annieb123's Review of Death at the Manor

by Katharine Schellman

The tortured spirits of the dead haunt a Regency-era English manor—but the true danger lies in the land of the living in the third installment in the Lily Adler mysteries, perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn.

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to spending the autumn away from the social whirl of London. When she arrives in Hampshire with her friends, the Carroways, she doesn’t expect much more than a quiet country visit and the chance to spend time with her charming new acquaintance, Matthew Spencer.

But something odd is afoot in the small country village. A ghost has taken up residence in the Belleford manor, a lady in grey who wanders the halls at night, weeping and wailing. Half the servants have left in terror, but the family seems delighted with the notoriety that their ghost provides. Intrigued by this spectral guest, Lily and her party immediately make plans to visit Belleford.

They arrive at the manor the next morning ready to be entertained—only to find that tragedy has struck. The matriarch of the family has just been found killed in her bed.

The dead woman’s family is convinced that the ghost is responsible. Lily is determined to learn the truth before another victim turns up—but could she be next in line for the Great Beyond?

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Death at the Manor is the third Lily Adler historical cozy mystery by Katharine Schellman. Released 9th Aug 2022 by Crooked Lane, it's 336 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperback format due out in third quarter 2023 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. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a nice historical mystery set in the Regency era and featuring a well rounded cast of characters, including young widow Lily Adler, recently arrived in London from Hertfordshire 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.

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 adeptly crafted and the motives for the crimes are believable (for fiction).

Four stars. Highly recommended, especially to fans of the genre.

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

Reading updates

19 March, 2023: Started reading

19 March, 2023: Finished reading

19 March, 2023: Reviewed