I believe this is a prequel to something, but I can't say it made me particularly interested in seeking out the sequel. There was a bit of mystery, but not a particularly complicated one, really. The characters were a little stiff, in my opinion, though it could just be writing for the era. A decent mystery but not particularly enthralling.

Having read and much enjoyed the others in this fascinating series, I was as anxious as other fans to read this prequel which deals with the earlier life, first love and first detection of Heath Barrington.

However, this did not live up to my expectations. I found it over-wordy and badly-paced. Simon Quimby did not quite ring true and the "relationship" with Heath was distinctly odd. The detective aspect of the plot felt almost incidental and rather peculiar. I was also irritated by the incorrect use of British titles.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bold Strokes Books for the digital review copy.

The year is 1937 and Heath Barrington is 22 years old and sailing across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary. Onboard, he meets the mysterious Lord Simon Quimby, who invites Heath and his aunt to his estate. Heath falls for Simon, but the Quimby family is marred by tragedy and Simon is hiding dark secrets.

This book is a prequel to the Detective Heath Barrington mystery series, which I haven't actually read. In the series, Heath is a detective, and this book shows his first foray into investigating and the beginnings of what will become his career. I enjoyed the book, and it has made me want to read the rest of the series. I can see this being particularly enjoyable if you already know and love Heath, though.

The poised, mysterious Simon and the naive commoner Heath make for a compelling pairing. At first, I felt like Simon was just a bit of a dick, but he did grow on me as the book progressed. He's a complicated man, and I enjoyed finding out more about his history. The Quimby curse makes for a really good mystery plot. Heath on the other hand feels so young! It makes me remember that I'm no longer in my early twenties... His dramatic, first infatuation with an older man makes for fun reading, although at times I felt like yelling 'just back off and forget about Simon!' I also really liked the side characters, especially the banter between Verbina and Myrtle.

What fell short for me was the amount of exposition given through dialogue, especially near the beginning of the book. I just wanted the story to hurry up and start! The amount of background historical detail did really flesh out the setting, but I felt a bit overloaded with it all at times. The story does move faster once Heath arrives at Heatherwick, though, and there is a satisfying conclusion to the puzzle, as well as the delightfully bittersweet feeling of a first love.

This is the fifth book in the series, but it is a prequel to the entire series, featuring a young Heath Barrington, newly graduated from college in 1937, and on a cruise across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary with his aunt Verbina.

The pace of this book is somewhat elegaic, but I enjoyed learning about life aboard the Queen Mary on her inaugural cruise, complete with details about the layout of the boat, the dinner menus, and a glimpse of a time long past when men and women wore their finest for an elegant and refined ocean voyage.

Health meets the enigmatic Lord Simon Quimby aboard and is immediately transfixed by his elegance and good looks, as well as the supposed deadly Quimby family curse. Heath has his first sexual experience with Simon, and with the naivety of youth, envisions a future with Simon. But Simon feels trapped in his circumstances - the unwilling heir to an estate that badly needs an infusion of cash, in the form of a marriage to one Ruth St. James, of the Philadelphia St. James'.

There is a murder / mystery here, with Heath solving the mystery behind the Quimby family curse, and realizing that he wants a career as a police detective.

Where the book really excels is in its setting of both the Queen Mary and society in pre-WWII Europe. We really get a sense of the dilemma Simon faces - to marry and save his family legacy, or fully embrace who he is and try to find his niche.

The only thing that didn't work for me here was Heath starting out the book as a slang spouting college boy and ending as a wise sage advising Lord Quimy about his life choices. There isn't enough character development along the way to make this sudden "adulting" flow seamlessly. However, overall, I enjoyed the book immensely and give it a sold 4 stars.

Absolutely Fantastic!

