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Sir Charles Sheridan and his wife Kathryn are visiting Blenheim Palace at the invitation of the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough. Kate is a novelist, who writes under the pen name of Beryl Bardwell. Her next book is going to feature the love affair of King Henry II and Rosamund, which ended in tragedy. Henry built her a maze to protect her; yet, she was still murdered. It is suspected that Henry's wife was responsible for the murder. Kate is hoping that her visit to the Palace will help provide inspiration for her novel. Unfortunately, the atmosphere at Blenheim Palace is very tense. The Duke and Duchess are having relationship problems and the relationships between the other guests are strained. The Duke is infatuated with a young woman called Gladys Deacon. He is flaunting his affection at every turn. Obviously Consuelo, the Duchess, is not happy with the relationship or with having Gladys as a houseguest. When a housemaid disappears, no one is overly concerned. She is new to the house and everyone assumes she has returned home. When Gladys Deacon disappears, Kate and Charles realize that something criminal is occurring. Kate and Charles both investigate Gladys' disappearance from different angles. Kate attempts to trace Gladys' last movements and determine what is missing from her room. Before Charles has the chance to do much investigation, he learns of the housemaid's disappearance. The evidence he unravels implies that there is a ring of thieves targeting the area. These thieves are now targeting Blenheim Palace and Gladys might have been involved. Charles and Kate must combine forces to find the missing girl as well as stop thieves from ransacking the Palace. DEATH AT BLENHEIM PALACE is a typical book in this series. It is very detail-oriented and historically accurate. While the crimes Charles and Kate investigate did not happen in reality, the relationship between the Duke of Marlborough and Gladys Deacon did. In England, a band of thieves were organizing themselves and attempting to create a criminal underworld. Rather than focusing on pick-pocketing and other petty crimes, these thieves were interested in larger robberies. In addition, Winston Churchill, who makes an appearance in this book, was staying at Blenheim Palace when the events in this book would have occurred. This blend of historical accuracy and fictional crimes is what makes this series so successful. DEATH AT BLENHEIM PALACE is the 11th book in the Kate and Charles Sheridan series. Robin Paige is the pseudonym of Susan Witting Albert and her husband Bill Albert. Susan is well-known for her China Bayles books, while Bill has been the co-author of numerous books for young adults.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, March 2005
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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