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The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne

par Elsa Hart

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16617162,251 (3.69)7
"From the author of the acclaimed Li Du novels comes Elsa Hart's new atmospheric mystery series. London, 1703. In a time when the old approaches to science coexist with the new, one elite community attempts to understand the world by collecting its wonders. Sir Barnaby Mayne, the most formidable of these collectors, has devoted his life to filling his cabinets. While the curious-minded vie for invitations to study the rare stones, bones, books, and artifacts he has amassed, some visitors come with a darker purpose. For Cecily Kay, it is a passion for plants that brings her to the Mayne house. The only puzzle she expects to encounter is how to locate the specimens she needs within Sir Barnaby's crowded cabinets. But when her host is stabbed to death, Cecily finds the confession of the supposed killer unconvincing. She pays attention to details-years of practice have taught her that the smallest particulars can distinguish a harmless herb from a deadly one-and in the case of Sir Barnaby's murder, there are too many inconsistencies for her to ignore. To discover the truth, Cecily must enter the world of the collectors, a realm where intellect is distorted by obsession and greed. As her pursuit of answers brings her closer to a killer, she risks being given a final resting place amid the bones that wait, silent and still, in the cabinets of Barnaby Mayne"--… (plus d'informations)
Récemment ajouté parJFB87, cspiwak, JoeB1934, kitcaswe, JFBCore, arconk, doehlberg63, jscot, Nlandwehr
Bibliothèques historiquesRuth Bader Ginsburg
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Affichage de 1-5 de 17 (suivant | tout afficher)
London, 1703--Cecily enters the house of famous collector Barnaby Mayne. In a circle of men who store and display wonders of the natural world, Mayne has the largest collection around. Cecily simply wants to use his cabinets to put identifications to her own small collection of pressed plants. Instead, she gets embroiled in a murder mystery when Sir Barnaby is slain. Though one man admits to the crime at the discovery of the body, Cecily uncovers too many inconsistencies to believe his hasty confession. Finding the truth will prove even more difficult than finding any particular item in the cabinets of Barnaby Mayne.

I was initially drawn to this book because of the cover, but I wondered if it might turn out to be a slow, dusty read. While there were a few small spots that dragged when cabinet contents were focused on now and then, overall, I didn't have a problem with the pacing. The main characters were the highlight of the book, and the mystery itself was engaging.

Cecily is a strong, independent woman who has endured much in this world where women are not expected to participate in the affairs of men. There is also Meacan, who was a childhood friend of Cecily's, though the two lost touch over the years. Meacan has been employed at Sir Barnaby's house, and the two make quite the pair as the investigation picks up. For as much as I liked Cecily, Meacan was an even more interesting character. I certainly hope we get to see a lot more of her in the future, compared to the smaller role she had overall in this book.

I had a few theories about who the real murderer was and why, and even about why the confessor would admit to a crime he didn't commit. While my initial guess on the latter turned out to be true, I had no clue about the murderer, even up to the reveal. Overall, it seemed to me like no one really had much of a motive for the murder, even though just about everyone seemed to have the opportunity. Looking back, the clues were mostly there, but meager enough, and stretched far enough apart, that I wasn't exactly kicking myself for not solving it.

The writing and descriptions, as well as the dialog, gave the book just the right historical feel without bogging down the story. There is plenty of intrigue in the lives of both Cecily and Meacan to make them characters you want to follow into a series, and the ending definitely hints at more to come, though I see no specific indication that this is the first in a series. I certainly hope it is. My only real gripe is that the entire first chapter seemed completely unnecessary to me. I don't really understand why it was needed. If it was simply to give us a glimpse at a character that would come into play more later, the scene could have gone a whole different way that would play into the story in this book a lot more. Otherwise, though, I think mystery lovers, especially those who like historical fiction, will enjoy this book.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me a copy of this book to review! ( )
  Kristi_D | Sep 22, 2023 |
Lady Cecily Kay doesn’t quite understand why her husband, consul in Smyrna for His Majesty James II, has dispatched her back to England, where she can cause no further trouble. After all, if Cecily didn’t point out the oddities in her husband’s financial ledgers, who would? And why wouldn’t he want the benefit of her sharp eyes?

