Christmas 1924 is rapidly approaching and Lady Eleanor Swift and her fiance are looking forward to a quiet romantic festive period to plan their future together. But plans go awry when they are summoned to a shooting party by the Duke of Auldwyke and their host’s secretary is murdered within minutes of their arrival…
A Midwinter Murder is the 20th book in the Lady Swift series of cosy historical murder mysteries. Her redoubtable butler, Clifford, and long suffering fiance, Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon, assist her in trying to catch the killer and save Christmas!
Ellie turned down the invite to attend the duke’s annual shooting party but her RSVP was lost and now she feels honour bound to uproot herself and her staff in order to attend. Her host is the reclusive Duke of Auldwyke who hasn’t been seen in public since the death of his wife. The prize for winning the shooting competition is an audience with His Grace and the granting of a wish. But the only thing Ellie wants is to bring a murderer to justice.
There are a range of suspects among the guests and staff. Ellie, Hugh and Clifford have various motives to explore and their investigation reveals many alibis are not true. I was kept guessing until the reveal at the end, although I did deduce part of the direction the case was heading in.
Ellie brings her entourage along with her which offers some light hearted relief, especially Gladstone and Tomkins (the pets). I loved the festivities and jollity of the ladies which brought a real warmth to their parts of the narrative. There are some big conversations with her fiance Hugh as they plan their future together.
A Midwinter Murder is an enjoyable murder mystery and I enjoyed the historical details.
Book Description:
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!
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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