1924, Lady Eleanor Swift attends the Empire Exhibition in London. During an accidental hot air balloon flight she spots a murder and bravely plunges to the ground. But there is no sign of any wrongdoing and her beloved butler and fiance both doubt her…
Murder in Mayfair is the 18th book in the Lady Eleanor Swift series of cosy historical murder mysteries.
Ellie has plenty of action at the start of the book! The hot air balloon she is visiting breaks free of its moorings and an impromtu flight ensues. From the basket she spies one man shooting another and she creates a harness and launches herself towards the ground. The only evidence she can find is a broken piece of jewellery and she has to stop investigating to avoid an international incident. Then she meets with a desperate friend whose necklace has been stolen and Ellie agrees to go undercover as a governess to find the thief.
The warm and drole relationship between Ellie and Clifford is particularly wonderful in this book. Even when he doubts her, she knows she can rely on him in any situation. Her fiance Hugh is in a difficult situation as he tries to manage the exhibition and avoid any international scandal. Yet he wants to support his fiancee, even when there is no evidence of any wrongdoing!
I loved the historical aspect to the book and the accurate details that the author has used to bring the setting to life (I wish I could have seen the statue of the Prince of Wales made of butter!) Ellie sbverts the class and gender norms through her modern outlook in a refreshing way with Clifford looking on in dismay.
Murder in Mayfair is a wonderful addition to this enjoyable series.
Book Description:
Tea and cake at The Ritz, a stolen pearl necklace and a missing dead body… Lady Swift is back on the case!
Lady Eleanor Swift has been eagerly awaiting her trip in a hot air balloon to take in London’s amazing sights. But what she witnesses instead is a murder! From way up high she sees a man in a dark coat shoot another man dead, but by the time she arrives back on the ground, Eleanor can find no trace of the body. Just the broken piece of a pearl necklace clasp, trodden into the dirt.
Back at The Ritz hotel, over afternoon tea, Eleanor’s old friend Lady Philomena Chadwick confides in her about a scandalous theft. Lady Chadwick is certain someone on her staff has stolen her priceless pink pearl necklace. Eleanor is immediately suspicious when the description matches the jewellery she spotted at the crime scene.
Much to her butler Clifford’s amusement, Eleanor goes undercover as a governess in the Chadwick’s sparkling Mayfair mansion. As she sets about questioning the disgruntled staff, she uncovers a treasure trove of gossip. But how do a secret love affair, a flirty footman with a fondness for spying, and a housemaid hiding a nightly visitor connect to the murder?
And when Eleanor’s beau, Detective Hugh Seldon, is brought in to investigate a string of further robberies in Park Lane, Eleanor is certain that Chadwick House is hiding the unlikeliest gang of jewel thieves below stairs…
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but will this necklace get Eleanor killed before she uncovers the hidden gem she needs to crack the case?
Murder in Mayfair is a totally gripping and twisty Golden Age whodunnit set in London, perfect for fans of T.E. Kinsey, Agatha Christie and Catherine Coles!
Author Bio:
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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