Miss Seeton's Finest Hour: A Prequel

Miss Seeton #0

by Hamilton Crane

The year is 1940 and the British have their backs to the wall. Everyone is preparing for the battle that, as Winston Churchill said, would see the “whole fury and might of the enemy turned upon us.” Everyone including the young Miss Emily Seeton, London art teacher, who finds her strangely prophetic sketches do not go unnoticed by the secret services.

At first suspected of being a fifth columnist, she soon finds herself recruited by the dashing Major Gerry Haynes and sent to carry out a very special observance task at a rural Spitfire factory.

Faced with bombs, sabotage and murder, Miss Seeton must summon all her courage – it is after all her nature to Keep Calm and Carry On!

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, British Literature

306 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Hamilton Crane is the pseudonym adopted by Sarah J. Mason when she was invited to continue the Miss Seeton series originally created by Heron Carvic, who died in 1980. “Hamilton” after her hall of residence at St Andrews University (the big red building behind the 18th green on the Old Course) and “Crane” to continue the bird theme – a crane has a similar form to a heron.

Series:
* Miss Seeton

Reviews

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a departure from the usual Miss Seeton novel. Instead of a lively tale of the elderly, retired Emily Seeton solving mysteries, Miss Seeton's Finest Hour jumps back in time to 1940. She's 29 years old, living with her mother, and helping in the British war effort. In spare moments when she isn't involved with the local canteen, Miss Seeton ventures out to draw. Her artwork, however, lands her in hot water, as a few of her drawings seem to show advance knowledge of military plans. Someone reports her as a possible fifth columnist. After a meeting with her, a local major is sure she isn't a spy, but he isn't quite sure what she is....how could such a quiet young girl figure out the things she sketches in her drawings? But he's determined to put her mind to work for England! Miss Seeton finds herself working in a Spitfire factory as a "war artist." She is to sketch things she sees at the plant and try to ferret out the cause of recent sabotage at the factory. When things escalate from faulty wiring in aircraft to serious accidents and murder, Miss Seeton finds herself in danger!

I loved this peek into Miss Seeton's past. The story not only shows what she was like as a young woman, but also explains a bit about her talent for knowing impossible things. It also sheds a bit of light on the reason Emily Seeton is a spinster. I liked the portrayal of war-time England.....girls carrying gas masks to work in a plane factory, sky lights pulled out and boarded over, windows taped and draped with blackout material, rationing and fear of spies. The plot was believable and not melodramatic. A very enjoyable read!

The Miss Seeton series has 22 books. The first five books were written by Heron Carvic, with the rest penned by Hampton Charles (Roy Peter Martin) and Hamilton Crane (Sarah J. Mason). Farrago's re-release of this series has brought it back to life! For the first time in 20 years, there will be a new Miss Seeton novel this year! Miss Seeton Quilts The Village will release in September!

I am so glad I found this series! I am a huge fan of similar characters like Miss Marple, Mrs. Pollifax, and Jessica Fletcher. Miss Seeton seems like an elderly version of Columbo....appearing a bit bumbling, feather-brained and scattered when actually she sees things quite as they are and expresses it in her art. The difference is that Miss Seeton knows things, but doesn't always realize or understand what she knows. Being an avid mystery reader since 1977, I am not sure how I missed this series. But I'm so glad to be reading it now!

**I voluntarily read an advance readers copy of this book from Farrago via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best I've read of the series. She doesn't seem as feathered brained in this book as she did in other books. She doesn't know much about how they are making things at the factory but she knows about people and how to get things done.

[Andrea]

This jumps back to a 29 year-old Miss Seeton, drawn (unknowingly) into military intelligence.

I was curious to see if young Miss Seeton would behave any differently to older Miss Seeton, but she wasn't notably different. I did enjoy the book though, not least for the glimpses of aspects of WW2 that don't usually get a lot of attention - the push against 'defeatist' talk, and so forth.

It seems that the e-release of this series has revived the series itself, since there's apparently plans to release another book, nearly 20 years after the last.

[Sid Nuncius · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hadn't read any of this series before and took a punt on this without a great deal of expectation, to be honest. After a somewhat uninspiring opening, I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought I would.

Set in 1940, Miss Seeton is an art teacher in her late 20s with, it transpires, an uncanny knack of seeing through to the heart of things in her drawings. This, by convoluted means, leads her to be sent undercover by Military Intelligence to investigate possible sabotage in an aircraft factory.

