A Staged Death - A Review & Giveaway

Review

A STAGED DEATH by Samantha Larsen
The Fourth Lady Librarian Mystery 

 

Having catalogued the entire library at Astwell Palace Tiffany Lathrop is at loose ends. But before she can create a new task her good friend Thomas arrives with surprising news, he's engaged. His mother, the Marchioness of Harwood, is not pleased, especially as his fiancée is an actress. While Catherine wants Tiffany and her husband Samir to come to Bath to persuade Thomas to break his engagement, Thomas wants them to come to change his mother's mind. But when they stop at the theatre upon their arrival in the city they find the dead body of a young woman. Was Rosalyn Arden, Thomas' fiancée the intended victim and her understudy killed by mistake? The entire acting troupe is behaving suspiciously, as is Rosalyn's family. Plus the more Tiffany learns about Julia, the possibility that she was the actual target increases. Will she be able to discover the truth, find a killer, and save a wedding? In a big city with people she doesn't know Tiffany faces her biggest challenge yet. 

 

I really enjoy this series, especially for its historical detail. I was excited to travel to Bath and try the waters...without having to taste it! I found the details about the various event halls fascinating, especially how card playing was an almost daily event-and not just for men. I also appreciate the humor, both subtle and otherwise. I'm still giggling at that wedding scene.

 

The mystery here was quite complex and the killer nearly got away. I love how that in trying to shield Beau, he provided the way to solve the murder. I only hope as he gets older he doesn't become an arrogant Duke without redeeming qualities. Fortunately, I have a feeling his father will be able to keep him in check.

 

Dramatics abound in A STAGED DEATH where complex family relations make for an ingeniously plotted mystery.

 

NB: This review is for the print book, not the audible version. 

 

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 A Staged Death: Lady Librarian Mysteries by Samantha Larsen

About A Staged Death

A Staged Death: Lady Librarian Mysteries
Historical Cozy Mystery 4th in Series
Setting - 1787, Bath.
Publisher: Dreamscape
First Audible.com Release Date: March 31, 2026
Listening Length: 8 hours and 30 minutes Author: Samantha Larsen Narrator: Marni Penning

A cozy historical mystery set in the 18th century—perfect for Bridgerton fans!

1787, Bath. Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop has catalogued the entire library at Astwell Palace and is feeling rather dull when Mr. Thomas Montague invites her and her husband Samir to visit Bath. Thomas begs Tiffany to help reconcile his mother Catharine, the Marchioness of Harwood, on his engagement to the famous actress Miss Rosalyn Arden—a beautiful young woman with bright red curls and eyes of mismatched color.

Eager to see his beloved, Thomas stops at the Theatre Royal with Tiffany and they discover a dead body wearing a red wig in Rosalyn’s dressing room. The body is that of Miss Julia Shakespeare, Rosalyn’s understudy and the person who has been blackmailing members of the acting company. Not only are the actors behaving suspiciously, but so are Rosalyn’s newly reconciled relatives that cast her off nine years before when she jilted Sir Frederick Bingham, who then married her younger sister.

If all the world is a stage, then someone acting innocent must be the murderer. Can Tiffany solve the mystery before the final curtain?

©2018 Samantha Larsen (P)2026 Dreamscape First

About Samantha Larsen

 

Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, having tea parties, and chauffeuring her four kids. She teaches World Literature at Brigham Young University. Her young adult fiction books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections, and her historical romances are published around the world. She also writes murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen that Publisher’s Weekly called “wildly enjoyable.”  

Author Links: 

Website www.SamanthaHastings.com  

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samanthahastingsauthor/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaHastingsAuthor  

X https://x.com/HastingSamantha  

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-hastings  

Purchase Links: Dreamscape - Amazon - B&N

A Poetic Pox - A Review

 Review

A POETIC POX by Samantha Larsen
The Third Lady Librarian Mystery 

Loathe to leave her family, especially during the holidays, Tiffany Lathrop nonetheless agrees to accompany her friend and employer, Catherine, the Duchess of Beaufort on an overnight trip to visit an old friend. The Marquess of Harwood requested Catherine visit with her young son as he had just returned after years abroad and was dying. Upon their arrival staff tried to barr their entry, but they were no match for a determined duchess! Tiffany is stunned to find the abbey in disrepair, the valet dead, and the Marquess near death himself, both men seemingly poisoned. Though loving her role as a new mother, Tiffany is excited leave dirty nappies for a bit and solve another murder. Who wants to kill the Marquess? Does it have something to do with the smallpox epidemic that ravaged the town twenty years prior? Does a baseborn son believe he's entitled to an inheritance? With untrustworthy servants and a town filled with secrets Tiffany will have to rely on her wits and the support of her friends and their own staff to outsmart a villain! 

Trapped in a decaying mansion with murderer and a possible ghost A POETIC POX is a delightfully creepy mystery. The servants of Rosedean Abbey are as unwelcoming and unpleasant as the Abbey itself. Small hints are periodically left that Tiffany and the astute reader are able to catch to reveal the secrets hidden both in the Abbey and the town itself. I appreciate how Tiffany simultaneously cared for her baby and searched for clues to catch a killer. I also enjoyed how one after another layers of secrets kept for decades were slowly revealed.

