Murder By Invitation by Verity Bright
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 organised 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.
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. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.
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Review
‘Murder By Invitation’ is the fifteen book in this series and it was just as captivating a story and mystery as usual! How are we are book fifteen already?? It can definitely be read as a standalone though, although I do recommend this series wholeheartedly.
It is the King’s birthday and the whole village, including Lady Eleanor Swift and her staff are involved in arranging a street party and celebration! Everything was going swimmingly until the chair of the Planning Committee was found murdered, strangled with the celebration bunting! As if so happens, Eleanor's fiance, Detective Hugh Seldon is visiting and they dive straight into working out who the murderer is.
I thoroughly enjoyed this outing but then I know I always am going to when I pick any book from this series up! But there was a section in which there was a lot of tension and danger for Eleanor and Clifford, her trusty Butler’ and I was hooked. It was expertly written and it felt very real to the reader. I was right there next to them as they made every decision! High-octane stuff indeed!
It was also lovely to see Eleanor and Hugh spend a more sustained time together as it allowed for a glimpse into what married life will look for them! What I love about these books is that the characters do feel like friends and you care for every one of them, especially Gladstone!
Roll on the next book! Let me know if you pick this one up.
