What do you think?
Rate this book
Cambridge Fellows
Lessons in Exposing a Deadly Alias
When their colleague Dr Panesar is the victim of serious allegations, the Cambridge Fellows have to call on every resource to solve the problem. But in a case where nothing is as it appears and they can’t even identify who’s posing the threat, how can they clear an innocent man’s name?
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 4, 2023
5 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Charlie Cochrane
86 books373 followersBecause Charlie Cochrane couldn't be trusted to do any of her jobs of choice—like managing a rugby team—she writes. Her mystery novels include the Edwardian era Cambridge Fellows series, series, and the contemporary Best Corpse for the Job. Multi-published, she has titles with Carina, Samhain, Riptide and Bold Strokes, among others.
A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People and International Thriller Writers Inc, Charlie regularly appears at literary festivals and at reader and author conferences with The Deadly Dames.
A member of the Romantic Novelists’ Association, Mystery People and International Thriller Writers Inc, Charlie regularly appears at literary festivals and at reader and author conferences with The Deadly Dames.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 2, 2024
I think I was drawn to this book from its cover, not being familiar with this series. I may go back to the beginning of this series of books before long. They are interesting characters and know how to weave a twisted web that keeps you off balance...as well as keep you reading all night long.
Kindle Unlimited
Kindle Unlimited
October 26, 2024
The Cambridge dons are back in action as a detective team, but this time their helping out a fellow professor accused of murder. Charlie Cochrane’s Cambridge Fellows has long been an autobuy historical cozy mystery series set against the world of academia in Edwardian and post WWI England with a cerebral pair of forbidden lovers as amateur detectives.
Lessons in Exposing a Deadly Alias is a recent release, but takes place in Jonty and Orlando’s past before WWI and the personal losses in their lives so the story is exceptionally poignant to series fans who see Jonty’s parents and a few other familiar faces around to help them solve their latest case. That said, the books are all standalone mysteries though there is an ongoing friendship and romance plot developing through the series that makes it best read in order.
The latest starts off rather tough for Jonty and Orlando when their friend and fellow professor at St. Brides, Dr. Panesar comes to them with a private matter he needs their help looking into. Maurice has been accused by two anonymous letters of leading a woman on so she thinks he is shirking his honor in matrimony and the other more problematic accusation is that he was responsible for a young aviator crashing to his death. Dr. Panesar is more than he seems and does brilliant work helping to develop secret work for the military and he’s a brilliant polymath. He’s already looked into the situation and come up blank. He’s also old-fashioned and chivalrous even about the crazy lady making accusations so he won’t name her to Jonty and Orlando.
So, the pair take up the commission and go to Jonty’s Stewart relations to help them get to the heart of the matter. Mr. Stewart and Lavinia head off to the air field to nose around, Ralph is sent off to a prep school to nose out answers, and Mrs. Stewart pans her large circle of acquaintance while Jonty and Orlando tackle the murdered man’s family. Slowly, they work together and build the case with witness accounts, bits of evidence, and a lot of educated speculation leading to the next part of the hunt all while teaching their courses and enjoying life in their beloved Forsythia Cottage as an unacknowledged romance pair who have to hide this in the days of 1912.
My suspicion as to why the anonymous letters were sent to Maurice Panesar proved correct, but I didn’t figure out the case until just before the reveal. This was a very twisty one and it had to gently and slowly unfold.
This was a quiet case for the most part and slow-build, but I got cozy and enjoyed being back in the world of the Cambridge Fellows with a favorite cast of characters. Those who enjoy m/m historical cozy mystery should pick up this series from the beginning.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on 10.9.24.
Lessons in Exposing a Deadly Alias is a recent release, but takes place in Jonty and Orlando’s past before WWI and the personal losses in their lives so the story is exceptionally poignant to series fans who see Jonty’s parents and a few other familiar faces around to help them solve their latest case. That said, the books are all standalone mysteries though there is an ongoing friendship and romance plot developing through the series that makes it best read in order.
