Mona Moon travels to Merry Old England to visit Brynelleth, Robert Farley’s ancestral home, for the first time. Hoping to make a good impression, Mona finds she is rebuffed at every turn by Robert’s friends and even his servants. Events turn more sour as the staff quits after seeing ghosts, and a phantom keeps sabotaging repairs made to the manor. Despondent, Mona wants to return to the United States, but her trip is delayed when an American agent is discovered murdered at Brynelleth. She can’t leave Robert in such a lurch and begs her good friend, Lady Alice Nithercott, to help her find the culprit, who seems to be out for blood—Mona’s blood!

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

His eyes smoldered, looking like he had swallowed the canary and had to restrain himself from licking his lips.

We use vinegar in Merry Old England. If you ask for ketchup, the help will think you are a barbarian.

She couldn’t help but think of Benjamin Franklin’s saying— three people can keep a secret if two of them are dead.

My Review:

I am seriously late to this party, this is book nine and my first experience following the plucky Mona Moon and I adore her. I’m kicking myself for not noticing this delightful series sooner as Ms. Keam’s writing and storylines were a pleasure to step into. Her engaging style is refreshingly crisp, exquisitely detailed, and scrolled smoothly through my gray matter without a flicker. The tale was active, entertaining, and so easy and quick to read that I’m tempted to binge the entire series from the beginning.