Death Down the Aisle (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery, #11)

by Verity Bright

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Death Down the Aisle is the 11th Lady Eleanor SwiftLady Eleanor Swift cozy mystery by pseudonymous writing duo Verity Bright. Released 31st Aug 2022, it's 266 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. 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. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book (and the rest of the series) are currently included in the KU library to borrow and read for free.

This is such a lightly humorous and refreshing read. The entire series is just perfect for lifting the spirits and is wonderfully entertaining throughout. The style is reminiscent of earlier golden age inter-war mysteries. It's irreverent, with an appealing ensemble cast of amateur society sleuth Lady Eleanor and her butler/dogsbody Clifford whom she inherited along with her title from her late uncle as well as assorted society friends and servants. Gladstone the elderly bulldog also makes an appearance in this installment, bow tie and all, as Lady Eleanor's "plus one" at the society wedding of the century. Even more scandal ensues when the bridegroom is arrested before the nuptials when he's found crouched over the body of the other woman to whom he was engaged. (Egads!). Eleanor is soon on the case and woe betide the criminals.

It's a fast and undemanding cozy; the language is clean, the crimes are not written violently or explicitly and the denouement is satisfying and well written. For readers looking for verisimilitude in dialogue and action, be warned, this series is full of modern vernacular and sensibilities. Eleanor fraternizes with the servants and runs a shockingly lax estate.

Four and a half stars, a truly fun romp. There are now 11 extant books in the series, with the 12th due out in late Nov 2022. This is a prime candidate for binge reading. Although each of the books is self contained, I recommend reading them in order (though it's not absolutely necessary). Not a troublesome exercise since they're all currently available to borrow on kindle unlimited, if one is a subscriber.

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