annieb123's Review of Murder at Midnight (LILLY ADLER MYSTERY, A, #4)

by Katharine Schellman

Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Ashley Weaver, when a body is found shot to death after an unexpected snowstorm, Lily Adler quickly realizes that some people will stop at nothing to bury their secrets.

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to a quiet Christmastide away from the schemes and secrets she witnessed daily in London. Not only will she be visiting the family of her late husband; she will be reunited with Captain Jack Hartley, her friend and confidante, finally returned after a long voyage at sea.

But secrets aren’t only found in London. Jack’s younger sister, Amelia, is the center of neighborhood scandal and gossip. She refuses to tell anyone what really happened, even when an unexpected snowstorm strands the neighborhood families together after a Christmas ball. Stuck until the snow stops, the Adlers, Hartleys, and their neighbors settle in for the night, only to be awakened in the morning by the scream of a maid who has just discovered a dead body.

The victim was the well-to-do son of a local gentleman—the same man whose name has become so scandalously linked to Amelia’s.

With the snow still falling and no way to come or go, it’s clear that someone in the house was responsible for the young man’s death. When suspicion instantly falls on Jack’s sister, he and Lily must unmask the true culprit before Amelia is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit.

Murder at Midnight is the fourth Lily Adler historical cozy mystery by Katharine Schellman. Released 19th Sept 2023 by Crooked Lane, it's 320 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in third quarter 2024 from the same publisher. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a nice historical mystery set in the Regency era and featuring a well rounded cast of characters, including young widow Lily Adler, up from London in Hertfordshire for the holiday season, and still in semi-mourning for her late husband. The mystery is written around a framework of real history which gives it some verisimilitude. The background research was inserted seamlessly and the whole is quite polished and engaging.

This is a limited suspect pool isolated "country house" setting, and does a more-than-creditable job of following the pattern with fair play clues, multiple twists, and red herrings in the classic style.

The writing is articulate, the narrative arc and tension are well engineered, and with a satisfying denouement. The dialogue isn't ever clunky or cringe-worthy (and for modern Regency fiction, that's saying something). There are some minor developments between the main characters which will be spoiled by having been read out of order, but nothing major. The mystery is nicely crafted and the motives for the crimes are believable (for fiction).
Four stars. Highly recommended, especially to fans of the genre. This would be a good fit for fans of C.S. Harris, Stephanie Barron, and Anne Perry.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Reading updates

26 November, 2023: Started reading

26 November, 2023: Finished reading

26 November, 2023: Reviewed