But despite her humiliating departure from the conjugal nest, Lady Kay’s about to have more adventure than she ever could in Smyrna, and in much the same fashion, asking questions that men don’t wish to answer. (Since it’s 1699, London men expect women to listen like donkeys waiting to have their hind legs talked off, but the devil with that.) So when Cecily tours the famous, coveted collection of Sir Barnaby Mayne, a cornucopia of the natural and folkloric worlds, and someone knifes the collector to death, it’s incumbent on Lady Kay to act. Not only do curiosity and scientific rigor demand no less; justice must be served.

Dinley, Sir Barnaby’s assistant, has confessed to the killing and run away. But anyone with an open mind who’s met him for five minutes would believe he’s innocent. If ever there were a naturalist who cringed and blushed over the red-in-tooth-and-claw aspects of his passion, it would be Dinley—and besides, what motive could he have had? However, since Sir Barnaby was a gentleman of title and property, as are most of the visitors on the tour that day, whereas Dinley’s a nobody, a confession and flight are enough evidence to hang him.

Nobody takes kindly to Lady Kay’s inquiries as to the time of the murder, who was where in the house then, and what may be deduced from such observations. As we’ve seen, though, subtlety’s not her strong point. She does have one ally, however, a childhood friend from a lower social class, who’s temporarily residing in the Mayne manse, working as an illustrator for the collector’s intended catalog. But it takes a while for Cecily to trust Meacan, who, like Cecily, is less than forthcoming—a nice touch, there—and the two never do quite get over their competition to solve the mystery, another nice touch.

They also have different approaches, since Meacan, who’s gone through two husbands, isn’t above using flirtation to surmount an obstacle. I like that too, especially because Hart shows a light hand, not playing that too far. Unfortunately for the two sleuths, however, by the time they decide to let their hair down and join forces, Lady Mayne, the imperious, estranged widow, shows up. The investigation promptly hits a wall, namely, the prohibition to meddle in the constabulary’s business.

Hart constructs her mystery with consummate skill and deploys reversals to great advantage. There are many suspects, each with plausible secrets to protect, and the narrative openly reveals all the facts. But unless you’re a better detective than I, you won’t guess the killer’s identity or much else, which keeps the pages turning and offers a satisfying conclusion.

Along the way, Hart casts a keen eye on everything from late-seventeenth-century foppishness to attitudes toward the occult to collecting as blood sport to foodways — imagine, to eat any vegetable raw, especially a radish!

Another delight in these pages is the humor. For example, Hart offers us a would-be collector with more money than brains, a sycophant whom everyone quickly learns to avoid. Lady Mayne is a hoot, stiffer alive than her late husband dead, convinced, with barely repressed shudders, that collecting is a godless obsession. But my favorite is a Russian general whose verbal duels with Lady Kay are hilarious, further evidence in her eyes of what blockheads men can be.