Twists and turns in an decaying abbey make A POETIC POX a superb mystery. I love this series and can't wait to see what happens next!

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading A Poetic Pox by Samantha Larsen. This book is the third in the Lady Librarian Mystery series and was released last month. 

Loathe to leave her family, especially during the holidays, Tiffany Lathrop nonetheless agrees to accompany her friend and employer, Catherine, the Duchess of Beaufort on an overnight trip to visit an old friend. The Marquess of Harwood requested Catherine visit with her young son as he had just returned after years abroad and was dying. Upon their arrival staff tried to barr their entry, but they were no match for a determined duchess! Tiffany is stunned to find the manor in disrepair, the valet dead, and the Marquess near death himself, both men seemingly poisoned. Though loving her role as a new mother, Tiffany is excited leave dirty nappies for a bit and solve another murder. Who wants to kill the Marquess? Does it have something to do with the smallpox epidemic that ravaged the town twenty years prior? Does a baseborn son believe he's entitled to an inheritance? With untrustworthy servants and a town filled with secrets Tiffany will have to rely on her wits and the support of her friends and their own staff to outsmart a villain!

A Poetic Pox - A Guest Post, Recipe, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Samantha Hastings to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Samantha writes the Lady Librarian Mystery series. A Poetic Pox is the third book in the series and at the moment only the Audible version has been released.

Let Them Eat Twelfth Night Cake!

By Samantha Hastings

The twelve days of Christmas refer to December 25th to January 5th. During the Georgian era, the celebration of Twelfth Night was only slightly less popular than Christmas Day itself.

One of the most important parts of the celebration was the Twelfth Night cake. It was a large domed fruit cake with sugar-paste figures that decorated the top. Inside the cake was hidden both a pea and a bean. Everyone in the household, including servants, were given a slice of cake. Women were served from the left side of the cake and men from the right. The woman who found the pea and the man who found the bean became the ‘king’ and ‘queen’ of the night. Sometimes a clove was added as well for the ‘knave’ of the night. Twelfth Night was one of misrule, raucous fun, and everything turned upside down. Including gender roles. It was the night before Epiphany.

In the 1870s, nearly ninety years after this story, Queen Victorian removed Twelfth Night from official calendars. She believed that the celebrations were too rowdy and this holiday has become relatively forgotten.

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It’s not quite a Twelfth Night Cake, but my family loves an Oreo Trifle and it’s super easy to make.

OREO TRIFLE

Ingredients:

· 1 baked 9/13” pan of Chocolate Cake (cake mixes are great)

· 1 8oz container of Whipped Cream

· 1 4.2 oz package of instant Oreo Pudding

· 2 cups of cold Milk

· 5-6 Oreos crushed up to sprinkle on top

Directions:

First, combine Oreo pudding and milk in a bowl. Whisk for 2 minutes and then let it rest in the fridge for at least 5 minutes.

In a trifle dish or a large bowl (preferrable clear one so that you can see the layers), add 1-inch squares of the chocolate cake for the bottom layer (about 1/3 of the cake). For the second layer, add 1/3 of the finished Oreo Pudding mix. For the third layer, add 1/3 of the container of Whipped Cream.

Repeat process 3 times.

Decorate the top of the trifle with crushed up Oreos. You can serve it immediately.

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 A Poetic Pox: A Lady Librarian Mystery by Samantha Larsen

About A Poetic Pox

A Poetic Pox: A Lady Librarian Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Setting - 1786, England
Publisher: Dreamscape
First Audible.com Release Date: July 22, 2025
Listening Length: 8 hours and 18 minutes
Author: Samantha Larsen Narrator: Marni Penning

1786, England

It is the twelve days of Christmas, and Mrs. Tiffany Lathrop is happily juggling her duties as a new mother and a librarian to Catharine, the Duchess of Beaufort. Her employer receives a mysterious letter from an old paramour, the Marquess of Harwood, who is the biological father of Catharine’s son. He promises to leave his estate and fortune to Beau if he can see the boy before he dies.

Her elder son, Thomas Montague, has a terrible cold, so Catharine asks Tiffany to accompany her and Beau. When they arrive at the dilapidated abbey, they discover a dead body—only it isn’t the marquess, but his valet! Lord Harwood is alive, but unconscious with suspicious-looking pox marks on his hands. Tiffany wonders if the marquess is really dying, or if it is all poetic revenge? Especially when she discovers the secrets that haunt Rosedean Abbey.

Between breastfeeding and dirty diapers, Tiffany must discover who killed the valet and attempted to murder the marquess before anyone else dies.

©2025 Samantha Larsen (P)2025 Dreamscape First

About Samantha Larsen

Samantha Hastings met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, having tea parties, and chauffeuring her four kids. She teaches World Literature at Brigham Young University. Her young adult fiction books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections and her historical romances are published around the world. She also writes murder mysteries under Samantha Larsen that Publisher’s Weekly called “wildly enjoyable.”

Author Links: 

Website www.SamanthaHastings.com  

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/samanthahastingsauthor/  

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaHastingsAuthor  

X https://x.com/HastingSamantha  

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/authors/samantha-hastings 

 Purchase Links - Amazon B&N 

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