A well-written historical cozy mystery set in 1934, Kent, England. When a young woman shows up at Thornecrest claiming to be married to Milo Ames, Amory, his pregnant wife, is fairly certain it's a mistake and that someone is impersonating her husband. But there is the slightest bit of doubt as Milo has a history of philandering. She feels sorry for the girl and wants to help sort out the mystery. She summons her husband back from London. Meanwhile, a young man looking very like her own husband shows up claiming to be Milo's half-brother. Is this some kind of trickery? Are the two young people plotting to extort money from the Ames? Then a murder occurs that may have been committed by the younger Ames, and he begs Amory to help clear his name.. Her husband wants nothing to do with it, so she's on her own to investigate. It's well-plotted and fun to read, a slice of life from an earlier time. I enjoyed the book and will explore more from this author who is new to me.

This story grabbed me right away. A wife is suddenly faced with a woman who claims to be married to her husband and the father of her child. What can be better? Unfortunately for me, the follow up wasn't as good as the initial promise. Amory doesn't believe the woman's accusation but it seems to be based on her belief that Milo wouldn't commit bigamy, rather than trust in his fidelity. We're told that the marriage "had its ups and downs" but there isn't much more detail than that. When we meet Milo, he is the epitome of the stereotypical English gentleman of early 20th century mysteries - unflappable and reserved, with emotion expressed with a frown or the lift of an eyebrow. Amory seems to be on the same page emotionially. Maybe that's why they make a solid couple. If ithere was .wit or humor accompanying it all, it would be fine but to me they just seemed like a bland couple that accepts everything thrown at them without much reaction. I love historical mysteries, including old English ones, so I got some enjoyment from this. I just didn't like the protaganists much and found the solution to the mystery to be somewhat predictable.

I enjoy this series and this one is a enjoyable as the rest. Quick, witty, appealing characters. I did think it would be hard to pick up at this one in the series, so maybe start a few back. If you love tommy and tuppence, this one is for you.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

I love this series and this book was another good one! Like the blurb says, Amory gets a visit from someone claiming to be Mrs. Milo Ames which starts off a mystery with a twist. We have lots of suspects in this one, false identities, a long lost family member. There’s a couple false leads which lead to a pretty good mystery where I didn’t guess beforehand.

I continue to really like the relationship between Amory and Milo - they’ve come so far since the first book.

Full review to come closer to publication date.

Another Amory Ames book! What a treat. Thanks to Netgalley for this. Two of my favorite characters and a great mystery series. Felt this one suffered a bit from the lack of Milo most of the time, since he was popping back and forth to London, but perhaps this was supposed to be Amory's book. The introduction of a new hopefully recurring character was nice.

I’m a fan of both historical fiction and mysteries, particularly those set in England, so I was expecting to like A Deception at Thornecrest more than I did. Perhaps it was the plodding, procedural aspects of the book with its endless rounds of tea and witness interviews, or the amateur sleuth feature, but I found it tedious. That being said, the descriptions of the English countryside were well done, and the characterizations were detailed. Also, this was the first book of this series that I read, so I was not as invested in the characters as someone who has read the entire series.

Set in 1934 at an English country estate, it begins when a strange woman appears at Thornecrest, the Ames’ family estate, claiming to be married to Milo Ames, Amory Ames husband. Shortly afterwards, Darien, an unknown illegitimate half-brother of Milo’s appears who bears a striking resemblance to Amory’s husband. A couple of mysterious deaths ensue, and Amory, although she is 8 months pregnant, begins to ponder the list of possible suspects, interviewing each of them in turn, until she puts all the pieces together and solves the murders. Although the book was competently written, I found that I was skimming the countless descriptions of tea and coffee being served, as well as the endless musings of Amory. However, that being said, fans of this series might have had more patience with the story than I did.

The newest book in the Amory Ames series begins several months after the last one ends. Amory and Milo are expecting their first child and living at Thorncrest, his childhood home, in a small village of Allingcross in Kent.. For once, this couple seems to be in bliss-Amory is knitting away for the arrival of the baby in a mere 4 weeks and Milo is dividing his time between the country and work in London. Out of the blue a lady appears at the door claiming to be married to a Milo Ames! Surely not? As it turns, Milo has a half-brother that he never knew about, Darien, who causes quit a stir with the females. And if this is’t enough excitement, their beloved worker, Bertie, is found murdered on the day of the Springtide Festival where everyone in the village is present. With another murder following quick-one wonders what is going on and could the new people in town have anything to do with this.? Great read and the ending was a bit of a surprise! Everything was tied up so nicely with a bow-it made me wonder if there would be another book????

