Unseemly Pursuits

The Concordia Wells Mysteries Book 2

By: K.B. Owen

Narrated by: Becket Royce

A deadly secret that won't stay buried....

It is the fall of 1896, and Miss Concordia Wells is hip-deep in the usual tumult of a lady professor's life: classes, clubs, student pranks, and the unending drama generated by the girls she lives with on campus. Complicating this normality is the new Lady Principal, whom the students have nicknamed "the Ogre". The woman seems bent on making Concordia's life miserable.

Events take a grave turn, however, when an ancient Egyptian amulet donated to the college mysteriously disappears, the donor is found murdered, and his daughter - Concordia's best friend - confesses to killing him.

Desperate for answers, Concordia unravels a 20-year-old secret, closely guarded by men now dead. But such secrets can be dangerous for the daughters left behind, including Concordia herself. Can she make sense of the mystery that has bound together their fates, before it's too late?

©2013 K.B. Owen (P)2015 K.B. Owen

An intricate web weaved, and difficult to unravel

I write this review after listening to the audiobook of this book.
I was happy to join Miss Concordia Wells and the all girls College, at which she was a professor and supervisor of the "Cottage" in which she and a group of the girls resided.
This episode, we she the murder of her best friend's father and the subsequent investigations and arrest of that young lady. No one, including the police officer who was investigating the case, believed that the girl had done the murder.
Miss Wells was the one that seemed to be able to untangle the threads of the intricate situation, which had included her deceased Father's Egyptian expedition bof 20 years previous.
Yes an interesting plot, and I found the narrator's rendition very easy to listen to.

Theft, Murder, and the Sins of Father's Past

Unseemly Pursuits begins with the excitement of having an Egyptian collection being donated to the women college that Miss Concordia Wells is a professor there. The Egyptian collection is for display by the Colonel, (her best friend, Sophia's father). The amulet from the collection get stolen, the donor is found dead, and Sophia admits to killing her father, even though she doesn't remember.

Concordia is in pursuit in clearing her best friend, finding the murderer and trying to save herself from being fired from the college. Little does she know, her deceased father's past is also catching up to her. Those who knows about her father's interest in Egyptology, won't talk about her father's past. What secret is her mother be hiding about her father?

Unseemly Pursuits has a handful of suspects. It is the question of what role does each characters play in this mystery and what does the past of Concordia's father have to do with the theft of the amulet. For mystery fans, they will enjoy this story. The mystery format follows the formula of Nancy Drews/Hardy Boys' mystery. So fans who are looking for romance, there scarcely any in this book.

The narrator Becket Royce does a good job in narrating this story. Her narration of the story was pretty mellow until mid-way through the book. I have to go back a few times just to catch up of what has happened in order to follow the story. There are scenes that are a can't missed since they do put everything together in solving the mystery.

I was given this audiobook by the author/narrator/publisher via Audiobook Blast in exchange of an honest review. I was not compensated or influenced in any way for writing this review.

Fun!

When I requested this book from Audiobookblast, I forgot that, while I loved the narration, the first book was not spectacular. The same very much holds true for this second book, also received through Audiobookblast. It has a complex and twisty plot involving Egyptian artifacts, old grudges, an all-girls production of Hamlet, and just a hint of romance… I do like Concordia, but she spends a good deal of time sobbing into people's lapels and suffering chills up her spine (it happens a lot). There's also frequent recurrence of "heathenish pleasure"... The plot takes a rather gothic turn, but both heroine and author carry it off quite well.

Positions of authority in the ladies' school featured in the "Unseemly" series by K.B. Owen seem to be rather like the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts: high turnover, due to tragic terminations. Just one more reason to continue with the series - - I would give a dollar to see a Gilderoy Lockhart show up at the school.

I was provided this audiobook at no charge by the narrator in exchange for an unbiased review via AudiobookBlast.com. Thank you!

Historical Cozy Mystery at Its Finest!

Any additional comments?

Unseemly Pursuits is the second book in the Concordia Wells Mysteries written by K.B. Owen. Like with the first book, this is a very enjoyable cozy mystery. Also similar to the first story, just when you think the mystery is solved, there is a surprise ending with lots of action and adventure to keep your interest to the final page.

The story centers around the title character, Concordia Wells, who is a college professor at an all womens college in 1896. She not only teaches several classes, she is a live-in chaperone to a bunch of college students who are continually pulling pranks on other students, as well as on the new Lady Principal, who takes an immediate dislike to Concordia.

From almost the beginning of the book we know an ancient Egyptian amulet donated to the college mysteriously disappears on the night of the gala unveiling the college's new antiquities collection. Shortly thereafter, the donor of the amulet is found murdered in his home study. Because Concordia is best friend's with the victim's daughter, she visits the home to comfort her lifelong friend. In true cozy mystery fashion, Concordia can't help but get involved in solving the theft and the murder. Along the way she also discovers a few truths about her long deceased and beloved father.

I listened to the Audible version of this book narrated by Becket Royce. She had good pace, inflections, and tone. I also liked the differing voices between the genders and her characterizations were very engaging and realistic. Simply put, Beckett did a fantastic job, keeping me entertained throughout.

light historical mystery

Would you try another book from K.B. Owen and/or Becket Royce?

Unfortunately I haven't read the first book in the series, although this stands alone I felt I would have had a better understanding of the protagonist if I had.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

The book was too long, the mystery was satisfactorily solved three quarters of the way through and became a little too convuluted. The last quarter focused on catching the criminal which could have been shortened.

What does Becket Royce bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Good narrator, great with accents in the story.

Do you think Unseemly Pursuits needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

The character and setting lend themselves well to a series although the constant reminders of restrictions on a Victorian age female sleuth are a little annoying after a while.

Any additional comments?

I was gifted with this audiobook in exchange for a review.