A Midwinter Murder

A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery, Book 20

De: Verity Bright

Narrado por: Karen Cass

Homemade baubles, reindeer-shaped cookies and snowy walks across the rolling moors… but Lady Swift’s festive plans are ruined when a body turns up!

Winter 1924. When Lady Eleanor Swift unexpectedly finds herself a guest of the reclusive Duke of Auldwyke, she’s determined to enjoy Christmas with all the trimmings at his sprawling manor house. And that includes kisses under the mistletoe and cozying up by the fire with her fiancé, dashing detective Hugh Seldon.

Instead, the season of goodwill turns frosty as she finds the Duke’s studious secretary, Mr Porritt, dead in the storeroom. Clasped in his chilly hand is a golden pendant in the shape of a rose. The Duke denies ever having seen the necklace before. But Eleanor can see the lies in his eyes… Did it belong to his mysteriously absent wife?

Hugh and Eleanor must ditch relaxing with hot cocoa in favour of interviewing the Duke’s holiday guests. Every suspect has a secret they’d kill to keep: the socialite with the false name, the Sir with a questionable inheritance and the husband hiding a crack in his marriage.

As the blizzard outside rages, Auldwyke Hall becomes cut off. Trapped by the snow, Eleanor and Hugh must skate around the increasingly secretive Duke to unwrap the identity of the killer. But does the answer to the secretary’s murder lie with a ghost of Christmas past? And when an attempt is made on the Duke’s life too, they realise the killer is closer than they think…

A gripping and twisty Golden Age murder mystery set in a country house on the Yorkshire moors, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss!

©2024 Verity Bright (P)2024 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

Excellent Read

I did not want it to end! This book has it all, Christmas festivities, murder & mayhem, witty dialogue, romance, and all my favorite characters. Eleanor, Hugh, Clifford, and the Ladies are all present and accounted for, as Eleanor's plans for a magically romantic Christmas with Hugh meet with one challenge after another, but Lady Swift and her people never give up. I am hopeful that we will see more of the young constable who is introduced in this adventure. This is a delightful read, and I anxiously await the next book in the series scheduled to release in March 2025.

In addition to the very skillful story telling by the team that is Verify Bright, I enjoy the historical notes following the conclusion of the story that give readers a glimpse into real life that inspires or forms the basis for the fictional versions in the story.

As always, Karen Cass does an excellent job of voicing these characters and bringing them to life.

Love the series

Such an enjoyable listen. Characters are interesting , cheeky and caring for one another. With all of the anger in the world, it’s a respite.

I Didn't Want It To End!

In A Midwinter Murder, the newest installment of the Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, Lady Eleanor had been very excited to spend her first Christmas with her fiance, Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon, at her residence, Henley Hall - That is until she received an invitation to a three-day Christmas shooting party from the Duke of Auldwyk, a man she didn't even know. Reluctantly, she and Hugh agreed to attend, having no idea of the chaos that awaited them. Not only had their holiday plans changed, they were almost derailed completely - by murder.

This was my first time listening to any of the books from the series, and it won't be my last - The story hooked me within minutes. The narrator was terrific. She's been the narrator of all the audiobooks and knows these characters intimately. She could voice and slide from one to another seamlessly, something she could do because she's worked on the series for so long.

The story flowed easily, and the narrator brought it to life so well that I felt like I was there. Eleanor, Hugh, and Eleanor's staff and pets soon became my friends - albeit in print. I became invested in their lives and what they were doing and feeling. That's the mark of a great writer whose story was paired with an equally great narrator - I completely lost track of time as I listened and was genuinely sad when it ended.

Set in the 1920s, The Eleanor Swift series is a set of historical cozy mysteries. There were even historical notes and recipes at the end of the book, even on the audio recording, which further enhanced my understanding of the period, culture, and daily life in early twentieth-century Yorkshire.

I love cozy mysteries because while they focus on murders, they leave out any really gory details. They may mention some blood, but that's more often than not as far as it goes. Many also feature animals as the amateur sleuth's sidekick, usually cats and dogs. The reader gets to find out things about the murder right along with the major characters. I like to try to guess who the murderer is before they're caught - It keeps my critical thinking skills sharp.

I started to read cozies in my late teensI would recommend A Midwinter Murder for readers aged seventeen and up.

Thank you to Bookouture Audio for considering this book for my review via NetGalley. All of the opinions expressed in this review are my own. The fact that the book was given to me as an Advanced Reader Copy in no way influenced my review, and I am leaving it voluntarily.

Much more developed plot

Best storyline yet. More characters and inclusion of the continuing characters more deeply in the plot. It was just more enjoyable this time.

My favorite so far

Something about the interaction / collaboration between Hugh and Eleanor. And that she's talking to herself less which I suppose is a result of that? I don't know but just really enjoyed this book.

Phew!

Was nervous for this one, as her last book didn’t seem up to par. Thankfully, this was a hit! Much more in line with her previous books, can’t wait for the next one!

Always wonderful!

Always great! I wish the next one was available NOW! Buti I must be patient!

Story line was new.

I expected a nice little “b” story, but was surprised to get quite a nice new story line with characters I really liked. I had never read a book by this author before but certainly will again.

Love Lady Swift!

I love that the ladies, Clifford and Seldon were all together for this adventure with Lady Swift! keep them coming!!

Romance is afoot

Mystery just did not work for me due to (spoilers darling spoilers ). There has to be at least some mention of perpetrators for the mystery to feel sporting.