Alyssa Maxwell continues her strong post-World War I cozy mystery series with a terrific second installment in PINCH OF POISON. Lady Phoebe Renshaw organized a luncheon to benefit and collect donations for wounded war veterans. She enlists the help of girls at the Haverleigh School for Young Ladies, the event's sponsor and where the lunch takes place.

Unfortunately not everyone has charity in mind as the school's headmistress ends up dead from poison. Was it one of the girls helping in the kitchen? Was it the headmistress's assistant who seems to covet her position? Or was it the school's nurse, clearly still shell-shocked from her work on the front lines? Phoebe and her lady's maid, Eva, plan to find out.

Many of the young ladies come from rich families, so it makes sense for Phoebe, who holds a similar position in society, to question them while Eva can best handle the servants. As with the first book in the series, Murder Most Malicious, Maxwell gives the reader numerous suspects, and I, for one, changed my mind many times and still didn't get it right. As Phoebe uncovers clues, the suspect list grows longer, not shorter.

Maxwell manages to mix in a bit of romance albeit chaste, but it's still compelling and adds flair to the characters. PINCH of POISON certainly can stand on its own, but I personally can't read series out of order and recommend starting with the first book. As with most series, the characters grow as the series progresses, so while unnecessary, reading in order gives a foundation and future books just enhance the experience. I can't wait for book three.