The Mitford Scandal is the third book in the Mitford Murders series by Jessica Fellowes. Due out 21st Jan 2020 from Macmillan on their Minotaur imprint, it's 384 pages and will be available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats (some formats available currently).

This is a well researched fictionalized murder mystery woven around a framework of actual historical occurrences and people. This was the first book in the series which I read, and it worked well enough as a standalone for me, though some of the secondary characters blended together and I found myself going back to re-read passages to find out who was married to whom. The murder 'mystery' was not a big part of the central plot and that and the romance subplots felt a bit tacked on to satisfy genre content.

For readers familiar with the history of the Mitfords and especially Diana Mitford, this one covers several years from 1929 and her marriage to Bryan Guiness onward. The privileged lifestyle and excesses of the moneyed classes are front and centre, contrasted with the privation of many of those who serve and protect them. The story moves from London to Paris to Venice and onward as the bodies pile up. Lady's maid Louisa works to untangle the motives and suspects and solve the crimes against a backdrop of ever-rising fascism and the threats to peace.

I did enjoy the book, the author is talented at her craft. The plotting was well done and moved the action along at a good pace. For me personally, the murders and romance subplots felt tacked on and inorganic. I think my antipathy to Diana Mitford Guiness herself dulled my appreciation of the book as a whole. Definitely a readable historical mystery and a well crafted book.

Four stars. Well written, well paced and plotted, satisfying and undemanding read.

The real life Mitford sisters were a fascinating family. They loved dinner parties, clubbing, drinking, dancing, theater and did I say drinking and inappropriate liasions. In The Mitford Scandal by Jessica Fellowes, the author follows the family through several years of their outrageous activities.

Diana, the eighteen-year-old beauty, marries wealthy Irishman Bryan Guinness and embarks on a fabulous honeymoon. She asks former maid Louisa Cannon to be her lady's maid and come along. Also joining them is another couple Shaun and Kate Mulloney. The couple is constantly bickering and making everyone uncomfortable.

The book plods along several years before the crimes are solved. It was a struggle to finish it.

I really liked this novel, a mystery with plenty of suspects that had me guessing until the end. The Mitford girls are endlessly fascinating and nicely portrayed and the protagonist, Diana'sLady's maid, is interesting and intelligent.

I love the way the the society of the Bright Young Things was an important part of the book. The tensions between different generations & segments of society was handled with real grace.

An excellent book.

If you like novels that meander around and last a long time, this is the book for you. No spoilers, but there's lots of suspicious and untimely deaths in this book, all centered around the Mitford sisters and their former nanny, Louisa. The book is a bit like Upstairs, Downstairs or Downton Abbey, with the upper crust living the high life and the servant class cleaning up after them. The main character, Diana Mitford's lady's maid, lives between the two worlds and connects the stories.

Although I enjoyed this novel, I don't think that it is as well plotted as the previous two. The huge gaps in time between the deaths means that the thread gets lost, and as a reader I couldn't remember the details. It also feels like Louisa and Guy are grasping at straws when they try to investigate murders that happened several years ago, and they kept annoying everyone involved when they'd bring it up again. Perhaps because the plot was so attenuated, the resolution felt random. It didn't have any gaping holes, but it felt picked out of a hat. The plot had been so circuitous that almost anyone could have done it by the end.

As in the previous books, Louisa, Guy, and the people in their circle are the most sympathetic characters in the novel. The Mitfords get less and less likeable as the series goes on.

In the third book, The Mitford Scandal, Louisa’s new role as lady’s maid to Diana Mitford puts her in a perfect place to investigate a mysterious and tragic death of a servant girl. Diana Mitford, the third daughter, is a socialite newlywed, with many glamorous friends and tragic secrets among her stylish set. I loved the scenes of glamorous parties with hidden vices, but Louisa is not so impressed, and begins to have doubts about Diana.

This is a great book, but not quite as strong as the first, because some of the themes that worked so well in one novel drag out a bit in two, er, three. (Somehow I missed Bright Young Dead, the second novel, and ended up reading the books slightly out of order. They stand alone, though.) For example, in one disappointing subplot, Guy, Louisa’s detective crush, suddenly gets a fiance, they hang around engaged but fail to get married for a few years, and then she announces she’s moving back to Ireland. Ok? This didn’t really advance Guy’s character or move the plot, it just stuck Guy and Louisa in a dull wait to finish their romantic storyline.

