Publisher: Bookouture
Series: A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #6
Genre: Historical Fiction - Cosy Mystery
Synopsis
Summer flowers, warm sunshine, a maypole dance and… is that another murder? A tricky case is afoot for Lady Swift!
Summer, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift, the best amateur sleuth in the country, is delighted to be in charge of the prize-giving at her village summer fair. But the traditional homemade raft race takes a tragic turn when the local undertaker, Solemn Jon, turns up dead amongst the ducks. Jon was the life of any party and loved by the entire village. Surely this was simply an awful accident?
But when a spiteful obituary is printed in the local paper, Eleanor realises there may be more to Jon’s death than first thought. Despite handsome Detective Seldon giving her strict instructions not to interfere, Eleanor owes it to Jon’s good name to root out the truth. So with her partner in crime, Gladstone the bulldog, Eleanor starts digging for clues…
When another local dies in a riding accident, the police refuse to believe he was murdered. But a second vindictive death notice convinces Eleanor of foul play. Solemn Jon’s assistant, a bullish banker and a majestic marquess make her suspect list, but it isn’t until she finds a dusty old photograph that she knows the true culprit behind both crimes. Then another obituary appears – her own! Can Eleanor nail the killer before she too turns up dead among the ducks?
An utterly compelling and charming cozy mystery! Pure delight for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.
My Thoughts
There were chuckles from the start at the opening of this latest Lady Eleanor (Ellie) Swift mystery. Two of my favourite characters are involved immediately. Well, three if you count Ellie.
At Little Buckford's May fair, Ellie upsets a grumpy farmer when she mistakes for his lunch the pig food parcel that the gluttonous bulldog, Gladstone, has stolen. Clifford, the butler, impeccably groomed as usual and carrying a struggling piglet, an entrant in the pig derby, arrives to calm the situation. The pig derby is one of the highlights of the fair, the description of which conjures up more hilarious images.
The story then moves on to another popular event at the fair, the homemade raft race. Solemn Jon, the cheerful undertaker of Little Buckford, and his raft fail to arrive at the finish line where Ellie is waiting to present him with the wooden spoon for coming in last. A search is organized and his body is discovered in the river. Accidental death is deemed the cause, but an obituary in the local paper claims it is murder.
Ellie is faced with a dilemma when Detective Inspector Hugh Seldon advises her not to pursue the matter: to risk his displeasure when their relationship was going so well or keep the promise made to Solemn Jon's widow to find out what happened. Of course, Ellie can't leave it alone and is drawn into a deadly investigation, a marriage proposal and blackmail before she and Clifford track down the culprit.
Murder at the Fair is another delightful and charming installment of this series, which is so much fun and never disappoints. Ellie and Clifford's repartee is once again very entertaining. Mrs. Butters, Mrs. Trotman and young Polly (the housekeeper, the cook and the maid) are as hilarious as ever. While Ellie and Clifford are out investigating, they are engaged in the annual spring clean of Henly Hall, with Mrs. Butters especially enamoured of a new time saving domestic appliance, which terrifies Polly.
As to the mystery - it wasn't obvious who the murderer was as there were a number of suspects. However, who it turned out to be was a total surprise, but cleverly worked out by our sleuths.
I thoroughly enjoyed catching up with Ellie, Clifford and all the other characters that make this series so lovable. The next book will be out later this year, a treat I'm looking forward to!
Where to Purchase
Amazon
Meet the Author
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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