Murder by Invitation
Verity Bright
322 pages
Bookouture
published September 27, 2023
About the book
Lady Swift has been cordially invited to a huge royal celebration in Little Buckford to toast the King’s birthday… but wait, is that a body in the village hall?
Lady Eleanor Swift and her loyal butler Clifford are busy lending a hand with preparations for the big day. The grand dining room at Henley Hall is overflowing with home-sewn flags, paint and royal rosettes. Even Gladstone the bulldog and his new friend Tomkins the ginger cat are invited!
But just days before the event Mr Prestwick-Peterson, the chairman of the celebrations committee, is found dead in the village hall: strangled with handmade red, white and royal blue bunting.
With the village hall in total disarray and a key part of the decorations missing, Eleanor wonders if someone dastardly is sabotaging the King’s birthday celebrations? Teaming up with her handsome beau Detective Hugh Seldon to question the local butcher, baker, and pub landlord it becomes clear that the meddlesome busybody Mr Prestwick-Peterson was not universally liked in charming Little Buckford. Indeed, the only mystery is why he wasn’t murdered before…
Searching Mr Prestwick-Peterson’s pristinely organised rooms, Eleanor is surprised to find a faded photograph of a beautiful young woman hidden within the pages of a novel. Could this be the key to untangling this very village murder? And can Eleanor catch the killer before the party is over for her, too?
A totally charming, unputdownable Golden Age murder mystery with characters readers will adore. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.
My Review
This is another great installment in the series. As Lady Eleanor is helping to prepare for a gala for the King, of course there is a body found. And are you surprised that She along with her butler investigate the death. While this is book 15 in the series, I have only read a handful, so I can offer that this can be read as a stand alone, but I am probably missing out on a little of the backstory, but enough is always provided by the author.
Filled with the usual humor of the series, this cozy is an entertaining read. While I enjoyed the last book set in NY, this one finds the crew back home. and a little darker than the other few I have read. Also Clifford had more of a role than the other books, which is good as I really like him. I always love Lady Eleanor and that she is strong and independent in a time that isn’t the norm for women. She is undeterred as she questions suspects and works to find the murderer.
If you like cozy mysteries and haven’t read this series, I highly recommend it. I always read these books quickly and am never disappointed.
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.for th
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