The plot itself is pretty negligible; it felt rather more like a fleshed-out short story to me, and after the opening 30 pages or so I began to wonder whether anything was actually going to happen. However, a story does emerge, I began to warm to the characters, the writing is good and the period is very well conjured – far better than in a some books set in the Second World War which take themselves much more seriously than this does. The light, often rather humorous tone is underpinned by some thorough research, very readable prose and decent character portraits, which makes the book more than just a bit of inconsequential fluff. It's no masterpiece of literature – and nor does it intend to be – but it's rather involving and surprisingly enjoyable.

This probably isn’t the best place to start with Miss Seeton, but I can still recommend it even to novices like me and I'll almost certainly be trying more in the series.

(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)

[Helen Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Here we learn why Miss Seeton became a mystery solver in the years after World War II. She is working as an art teacher when war breaks out. As the number of children under her care decrease as, she volunteers for the war effort. Eventually she is recruited to be a war artist although her real mission is to search for and identify traitors in the airplane factory. Her sketches are insightful and her superiors use them to set up further investigations. After a disastrous accident in the plant and two murders, Miss Seeton is herself injured and has to recuperate. The official she is working convinces her to draw again and she eventually identifies the traitor and he takes his life rather than face arrest and trial. We also get an idea why our main character remains Miss in her later life when the Major she was involved with is killed in a raid.

This is a great read as you get an idea of life in England in the War but it is not an academic exercise.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is the best of the Miss Seeton books written by Hamilton Crane. Probably the reason I reacted that way is because this prequel, which takes us back to WWII, is not tainted by the pair of would-be-comic small town neighbors who, it seems, were created only to invent wild and slanderous gossip about Miss Seeton. In MISS SEETON'S FINEST HOUR, young but ladylike as always, she meets some attractive officers she can respect. For their own mysterious reasons, they send her off to sketch in Scotland.

[Grace J Reviewerlady · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous book! Possibly the one book I've read with a WWII mystery which doesn't exaggerate the glamour but is a damn fine read.

I must confess to being new to this series, but I shall definitely be following up on the rest of the novels. A really satisfying read, beautifully written and finished off properly.

Can hardly wait to catch up with my tbr list to source more of this series. Love, love, love!!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one a lot. Miss Seeton is a wonderful character and getting to read about her beginnings was fun. I'll definitely be continuing with the series. She seems like she'll be an enjoyable character later in her life as well.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhere between 2 and 3 stars for me. After the death of the original author of the series, Heron Carvic, first Roy Peter Martin writing as Hampton Charles and then Sarah J. Mason writing as Hamilton Crane took over. One of the books written by the latter was this prequel, which has Miss Seeton as a 29-year-old teacher in 1940. Her spooky almost-psychic art is observed by MI5, which first takes her in for questioning, then gives her a job, to use her art to figure out who the saboteur is at a Spitfire factory.

On a certain level, it's not bad, but it didn't have the same feel as the two originals that I have read. I think most grating was the fact that Miss Seeton and others are perpetually uttering bromides like "there's a war on, you know" and telling themselves not to give way to "alarm and despondency" and telling herself that she is the daughter of a war hero and should be stiffening her upper lip. Over and over, such that it seemed that was the extent of her interior monologue. At least the older Miss Seeton, while occasionally anxious, has a lot more self-confidence that makes her a more enjoyable character. I would certainly not read this one first, but go through the original Heron Carvic books.

There are nods to the other books that were enjoyable, such as the origin of the Battling Brolly and the genesis of Miss Seeton's knee troubles. I wasn't sure what to make of the anonymous young policeman towards the end who is going to be recruited to MI5. Was it supposed to be a young Delphick? If so, it wasn't clear why he was there and not already conscripted.

[Joy Hulett Fair · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tedious, Clichéd & Totally Lacking in Charm

Very little happens in this book and what little does happen is entirely predictable. A large proportion of the book’s dialogue involves clunky exposition of lifeless historical background. The character of Miss Seeton is annoying here even when huge allowances have been made for the era in which the novel is set. The phrase “after all, there’s a war on” is used more than thirty times in fewer chapters, evoking chalk grating on a chalkboard more with every repetition. Two stars is too generous, but the book doesn’t have a lot of spelling and grammar problems, so I’m rounding up from 1.5 stars. Miss Seeton deserves better.

[DelAnne Frazee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Miss Seeton's Finest Hour - Miss Seeton Series Book 20
Author: Hamilton Crane; Heron Carvic
Publisher: Farrago
Published: 1-26-2017
Pages: 259
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub-Genre: Amateur Sleuth; Cozy British Mystery; Crafts & Hobbies; Psychics
ISBN: 9781811440093
ASIN: B01N18BSMV
Reviewed For NetGalley and Farrago
Reviewer: DelAnne
Rating: 4.75 Stars


The year is 1940 and the British have their backs to the wall. Everyone is preparing for the battle that, as Winston Churchill said, would see the “whole fury and might of the enemy turned upon us.” Everyone including the young Miss Emily Seeton, London art teacher, who finds her strangely prophetic sketches do not go unnoticed by the secret services.


