Bellfield Hall
by Anna Dean
Edition: Minotaur Books, 1st U.S. edition, hardcover.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars
[If there are any typos in this review, let me know.]
The story: Soon after his engagement is announced, Richard Montague suddenly leaves his fiancee, Catherine, telling her he is a poor man and must release her from the engagement. Catherine's aunt, Miss Dido Kent, comes to help and advise her in her confusion and misery; but she is not long at Bellfield Hall--the wealthy Montagues' estate--before the body of a murdered woman is found in the shrubbery. Richard's actions and disappearance become two of many mysteries that puzzle Dido, and the more she discovers, the more difficult it is for her to know what she ought to do. Dido is convinced that the murderer must be one of the people staying at Bellfield Hall; and she wonders if she can still help her niece, or if the truth of all the mysteries will only serve to hurt Catherine, and others.
My thoughts: I was not really expecting this to be a good read. Recent experience has made me prepared to be disappointed in books written after the mid-20th century. Bellfield Hall, I am very happy to say, was an exception. =)
For one thing, the whole idea of combining the Regency era with the mystery genre is a very cool idea, and it worked REALLY well. Combine a Jane Austen story with an Agatha Christie type of mystery (big house in the English countryside, lots of suspects, some mysterious plot twists), and you have Bellfield Hall. Not only does this make an interesting story, but it's pretty easy for the reader to relate to.
The writing style was very, very good. It had the sense/atmosphere of the Regency era and the readability of an Agatha Christie book, and there were only a few anachronisms that really stood out. The story was fast-paced, and I loved the parts that consisted of Dido's letters to her sister. Great writing and good balance, overall.
Dido Kent is an interesting character; she has been compared to Miss Marple, but I actually didn't find her to be very like Miss Marple. She's not as quaint, and she has more of a Sherlockian way of being able to talk to people and getting them to talk to her and answer her questions. At the same time, she's still a rather nice, middle-aged lady, and (usually) her character is pretty much in keeping with the Regency era. It's good to see a character who doesn't come across as cliche, or like a copy of some other popular detective, and Dido does not seem to be either. I also found myself feeling sorry for her, as she was looked down upon for being a plain, poor, middle-aged "spinster."
The mystery was excellent. I figured out part of it, but most of it Dido figured out before I did. ;) It was not the scariest mystery I've read, but there were a few eerie moments. There seems to be an anti-abortion message in the story, and Dido Kent is the daughter of a clergyman (in fact, I don't think Christianity is ever portrayed in a negative light), so those are more reasons to approve of this book.
Now, some stuff I didn't like...
Some of the characters are introduced to the reader very vaguely...even at the end of the book, I wasn't exactly sure why they would even be at Bellfield Hall. It was not a big deal, since it didn't detract much from my understanding of the story, but it certainly confuzzled me.
Secondly, in a couple scenes, Dido pretends to be a fortune-teller/palm-reader in order to find out information. I don't claim to be an expert on the Regency era, and I don't claim to know what most middle-aged women thought of fortune-telling back then, but I had less respect for Dido as a result, and it seemed out of character/era.
Thirdly, the solutions to the mysteries were also explained in a vague way. I guess I'm used to Poirot's point-blank explanations, but there was one aspect of the story in particular that I didn't really get, and that was Richard's moral character. It seemed ambiguous.
Overall: It was a fun, suspenseful, and worthwhile read. I don't know if the local libraries have the next book in the series (A Gentleman of Fortune), but if they do, I will most likely check it out. :)
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