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A LESSON IN MURDER

 



SYNOPSIS

When Lady Swift is invited to her old school, she walks through familiar classrooms, finds her favourite books in the library… and surely that’s not a body? Time for a lesson in murder!

Autumn, 1921. Lady Eleanor Swift is invited to her old school, St Mary’s, as a guest speaker. Her favourite teacher, Mrs Wadsworth, has asked that Eleanor talk about her intrepid travels around the globe – travelling the Silk Road by bicycle, crossing the Himalayas and even befriending the Maharaja of India. But in the circumstances, perhaps it would have been a good idea to talk about her career as a daring detective…

Because no sooner has Eleanor brushed up on her times tables then she is greeted by terrible news: Mrs Wadsworth has been murdered. Eleanor is utterly devastated but she owes it to her dearest teacher to find out who killed her and why. So, alongside Gladstone the bulldog, it’s best paw forward to track down a villain.

But when the art teacher is also found dead, Eleanor is sure someone is trying to do away with the people who taught her everything. As Eleanor delves into possible motives, she discovers a clue in the most unlikely place: her mother’s old school diary. Does the route to the murderer lie within a secret passageway her mother uncovered? Can Eleanor nail the culprit in time or is the killer coming for her next?


Title: A lesson in murder
Author: Verity Bright
Series: Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery #7
Publisher: Bookouture
Publication date: September 10, 2021




Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.


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REVIEW

RATING: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lady Swift is back…at school! It seems like it was yesterday we met Ellie for the first time and we’re already at book 7!

Eleanor is invited to her old school as a guest speaker but when she’s about to give her speech, tragedy strikes with the discovery of her favorite teacher’s body. Although it looks like an accident, Ellie, Clifford and DI Seldon believe it’s murder, so Ellie infiltrates the school staff to investigate.

This was such a fun read! I’m a huge fan of the series and its characters and the change of scenery was very refreshing, although I missed some of the regulars as the ladies of Henley Hall or the Langhams. I loved how thanks to this new setting we got some glimpses of young Ellie and all the mischief she left in her wake.

The boarding school introduces a whole pool of suspects and, as Ellie did, I had to write a list of characters to keep track of who taught what. Ellie’s relationship with the girls she had under her care was the perfect balance between a responsible adult and a young kid at heart.

Once again her banter with Clifford was a pleasure to read. I love how he can always predict her needs even before she does. It was also nice seeing her relationship with Seldon move forward and can’t wait to see where that last conversation leads them.

The murder mystery was fun and I did not guess the murderer this time. The motive was a bit hard to believe but still was entertaining.

Special mention to the historical notes at the end that clarified a lot of the historical info and details provided throughout the plot.

Another great installment in an absolutely recommended series for fans of historical cozy mysteries.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.




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