The Peculiar Case of Lord Finsbury's Diamonds (Casebook of Barnaby Adair 2)

I thoroughly enjoyed this book it kept me transfixed well into the night, always moving, no slow bits, loved it.

Like the continuation of the central characters of this series

Barnaby Adair and Inspector Stokes are back with another case, while their wives Penelope and Griselda stay at home unable to travel. With a murder at a country house party and mystery of a diamond necklace to solve. With advice from their wives, all is revealed and the guilty person caught.A good read and it is a stand alone novel, although some characters appear in other stories.

Stephanie Laurens has created a believable family and thier connections that is always a pleasure to pick up one of her books and see how they are fairingm The stories are always as intriguing as they are passionate. The backdrop of the Regency is as ever beautifully portrayed but without shying away from the darker side of the era

I enjoyed it, especially Penelope being pregnant and her way to deal with it. The mystery was a bit flat, being a novella it was doomed to beNot sure if I like these novellas, I think I prefer the usual book size but nice as a small appetiser for a larger novel.But, £2.50 is quite a lot for it, especially as it only comes as an e-book.

I have been waiting for another Barnaby Adair story and this novella does not disappoint. It was good how Penelope was included even on the eve of their first born. Can't wait until the next Barnaby Adair case in a full novel

This is the first of a series of detective cum mystery romances.Judging by her persistent tendency to a rather "gushing narrative, this tale is a considerable improvement.There is much anachronistic dialogue but otherwise this is a page turnerMs Laurens must have experienced either, very exciting sexual experiences, or wishes she had.

Am really enjoying this new series i like the fact that the mens wives play apartin solving the crimes as the police force is very new and the rich did think they were above the law, so the series are a refreshing change.

Have many books from this author. Great reading

Delightful!There are a couple things to know going into reading this book, especially if you're a big fan of Stephanie Laurens like I am.1. It's a novella, rather than a full-length book - but the length was perfect.2. There's almost no Cynster involvement - indeed, other than Lucifer getting a mention as a possible resource, they don't appear at all.3. This might be the best spin-off of the Cynster series Laurens has produced thus far... depending on what you like (I was a big fan of about half the Bastion club books)Barnaby was always one of my favorites, and I loved Penelope too, but I wasn't sure how well Ms. Laurens would do without the mystery focusing on the two main characters... she solved that in part because there were two other characters who helped Stokes and Adair solve the case! And, of course, they had a romance going on =) This is a clean regency book, there's none of the sumptuous love scenes that Ms. Laurens so often thrills us with, because the focus is more on the murder and the theft of the Finsbury's diamonds and the confusing mystery of what happened and whodunnit!The mystery is well handled, constantly kept me guessing, and had more than enough twists to satisfy me even when I thought I'd figured everything out! And, even though Penelope and Griselda are both pregnant and unable to be fully immersed in the mystery, both of them manage to provide some key observations that send their husbands in the right direction (although I'm sure they'd have gotten there one their own eventually, just not as quickly). In between the mystery we get tidbits of the romance, but even the romance was focused on solving the mystery =)Overall, I thought it was a great mystery romance novella, extremely entertaining as well as involving, and that you should def pick it up for the introductory price (if you don't get her newsletter, it's only going to be $3.99 for a short time before the price goes up)! I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the Casebooks of Barnaby Adair!

Vermutlich muss man bei diesem Kurz-Krimi Verschiedenes berücksichtigen. Es ist kein eigentlicher Krimi in Buchlänge; die Print-Ausgabe hätte in etwa 150 Seiten. Und die Autorin sagt, diese Geschichte spiele eigentlich zwischen zwei Fällen aus dem "Casebook of Barnaby Adair". Außerdem in der präviktorianischen Zeit... als es noch Kutschen, Gaslaternen und Abende am Kamin gab.Es ist schon ein eigenartiges Büchlein gewesen...! Man kann es sicher auf eine gewisse Art genießen, dafür muss man aber sehr langmütig sein. Die Handlung ist schon fast klischeehaft englisch: ein mysteriöser Fremder, der auf dem Grundstück eines Lords erschlagen aufgefunden wird, diverse Liebeswirren, und eine berühmte Halskette, die mal hier, mal dort aufzutauchen scheint...Die Handlung besteht fast ausschließlich aus dem Sammeln von Indizien, und von Verhören, die Barnaby Adair, der Berater, und Inspektor Stokes auf dem Landsitz von Lord Finsbury führen. Sehr geruhsam, gemächlich. Dennoch mit gutem Blick für die damaligen Verhältnisse.Was das Rätsel um die Halskette angeht - jeder halbwegs begabte Krimi-Leser wird es, wie ich, im ersten Drittel des Buches erraten haben. Der Rest des Falles wird relativ unerwartet gelöst - das Mordmotiv, das der Leser die ganze Zeit suggeriert bekommt, war es am Ende natürlich nicht...! Ich weise da nur ganz dezent auf ein Chanson von Reinhard Mey hin...Gut gefallen hat mir die Rolle der Frauen in diesem Buch. Denn die beiden Gattinnen von Stokes und Adair sind - indirekt - an der Lösung beteiligt. Sie kombinieren, lassen sich berichten - und geben so manchen entscheidenden Denkanstoß. Auch die Tochter des Lords ist erfreulich unabhängig und gewitzt.Gleichzeitig liegt hier aber auch ein Kritikpunkt. Die Damen Stokes und Adair sind beide hochschwanger, und diese Schilderungen entbehren nicht einer gewissen unfreiwilligen Komik, da sie doch allzu klischeehaft sind. Und auch die Kuss-Szenen der Tochter des Lords mit Mr. Culver... auweia, das war doch sehr schwülstig! Und als Barnaby Adair schließlich Vater wird, da hat die Autorin in emotionaler Sicht wirklich ein wenig dick aufgetragen, finde ich. Das nimmt heute doch kein Leser mehr ernst! Nun ja. Vielleicht war das damals so.Ich weiß nicht so recht, wem ich dieses Büchlein empfehlen soll. Kennen "muss" man es sicherlich nicht. Es sei denn, man hat Lust auf einen geruhsamen Ausflug ins präviktorianische England.

Easy read.

THE PECULIAR CASE OF LORD FINSBURY'S DIAMONDS is a novella in the Casebook of Barnaby Adair series. It follows Barnaby Adair and his wife Penelope in their investigations in 1830s England. Barnaby works with Inspector Stokes from Scotland Yard. In the preceding novel WHERE THE HEART LEADS, Barnaby and Stokes both find the loves of their lives. Here, both men have very pregnant wives and a murder to investigate. The mystery regarding who killed a house guest and the secrets of the other house guests is interesting but not as good as the mystery in the original novel. For me, what I am really rating this novella on is the relationship between the main characters and one of the sweetest scenes ever when Penelope gives birth.I think this book is for fans of the Barnaby series who want more time with their favorite characters.I'd rate this book a 3.5.