At first suspected of being a fifth columnist, she soon finds herself recruited by the dashing Major Gerry Haynes and sent to carry out a very special observance task at a rural Spitfire factory.


Faced with bombs, sabotage and murder, Miss Seeton must summon all her courage – it is after all her nature to Keep Calm and Carry On!


We finally learn more about Miss Seeton as a young woman. Her trials and intelligence gathering past. Even as a young women she was Calm under fire and afraid of very little. Her life experiences make her a woman you want to know and have in your life.


Miss Seeton mysteries are a bit of Miss Marple with a dash of Jessica Fletcher and always a joy to read. Done with style and flair that make you want to fly off to England to meet the grand lady in person. Disappointment comes only when your realize that she is not a real person and we must wait for the writer to bring her to life with her fertile imagination.


My rating of "Miss Seeton Finest Hours" is 4.75 out of 5 stars.


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[Elaysee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was provided by the publisher and NetGalley for my honest review.

I am a long-time fan of Heron Carvic’s Miss Seeton, having read the five originals from the library, acquired my own copies, and pre-ordered the electronic editions when they appeared. I’ve always avoided the further installments as being unlikely to capture all the magic. Recently, a trusted cozy mystery fan of my acquaintance has been plowing through the Hamilton Crane books. Thus when I saw this book at NetGalley, I was curious to read it for myself.

Is it Carvic’s Miss Seeton? Not quite. She says some of the right things, and others have some of the right reactions to her, but her inner life doesn’t ring true for me. The series of events and observations that bring her into the plot are appropriately Seetonesque, however.

For the rest, this was an pleasant cozy mystery with enjoyable characters and a good use of the wartime setting. I felt the plot became a bit cramped, fitting in the history lessons and setting up some Miss Seeton canon, but not unmanageably so.

Other readers should take my bias for Carvic’s creations into account; I enjoyed this book and other cozy fans may well enjoy it more. I won’t hesitate to look over more Crane installments in the future.

[Marty · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting is England, 1940, a time when England was holding out alone against the armies of Hitler. We meet Emily Seeton, an Art teacher who now works with the children who were not evacuated away from London. Everyone is on edge and expecting Nazi agents to be infiltrating England. Miss Seeton is seen making sketches while on her outings around with the children. These sketches draw the interest of the Security Forces. She is questioned and as she explains her drawings and her beliefs, the agency realizes that her gift of looking at things a bit differently may give them an advantage in exposing saboteurs at an airplane factory

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another lively Miss Seeton novel in which she is set loose amidst a London deep into WWII. An enjoyable novel but still a bit of an imitation - sort of a cookie that you think will be chocolate chips and walnuts but ends up being carob and, like, hemp seeds. It's still a cookie but it doesn't really satisfy the sweet tooth all together. But, I"m willing to take my Miss Seeton in any form and this was neatly done. A recommend for sure.

I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Terry Polston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read with a big break in the middle so it was difficult to get re-interested in it. Set In 1940 England. There were a lot of characters commenting to themselves about her hat, but I didn't get what was so unusual about it. Miss Seeton is a die hard optimist even though there is a war going on. She has a knack for sketching what her sub conscious sees and is sent to an airplane factory to sketch, not knowing there is sabotage happening. There is a war going on, so there are unfortunate deaths. Pity, I thought one of the men would be useful in her future adventures. A quaint, cozy read.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Seeton’s Finest Hour. By Hamilton Crane.

Oh my Goodness, I am now a huge Emily Seeton fan.

Having been totally unaware of this series before this last few days , it is fortuitous then that this prequel was my first adventure in her company.

Fans of older detectives such as William Murdoch, Father Brown and of course the canon of “Agatha” herself will be able to bury themselves in this story of the young art teacher engaged by the government to winkle out a Nazi collaborator. It is my understanding that all future outings are the adventures of a much more aged protagonist, but this was a delightful introduction.

She is clever, resourceful and observant, she is sweet without being saccharin and she is interesting and a self contained character in her own right rather than just an observer before whom the action is played out.

The attention to period detail makes this an incredibly immersive read. I liked the way the story often grounded itself in the speeches of Winston Churchill and the title then becomes more resonant.

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will definitely be making Miss Seeton a constant reading companion.

