I don't know what to make of this book. Part of me enjoyed it - part of me was suspicious it was published because of Fellowes being the niece of Julian Fellowes. Perhaps this is a cruel disservice. Sadly, I didn't enjoy this story of the Mitford sisters as much as I have the non-fiction options. I think, in part, it's because they seemed too far removed from who they really were.

A really fun and wonderful start to a series. I enjoyed the setting, very atmospheric. Very much looking forward to the next!

The Mitford Sisters have always fascinated me. How six women made such an impact on social and political history throughout the twentieth century. The people they knew and associated with jump from the pages of a history book.

When I first saw this title, I was intrigued. even more so when I learnt the author is related to Julian Fellowes* of Downton Abbey fame. There must be a storytelling gene somewhere in them there Fellowes!

But whilst this is a story, this is also a book based in reality, based in truth but I am not going to give anymore away about what reality and what truth - because like me you can read the book and find out in the end.

Louisa Cannon lives with her mother and an unpleasant Uncle, teetering on the border of poverty in London.

She finds herself escaping her uncle and going to work at the Mitford's Oxfordshire home where she becomes a maid and companion to the Nanny and the small Mitford girls but also a friend and confidante with Nancy Mitford the eldest. Her life is going to change and Nancy sees Louisa as a way to escape the confines of being in society.

Florence Nightingale Shore related to her namesake and a nurse as well finds herself on a train at the same time as Louisa, the two do not know each other but their lives are about to become entwined especially as one ends up dead and the other making her own investigations.

This is a book which is a mix of fact made into wonderful fiction. The settings are perfect, the insight into the Mitford Sisters early upbringing intriguing although of course we  do not know how much poetic license has been taken, but the infamy perhaps gives you an idea of the characters they were when they were small.

This really is a different murder mystery book, but also seems to sit right in the Golden Age Mystery category. I am intrigued as to how the next book will pan out and what fact or reality is going to be featured and just how will the Mitford's fit in. There is so much scope with setting yourself such a task.

* His adaptation of Mary Poppins for the stage is phenomenal!

A great mystery novel with well-researched historical details from post-War Britain. I loved the use of the Mitford family as central characters, and their home Asthall Manor as a setting to explore the fall-out from a mysterious murder. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie and Josephine Tey. I’m already looking forward to the next in the series.

Louisa is eighteen years old and struggling to make ends meet. When she is kidnapped by her uncle and forced to travel to Hastings with him she manages to escape from the train and make it to her interview as nurserymaid to Lord Redesdale. However later the same day a woman is killed on the train and Louisa finds herself drawn to the case alongside her suitor, a railway policeman, and her charge, Nancy. In a country still recovering from the horrors of the Great War society is changing a little.

There is much to like about this book as it is a jolly crime novel that bounces along at a decent pace. My issues lie with the idea of involving the famous Mitford family in this as central characters. It doesn't really seem to gel or be particularly authentic. The characters of Louisa and Guy are engaging and the plot is suitably twisty. There are undercurrents of deeper themes but these are not really explored in any detail as the focus seems to be on producing an entertaining 'light' detective novel and in this respect the book is a great success. Unfortunately I found it all a little saccharine and would have preferred less Mitford and more psychology.

I've always been fascinated by the Mitford sisters, so I was really looking forward to reading this. And I did like it a lot, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. I had thought it would be an Agatha Christie style cosy mystery, with the Mitfords as the detectives (or friends of the detectives). Instead, The Mitford Murders is more historical drama with the murder mystery as a sub-plot. And, as it is set from 1919-1921, the Mitford sisters are quite young children, with only the eldest, Nancy, featuring in the story.

In addition to the Mitfords, the plot features the real-life unsolved murder of Florence Nightingale Shore - goddaughter to the famous nurse. The story starts with her walking to her death, then skips back in time to introduce Louisa Cannon, a young woman desperate to escape her life of poverty in the East End of London and an abusive uncle, by applying for the job of nursery maid to the Mitfords. By coincidence, Louisa ends up travelling on the same train as Florence, although she doesn't realise it at the time. When Nancy discovers this, plus the other connections Florence has to the Mitford family, she is determined to investigate the murder and solve the crime.

I really enjoyed this book. I particularly liked the insider information on the Mitfords and the glimpse into their lives, and I loved Nancy! So this would definitely appeal to anyone who loves historical novels or Sunday evening period dramas such as Downton Abbey. However, I do feel that readers expecting a 'golden age' cosy crime in the style of Agatha Christie, would find there is too much day-to-day detail about the Mitfords and not enough murder mystery.


