THE MURDER AT MANDEVILLE HALL is the seventh book in the Casebook of Barnaby Adair series by Stephanie Laurens. I love the setting in this installment of Stephanie Laurens' mystery series featuring Barnaby Adair and his friends. Alaric, Lord Carradale, a wealthy bachelor in his late thirties, is attending a friend's house party with the intention to find a woman to wed. Unfortunately for Lord Carradale things take a deadly turn when he finds Miss Glynis Johnson murdered. That moment proves to be a turning point in Alaric's life because, right after stumbling upon a body, he is discovered by the woman who ends up rocking his world. Miss Constance Whittaker's only thought is to save her cousin from any rash behavior when she finds her dead and a strikingly attractive man at the scene. This setup is one that I find irresistible: a murder at a drafty country estate, a house party gone terribly wrong, suspects galore, and a strong and savvy hero and heroine working together to solve the mystery and avenge an innocent.

Although I loved the previous book in this series, THE MURDER AT MANDEVILLE HALL has a lot to love. The potential lovers in this story are a little older than the ones in the previous book, and I like that. Alaric and Constance are self-assured, intelligent, and know what they want and recognize it when they see it. Barnaby Adair and his crew of sleuths help out solving the mystery but are not needed to play matchmakers. Alaric and Constance work together hunting down clues and verifying alibis in perfect harmony and fall in love along the way. In the previous book, the investigators had a little more to work with and a better idea of where to start looking for answers. In THE MURDER AT MANDEVILLE HALL, everyone is struggling to find any piece of the puzzle that will lead to the solution of this mystery. This is a story about the secrets kept by members of high society and the varying lengths they will go to in order to keep them and a murderer who is guided by his madness. The dogged determination by the detectives, the thrilling race against time, and the enchanting bit of romance make THE MURDER AT MANDEVILLE HALL such a treat for fans of historical romance as well as Golden Age mysteries.

THE MURDER AT MANDEVILLE HALL is a perplexing and enthralling mystery. There are so many supporting characters in THE MURDER AT MANDEVILLE HALL who I was intrigued by and hope to see in future stories. In this story, Stephanie Laurens shows how the cruel actions of one person can ruin more than one life, and how characters are transformed by tragedy. I'm excited to see what kind of magic Stephanie Laurens works in her next book.