[Gail Gassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful book

Full of the fear & hardships of the English people during the second World War. Also the heartbreak of loss. I love her character & look forward to reading many more books with Miss Seeton in them. This also make me want to know about the many trials the British people went through & their fear of Hitlers invasion.

[Cynthia Grove · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful! As a mystery it doesn't quite tick all the boxes. Not saying the who is obvious but finding the culprit is secondary to the story of Emily Seeton, and secondary too to the evocative tale of Britain at war.
It's about having the courage to attempt things you never thought you could do and keeping quiet about your skills and potential. Thanks to Sarah J Mason for an enjoyable book

[Alayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea that this book was a prequel to a number of other novels about Miss Seeton, and had never read any of the others. I did enjoy this one, and did not guess the villain, but the writing was a bit annoying with a sort of stammering and hesitations in speech - from all the main characters - which got a bit too much. Enjoyable.

[Mrs. A.A. Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

The unusual spy

This is an unusual story of an art teacher who is discovered to have great observational talent. Emily Seaton is required to visit an aircraft factory in order to observe any strange goings on. It is an interesting novel with great characterizations and a real feel for the historical period. Very enjoyable.

[Chris Blackton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the beginning of this book rather boring since it was talking about British history which I haven’t studied for a long time. Interestingly, I started reading this book just days ahead of Remembrance Day, Nov. 11, which was apropos. It reminded me of the short lived TV series “Bomb Girls”, which I quite enjoyed. It didn’t have the usual Miss Seeton mishaps but was a good read nonetheless.

[Christina Cueto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

This prequel was interesting, although brief. I enjoyed learning how Miss Seeton obtained her umbrella & how she got her start solving crime. Not only is this a suspenseful mystery, it will be of interest to readers of historical fiction, especially WW2 era stories. The author doesn’t go into a lot of detail about the war, but does include interesting bits.

[Elissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set just before the start of The Battle of Britain this tale immerses you in the paranoia and patriotism of an island fearing invasion from without (the Nazis) and within (fifth columnists) and yet retains the wry humor for which the Miss Seeton books are so justly famous. More of Emily Dorothea's early background is revealed and we learn why she is so concerned about her knees and how she comes to have an umbrella collection. There are also a number of unexpected tragic twists adding depth to the character who becomes the inimitable spry spinster whose talents once trapped traitors. In many ways this may be the best written novel of the series.

I am sad that it is also the last of the volumes as I haunted Netgalley for the rerelease of each of the 22 stories as they came out. I may just have to go back and start again at the beginning!

[L Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Who knew that dear spinster Emily Seeton had also penciled her help in the Second World War and lost a special friend, before she began working so entertainingly for Scotland Yard and our enjoyment. And the books are very enjoyable indeed.

[Ruth Moorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Cool Book

I really enjoy reading about the second world war especially with women as the main character. I don't feel the women of WWII never got their due. These books are a little different as well.

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

GNA I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, the estates of Hamilton Crane and Heron Carvic, and Farrago in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Heron Carvic began the tales of Miss Seeton and after his passing the tales were picked up by Hamilton Crane. This book contains a helpful glossary of terms not as well know by Americans as they are by Brits, as well as a link to Heron Carvic's essay covering the genesis of Miss Seeton.

This is an excellent historical novel, a prequel novel to the Miss Seeton series but totally stand alone. We have our excellent, comedic Miss Emily Dorothea Seeton in 1940, an elementary school art teacher pushing 30. Emily still lives at home with her mother Alice, in poor health since flu epidemic in 1919 and the death of her husband and younger child. There is much Emily would like to do for the war effort but she feels she must stay near her frail mother in her home village, so she volunteers with the Local Defence Volunteers, working at several troop canteens in surrounding villages to serve the British military. Until her art work, sketches done rapidly as she escorts the children to different outdoor attractions, is brought to the attention of the Ministry of Information who in turn involves MI5. But is she friend, or foe?

I found it very interesting after reading several of the Miss Seeton novels set later in WWII to meet this younger Miss Seeton. And to know a bit more deeply the person of Alice Seeton, often mentioned in later novels. This novel rounds out the personality of our Miss Seeton and reinforces the things that make her the staunch, patriotic woman we have come to know and love.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it. Not for the quality of the writing, but the characterizations and the backstory.

[SherleyB · Rating 5 out of 5]

aka. SherleyB
Well this was a lovely old fashioned kind of storyline, must admit though I did enjoy reading this,
shall look forward to reading more of Miss Seeton's adventures...

[Mizloo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of all the Seton books I've read so far, this is the weakest.

[Liisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's probably just me, but I'm not interested in WWII stories....