SYNOPSIS
A grand villa, croissants for breakfast and a dead body in the wine cellar… Lady Swift can’t seem to take a vacation from murder!
Summer 1923. Lady Eleanor Swift is finally persuaded by her butler, Clifford, to take a villa in the south of France for the season. She plans to do what a glamorous lady abroad should: long lunches on the balcony followed by lazy afternoons lounging by the pool. Even Gladstone the bulldog is looking forward to a daily paddle in the ocean.
But when Clifford examines the wine cellar, he discovers there are no decent reds but there is a very dead body. The victim is famous American movie star Rex Armstrong. Poor Rex seems to have been stabbed with a sword from the film set. So how did he end up in Eleanor’s villa?
Before Eleanor even has time to change out of her travelling suit, her beloved butler is arrested for the crime. At sea without her right-hand man, Eleanor must gather her wits if she’s to outsmart a murderer and save Clifford.
Attending a glitzy party at the luxurious Hotel Azure with the film’s cast and crew so she can question her main suspects, Eleanor overhears the director having a most unsettling telephone call that throws all her theories out of the water. Can Eleanor unmask the true killer before her time abroad is cut murderously short?
Title: The French for murder
Author: Verity Bright
Series: Lady Eleanor Swift Mysteries #10
Publisher: Bookoture
Publication date: May 30, 2022
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 goes to Hollywood! Well, not quite so, but a piece of Hollywood comes to Eleanor in this 10th installment in the series. It’s always great to see Ellie and her troupe out of Henley Hall and this time we’re transported to the South of France, which made the perfect setting for murder and mayhem.
Lady Eleanor is taking a much needed vacation in the French Riviera but, as soon as she steps foot in her rental house, her butler Clifford finds a very dead body in the wine cellar. He turns out to be a huge American movie star that was shooting a movie there and, with no other suspects, French police arrest Clifford accused of murder. If Ellie wants to save her butler (and friend), she’ll have to infiltrate the movie and art world to uncover the real killer.
At this stage in the series we already know Ellie’s like a magnet for dead bodies, and in this case the dead body makes an appearance in the very first line! From there we have a really entertaining mystery with plenty of suspects and red herrings that will force you to put your thinking cap on. I had some suspicions about the who but didn’t guess their motivations.
One of my favorite things about this series is Ellie and Clifford’s relationship. It has evolved from a working deal to a true friendship based on mutual love and respect. It was great to learn a bit more about Clifford’s past. I also adore how Ellie treats the ladies of Henley Hall and, despite having a different status, a bad word towards them will never cross her lips.
The French Riviera scenario was brought amazingly to life, making you feel you were driving along those twisty roads or contemplating the beautiful views while sipping some champagne.
I was a bit sad to not see more of Hugh this time as I always find his interactions with Ellie so cute and fun. Hopefully next time we’ll see more of how their relationship is moving forward.
The historical notes at the end were so helpful and l loved to learn about some of the real inspiration the author drew from to write this story.
Another great addition to the series!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks so much for the review, Javier, so pleased you enjoyed it. And yes, in the next book, Ellie and Hugh's relationship is central to the plot :)
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