home > mystery novel reviews > hidden in the heart

Hidden in the Heart

by Beth Andrews

Beth Andrews has initiated a new type of romantic-suspense-murder-mystery (for her) rather than her usual romance fiction. Although not exactly a Phyllis Whitney, et al, Ms. Andrews creates a very suspenseful tale set on the East Coast of England sometime in the 1800's, with a plucky heroine and all the societal baggage one had to endure in those days. Hidden in the Heart is a very readable book, with a very misleading title! You'd think this was the usual bodice-ripper fiction, but it's not. Not only a well-plotted murder-mystery, the novel also has the requisite twist at the end – which fooled even me, although the actual murderer was one of the two I suspected…

Lydia and Louisa Bramwell are sisters, with Lydia being the younger (and plainer) of the two. Louisa's mother is preparing Louisa for the usual London debut into society, and since the Bramwell fortunes are low, Lydia must be sent to an aunt on her mother's side while the debut is taking place. Not that Lydia minds much! The aunt is Camilla Denton, in her thirties (an old maid by 1800's standards) who accepts Lydia into her home.

Lydia quickly learns about the village and its inhabitants where she is staying: Among them are Mrs. Wardle-Penfield, an overly loud and commanding, wealthy lady who loans them a carriage, John Savidge, whose father owns the local hotel, and Monsieur D'Almain, whose attraction to Lydia's aunt seems to be mutual. Then there's a murder nearby, with the corpse burned until it's unrecognizable, and the only clue to its identity a watch.

Lydia and John, who is about her own age, pry into the affairs surrounding the murder and discover that the group they thought responsible weren't the murderers at all. Bellefleur, the grand home of an aged owner, Sir Hector, looms large in the suspicion category instead. No visitors are allowed to see the bed-ridden Sir Hector, including Lydia and Camilla, who travel the four miles to the stately home just for that reason. The formidable housekeeper, Mrs. Chalfont, and the valet, Mr. Tweedy are the only ones permitted to serve him. The other servants are kept at bay.

The unpleasant experiences of Lydia's sister Louisa in London are described in letters from Lydia's father, and form a sub-plot to the increasingly adventurous exploits surrounding the younger sister. In addition to discovering the pleasures of kissing John, another murder – this time one of the maids at Bellefleur – takes place, and Monsieur D'Alamin is implicated. Both John and Lydia are determined to prove his innocence.

Hidden in the Heart ends with everything straightened out as well as another murder (in another location) dangled before Lydia, who has since become Mrs. Savidge. If Beth Andrews keeps up and continues to improve on this type of romantic-murder-mystery, I'd say this author could easily develop a fan club with a far greater following than she seems to have cultivated at this point in her career! Hidden in the Heart is well worth your reading time.

Alan Paul Curtis

back