Publication date – September 27, 2023

Summary

In the small Cotswold village of Little Buckford, preparations are underway for the birthday celebration of King George. Lady Eleanor Swift has been drafted on to the committee in charge of planning the birthday parade. Her long list of duties seems to be getting longer all the time due to the overly enthusiastic committee chairperson, Mr. Prestwick-Peterson. A fussy, demanding individual who appears to be universally disliked, when Prestwick-Peterson is found dead, strangled by birthday decorations, Lady Eleanor is determined to find the culprit so that it won’t ruin the special day. 

My Thoughts

This is book #15 of the The Eleanor Swift Mystery series, and the first that I have read. Often it can be a challenge coming in so late in a series, but I didn’t find any problems catching on to what was happening. 

It did take me a couple of chapters to really get into the story, but I suspect those familiar with the characters will enjoy it right from the start. Those first chapters were very dialogue heavy, and I wasn’t invested in the characters at that point. As the story proceeded and I got a better feeling for the characters and location, it became a more enjoyable read.

The characters were quite entertaining. Lady Eleanor Swift is bright, daring, very loyal to her servants and village, and not at all restrained by what society expects of her. Her relationship with her butler, Clifford, was one of the high points of the story for me. The interactions between the two lend a great deal of humor to the story. 

Clifford rather reminded me of Wodehouse’s Jeeves. He was very knowledgeable about many things and tried to maintain a professional demeanor in the face of many non-traditional situations. He often had creative solutions to problems that arose. However, he was definitely more talkative than Jeeves ever was.

The mystery was cleverly constructed. There was a very specific pool of suspects, all with very similar alibis that couldn’t be confirmed and all with nearly identical motives. There were some interesting twists along the way to the solution. 

What Else I Liked

• The bulldog, Gladstone, and Tompkins the ginger tomcat were adorable companions.

• The shops and residences they visited were described very vividly. I could imagine everything they were seeing. I really loved the description of Lord Wildmoor’s stables and the reading room where the committee first met. 

• Even though this isn’t a culinary cosy, the descriptions of foods were fabulous. Whether the meals were at home, the pub, or a tea at another residence, I wanted to eat what they were eating.

• I found the historical notes at the end very interesting. 

• I am impressed with Lady Eleanor’s breakfasting habits. One might think she was a hobbit. 

• Most of the village characters and Henley Hall servants were endearing.

• – There were no obvious anachronisms and it’s clear there was a lot of research into the time period.

What I Didn’t Like

• Her fiance, Hugh Seldon, was a wee bit annoying. This could be where coming in on book 15 put me at a disadvantage, because I had no prior experience of his personality. In this book, apparently, Hugh, a police officer, found investigation was a nuisance. He kept carrying on about how they were wasting time asking people questions. I understand he felt pressure to solve the case, but am uncertain how he planned to solve the case without interviewing suspects. Admittedly, he delivered a lovely toast to Eleanor at the party, which was a point in his favor, and he does seem to respect her and her abilities so I believe I could warm to him.

• There was a scene in a cave where the pacing felt a bit off. It rather dragged.

• Lady Eleanor was an intelligent woman who had travelled the world and been alive during World War 1 and the Russian Revolution, so her shock at the idea of the mere existence of anarchists or anti-monarchists felt uncharacteristically naive.

Rating 3/5

I received an eArc of this book free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Subscribe to be kept up to date with my reviews

About the Author

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband and wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. (information from veritybright.com)