Heath, fresh from college and off on an adventure with Aunt Verbina to London meets the handsome Baron Simon Quimby. Upon being invited to Simon’s stately home, Heath has become quite smitten with Simon. With the Quimby family curse, which Simon had mentioned previously, Heath can’t stop thinking about what he knows happened to Simon’s family, and is desperate to prove Simon had nothing to do with it, despite everyone suspicious he is responsible for his father’s and sister’s death. Heath can’t help himself, piecing together the clues as the detective in him is born!

I absolutely adored this fantastic prequel to the Health Barrington Mystery series. It is only the second book by David S Pederson that I have read, but I was sold on this series with the first I read and now I am eager to find time and read the others as soon as I can. It is a fantastic mystery series, and this introduction to Heath gave great insight into how he has become the man we later meet in the series.

This story had everything and more and I was so excited when reading it. With each chapter, Heath was growing as character and that detective in him was starting to surface with each passing chapter. I loved his relationship with Simon! That first love, falling in love, and being completely smitten was something I could completely relate to and I could recognise each point of Heath’s falling for Simon, just like Aunt Verbina.

As usual, Aunt Verbina was her fabulous self and I was glad to see more of her in this story because the taste I’d had from the previous Heath Barrington Mystery just hadn’t been enough. She is amazing and a great ally to Heath, even if at times he has no idea how much so, but his respect for his Aunt shows just what a gentleman he is (even if Verbina insists he has much to learn!)

The mystery in this story was amazing! For a long time I just couldn’t figure it out but as Heath expertly started to question other characters, I started to piece everything together along with Heath. It was easy to get carried away on Heath’s passion and inquisitive nature, not only when it came to solving the murders, but for travelling and embracing the experiences he had. I just hoped my suspicions would be correct, but it really could have been anyone behind the murder, and even at times, I have to admit that unlike Heath, I did wonder just how much involvement Simon had in the murders.

I highly recommend this story, introducing Heath and giving more insight to his past, as well as setting up the series nicely. The most fabulous thing though was seeing Heath blossom into the detective I met in Death Overdue, and I can’t wait to read the next mystery he has to solve.

This is more than just a mystery story it is also a coming-of-age novel and about accepting who you are.
It begins with Verbina Partridge taking her nephew Heathcliff Barrington to Europe on the Queen Mary for a graduation gift. Having been on the Queen Mary many times I was, of course, intrigued with a story set on board. Heath’s full name is Heathcliff (his mother is a Wuthering Heights fan) and he is young, wide-eyed, and full of excitement about the voyage that is beyond anything he’s ever done before. Verbina is a gracious guide to what is correct in society.
Also on the voyage is Lord Simon Quimby, a British nobleman, at whose home Aunt Verbina has stayed long ago. She lays in wait for Lord Simon hoping to secure a return invitation to his home. She succeeds.
Heath and Simon hit it off and spend a lot of time in each other’s company on the voyage.
They arrive in London and a few days later head out Heatherwick Lord Quimby’s ancestral home.
When they arrive at the station they are told by the stationmaster about the “Quimby Curse” and how the village suspects Simon of murders. Ergo he is ostracized by the villagers.
Heath, an aspiring, detective decides to look into the mysteries and with the judicious grilling of some staff members begins to decode the secrets surrounding the deaths of Lord Simon’s father and sister.
It is a well-written mystery with wonderful attention to details it incorporates some actual characters of the era and hints at the coming of World War II. The characters are very real and the reader can imagine them and would like to meet with them and share a martini or two or a meal on the Queen Mary.
The author writes with a sure hand that puts you into the places about which he is writing. You really feel like you are there.
A fast and enjoyable read.

I tried. But the first 20% of the books is the main character talking back and forth to his aunt and this other society woman. There is no depth or personality or good writing to this at all. Is it 1937 or 1917–the characters go back and forth with their language and fashion. Boring, I will not read further.

This book was so good that I couldn’t put it down! I love historical fiction, and this one fit the bill. The romance, mystery, and history all rolled into one make for an intriguing story!