Ten Lords A-Leaping: A Father Christmas Mystery

by C. C. Benison Narrated by Steve West, Jean Gilpin

Overview

The delightful Father Tom Christmas returns, and the cozy hamlet of Thornford Regis comes to life, in C. C. Benison's witty, beautifully written series that is “a must-read for lovers of classic English mysteries” (Kirkus Reviews).
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Although Father Tom Christmas serves his little church in enchanting Thornford Regis with a glad and faithful heart, he never expects to find himself skydiving to raise money for it. Nor, safely back on the ground, to see two of the other divers leap from the plane, then tangle in a midair punch-up and begin falling to the earth.
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To say that there is tension between the men in question-Oliver, the 7th Marquess of Morborne, and his brother-in-law Hector, the 10th Earl of Fairhaven-would be an understatement. But the trouble among this ancient landed family really began a generation ago, when a marquess divorced his first spouse to marry his brother's wife, fathering in his two marriages a viper's nest of arrogant young aristocrats. Now they have all turned up for the show to witness this shocking event in the sky.
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Thankfully the men land safely, but death will not be slighted. Much to Father Tom's dismay, he later discovers Lord Morborne lying deceased on castle grounds. Rumors of bigamy, art forgeries, and upstairs/downstairs intrigue fly. So do whispers of unvicarly behavior between Tom and Oliver's beautiful half-sister, Lady Lucinda. In fact, the vicar may be headed for a very hard landing of his own.
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C. C. Benison gives a virtuoso performance in this gripping new puzzle, a compelling and wise holiday mystery with the irresistible allure of hot tea and warm scones on a cold winter's day.
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Praise for C. C. Benison's Father Christmas mysteries
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Ten Lords A-Leaping

“A strong mystery reminiscent of P. D. James, with many well-developed characters, local color and a sensitive, intelligent investigator.”-Kirkus Reviews
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“An affable lead with a sympathetic backstory anchors Benison's carefully crafted third Father Christmas mystery. . . . Readers will hope that Christmas will keeping detecting past the partridge-in-a-pear-tree volume.”-Publishers Weekly
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“This leisurely paced, English-country-house mystery has multiple plotlines and plot twists as Tom finds a long-lost relative of a friend and solves several mysteries.”-Booklist*

Eleven Pipers Piping
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“Benison uses the claustrophobia of village life to great effect, making the series a psychologically astute pleasure for fans of traditional cozies.”-The Washington Post
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“Smashingly clever . . . Readers will be crazy about this vicar.”-Library Journal
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“A great whodunit in the best British tradition.”-The Globe and Mail

Twelve Drummers Drumming
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“A crime novel that Agatha Christie might have been justly proud to claim as her own.”-Margaret Maron
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“Benison does an admirable job balancing humor with suspense. . . . Father Christmas's first case leaves you eager for his next.”-The Wall Street Journal
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“Splendid . . . an intelligent and empathic protagonist and skillful prose make this a winner.”-Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

10/07/2013
An affable lead with a sympathetic backstory anchors Benison’s carefully crafted third Father Christmas mystery (after 2012’s Eleven Pipers Piping). Four years earlier, the Rev. Tom Christmas, the vicar of St. Nicholas Church in Thornford Regis, lost his wife as a result of a violent crime, and even as he serves his flock and takes care of his daughter, who has “reached the age of finding her father faintly embarrassing in certain instances,” the wound is still fresh. Christmas once again turns sleuth with his discovery of the strangled corpse of Oliver fforde-Beckett, seventh Marquess of Morborne, on the grounds of the Devon estate of fforde-Beckett’s brother-in-law. The victim, an entertainment entrepreneur, had no shortage of people wishing him ill, including family members disgruntled at his unilateral decision to sell valuable paintings belonging to the family trust and replace them with forgeries. Readers will hope that Christmas will keeping detecting past the partridge-in-a-pear-tree volume. Agent: Dean Cooke, Cooke Agency. (Dec.)

From the Publisher

Praise for C. C. Benison’s Father Christmas mysteries
 
Twelve Drummers Drumming
 
“A crime novel that Agatha Christie might have been justly proud to claim as her own.”—Margaret Maron
 
“Benison does an admirable job balancing humor with suspense. . . . Father Christmas’s first case leaves you eager for his next.”—The Wall Street Journal
 
“Splendid . . . an intelligent and empathic protagonist and skillful prose make this a winner.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
 
Eleven Pipers Piping
 
“Benison uses the claustrophobia of village life to great effect, making the series a psychologically astute pleasure for fans of traditional cozies.”—The Washington Post
 
“Smashingly clever . . . Readers will be crazy about this vicar.”—Library Journal
 
“A great whodunit in the best British tradition.”—The Globe and Mail

Kirkus Reviews

2013-11-03
A church fundraiser at a stately home goes horribly wrong. The Rev. Tom Christmas, vicar of St. Nicholas Church, Thornford Regis, is understandably nervous about jumping out of a plane. But he's pleased that the Leaping Lords are using their celebrity sky diving to help raise money to repair the church. Landing on the grounds of Eggescombe Park, he sprains an ankle, forcing him to stay over with his daughter, Miranda. The first indication of trouble comes while watching Hector, the tenth Earl of Fairhaven, and his wife's brother, Oliver fforde-Beckett, seventh Marquess of Morborne, get into a midair wrestling match before both land safely. Oliver is a nasty customer whose relatives all dislike him, and Tom gets a bird's eye view of his enmity not only with Hector, but also with his half sister Lucinda, his cousins Dominic and Jamie, Viscount Kirkbride, and his sleuthing wife, Jane. When Tom finds Oliver strangled in Eggescombe's labyrinth, there is no shortage of suspects, all of them lying about their whereabouts on the night of the murder. Even Tom, who was being seduced by the stunning Lucinda, falls under suspicion, along with his former verger Jamie Kirkbride's brother, a man with a secret who vanished after an earlier murder case (Twelve Drummers Drumming, 2011, etc.), emerges as a suspect. After the dowager countess's artist in residence and lover is murdered, more motives emerge from Oliver's past. Tom, helped by Jane, needs to figure out who is the guilty party. A strong mystery reminiscent of P.D. James, with many well-developed characters, local color and a sensitive, intelligent investigator.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172193873
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	12/03/2013
Series:	Father Christmas Mysteries , #3
Edition description:	Unabridged

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