A VERY ENGLISH MURDER is the first book in Verity Bright’s “Lady Eleanor Swift” mystery series set in the 1920s. Lady Eleanor is twenty-nine and has traveled all over the world and had adventures that few women at that time experienced. When she inherits her late uncle’s estate Henley Hall, it’s a huge change for Eleanor. Witnessing a murder from afar is another shock. Over the course of A VERY ENGLISH MURDER, Eleanor hunts down clues and checks out alibis with help from her late uncle’s dog Gladstone and his butler Clifford. Although Eleanor initially fills out of place at Henley Hall, a sense of purpose gradually gives her a sense of belonging.
Eleanor is perhaps a somewhat unlikely amateur sleuth, but she has experience with adventure, and she is incredibly determined. Since the victim, Spencer Atkins, was someone she knew and was a friend of her uncle’s, through the investigation she learns more about both men. There are some whimsical touches in this story, but also some realistic ones. Clues are hard to come by for Eleanor, so she and Clifford must really dig, using their imaginations and running down leads nearly every day. Suspects include characters typical in a small English village – tradesmen, politicians, farmers, petty thieves, and local gentry. Lord Lancelot Fenwick-Langham is a charming and oftentimes silly admirer of Eleanor’s, but as a potential suspect, she doesn’t know whether to kiss him to keep him at arm’s length and under careful observation. Eventually Eleanor gets to a point where paranoia temporarily sets in and she doesn’t know if she can trust anyone. There is a nice balance, in A VERY ENGLISH MURDER, between entertaining cozy mystery and a novel with strong elements of a classic Golden Age mystery.
A VERY ENGLISH MURDER has cozy English charm, a bold female sleuth, and thrills. I like the dynamic between Eleanor and Clifford as an investigative team. Clifford always seems to have contacts or inside information that Eleanor isn’t aware of, but they each add something equally vital to the investigation. I look forward to reading Verity Bright’s next “Lady Eleanor Swift” mystery. As far as any potential love interest for Eleanor – I hope she doesn’t wind up with a policeman. I wouldn’t be dead set against that angle, but I’ve seen it happen in so many mysteries with a female amateur sleuth.
Move over Miss Marple, there’s a new sleuth in town! Meet Eleanor Swift: distinguished adventurer, dog lover, dignified lady… daring detective?
England, 1920. Eleanor Swift has spent the last few years travelling the world: taking tea in China, tasting alligators in Peru, escaping bandits in Persia and she has just arrived in England after a chaotic forty-five-day flight from South Africa. Chipstone is about the sleepiest town you could have the misfortune to meet. And to add to these indignities – she’s now a Lady.
Lady Eleanor, as she would prefer not to be known, reluctantly returns to her uncle’s home, Henley Hall. Now Lord Henley is gone, she is the owner of the cold and musty manor. What’s a girl to do? Well, befriend the household dog, Gladstone, for a start, and head straight out for a walk in the English countryside, even though a storm is brewing…
But then, from the edge of a quarry, through the driving rain, Eleanor is shocked to see a man shot and killed in the distance. Before she can climb down to the spot, the villain is gone and the body has vanished. With no victim and the local police convinced she’s stirring up trouble, Eleanor vows to solve this affair by herself. And when her brakes are mysteriously cut, one thing seems sure: someone in this quiet country town has Lady Eleanor Swift in their murderous sights…
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