If I have one reservation about this novel, it’s the climactic scene, which invokes more than a couple tropes. But maybe it’s meant to be tongue-in-cheek, which would fit. The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne is a delight. ( )
  Novelhistorian | Jan 27, 2023 |
I quite liked this historical mystery set amidst the collecting world of early eighteenth-century London. And I'm delighted to find there's an earlier trilogy of the author's works to read, too. ( )
  JBD1 | Jul 22, 2022 |
London in 1703 sounds very unpleasant in this mystery that is set in that time and place. Cutthroats and robbers everywhere and all manner of waste in the street and noxious fumes discolouring the sky and polluting the air. Hardly a place for a gentlewoman to alight after a long voyage from the Mediterranean but that’s how this book starts out. Lady Cecily Kay is the wife of a diplomat in Greece who was sent home by her husband alone with only her clothing and collected plant samples accompanying her. Having secured an invitation to study the collection of rare plants amassed by the super-collector Barnaby Mayne that is where she makes her way on her arrival in London.
Mayne collects everything: shells and books and fish and plants and rocks and gems and all manner of other things. His two adjoining houses are stuffed with cabinets packed with items and he constantly adds to them. His collections are ostensibly to allow scientific study that will enable understanding of the natural world but the amassing of items to the extent Mayne does it borders on mania. Nevertheless many people do want to view them and study them. The day Lady Kay arrives there is a Swedish man already on the premises studying the collection of serpents and a tour of the collection is planned for the afternoon for a few more people. Lady Kay is staying for a week so she can try to identify the plants she accumulated in the Mediterranean. After being shown to the bedroom where she is to stay (which is crowded with shells and skeletons of ocean dwellers) and ascertaining that her collection of plants has suffered no damage on the long trip she goes exploring. In a neighbouring bedroom she encounters another woman and they both recognize each other as being childhood companions. Meacan Barlow was the daughter of a gardener hired by Cecily’s father and as she was of similar age the two became fast friends. They haven’t seen each other for a long time and their lives have diverged. Meacan must earn a living by illustrating which is what she is doing in Mayne’s household. Cecily pursues the interests of a gentlewoman and has no worries about finances. Despite their differing circumstances they quickly fall back into their friendship. When Barnaby Mayne is murdered in his study later that day and his curator Walter Dinley is found clutching the bloody knife that killed him Cecily and Meacan combine forces to exonerate him and find the true killer. Just like an Agatha Christie manor house mystery it appears everyone present had a motive for the murder but only one person can actually be guilty.
I enjoyed this book especially the depiction of the lengths collectors went to acquire objects but I thought the plot was a little formulaic. I have to admit that I didn’t deduce who the actual murderer was before the person was revealed. It appears that Cecily and Meacan might be starting a partnership and I would probably read another book starring this duo. ( )
  gypsysmom | Apr 13, 2021 |
The Cabinets of Barnaby Mayne - Hart
Audio performance by Barrie Kreinick
3 stars

This 18th century setting provided a change from the usual 19th century mysteries and romances that I have been consuming. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be much difference. The (admittedly interesting) details of Barnaby Mayne’s extensive and obsessive collection overwhelmed any other historical details of the setting. The red herring connection to the Swedish/Russian conflict was sadly undeveloped.

The conversations and behavior of the female protagonists felt anachronistic, to say the least. I did like them. Cecily Kay and Meacan Barlow are interesting characters. I liked the way they interacted to solve the mystery despite their many differences. They helped sustain my interest through a story that moved a bit too slowly.

I’m also finding that few of the details are staying with me. The audio performance was adequate, but slowed down the convoluted plot. If there are more books in this series, I will look for a printed copy. ( )
  msjudy | Feb 20, 2021 |
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"From the author of the acclaimed Li Du novels comes Elsa Hart's new atmospheric mystery series. London, 1703. In a time when the old approaches to science coexist with the new, one elite community attempts to understand the world by collecting its wonders. Sir Barnaby Mayne, the most formidable of these collectors, has devoted his life to filling his cabinets. While the curious-minded vie for invitations to study the rare stones, bones, books, and artifacts he has amassed, some visitors come with a darker purpose. For Cecily Kay, it is a passion for plants that brings her to the Mayne house. The only puzzle she expects to encounter is how to locate the specimens she needs within Sir Barnaby's crowded cabinets. But when her host is stabbed to death, Cecily finds the confession of the supposed killer unconvincing. She pays attention to details-years of practice have taught her that the smallest particulars can distinguish a harmless herb from a deadly one-and in the case of Sir Barnaby's murder, there are too many inconsistencies for her to ignore. To discover the truth, Cecily must enter the world of the collectors, a realm where intellect is distorted by obsession and greed. As her pursuit of answers brings her closer to a killer, she risks being given a final resting place amid the bones that wait, silent and still, in the cabinets of Barnaby Mayne"--

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