Murder on the Cornish Cliffs
(A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #16)
by Verity Bright
A festive invitation from an old family friend, the promise of gingerbread at the village inn, snowy walks on the Cornish coast with Gladstone the bulldog… But wait, is that a body on the beach?
Winter, 1923. It’s nearly Christmas and Lady Eleanor Swift has received a rather strange letter from an old friend of her uncle. Mr Godfrey Cunliffe has asked her to stay in Cornwall for the holidays – but only because he believes his gardener is trying to poison him! With not a moment to waste Eleanor hurries down to his picturesque manor house with her butler Clifford and handsome beau Detective Hugh Seldon. But they arrive too late to stop the crime…
Lying dead at the bottom of the steep cliffs, however, is not Mr. Cunliffe, but the gardener himself. And his plans for restoring the gardens to their former glory are missing. Jerome St. Clair has gone from suspect to victim. This certainly puts a twist in the tinsel!
As snow begins to fall, Eleanor quizzes the family. Mr. Cunliffe’s alibi is as fragile as the glass baubles hanging from his towering Christmas tree. Eleanor quickly realizes everyone from the handyman to the housekeeper is keeping secrets, and she’s convinced that Mr. Cunliffe is still scared for his life.
When Gladstone the bulldog pulls a charred corner of the missing garden plans from a fireplace festooned with a gold-ribboned garland, Eleanor thinks the clue she needs is hiding out on the grounds. But when someone tries to run her over with the huge lawnmower, she knows she must wrap up the mystery fast before her Christmas is canceled for good…
Murder on the Cornish Cliffs is a fun, twisty, and absolutely gripping historical English cozy mystery, perfect for fans of T.E. Kinsey, Catherine Coles, and Agatha Christie.
My Rating:
Favorite Quote:
Now face to face, she couldn’t help arriving at the uncharitable conclusion that he must have been drawn nose first, and then the artist had lost heart.
My Review:
This is such a fun and enjoyable series that keeps me guessing as well as pleasantly entertained. This installment was the longest and most complicated mystery yet. I would never have come to this conclusion as I had been suspecting the wrong person for most of the book. This adventure was completely away from home and without her ladies for backup, yet her ever-prepared, flawlessly presented, and perfectly kitted butler was more than up to the task of keeping Eleanor alive and squabbling with clever wit and high style.
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