: this is...more

like · see review

Oct 09, 2012 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: british, historical, fiction, mystery, ww1

I enjoyed this slightly overlong mystery set in the 1920s. The shadow of WWI looms large over the characters in the book, making it of interest for fans of Charles Todd, Jacqueline Winspear and of course Downton Abbey. The book begins as Laurence Bartram heads to Wiltshire to consult on a church restoration being led by a friend. He is introduced to a cast of characters, within the manor house and in the village. Two criticisms: uneven pacing (the first half of the book is very slow) and too man...more

like · see review

Jun 25, 2012 Brenda Hawley rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really liked the first book of this series: The Return of Captain John Emmett and had high hopes for this one. Set in the changing social order of post world war I England, Laurence Bartram is a veteran who is finding his way after losing his wife and newborn child during the war. He stumbles on a 13 year old mystery of a 5 year old girl who went missing from her bed in a mansion in the countryside, family secrets and ancient discoveries. Some of the characters from the first book return and L...more

like · see review

Jun 10, 2011 Veronica rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle, fiction

This was OK, although at times I felt the pace was a bit too leisurely; nothing really happened for the first two-thirds of the book. As in The Return of Captain John Emmett, she clearly wants to evoke a period, which she does well, but she could have moved the story along faster at the same time. It never really grabbed me, but I liked the ending; it was nicely understated. I have a feeling her next book will involve Laurence in Italy during the rise of Mussolini ...

1 like · like · see review

Jun 06, 2012 Mary Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime

I chose this book because the cover looked interesting and because it was a mystery crime novel. It turned out to be a great choice, well written and a good mystery. Best of all it was based in Wiltshire near where I live and the storytelling evoked nostalgia for the villages as they had been before and after the Great War.

A sad tale that made you care about all the characters and left you wanting to know what happens to Laurence, Patrick, Frances and of course David. No doubt we will find out...more

1 like · like · see review

Feb 06, 2012 Diane S. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5 I love the way this author writes, and I loved her last book. She has wonderful sense of time and place and it is easy to become totally immersed in this time period. I did feel, however, that this book would have been better had it been about 100 pgs. shorter. I realize that these atmospheric, character based mysteries take longer to create but very little happens for the first 100 pgs. or so. Once things happen, revelations come quickly and the story is outstanding. I am glad I stuck with...more

like · see review

Sep 09, 2012 Ruth rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-historical

C2011. FWFTB: stately, maze, Wiltshire, memorial, fragile. The Return of Captain John Emmet was a great read and I wanted to sample another book by Ms Speller. The prose and narrative are brilliantly executed and the character of Laurence is even more fleshed out in this book. The action takes place 2-3 years after those contained in TROCE but the Great War continues to cast its shadow on the actions of the survivors. The slow pace at the beginning is deceptive as the tension ratchets up almost...more

like · see review

Jun 18, 2013 Katharine Ott rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: twbc

"Laurence Bartram was waiting for a late connection at Swindon station." Ah, comfy English mystery, I've missed you, with your stately manors, your afternoon teas and all those glances fraught with meaning. "The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton," by Elizabeth Speller was a welcome addition to my summer reading. The only quibble I have is my own fault - I should have started with her previous Bartram novel, "The Return of Captain John Emmett," and then some relationships and comments would have made...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 10, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have to say I did struggle with this book and it took quite a while to read because it became rather a chore to read instead of a pleasure. I was reading it on a Kindle and by the time I’d reached 50%, I was contemplating abandoning it. I found the pace so very slow and although a book doesn’t have to race along at a great pace to interest me, this went to the other extreme. I appreciate that the characters and the background to the story had to be explained but really this could have been don...more I have to say I did struggle with this book and it took quite a while to read because it became rather a chore to read instead of a pleasure. I was reading it on a Kindle and by the time I’d reached 50%, I was contemplating abandoning it. I found the pace so very slow and although a book doesn’t have to race along at a great pace to interest me, this went to the other extreme. I appreciate that the characters and the background to the story had to be explained but really this could have been done at a quicker pace without losing anything. The title of the book was a little misleading - Kitty Easton, the little girl who disappeared from her bed some 13 years before the story began was not really the main focus, instead the book seemed to concentrate at length on mazes and churches and the surrounding countryside and later, on events occurring some years after Kitty disappeared. The story dealing with WWI and sad loss of the young men in the village, having all joined up to fight the war together, were very well written and clearly well researched.

The majority of the main characters were introduced very early in the book but although they made regular appearances throughout, I didn’t feel that I got to know them. The main protagonist, Lawrence Bartram, who took on the role of the amateur detective, remained a bit of a mystery. He had his own demons to battle with following his own war experiences and it was only towards the end that I felt his character became alive.

I’m glad I persevered because the book did improve considerably in the latter stages and the story became much more interesting although I found the ending a little rushed. I didn’t realise until after I had started reading this that the book was a sequel to The Return of Captain John Emmett and perhaps I would have enjoyed the book more if I had read that book first. I do have Captain John Emmett to read but having struggled with this one for so long, it won’t be at the top of my reading pile just yet!
(less)

like · see review

Aug 22, 2012 Sandie rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-books, brit-lit, historical-fiction, thrillers-and-mystery

A garden maze and a labyrinth beneath a church are obvious metaphors for long buried secrets that have plagued the members of the Easton household for many years and are now slowly coming to light. It is through the eyes of traumatized ex-military officer and amateur sleuth Laurence Bartram that author Elizabeth Speller explores the tumultuous terrain of the village of Easton Deadall where the shadows of the past continue to torment and threaten the residents of Easton Hall. It is through Bartra...more

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 24 25 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »

Recommend it | Stats | Recent status updates

combine
Other Editions (10)

More editions...

Genres

Mystery

36 users

Historical Fiction

26 users

Mystery > Historical Mystery

6 users

European Literature > British Literature

3 users

Family

3 users

Thriller > Mystery Thriller

2 users

Mystery > Detective

2 users

War

2 users

Mystery > Crime

2 users

Literature > 20th Century

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

The Confession
by Charles Todd
Helsinki White
by James Thompson
The Girl is Trouble
by Kathryn Miller Haines
A Killing in the Hills
by Julia Keller
Kino
by Jurgen Fauth

About Elizabeth Speller

Elizabeth Speller is a poet and author of four non-fiction books including a biography of Emperor Hadrian, companion guides to Rome and to Athens, and a memoir, Sunlight on the Garden. She has contributed to publications as varied as the Financial Times, Big Issue and Vogue and produced the libretto for a requiem for Linda McCartney, Farewell, composed by Michael Berkeley (OUP). She currently has...more

More about Elizabeth Speller...

Books by Elizabeth Speller

Following Hadrian: A Second-Century Journey Through the Roman Empire

The Sunlight on the Garden: A Memoir of Love, War and Madness

Granta City Guides: Rome (Granta City Guides)

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About The Strange Fate ...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton
avg rating	preview: The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton Goodreads rating: 3.58 (320 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12610337-the-strange-fate-of-kitty-easton?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325864288l/12610337.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12610337-the-strange-fate-of-kitty-easton?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton by Elizabeth Speller[/url]

The Strange Fate of Kitty Easton (Laurence Bartram #2)

Friend Reviews

Community Reviews

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website