Murder in the Snow
(A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #4)
by Verity Bright
An English Christmas has mince pies, cheerful carols, a twinkling tree… and a murder? Thank goodness Lady Swift is on the scene!
Winter, 1920. Amateur sleuth Lady Eleanor Swift is feeling festive. She is playing host to the entire village at Henley Hall for gifts, games, and gingerbread. She’s also purchased perfect presents for each of her household – not forgetting the biggest bone in the butcher’s shop for her partner in crime, Gladstone the bulldog – and is looking forward to celebrating her first English country Christmas.
As snowflakes fall, Eleanor is cheering on contestants in the traditional Christmas fun run in the grounds of the Hall. But tragedy strikes when one of the runners drops dead at the finish line. Dashing Detective Seldon is convinced it’s just a heart attack, but Eleanor isn’t so sure. When she finds a rather distinctive key where the man fell, Eleanor knows she’ll never rest until she finds out the truth about what happened in her own home.
Next the vicar is taken ill with what looks like poison and Eleanor starts to wonder if the two cases are linked. When someone tries to frame her by planting poisoned berries in her own kitchen, she knows speed is of the essence. But the entire village was at Henley Hall for the festivities and Eleanor has enough suspects to stuff a town full of turkeys. Can she nail the true killer and clear her name in time for Christmas?
Christmas won’t be complete without it! A festive treat for fans of Agatha Christie, TE Kinsey, and Lee Strauss.
My Rating:
Favorite Quotes:
Indeed, the flames of fury do not necessarily diminish with time. Rather, time tends to feed them. Brooding over old injuries all too often leads to one result… Revenge…
I had no idea Christmas Day could be so exhausting… And I thought being a Lady of the Manor was all about languishing on chaise lounges and chiding the tradesmen!
Those eyes could melt a nun trapped in a glacier… I just meant that I can see why Canning did so well with the ladies, if all the stories are true. Not my type, but I can imagine in his day, Canning was quite the fox women would have howled at the moon over.
My Review:
I am continuing to enjoy this amusing series of historical cozy mysteries based in the early 1920s. The new and ongoing mysteries have been intriguing and unpredictable with characters who are unfailingly compelling, likable, and quirky. The storylines for Murder in the Snow were well-constructed and thoughtfully contrived with descriptive and wryly humorous insights and observations. This was a holiday season tale and felt more complex than the previous books with less romance and more sleuthing with her enigmatic and curiously fascinating butler.
The book sounds lovely, unfortunately I just can’t get into cozy mysteries. I think it is because I am used to full blown thrillers with all their blood and gore. Great review.
Well, Eleanor does scratch her cheek in chapter 1! And it’s quite a nasty cut 🙂
Hi Empress DJ – thanks so much for this review:) Glad it seemed there was more sleuthing this time 🙂
This series always sounds so fun and I love the covers.