Murder in the upper echelons!
A Death in Chelsea (A Mayfair 100 Mystery #2) by Lynn Brittney
The daughter of a Duchess is found hanged in her rooms. Suicide or murder?
The odds ante up when it's discovered that Adeline Treborne is a gossip columnist whose scurrilous reports have had many a family or person shunned. And then there's the ugly question of blackmail.
I still can't quite put my finger the tone but maybe the Murdoch Mysteries comes close.
I have to admit to enjoying the characters as they grow into their roles, as the central raison d'être for the Mayfair 100 team unfolds.
Underlining the series are serious social issues which are often implied but mostly form part of a character's stated commentary. These might vary from mixed marriages, baby farming, the toll of war and how ill prepared Britain was for the devastating injuries and things like the need for artificial limbs, to the levelling of the social barriers. WW1 was the precipice for great change in all sorts of areas, from working conditions or social status to government policies.
Kudos to Brittney for her very thoroughly researched understandings of the issues of these times.
Tying all these social problems into a murder mystery is challenging but Brittney seems to be pulling it off.
It's interesting the way the characters are developing, gaining depth and taking on more responsibilities, showing more initiative. I'm having trouble tying the series feel down but it's a captivating series that is developing into quirky murder mysteries with a conscience, and I must confess I'm sorta hooked!
A Mirror Books ARC via NetGalley
****
The odds ante up when it's discovered that Adeline Treborne is a gossip columnist whose scurrilous reports have had many a family or person shunned. And then there's the ugly question of blackmail.
I still can't quite put my finger the tone but maybe the Murdoch Mysteries comes close.
I have to admit to enjoying the characters as they grow into their roles, as the central raison d'être for the Mayfair 100 team unfolds.
Underlining the series are serious social issues which are often implied but mostly form part of a character's stated commentary. These might vary from mixed marriages, baby farming, the toll of war and how ill prepared Britain was for the devastating injuries and things like the need for artificial limbs, to the levelling of the social barriers. WW1 was the precipice for great change in all sorts of areas, from working conditions or social status to government policies.
Kudos to Brittney for her very thoroughly researched understandings of the issues of these times.
Tying all these social problems into a murder mystery is challenging but Brittney seems to be pulling it off.
It's interesting the way the characters are developing, gaining depth and taking on more responsibilities, showing more initiative. I'm having trouble tying the series feel down but it's a captivating series that is developing into quirky murder mysteries with a conscience, and I must confess I'm sorta hooked!
A Mirror Books ARC via NetGalley
****
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