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 organized 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 Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

 

Aye, even at the worst of times, when he’d pulled on the devil’s own trousers, it don’t make it right for someone to have done for him like this… Not even if he’d pulled on the devil’s trousers and the jacket to match!

He were trouble with a head as twisted as the neck of a chicken on roastin’ day!

My Review:

 

This enjoyable and well-written series is always a fun read. I adore the characters and their progressing relationships and slowly evolving dynamics. The well-contrived mysteries are always confounding and unpredictable puzzlers to keep the little pea in my brain bouncing. This installment was busy and action-packed with peril for all involved, yet was easy to follow and kept my curiosity well-honed.

 

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