This was quite an enjoyable read, just the kind of book I love- British mysteries. Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, I was thrown for a loop. The plot was entertaining enough, the characters a bit less so, more contrived, especially with the denouement. The killer is not who I originally thought, and once they were announced, it seemed quite like the author changed the perception of the character from earlier in the novel to fit the qualities of being a killer. Maybe that makes for a good mystery, but to me, it seemed inconsistent with the character's earlier descriptions. I haven't read any other Amory Ames mysteries to compare, after reading this, though, I will be starting with the first novel. All in all, I liked the book and will be going back to read the other Amory Ames mysteries.

I am a great fan of historical mysteries, but A DECEPTION AT THORNECREST didn't offer enough sense of time, or sense of place to transport the me to another period. If it weren't for the activities at the Vicarage and the staff at Thornecrest, the story could have been contemporary. It just lacked period detail and any kind of "country house" insight that makes a good light historical mystery fun to read.

I also read for character, more than plot, and I didn't feel the chemistry between our protagonists. This was not my first experience with Ashley Weaver's detecting duo, but she has not provided me with sufficient incentive to want to encounter them again. And, for that I am sorry. I love to encounter familiar characters in a series, but this one didn't offer me enough to bring me back.

Netgalley provided mw with a complimentary copy of this book in return for a candid review.

This is a bit of a cross between Agatha Christie and Downton Abbey. It's roughly the same time period and again we see the action from the top side, rather than the lowly servants. The main character is pregnant and yet she manages to solve two deaths (after which she gives birth). The ending was unexpected in several ways - and I don't want to spoil the book to tell, but one way has to do with the deaths and another with her husband and his step brother. It's a fast read - a good beach book.

I just finished reading this delightful mystery the latest in the Amory Ames mysteries by Ashley Weaver.

The first sentence cleverly opens the door to an intriguing dilemma for the protagonist. This dilemma plays out in a small English town (centered on the great house of Thornecrest, home to the Ames. Soon that dilemma twists and turns, with secrets old and recent, and of course, death.

One need not have read previous Amory Ames novels to appreciate the determined protagonist Amory and her relationship with her husband MIlo. I could not put the book down. It is distinctly a page-turner. What are the currents running in this English town (and English towns never seem to lose their luster when investigations are needed.) Who is the mysterious young woman from London? What secret is the stable boy holding? Is the village girl finally settling on a suitor? What is the Deception? Is there only one?

I cannot wait to go back to the beginning of the Amory Ames novels and read them all.

Ooooh, this is simply delightful. Throughout the series, we've seen the couple become closer and fall in love again. This book tests that relationship but never rocks the boat. A wonderful installment to a witty, mysterious series.

I enjoyed A Deception at Thornecrest. This is one of my just read series! I love seeing how Amory and Milo's relationship has evolved and how they have grown during the series. This is so evident as they look forward to becoming parents and have another new edition to the family in Derian. The mystery is so well done, I appreciate that I didn't realize who the villain was until Amory figured it out. I am looking forward to their next adventure!

I want to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and author Ashley Weaver for providing me with an ARC of the novel A Deception at Thornecrest!

I read this as a standalone and had no trouble at all, but I will definitely be going back to the beginning of this series! I loved the setting and the British mystery throughout. The writing style is spot on and the historical detail is something to be admired. I can’t wait to start with these characters from the beginning; I can only imagine how much better this book would have been with all of that information under my belt!

Thank you again to those named above for the chance to read and review this novel!

This book is the best in the series for me. I truly enjoyed the country setting and I think it’s because it’s such a contrast to previous books in the series with constant socializing. As Amory is eight months pregnant, she and Milo are largely staying at home though he is going to London during the day. He is away one day when a young woman shows up at their doorstep, claiming to also be married to Milo. But all is not what it appears and it is the first of several surprises. The next surprise is that Milo has a half brother he didn’t know about, but who felt free to use Milo’s name to pretend to wed another. The true mystery of the book is who has murdered a local young man during the village spring festival. Milo prefers to stay uninvolved but Amory has time for many village visits as she tries to determine who could have done such a thing.
The different ties that bind people together are a recurrent theme in the book - Milo and his newfound brother, who was abandoned by their father; the vicar and his wife, who have taken in their daughter’s best friend after their daughter died in an accident; the romance between various characters. This mystery is perfect for British mystery lovers who enjoy a country setting.

Amory and Milo are back and baby makes three. While resting at Thornecrest while waiting for the birth of her first child, Amory and Milo are drawn into a murder in the village that could hit closer to home than they realize. I very much enjoyed this new chapter in the Ames' story. Weaver's characterization is always on point and, having binged the first 6 books in the series earlier this year, I really appreciate the consistency in the voice of the characters.

Okay I want you all to read this book and I want you all to buy it now. But don't read it yet if you haven't read the first 7 stories because while the murder is a standalone, it is the characters that I love.