The latest starts off rather tough for Jonty and Orlando when their friend and fellow professor at St. Brides, Dr. Panesar comes to them with a private matter he needs their help looking into. Maurice has been accused by two anonymous letters of leading a woman on so she thinks he is shirking his honor in matrimony and the other more problematic accusation is that he was responsible for a young aviator crashing to his death. Dr. Panesar is more than he seems and does brilliant work helping to develop secret work for the military and he’s a brilliant polymath. He’s already looked into the situation and come up blank. He’s also old-fashioned and chivalrous even about the crazy lady making accusations so he won’t name her to Jonty and Orlando.
So, the pair take up the commission and go to Jonty’s Stewart relations to help them get to the heart of the matter. Mr. Stewart and Lavinia head off to the air field to nose around, Ralph is sent off to a prep school to nose out answers, and Mrs. Stewart pans her large circle of acquaintance while Jonty and Orlando tackle the murdered man’s family. Slowly, they work together and build the case with witness accounts, bits of evidence, and a lot of educated speculation leading to the next part of the hunt all while teaching their courses and enjoying life in their beloved Forsythia Cottage as an unacknowledged romance pair who have to hide this in the days of 1912.
My suspicion as to why the anonymous letters were sent to Maurice Panesar proved correct, but I didn’t figure out the case until just before the reveal. This was a very twisty one and it had to gently and slowly unfold.
This was a quiet case for the most part and slow-build, but I got cozy and enjoyed being back in the world of the Cambridge Fellows with a favorite cast of characters. Those who enjoy m/m historical cozy mystery should pick up this series from the beginning.
My full review will post at Books of My Heart on 10.9.24.
December 7, 2023
I am glad we have gone back in time for this book and its set in 1912 when both of Jonty's parents were still alive.
Personally I think the author made a big error when she killed them off, they definitely add something to the story. In fact the whole family does.
The story itself centers around Dr Panesar who has 2 accusations levelled at him. The story keeps you guessing until the end and the reveal.
Personally I think the author made a big error when she killed them off, they definitely add something to the story. In fact the whole family does.
The story itself centers around Dr Panesar who has 2 accusations levelled at him. The story keeps you guessing until the end and the reveal.
January 11, 2024
This story is set in the autumn of 1912, at a time when the lives of the two Cambridge Fellows, Orlando Coppersmith and Jonty Stewart, are at their happiest. They are rejoicing in their love for each other and in living together in Forsythia Cottage, and they enjoy their new fame as amateur detectives with the exciting investigations this brings their way. Their only on-going worry is that their relationship may become public knowledge, which would inevitably result in disgrace, prosecution and imprisonment and they have to be cautious that only those they can trust are aware of the truth.
One of Jonty and Orlando’s closest friends at St. Bride’s College is Dr Panesar, a brilliant but unconventional fellow academic, whose experiments have sometimes threatened to blow up the college. The Fellows are surprised when Panesar sends them a surreptitious note asking to consult them. Before they hear Panesar’s story, Jonty and Orlando expect it to involve some aspect of national security because they are two of a select number of people who know that their colleague has a secret life working for the government. However, when he does speak to them, he outlines a personal problem which has caused him deep distress and embarrassment. He explains that a woman is threatening to sue him for breach of promise. The most bizarre part of this threat is that when Panesar, an accomplished pilot, encountered this person, she claims she was a woman masquerading as a man in order to learn to fly. She claims that Panesar had discovered the truth about her identity and made his interest in her clear. Panesar wants any investigation into the matter to be discreet because he has a chivalrous desire not to damage the woman’s reputation, especially as he believes she must be mentally unbalanced.
The woman also makes the even more horrifying claim that Panesar had been responsible for an aeroplane crash that resulted in the death of a young novice pilot. This death strikes home to the academic body of St. Brides because the young man had been one of their students. Eric Morrison had died on his first solo flight and had crashed in front of his parents and sister. Jonty and Orlando have absolute faith in Panesar’s integrity and are convinced that he would never have knowingly betrayed a woman’s affections. They are even more certain that he would not have deliberately caused a young man’s death and they agree to investigate. To assist them they enlist the help of Jonty’s parents, Mr and Mrs Stewart, who have a remarkably wide variety of contacts in all walks of life, and his sister, Lavinia, and her husband, Ralph.
