Mr Cunliffe fears for his life so reluctantly contacts his old friend’s butler. Clifford couldn’t possibly abandon his post so Lady Eleanor Swift travels to Cornwall with him. The pair arrive to find the police have discovered a body…
Murder on the Cornish Cliffs is the 16th book to feature Lady Eleanor Swift and her incomparable butler Clifford.
Mr Cunliffe has very specific ideas about class and gender so it is almost unbearable for him to feel the need to ask for help from a butler, let alone a woman. Luckily, Clifford and Eleanor are able to overlook his prejudice and focus on the murder. Ellie is disappointed to be far from home and her fiance in the lead up to Christmas. But the murder provides an opportunity to call on Hugh for help.
The wit and humour between Ellie and Clifford continues to work well. There are a number of eccentric characters in this book and I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to laugh with them or at them. I enjoyed the change in setting although I did miss the rest of Ellie’s staff who often play such a significant role. The mystery was sustained well and I was kept guessing until the reveal.
Murder on the Cornish Cliffs is an enjoyable addition to this cosy historical murder mystery series.
Book Description:
A festive invitation from an old family friend, the promise of gingerbread at the village inn, snowy walks on the Cornish coast with Gladstone the bulldog… But wait, is that a body on the beach?
Winter, 1923. It’s nearly Christmas and Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather strange letter from an old friend of her uncle. Mr Godfrey Cunliffe has asked her to stay in Cornwall for the holidays – but only because he believes his gardener is trying to poison him! With not a moment to waste Eleanor hurries down to his picturesque manor house with her butler Clifford and handsome beau Detective Hugh Seldon. But they arrive too late to stop the crime…
Lying dead at the bottom of the steep cliffs, however, is not Mr Cunliffe, but the gardener himself. And his plans for restoring the gardens to their former glory are missing. Jerome St Clair has gone from suspect to victim. This certainly puts a twist in the tinsel!
As snow begins to fall, Eleanor quizzes the family. Mr Cunliffe’s alibi is as fragile as the glass baubles hanging from his towering Christmas tree. Eleanor quickly realises everyone from the handyman to the housekeeper is keeping secrets, and she’s convinced that Mr Cunliffe is still scared for his life.
When Gladstone the bulldog pulls a charred corner of the missing garden plans from a fireplace festooned with a gold-ribboned garland, Eleanor thinks the clue she needs is hiding out in the grounds. But when someone tries to run her over with the huge lawnmower, she knows she must wrap up the mystery fast before her Christmas is cancelled for good…
Murder on the Cornish Cliffs is a fun, twisty and absolutely gripping historical English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of T.E. Kinsey, Catherine Coles and Agatha Christie.
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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