Synopses & Reviews
The inquisitive Miss Dido Kent returns in A Place of Confinement to elucidate the mysterious disappearance of a young woman in the fourth installment of Anna Deans charming Regency era series
The dependably sharp Miss Dido Kent is suffering her sister-in-laws attempts to marry her off to the ghastly clergyman Doctor Prowdlee. Dido, however, is determined to refuse him, as well as his abominable side whiskers. As punishment she is sent to accompany her hypochondriac—and quite wealthy—Aunt Manners on a trip to Charcombe Manor. The family hopes that revisiting her childhood home will keep Aunt Manners in good spirits, and Dido in her good graces.
However, upon their arrival its clear to Dido that there is much more at stake than her aunts favor. The rich heiress Letitia Verney has disappeared while visiting Charcombe, and Mr. Tom Lomax is suspected of abducting her. Dido is inclined to believe in his innocence, but how is she to explain by what method a young lady could enter through the front door and not appear on the other side? And this isnt the only enigma that the Elizabethan manor holds: there is a deserted wing in which lights mysteriously appear at night, a crying ghost which keeps visitors awake, and memories of old family quarrels.
When the senior Mr. Lomax comes to town to defend his son, the mystery intensifies—and so does Didos romantic life. With lives and reputations on the line, its up to Dido to put the pieces together to save the Lomaxes and find the vanished young Miss Verney. In this captivating fourth installment of the Dido Kent series, readers will find more of the rich characters, meticulous historical detail, and masterful suspense theyve come to expect from Anna Dean.
Review
“Dean lays out a complex but never confusing plot. And it's not only the storyline that lifts this novel to a high plane; Dean's prose -- intentionally reminiscent of that of Jane Austen -- and her mastery of period detail combine with Dido's amiability to create another shining example of the historical mystery.”
— Richmond Times-Dispatch
“The fourth in this excellent series, beautifully written in the style of Jane Austen, will leave even die-hard mystery mavens puzzled until the final chapters.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“A clever, crafty lady with unending determination to do what is right, Dido Kent deserves a spot alongside Sherlock Holmes and Miss Marple in the great sleuth pantheon… Plus? The actual whodunit portion of this novel is superb, surprising, and satisfying!”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“In Deans highly entertaining fourth Regency mystery…The solution is as clever as the rest of the plot.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“This entertaining series set in 1805...is historical mystery at its most effective....If you are looking for a quality historical crime series to get stuck into, then you have just found it.”
—Historical Novels Review
“There is something delightfully gothic about Ms. Deans tales of Dido Kent and her investigations...A very well rounded novel that Jane Austen herself might have enjoyed, not to mention Georgette Heyer...Highly recommended.”
—My Shelf
Praise for A Woman of Consequence:
“A clever regency sleuth much like Jane Austen with her ability to see that the mundane things of life are more important than they seem.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“With its unusually fine sense of time and place, this third Dido Kent entry makes a charming addition to Deans Regency mystery series.” —Booklist
“Dean smoothly integrates a wealth of historical detail . . . Well-drawn secondary characters . . . lend color.” —Publishers Weekly
“Dean has again scored highly with an imaginative mystery that captures Regency England . . . with Austen-like prose.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
Review
“This entertaining series set in 1805...is historical mystery at its most effective....If you are looking for a quality historical crime series to get stuck into, then you have just found it.”
—Historical Novels Review
“There is something delightfully gothic about Ms. Deans tales of Dido Kent and her investigations...A very well rounded novel that Jane Austen herself might have enjoyed, not to mention Georgette Heyer...Highly recommended.”
—My Shelf
Praise for A Woman of Consequence:
“A clever regency sleuth much like Jane Austen with her ability to see that the mundane things of life are more important than they seem.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)
“With its unusually fine sense of time and place, this third Dido Kent entry makes a charming addition to Deans Regency mystery series.” —Booklist
“Dean smoothly integrates a wealth of historical detail . . . Well-drawn secondary characters . . . lend color.” —Publishers Weekly
“Dean has again scored highly with an imaginative mystery that captures Regency England . . . with Austen-like prose.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
Synopsis
The inquisitive Miss Dido Kent returns in A Place of Confinement to elucidate the mysterious disappearance of a young woman in the fourth installment of Anna Deans charming Regency era series
The dependably sharp Miss Dido Kent is suffering her sister-in-laws attempts to marry her off to the ghastly clergyman Doctor Prowdlee, with his abominable side-whiskers. Dido, however, is determined to refuse him. As punishment she is sent on a journey as companion to her hypochondriac—and quite wealthy- Aunt Manners, whose good favor the family wants very dearly to maintain.
When they arrive at Charcombe Manor, Aunt Manners's childhood home, they find a mystery waiting for them. A rich heiress, Letitia Verney, has disappeared while visiting the manor, and Mr. Tom Lomax is suspected of abducting her. Dido, upon hearing his story, is inclined to believe in his innocence—but how is she to explain by what method a young lady enters the front door, only to not appear on the other side? The Elizabethan Manor is full of enigmas, with its secret passages and deserted wings, it becomes clear that not just the guests are sheltering secrets.
As the mystery intensifies, so does Dido's romantic life when the senior Mr. Lomax comes to town. With his sons future on the line as well as his own, it's up to Dido to put the pieces together to save the Lomaxes and find the vanished young Miss Verney. A captivating fourth installment of the Dido Kent series, readers will find more of the rich characters, meticulous historical detail and masterful suspense theyve come to expect from Anna Dean.
About the Author
ANNA DEAN began writing early on under the impression that everyone was taught to do so in order to pen books. By the time she discovered her mistake, the habit was too deeply ingrained to give up. She lives in the UK.