There are hints in this latest book that fascism is on the rise on the continent, and Nazis are just beginning to take power. And there are sure to be more dangers close to home with Louisa and Guy investigating together. These are the first three of a planned six-book series, and I’m excited to see what Louisa and the Mitfords encounter next!

Jessica Fellowes, niece of Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, knows her knowledge of English history and a flair for fiction to create a delightful entry in this historical mystery series. Louisa Cannon, former nursery maid to the Mitford sisters, and new ladies’ maid to Miss Diana Mitford, makes an excellent and interesting detective, adding spice to the already dramatic lives of the Mitford sisters.

A quick engaging story that draws you in from the first page. The writing moves quickly and mystery is set up along with a detailed setting. The setting is the greatest draw of this books not only does it describe an interesting period, inter-war England, but the author grounds the story in one of the most scandalous socialites of the time Diana Mitford. This book will be enjoyed those readers that also enjoy the Masey Dobbs stories and anything about the dazzling Mitford sisters.

Louisa Cannon was a nanny to the Mitford children.When Diana Mitford marries she asks Louisa to be her lady’s maid.They travel to Paris.The description of the social life and society in the late 20’s are spectacular.
There is a murder and Louisa meets Guy again(a policeman she knew from home).
The process through which she goes to solve the murder is truly captivating.
This was a solid mystery.
Thankyou Netgalley for this ARC

The story starts in 1928 when at a scoiety party a maid dies while trying to watch the proceeding from a skylight. It is also the time that wealthy heir Bryan Guinness proposes to a young eigthteen year old Diana Mitford. The story continues over the next four years with the occasional death occurring. Louisa Cannon, former nursery maid to the Mitford sisters and now ladies maid to Diana is the connecting character to all the events. For me, unfortunately this really wasn't interesting enough to carry the story for all the years covered or the length of the book.

I can't add much to the many reviews already out there. This is a solid historical mystery with interesting characters and an engaging plot. Recommended.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

The Mitford Scandal is an example of how basing a fictional detective story on a real historical figure can present an author with a lot of challenges. This is basically the story of Diana Mitford before and after her marriage from 1928, 1929, 1930 and then 1932. That is a long time frame for an author to sustain an interest in the deaths and disappearance which the main protagonist of the book is investigating. Louisa Cannon worked in the nursery of the Mitford home so she knew all the children in the family even if she wasn't specifically working with each child. Then Louisa left the employ of the Mitfords and took up other jobs; finally she rejoined the household when Diana married Bryan Guinness. Louisa also went from being treated almost as a member of the family to being firmly put back in her place as only a ladies maid. These switches in Louisa's place in the story made the entire atmosphere unclear and unsettled for me. When was she a friend, when was she a maid put back in her place?

Honestly, I didn't find the questions Louisa was investigating to be interesting enough to merit a book spanning this length of time. I understand Ms. Fellowes wanted to get Diana to the place in her life where she turned her back on her marriage and took up with Sir Oswald Mosley while he was still married. For me, this book would have had much more appeal if the "mystery" element had been eliminated altogether and the author had simply written about Diana Mitford Guinness. I suppose that answers the question about whether I will read the first two books in this series and if I plan to read other books as they come along. The writing is quite good, but trying to keep the novel as a mystery just didn't work for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an e-galley of this novel.

The Mitford Scandal is the third mystery in a series by Jessica Fellowes.  Each features one of the six Mitford sisters.  They were quite a group and well worth reading about in books like The Six. 


Ms. Fellowes has done her research on the 1920s and 30s and the book is enhanced by what she has learned and shared.  This entry is largely about Diana Mitford and her circle of "Bright Young Things."  In that circle were artists, writers and those living the high life.  For example there are Lytton Strachey, Waugh and Dora Carrington.  Settings include London, the British countryside, Italy and France.  All are described well.


Diana, herself, marries young to an heir to the Guinness money.  It is hard to realize that she is only 21 or so when she is the mother to two small children.  She leads a glittering life.  The reader learns that she meets and is intrigued by Oswald Moseley, a British Fascist.  This adds further versimilitude to the story.

