Murder in an Irish Castle
(A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #12)
by Verity Bright
Amazon/ B&N / BB
Irish whiskey, rolling green hills, a traditional Christmas feast and… a murder? Lady Swift will need the luck of the Irish to survive this holiday season!
Christmas, 1924. Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather unexpected invitation to the village Christmas party in the tiny, rural hamlet of Derrydee in the west of Ireland. Eleanor is thrilled about exploring her ancestral roots at her late uncle’s estate and spending the festive season in a castle. Packing Gladstone the bulldog’s coziest Christmas jumper, they set off to the Emerald Isle with her butler Clifford in tow.
Arriving late at night, Eleanor and Clifford are shocked when they find a body sprawled in the snow on the winding country lane outside the estate. The local constable is immediately suspicious and all but accuses the pair of murder. This isn’t the warm Irish welcome Eleanor imagined!
Clifford is certain he recognizes the poor fellow from the funeral of Eleanor’s uncle – but what was their connection? Undeterred by the villagers’ lack of gossip on the matter, Eleanor is determined to get justice for the victim. The man’s pockets are suspiciously empty of personal effects, but closer inspection reveals an old key hidden in the heel of his boot. Could this unlock more than one mystery for Eleanor?
But when a fire breaks out at the castle on Christmas Eve, an even bigger question looms: is someone out to ensure the family line dies with Lady Swift? And will Eleanor’s first Irish Christmas be her last?
My Rating:
Favorite Quote:
Even those born with no ears has heard of it, miss.
My Review:
I continue with my infatuation with Lady Swift, Gladstone, her irreparably spoiled elderly bulldog, and Clifford, and her always prepared, highly astute, and perfectly impeccable butler. I adore this series, it has been as comically amusing as it has been deviously clever with murder mysteries that the little pea in my brain has never seen coming. This one was completely unsolvable, brilliantly plotted, and shrewdly paced. I’m already primed for their next escapade.
About the Author
Thank you so much for the wonderful review! And I’m sure it is not a “little pea”. I always like to think of my brain as a “giant bean”, one capable of sprouting a giant beanstalk that leads the imagination to who knows where – and I’m sure yours is too having read your blog:)