Murder in an Irish Castle by Verity Bright
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, 1923. 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 recognises 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?
An utterly addictive festive whodunnit set in Ireland, brimming with mystery, intrigue and wit. Sure to delight fans of T E Kinsey, Agatha Christie and Rhys Bowen.
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.
https://twitter.com/BrightVerity
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Review
‘Murder in an Irish Castle’ sees Eleanor and Clifford transported to rural Ireland, Derrydee, on a visit to the castle which she inherited after her Uncle Byron’s death. They have been invited over to see how Christmas is celebrated there. Not far from their destination they find a body on the road and rush them to a nearby nunnery to get help for them. Unfortunately, the man died and Eleanor and Clifford decide that there is something suspicious about his death and put their detective caps on!
As you all surely know by now, I wax lyrical about this series. It's one of my all-time favourites and I always look forward to each new instalment! This was no different and I utterly loved this one. Once again it was the location that did it for me and being immersed in the historical details of the period was a bonus. It really did show the contrast between Eleanor’s home back in England and rural Ireland between the wars. Comparing the two was eye-opening as Derrydee was stuck very firmly in the past when it comes to the emerging modernity of the period. Anyway, this history nerd loved it all!
This is book twelve in the series but it is easily digested as a standalone. Due to the change of location apart from Eleanor and Clifford, all the characters are new to the reader and there is very little background story required! At least Gladstone was along for the ride, even if there was a distinct lack of sausages available for his consumption.
Roll on the next book, Death on Deck! I flaming love a historical mystery set on an ocean liner!
