A Midwinter Murder by Verity Bright Book Review

Publication Date:4 December 2024
Publisher: Bookouture
Format: Print, e-book and audio
Series: A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #20
Genre: Historical Mystery, Cosy Mystery

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!

My Thoughts

This mystery, the 20th in the series, begins with Ellie and her household staff arriving at the Duke of Auldwykes' Yorkshire estate for his annual Christmas shoot. Ellie had initially declined the invitation, which surprisingly included her fiancé, the Scotland Yard detective Hugh Seldon, but was persuaded to attend by the Duke's secretary, Mr Porritt.

With the ladies despatched to a nearby estate cottage, Ellie and Clifford, her butler, continue on to Auldwyke Hall where, within half an hour of their arrival, Ellie stumbles across a corpse. Unfortunately, it is Mr Porritt. When the police are called, a young, inexperienced constable attends the scene as there are no senior officers available. While helping him, Ellie lets slip that her fiancé is a Scotland Yard man and will be arriving the next day, and in absentia Hugh is assigned the case. Ellie awaits his arrival with trepidation for this Christmas was supposed to be a holiday, a magical time spent at home together with no distractions and a chance to set a date for their wedding, but instead they are guests of a man they have never met and involved in another murder investigation.

Even though disappointed that the Christmas he had envisaged wasn't to be Hugh takes charge of the case, ably assisted by Ellie and Clifford, and Constable Danby who is eager to learn all he can from Hugh. The investigation is hampered by the reclusive Duke and his rules and whims, his loyal but tight-lipped staff, the obstructive other guests, and the weather, which keeps all of them at the Hall.

Despite murder, Christmas festivities have not been ignored. The cottage where Mrs Butters, Mrs Trotman, Lizzie, Polly, Gladstone and Tomkins are ensconced is full of Christmas cheer. Decorations, fun and laughter, and tempting Christmas fare provide a warm and cheerful haven in contrast to the sombre mood at the Hall, and much appreciated by Ellie, Hugh, Clifford, and the very likeable Constable (who has caught Lizzie's eye). The weather plays its part too, by turning Yorkshire into a Christmas wonderland just perfect for romantic strolls in the snow and some childish fun hurtling down the snowy slopes on make-shift sleds.

I really enjoyed spending time with Ellie and her team again, especially with Hugh featured heavily in the story. I expressed concern in my review of the previous book about Ellie and Hugh's relationship, whether the bloom of love was beginning to wane. I'm happy to say that my fears were groundless. While their Christmas wasn't as planned, it still turned out to be a magical time for them!

As for the murder mystery, once again it was full of twists and turns, multiple suspects including the Duke, lists and notes being made and compared, brainstorming and the good-humoured teasing between the main characters that never fails to entertain. Constable Danby proved to be an asset and I hope he turns up in future books. I'm sure Lizzie wouldn't mind.

A Midwinter Murder is a wonderful addition to this series and it certainly fulfilled my wants for a great Christmas read.

Meet the Author

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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Where to Purchase

Amazon

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