A Murder of Convenience by Kathleen Buckley ‣ The Writers Blog

A Murder of Convenience

Kathleen Buckley
Genre: Historical Mystery

Ellen Cuthbert’s husband, Randolph, is now the Earl of Keswick’s heir. Their marriage is a sham, and Randolph’s mistress, Lydia, is present at the house party. When she is found murdered in a locked room, all the evidence seems to point to Ellen. And how could the murderer have escaped the locked room except by witchcraft?

Sir Hugh accompanies his cousin, a magistrate, to the scene of the murder. They investigate, appalled to find their childhood friend Ellen appears to be the chief suspect. Hugh’s lack of prospects years ago prevented their marriage. Now if he cannot find the real murderer, there may be only one final service he can perform for Ellen to spare her a slow death at the end of the hangman’s rope.

Excerpt

At the inn, they found the doctor had confiscated the landlord’s keys to the unused cellar storeroom “by order of the magistrate.” His sharp eyes twinkled as Seaton had given no such order.
Otherwise the servants would be taking the customers down for a look at the poor lass at a penny a head, no doubt.” He had sent for his oil lamp to give enough light.
“I will do surgery by candle if I must, but for something like this, there’s nothing to match whale oil.”
“Excellent, Doctor, when even a small detail may matter.”
On a long table, wide enough to allow the oil lamp to be moved around Lydia Forsyth’s remains, the body lay curled in the same posture in which she had been found. Hugh and his cousin stood on either side of Lockhart. The woman might have been vivacious in life.
Death had wiped away every sign of intelligence, wit, and kindness.
The doctor ran his fingers over the right side of her skull. He took longer about it than many would have thought necessary, given that the blow had clearly been fatal. Hugh needed no medical training to know that.
“She was struck at least several times with the candlestick, the blows not having fallen all in the same place. The murderer meant to make sure of her.”

“Do you mean to perform an autopsy?” The foreboding in Wallace’s voice made it plain he hoped the answer would be negative.

About the Author

One day after coming home from first grade, Kathleen Buckley set about writing her own dictionary but quickly realized it would take too much time, so she read a book instead. Possibly Space Cat.

After a career that included customer service, light bookkeeping, working as a paralegal, and a stint as a security officer, she began writing as a second career. Her first historical romance was inspired by re-reading Georgette Heyer’s Georgian/Regency novels and wondering if she could do the same. Her eleventh book will be released on March 24, 2025. As a change of pace, it’s a murder mystery—but still set in the mid-1700s with a dash of romance.

Kathleen’s romances are best described as “powder & patch & peril” rather than Austenian drawing room. There are no bodice rippings, no explicit sex, but you will find the occasional den of vice and language a touch stronger than “Zounds!”