The sleuths embark on one of their most complex cases, where there are numerous differing accounts about the character of the dead man and the identity of the woman who made the accusations, plus a multitude of misleading clues, double identities and witnesses that are keeping secrets even though they might be expected to co-operate. In an attempt to discover the truth, Lavinia even explores the possibility of taking flying lessons. As they draw nearer the truth the investigators discover a dark deception, which leads them to question how far a person will go to help those they love and whether they are willing to sacrifice innocent bystanders in this cause.
Lessons in Exposing a Deadly Alias is the latest novel in the long-running series featuring the Cambridge Fellows. It is a lively story set at a time before the ravages of the First World War. It describes a community of warm and engaging characters, headed by Jonty and Orlando. It is an enjoyable read which I recommend.
------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)
One of Jonty and Orlando’s closest friends at St. Bride’s College is Dr Panesar, a brilliant but unconventional fellow academic, whose experiments have sometimes threatened to blow up the college. The Fellows are surprised when Panesar sends them a surreptitious note asking to consult them. Before they hear Panesar’s story, Jonty and Orlando expect it to involve some aspect of national security because they are two of a select number of people who know that their colleague has a secret life working for the government. However, when he does speak to them, he outlines a personal problem which has caused him deep distress and embarrassment. He explains that a woman is threatening to sue him for breach of promise. The most bizarre part of this threat is that when Panesar, an accomplished pilot, encountered this person, she claims she was a woman masquerading as a man in order to learn to fly. She claims that Panesar had discovered the truth about her identity and made his interest in her clear. Panesar wants any investigation into the matter to be discreet because he has a chivalrous desire not to damage the woman’s reputation, especially as he believes she must be mentally unbalanced.
The woman also makes the even more horrifying claim that Panesar had been responsible for an aeroplane crash that resulted in the death of a young novice pilot. This death strikes home to the academic body of St. Brides because the young man had been one of their students. Eric Morrison had died on his first solo flight and had crashed in front of his parents and sister. Jonty and Orlando have absolute faith in Panesar’s integrity and are convinced that he would never have knowingly betrayed a woman’s affections. They are even more certain that he would not have deliberately caused a young man’s death and they agree to investigate. To assist them they enlist the help of Jonty’s parents, Mr and Mrs Stewart, who have a remarkably wide variety of contacts in all walks of life, and his sister, Lavinia, and her husband, Ralph.
The sleuths embark on one of their most complex cases, where there are numerous differing accounts about the character of the dead man and the identity of the woman who made the accusations, plus a multitude of misleading clues, double identities and witnesses that are keeping secrets even though they might be expected to co-operate. In an attempt to discover the truth, Lavinia even explores the possibility of taking flying lessons. As they draw nearer the truth the investigators discover a dark deception, which leads them to question how far a person will go to help those they love and whether they are willing to sacrifice innocent bystanders in this cause.
Lessons in Exposing a Deadly Alias is the latest novel in the long-running series featuring the Cambridge Fellows. It is a lively story set at a time before the ravages of the First World War. It describes a community of warm and engaging characters, headed by Jonty and Orlando. It is an enjoyable read which I recommend.
------
Reviewer: Carol Westron
For Lizzie Sirett (Mystery People Group)
February 26, 2024
You would think that after 20 books a series would be getting old, tired, rehashed . . . Cambridge Fellows Mysteries is so not getting old, tired, or rehashed. Charlie Cochrane has kept Jonty and Orlando as fresh and original as ever. I can't imagine my reading journey without these two Cambridge Dons detecting and romancing their way through life.
Mysteries have always been my go-to genre of choice both in reading and viewing form so there is very little that still surprises me when it comes to sniffing out the culprit(s?😉) but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the journey from crime to discovery. As I started off by saying some might think a series with so many entries can't possibly keep one guessing but Deadly Alias does. I won't spoil the mystery but I will say, I lost count on how many times I thought I had it figured out but lo and behold, I'd swipe a page and my guess was foiled sending me back to square one. I did make the correct guess shortly before the reveal but the intricacies surrounding it still left me a bit baffled until all was laid out before me. So I say with 200% certainty: kudos on the who done it as well as the what, where, why, and how.
