Heading to her Irish estate for the first time since inheriting, Lady Eleanor Swifts discovers a body in the middle of the road. Not quite dead, she and her butler rush the man to a nearby abbey. However he soon dies and Ellie suspects everyone from the mother superior to the doctor to the policeman…
Murder in an Irish Castle is the 12th cosy murder mystery to feature Lady Eleanor Swift and her indefatiguable butler Clifford.
Ellie is convinced that foul play is involved in the death of the man they tried to save. Her suspicions are focused on almost all of the locals and she needs to unpick the motive and opportunity for each person. Every suspect is acting in a peculiar way so Ellie needs to work out whether their behaviour relates to the death or not.
The pace of the progress in the investigation is a little slow but there is plenty of action as Ellie frequently puts herself in danger in order to find the truth. Clifford frequently despairs despite his unflappable demeanour.
I enjoyed this book and the effort that Clifford goes to in order to protect his mistress. There is a fair amount of humour from this angle of the plot. Indeed, his loyalty is stretched almost to breaking point by the escapades needed to investigate the case. However, I did miss the other staff and Ellie’s love interest, Hugh.
Murder in an Irish Castle is an intriguing mystery in this well established series.
Book Description:
Irish whiskey, rolling green hills, a traditional Christmas feast and… a murder? Lady Swift will need the luck of the Irish to survive this holiday season!
Christmas, 1923. Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather unexpected invitation to the village Christmas party in the tiny, rural hamlet of Derrydee in the west of Ireland. Eleanor is thrilled about exploring her ancestral roots at her late uncle’s estate and spending the festive season in a castle. Packing Gladstone the bulldog’s coziest Christmas jumper, they set off to the Emerald Isle with her butler Clifford in tow.
Arriving late at night, Eleanor and Clifford are shocked when they find a body sprawled in the snow on the winding country lane outside the estate. The local constable is immediately suspicious and all but accuses the pair of murder. This isn’t the warm Irish welcome Eleanor imagined!
Clifford is certain he recognises the poor fellow from the funeral of Eleanor’s uncle – but what was their connection? Undeterred by the villagers’ lack of gossip on the matter, Eleanor is determined to get justice for the victim. The man’s pockets are suspiciously empty of personal effects, but closer inspection reveals an old key hidden in the heel of his boot. Could this unlock more than one mystery for Eleanor?
But when a fire breaks out at the castle on Christmas Eve, an even bigger question looms: is someone out to ensure the family line dies with Lady Swift? And will Eleanor’s first Irish Christmas be her last?
An utterly addictive festive whodunnit set in Ireland, brimming with mystery, intrigue and wit. Sure to delight fans of T E Kinsey, Agatha Christie and Rhys Bowen.
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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