Thank you to Jessica Fellowes, Sphere, and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Fab read. A murder/mystery tied in with the fascinating Mitford family. Loved this book, kept me gripped and reading on to find out whodunnit! Loved the way the author set the story within the house of the Mitfords, when the girls were all still young. The small hints of what these future women would become were very cleverly woven into the story. Very Agatha Christiesque story, a retired nurse is killed in a train carriage and nobody seems to have seen a thing! A great read. Recommended!

Thanks Little, Brown Book Group UK and netgalley for this ARC.

I can't wait to see how Fellows continues this series. It's a cozy mystery series that has so much paths it could follow. This is just plain good stuff.

An enjoyable murder mystery set at the end of the Great War. The subtlety of mentioning Baker St and the Brighton Line brought to mind some of my favourite books - The stories of Sherlock Holmes and The Importance of Being Earnest.
I quickly became absorbed in wanting to know what had led to Florence Nightingale Shore meeting her end and Jessica Fellowes wove in enough twists to keep me guessing.

I absolutely loved this book. Jessica Fellowes evokes the 1920s very well and you are transported into the lives of The Mitfords. From humble beginnings in London, the nascent transport police on the Brighton line and service at The Mitfords, there are many strands to this tale.

I must confesss that I found the initial chapters confusing but persisted and am very glad I did. I loved Louisa and the policemen which brought a more human angle to the book.

Very enjoyable and a bit different - although, given the author's pedigree, it has echoes of Downton Abbey. It didn't really need the Mitfords but it does lend the book a thread that no doubt will be followed throughout the series.

I look forward to the next book in the series.

The Mitford sisters have fascinated me for more than a decade, I read biographies, autobiographies, their letters, Nancy Mitford's novels etc. I don't think I am an expert, but I am familiar, so I think the main reason I found this book hard to deal with was the fact that I simply could not see any point in bringing the Mitfords into this otherwise fine murder mystery.

The setting is 1919/1920 and a young girl from London tries to escape from her evil uncle and is glad to get a job as nursery maid with the Mitfords, on the same day she heads to the interview after jumping off a train to escape said uncle a retired nurse (the niece of that Florence Nightingale) was murdered on a train to the south coast. This is something that actually happened. The rest is mere speculation. There is various strands to this story, many people (not helped by the Mitfords themselves and their number of children) and it just felt that it should have been several novels rather than just the one.

There is no doubt that Jessica Fellowes can write, the mystery itself was brilliant and if the Mitford bit was eliminated, I would have loved it. The Mitfords simply failed to add their normal glamour to this story.

It was probably only a matter of time before someone turned Nancy Mitford into a detective! This is set between 1919-21 when Nancy is 16-18 with a climax at her coming-out ball. She's bright and sassy, with some traces of her famous wit but Fellowes gets away with it by making her so young. The other 'Mitford gals' are more or less children and babies and don't play much part in this. The main characters are Louisa, a run-away working-class nanny and friend to Nancy, and her romantic interest, a transport policeman whose bad vision made it impossible for him to fight in WW1.

This is light and easy reading but I found it disconcerting that there are moments of darkness that feel a bit out of place in something so frothy and fun: Louisa's abusive uncle and his plans to prostitute her feel like they've wandered in from another book altogether.

Anyone who reads a lot of crime fiction will have spotted the 'twist' as soon as it appears - but a fun read for fans of cosies and Golden Age crime.

The real life murder of Florence Nightingale Shore on a train in 1920 serves as the starting point for this clever and inventive crime novel. Jessica Fellowes has taken a historical event and woven her own story around it, using some of the people mentioned in the news reports of the day as well as the famous Mitford family; Muv, Farve, Nancy, Pamela, Diana, Tom, Unity, Decca and Debo all feature, as the fictional detective works as nursemaid to the family. Thrown into the mix are railway detectives Harry and Guy, as well as a wider cast of ex-soldiers, household staff, Metropolitan Police officers and others.

The story itself is cleverly plotted and well paced, with a satisfying denouement. There is much to keep readers guessing up to the end, with plenty of red herrings and twists along the way. Furthermore, Mitford fans will recognise much from the many biographies of the family, although I do question whether they really needed to be involved; the writing is good without relying on the Mitford name to draw readers.

Overall, this is a light, enjoyable murder mystery that will please fans of historical crime novels.