As for Jonty and Orlando. They never lose their spark, their chemistry, and their all around happiness with life . . . long as a good bit of detecting falls in their path. Having read this series from the beginning I know what lays in front of the pair as well as where fate leads certain cast members but I won't spoil it for anyone who is new to Cambridge Fellows. These newer entries are thrown about in the timeline so check out the author's website if you want to read it chronologically. Because I don't want to cotton on to the fate of some characters all I will say is I love seeing this series return to it's "heyday" and it never gets boring when Jonty's family aid in the investigation, talk about a family business😉.
Lessons in Exposing a Deadly Alias is topnotch storytelling, weaving a web of deception that will keep you on your toes. There are a few comments that elude to previous points in regards to Orlando's younger homelife that was discussed in an earlier entry but the author handles it so a new reader to the series won't be lost. Deadly Alias is a great blend of drama, humor, danger, family, chemistry, friendship, heart, and of course mystery. The author also keeps to the era, from dialogue to social morals to clothing and so many elements in between but does so in a way that you don't feel a part of a school lesson. There may be a few liberties here and there but there's no doubt the respect Charlie Cochrane has for yesteryear and getting it right.
Whether the author keeps adding entries to the early years of Jonty and Orlando's life or she strictly moves on to adding to their older years, I will gobble them up. Full length novel or one page holiday coda, I will devour them all. Jonty and Orlando has become members of the family, you may not want them around 24/7 365 days a year but it's great to have them visit.
Mysteries have always been my go-to genre of choice both in reading and viewing form so there is very little that still surprises me when it comes to sniffing out the culprit(s?😉) but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy the journey from crime to discovery. As I started off by saying some might think a series with so many entries can't possibly keep one guessing but Deadly Alias does. I won't spoil the mystery but I will say, I lost count on how many times I thought I had it figured out but lo and behold, I'd swipe a page and my guess was foiled sending me back to square one. I did make the correct guess shortly before the reveal but the intricacies surrounding it still left me a bit baffled until all was laid out before me. So I say with 200% certainty: kudos on the who done it as well as the what, where, why, and how.
As for Jonty and Orlando. They never lose their spark, their chemistry, and their all around happiness with life . . . long as a good bit of detecting falls in their path. Having read this series from the beginning I know what lays in front of the pair as well as where fate leads certain cast members but I won't spoil it for anyone who is new to Cambridge Fellows. These newer entries are thrown about in the timeline so check out the author's website if you want to read it chronologically. Because I don't want to cotton on to the fate of some characters all I will say is I love seeing this series return to it's "heyday" and it never gets boring when Jonty's family aid in the investigation, talk about a family business😉.
Lessons in Exposing a Deadly Alias is topnotch storytelling, weaving a web of deception that will keep you on your toes. There are a few comments that elude to previous points in regards to Orlando's younger homelife that was discussed in an earlier entry but the author handles it so a new reader to the series won't be lost. Deadly Alias is a great blend of drama, humor, danger, family, chemistry, friendship, heart, and of course mystery. The author also keeps to the era, from dialogue to social morals to clothing and so many elements in between but does so in a way that you don't feel a part of a school lesson. There may be a few liberties here and there but there's no doubt the respect Charlie Cochrane has for yesteryear and getting it right.
Whether the author keeps adding entries to the early years of Jonty and Orlando's life or she strictly moves on to adding to their older years, I will gobble them up. Full length novel or one page holiday coda, I will devour them all. Jonty and Orlando has become members of the family, you may not want them around 24/7 365 days a year but it's great to have them visit.
December 13, 2023
What a joy to be back with our favourite Cambridge Dons, Jonty and Orlando, as they untangle a mystery surrounding their good friend and colleague Doctor Panesar, with plenty of help from Jonty's wonderful family. A terrific puzzle to solve with such wonderful characters. More, please!
December 21, 2024
Another early outing with Jonny and Orlando.
A vertitable snakes nest of false leads, potential outcomes, candidates - all leading to a solution close to their hearts but not their morals.
I was slightly on the wrong track for a long time
A vertitable snakes nest of false leads, potential outcomes, candidates - all leading to a solution close to their hearts but not their morals.
I was slightly on the wrong track for a long time
December 7, 2023
I do love Jonty and Orlando and I admit that I did not guess what the real story was at all but enjoyed it very much.
March 31, 2024
This took me longer than usual to read, it's fine I just didn't connect with the story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews