For fans of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries comes Jane Wunderly—a thoroughly modern young American widow—traveling abroad in post-World War I England and enjoying the hospitality of a dashing lord and a perfectly proper manor house, until murder makes an unwelcome appearance . . .
England, 1926: Wedgefield Manor, deep in the tranquil Essex countryside, provides a welcome rest stop for Jane and her matchmaking Aunt Millie before their return to America. While Millie spends time with her long-lost daughter, Lillian, and their host, Lord Hughes, Jane fills the hours devouring mystery novels and taking flying lessons—much to Millie’s disapproval. But any danger in the air is eclipsed by tragedy on the ground when one of the estate’s mechanics, Air Force veteran Simon Marshall, is killed in a motorcar collision.
The sliced brake cables prove this was no accident, yet was the intended victim someone other than Simon? The house is full of suspects—visiting relations, secretive servants, strangers prowling the grounds at night—and also full of targets. The enigmatic Mr. Redvers, who helped Jane solve a murder in Egypt, arrives on the scene to once more offer his assistance. It seems that everyone at Wedgefield wants Jane to help protect the Hughes family. But while she searches for answers, is she overlooking a killer hiding in plain sight?
“The country house intrigue and an unconventional chase reap rewards. Readers will look forward to further cases of the intrepid Jane and the mysterious Mr. Redvers.” —Publishers Weekly
I requested this book from Kensington on Netgalley because it sounded good; I love books set in the 1920s and this one sounded like it was right out of a Christie novel. After a couple of chapters, I realized this was the second book in the series, so I went back and read the first book before I read this one. And I'd have to say, it probably wasn't necessary, there were very few mentions from the first book and none of them impacted this story but it was well worth the read. This series is definitely now very high up on my must-read list! The books are so easy to sink into, with great characters, a dash of romance and amazing twists to keep the plot moving quickly.
I enjoyed this one a lot, I've come to love the characters and look on them as friends. Jane is easy to relate to; equal parts strong, sassy and vulnerable, you just want to be her friend. The dashing and mysterious Redvers adds some spice and watching (well, reading) their chemistry and tenacious investigating makes it easy to "fall" into the story quickly. I also liked that it picked up from where the last book left off, with many of the same characters and giving us more of a look into who they are.
While I figured out "whodunit" pretty quickly (there weren't many suspects, which made it pretty easy,) I enjoyed watching the story unfold and all the twists and turns. I could've done with a bit less of the rehashing that happened throughout the book, but I didn't feel that it slowed the plot down any; the pace moved along steadily and it really didn't take much to draw me in and keep me there. But the ending! Absolutely smashed it, loved the thrilling North by Northwest chase at the end and the last chapter left on an open note makes me salivate for book 3.
If you enjoy Agatha Christie, great characters, lovely scenery and riveting plots, this series has it all.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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5 March, 2021:
Finished reading
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5 March, 2021:
Reviewed