The Fatal Flying Affair by T.E. Kinsey

The Fatal Flying Affair is the seventh book in Lady Hardcastle Mysteries by T.E. Kinsey. We fans have waited eagerly for over a year to grab the latest installment of this series – The Fatal Flying Affair. After finally ending the “Gunter” chapter, I was curious to see what’s next for the sleuthing duo.

I am in the minority here when I say I did not enjoy this book as much as I wanted to. The mystery behind the death (by parachute) and a spy angle somehow failed to pique my curiosity. If I have to compare The Fatal Flying Affair to the rest of the books in this series, I would say this was slow paced and a little low on the sleuthing part too.

Having said that, it’s been seventeen years since Flo and Em are together so with each passing day, we do see how inseparable they have become. Harry, Emily’s brother, has a major role in this story. Previously, Harry had asked Emily and Flo to restart their work as employees of His Majesty. (They were spies.) The duo agree but nothing interesting has happened so far… Harry comes over and asks them to investigate the mysterious death of an employee at the aero plane factory. A young man jumped from the plane with a parachute. The parachute ripped apart and the employee fatally crashed on to the ground.

There is also the possibility of information exchange – illegal, of course. Someone is trying to sell the secrets of the airplane industry to the enemies. Did the employee come face-to-face with the spy and hence killed? Emily Hardcastle goes into the factory as a prospective buyer. She and Flo meet the staff, and come up with a suspects list.

I really liked the inclusion of airplanes and parachutes. The story is set in 1911 – the era of discoveries. In one of the previous books, we had racing cars and now, airplanes. Apart from the mystery, we also see a few developments in personal lives of recurring characters. There’s also an air of tension and festivity in the village of Littleton Cotterell – even Flo and Emily are eager to participate in the annual fair. We also have an ‘adventure’ with the devilish bovines that Flo hates. Who let the cows out?

Overall, The Fatal Flying Affair was an okay read. Though I did not enjoy it as much as I enjoyed the previous books of this series, I would still say this is my favorite series. I hope to see more action and adventure in the next book.

Anjana liked the book better than I did. You can read her review here.

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