 Oh, and of course there are murders.  SPOILER: A maid, a wealthy man allergic to sesame, his wife and an actress.  There is also a missing maid.  How are these connected?  You will need to read the book to find out. 

Readers who are returning to the series will welcome spending time with Louisa and Guy, along with other members of the Mitford clan. 

All in all, this was an enjoyable, moderately paced mystery that will be welcomed by fans of historical mysteries.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

I am a great fan of Nancy Mitford's novels and have eagerly read about her sisters in both fictional and non-fiction books. So, I really looked forward to Jessica Fellowes mystery featuring Diana Mitford and her circle of "Bright Young Things."

I always enjoy adding another layer to my impressions of their social circle and the sisters' relationships. This book didn't meet my expectations in that respect, but it did provide some background in to the marriage of Diana Mitford and Bryan Guinness and her later, scandalous relationship with Mosley.

The young detective was an engaging character, but i did not find the other protagonist, Louisa, a believable character in any respect and that diminished my enjoyment of the book.

But, Ms. Fellowes certainly pulled a rabbit out of the hat for her denouement. If I had two dozen guesses, I would have never, ever correctly guessed the "evil-doer."

NetGalley provided me a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for a candid review.

historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-figures, mystery

As a travelog, sociological study, and fictionalized history of a particular family and time period in Europe, it is excellent. As a mystery with a side serving of romance it is far less so. Perhaps it's just because it is not to my personal taste, as I am certain that a large audience would be absolutely delighted with it.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St Martin's Press / Minotaur Books via NetGalley.

DNF at 34%. This isn't a bad book, but the mystery plotline isn't my favorite and the writing isn't hooking me. This just means that I'm not the right audience for this book, not that it's a mediocre mystery. So check it out for yourself.

I was very excited to see the latest installment of The Mitford Murders series. I enjoyed the first two and was anxious to see what was next for the characters, or rather which Mitford sister was to be featured and how Louisa would factor into the story. The story centers around beautiful Diana Mitford who is the center of ‘The Bright Young Things’, Britain’s wealthy, beautiful and adventurous young people. The next generation of aristocracy. We find Louisa Cannon, former caretaker to the Mitford children working in a dress shop by day, and at the parties of the rich as a maid by night. She loves her freedom, but is struggling to make ends meet. When Diana Mitford becomes engaged to Bryan Guinness (yes, that Guinness family), she and her sister, Nancy ask Louisa to meet with them, where they offer her the position as Diana’s lady’s maid. Diana, at only 18 years old feels that she would have an ally in Louisa as she navigates her new role as mistress of the house. The story follows Diana’s marriage and the wealthy and famous crowd with which she and her husband mingle. Louisa is comfortable in her new role, but still longs for a richer life. Things take a turn while the couple accompanied by Louisa are in Paris, and a friend dies suddenly from what appears to be the effects of a food allergy. Without giving too much away, a series of events occur that put Louisa in the middle of an investigation of a missing maid, two murders and an apparent suicide. She is reunited with Guy, the policeman who once stole her heart. This is an intricate mystery that could have gotten very bogged down with detail, but is woven together beautifully with all of it’s historical accuracy woven in with surprise twists. I hope that this will not be the last that we read of Louisa, for there is certainly much more to be written about the Mitford girls, and this story ends before the world embarks on WWII. Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC of this fabulous book, and also to Jessica Fellowes who has taken a well known family and a fictional character and woven them together beautifully into an intriguing mystery series.

#TheMitfordScandal #NetGalley 4.5 stars rounded up to 5. Very enjoyable, with strong historic characters superimposed adroitly on the mystery.

The Mitford sisters have written, and have been written about numerous times; I read Book 1 of this series for a review, read a sample of book #2, and have read others about the Mitfords.

The mystery was a bit complicated to follow well ,was my only criticism of the book, and it did keep pace with the main characters, Guy and Louisa. The author's notes ( must remember to read them first)tells us of other historical facts which were woven into the mystery. Excellent!

The story begins with a real historic tragic death, a second one and a third police scandal are incorporated into a fictional crime that Guy, Louisa and others help to solve. They end up together as a couple, as in history Diana Mitford begins to end her marriage. I am hoping for a sequel.!

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