Today I’m reviewing the 20th book in this series. Can’t believe it’s reached that number already, it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long since book 1. Many thanks to Bookouture for having me on the tour and sending me a copy of the book to review.
The Book: Homemade baubles, reindeer-shaped cookies and snowy walks across the rolling moors… but Lady Swift’s festive plans are ruined when a body turns up!
Winter 1924. When Lady Eleanor Swift unexpectedly finds herself a guest of the reclusive Duke of Auldwyke, she’s determined to enjoy Christmas with all the trimmings at his sprawling manor house. And that includes kisses under the mistletoe and cozying up by the fire with her fiancé, dashing detective Hugh Seldon.
Instead, the season of goodwill turns frosty as she finds the Duke’s studious secretary, Mr Porritt, dead in the storeroom. Clasped in his chilly hand is a golden pendant in the shape of a rose. The Duke denies ever having seen the necklace before. But Eleanor can see the lies in his eyes… Did it belong to his mysteriously absent wife?
Hugh and Eleanor must ditch relaxing with hot cocoa in favour of interviewing the Duke’s holiday guests. Every suspect has a secret they’d kill to keep: the socialite with the false name, the Sir with a questionable inheritance and the husband hiding a crack in his marriage.
As the blizzard outside rages, Auldwyke Hall becomes cut off. Trapped by the snow, Eleanor and Hugh must skate around the increasingly secretive Duke to unwrap the identity of the killer. But does the answer to the secretary’s murder lie with a ghost of Christmas past? And when an attempt is made on the Duke’s life too, they realise the killer is closer than they think…
A gripping and twisty Golden Age murder mystery set in a country house on the Yorkshire moors, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss!
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0DH4SVQ3Wsocial
The Review: As I’ve said this is the 20th book in this series and having reached this point I’m tempted to go back and read the first few again. Especially to see Hugh and Eleanor first meetings because he has changed so much since those earlier books. I wasn’t keen on him to start with but he’s definitely grown on me since, especially in the last few books as he seems much more relaxed.
I enjoyed this book and it was especially good reading it now when it’s cold and frosty outside, which is the closest I’ll get to snow for a while. I like the drama and intrigue of stories where the suspects are stuck because of the weather, everything still works but you can’t leave and you don’t know who to trust. There were a lot of twists and turns in this book, and plenty of red herrings too which kept it moving along nicely.
As usual, I enjoyed spending time with the main characters but the star for me this time was Danby, the local constable who was fabulous, observant and knowledgeable. Hopefully we’ll see him again in later books. It was nice having the household staff staying in a nearby cottage, and I liked the contrast between the drama and frustrations in Auldwyke Hall and the cosiness in the cottage. It definitely helped ease the tension at times and felt like a breather when Eleanor, Hugh and Clifford popped in there.
This was a really good, very cosy read, between the atmosphere and the food and drinks made by both Clifford and the household staff. This book is ideal for reading in the winter, you can cosy up wherever you are with a warm drink and a blanket and enjoy watching it all untangle.
The Author:
Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.
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