I was so eager for this one. For much of the series, we have found Milo and Amory Ames in the most delicious locales: from France to Capri, a seaside resort and, most recently, Manhattan. But I had longed to see them on their home turf, Milo's family home. Here, Amory is expecting their first child and playboy Milo is finally settled down more interested in business in London with his solicitor and the prime breeding horses than of dalliances that make the society pages. Sure, Milo has been notorious, but as Weaver has so deftly brushed over his character, shading his changes little by little, it is quite believable that he has turned a corner. Indeed, one might believe that it was actually their being so close to death and murder that helped patch their relationship. They are never more so equals (even in their spats and tiffs) than they are here, on neutral ground.

It all begins when a young woman arrives at Thornecrest unannounced and most unexpected when she introduces herself as Milo's wife. I mean, I gotta hand it to Amory, much like her, Milo hasn't always won my complete trust in past instalments and while Amory trusts him in her soul, it is quite certain her brain would wander for a moment. What transpires is a village mystery of the perfect serene British kind complete with a vicarage, a horse race, a county fair and sprawling estates. We're all going on about the best isolation reads, and this is certainly a comfortable one: completely cozy yet set apart by Amory and Milo's banter, their classic refinery and the family they forge to carry the tradition of the Ames' name along with butler Grimes and maid Winnelda. When Milo's rakish half brother arrives, Weaver again asserts herself as a master of characterization and deep psychological craft: softly wielding a balance of human tenacity and deceit. Not one peripheral character, for one, is one-dimensional.


Speaking of family, it is a major theme at the heart of the story and ripples throughout the chance encounters, the deception and, yes, the death that drives Amory back into action as a refined amateur sleuth. And I cannot help but think how perfect that motif brings Milo and Amory full circle, especially from their first adventure in "Murder at the Brightwell" when their estranged marriage coupled with Amory's sleuthing skills forced Milo to see her clearly perhaps for the first time. Thereafter, they've undergone a precarious waltz --never without chemistry-- but with an undercurrent of uncertainty and I admit that this estate-side tale was a giant exhale of relief to see them growing and working as a couple: with just enough of a cloud on the horizon to keep from a saccharine happily-ever-after.


One of the brilliant things about this series is the character of Milo. Weaver makes it look easy because she is such a master with a fluid pen and with Amory's wonderfully charming and astute first person, but I know that it must not be that simple to write a complicated man who is at once playboy and loyal, who wants his marriage to work even as he keeps one foot in the society world. Its an especially precarious balance because we never quite see inside his world or point of view, rather through whatever Amory is feeling for him in the moment. I confess, at the beginning, I thought perhaps he was a bit of a Percy Blakeney type: there had to be a reason for him to be so...well... Milo.

As the series went on, I wondered why I felt that way, whereas the mastery of Milo is the fact that he is a man from a troubled home, burdened by the legacy of an estate, ridiculously good-looking and obsessed with horses and gambling and now part of a marriage that happened rapidly and finally meeting his wife who is his equal in intelligence and charm. While Milo has his moments ( dear god, you'll want to staple things to his head sometimes), he has a steadfast nature that allows you to begin to predict how he will show his far more delectable, protective and loyal side.


And what I love about Weaver is that she does this by keeping Milo just at a distance: certainly from the reader and, yes, from Amory. When you go through the beautifully told series time and again, you notice that Amory begins to notice all of Milo's looks: many unreadable, many new. She learns new expressions, she fails to discern others. Its a smart move because it not only shows us that Amory, so adept at reading other people and so often able to follow her hunches and precision at human nature to help Inspector Jones and win the day, but also shows her vulnerability when she cannot read her own husband.

It's not that she's daft. It's just that she is peeling back layers of a complicated character and I wonder how often Milo wishes she could see what he is clearly trying to project: this slight division between them is, of course, what sparks throughout the book in its overt sexual chemistry.

The romance is subdued and often shown in slow burn moments: in touches and thoughtful gestures, in larger gestures given Milo and Amory's opportunities to protect each other, but also (most deliciously) in the many instances in which they catch each other off guard.


So all of this to say, yes, buy this book and yes, read this book. But I have an inkling the experience will be the most robust if you work through the series from its start. I'll often retreat back into Milo and Amory's world: as a reader to roam around for awhile, as a writer to learn from a genius at plotting and pace... and as a die-hard romantic to see if I can't just interpret one of Milo's new looks or gazes or glances filling up those bright eyes of his.


Love this series!

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This series keeps getting better and better. This one and the one before it are my two favorites (tied with the first). The direction the series is going is perfect for the characters.

I absolutely adore Amory and Milo and their interactions with each other. The writing style is just pure fun. I love the historical detail, while the mystery element is always solid.

If you’re a fan of this series, you will absolutely be delighted by this latest addition. I am SO looking forward to more Darien in the next book!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my free digital copy.