Lady Adelaide- Addie- doesn't believe her mother Constance murdered her lover the Duke of Rufford, despite the fact that she was found with a gun in her hand. And it happens in a suite at the Ritz Hotel (sigh!). Addie calls on her friend DI Dev Hunter and, also regrettably, Rupert, the ghost of her cad of a husband, to solve the crime. Wait- Rupert is a ghost? Yes, he is trying to do enough good deeds to get out of what is effectively purgatory and into heaven and hopes that crime solving will help. Cozy readers know that there are multiple people who wanted to see the end of the Duke so be prepared for some red herrings. I've liked this series for its spirit and atmospherics - this will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. I'm sorry this is the last one - be sure to read the epilogues.

A fun cozy mystery with a uniquely fun premise. I had previously read the first book of the series, Nobody’s Sweetheart Now, and had no problem jumping to the fourth. The author gives just enough backstory that connects the dots so I didn’t feel I missed much. And the series is nicely wrapped up with three (yes, three) epilogues.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Addie is called by her sister Cee to help their mother who has been charged in the murder of her lover. Rupert, Addie's dead ghost, again helps Addie figure out whodunit.

I received a complimentary advance copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The synopsis of this book reminded me of the Murdoch Mystery television series, which I quite enjoy so I figured I would give it a shot. Before starting the book I did not realize it was book four in the series, but found that I had no trouble picking up on what was going on as I read the story.

Lady Adelaide Crompton's mother, Lady Broughton, has been arrested for the murder of the Duke of Rufford. She was found standing over his body in her pajamas, holding her own gun - of course she was arrested. From here the story slowly unfolds as Lady Adelaide and Detective Devenand Hunter work together to solve the case, without Dev's employer finding out he's working while on leave. Lady Adelaide's deceased husband, Rupert is also floating around, and is able to give Addie information that she wouldn't be able to get in other ways because no one else can see or hear him.

I really enjoyed the way that the locations and events were described in this book and happily kept reading to see more of the 1920's feel even though the plot was moving slower that I usually enjoy. There were lots of great characters, some scandal and quite a few laughs throughout the book.

I'm planning to start this series from the beginning in the fall to see how the characters got to where the were in Farewell Blues.

Another fun title in the Lady Adelaide series! I've thoroughly enjoyed Addie's interactions with the ghost of her philandering husband, as well as the undercurrent of romance with handsome Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter. Sounds like this could be the end of the series, and while I would be sorry to see the series end, it was a well written and satisfying ending.

"The Society Scandal of the Season...

Lady Adelaide Compton had prepared herself to say goodbye forever to Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter. It would be a welcome relief not to get mixed up in any more murders, even if it meant never working alongside the handsome detective again... wouldn't it?

But then Addie's prim and proper mother, Constance, the Dowager Marchioness of Broughton, is accused of murdering her secret lover, and there can't be enough gentlemen detectives on hand to find the truth. The dead Duke of Rufford appeared to lead a blameless life, but appearances can be deceiving. And unless Addie and Dev work together, Constance will hang - which is no one's idea of a happy ending."

A murder mystery with class!

The year is 1925 and the scene is London.

Adelaide (Addie) has had a great shock. Her mother, a marchioness, has been arrested for murdering a duke. The murder took place in the Ritz Hotel. It was early in the morning during the torrid affair between the duke and the marchioness. It is not adultery, because both of the people are widowed. But, of course, murdering a duke is not acceptable behavior, whether one is an adulterer or not.

Addie has investigated other murders in the past. In fact, she has been quite successful. She has worked with a detective inspector from Scotland Yard. Dev is of Indian and English background and that has made for problems in his life. But, he is a very good detective. He is often teased for being too honest to take bribes.

Addie also receives help from someone else. Rupert is her late husband. He was an RAF ace in the Great War. He was also a ladies man. He died in an automobile accident. His French mistress also died in the same accident.

Now Rupert has been working to be able to finally rest in peace. He believes that he will finally get to heaven if he can do enough good to earn his way into heaven. His ability to not be seen by anyone except Addie has been a big help. He can go places, overhear people and see events without anyone knowing he is there.

Between Addie, Dev and Rupert, there is a great deal of investigating happening.

The duke who was murdered was not always a very nice man. He did not always treat his family fairly. He held on tightly to the purse strings. But, compared to the rest of his family he was a wonderful guy. Most of his children and grandchildren are selfish, hateful and easily could be responsible for shooting the duke.

This is a fun story, The reader gets to see the night club scene, luxurious hotels and how the tabloid press really worked.

Addie, Dev and Rupert are wonderful characters. Addie’s sister and her maid are very important to the story. In fact, there is no character who does not add to the movement of the plot. The suspects are each interesting people. Not likable at all, but interesting.

There is one member of the duke’s family who seems to be a relatively normal person. In fact, most of the people in the story are not what one would consider to be normal.

Addie has spent quite a bit of her time investigating murders. Dev has become a success in Scotland Yard but has dreams of another life. And all Rupert can think about is doing enough good deeds to get himself into heaven.

The action is constant, the characters are entertaining and this is a very well done story. This book can be read as a stand alone but I would suggest that there is a lot more fun available if the reader reads with the earlier books in the series.

This is the final book in the series. All the stories for the main characters are wrapped up neatly with epilogues. I have enjoyed the entire series.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

1925 The Duke of Rufford has been shot dead in a hotel room, and Lady Broughton arrested. Lady Adelaide knows her mother is innocent, and with the help of Inspector Devenand Hunter, and her dead husband Rupert they investigate.
An enjoyable cozy historical mystery, with Rupert as the most likeable character. The epilogues seem to point to the end of the series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

paranormal, ghost, England, class-consciousness, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, family-dynamics, framed, friction, friendship, detective, historical-novel, historical-research, infidelity, situational-humor, cosy-mystery****

Addie has a dead philanderer of a husband (Rupert) who must continue on as a ghost until he has accumulated enough good deeds to move on, a mother who was doing a bit of philandering herself when she was caught with said paramour shot dead in her rooms. With her own gun. Addie also has a partner in detecting (DI Hunter of The Yard) who is on a short medical leave because of an injury and is present to do what detecting he can amongst the aristocracy. Add in a maid who feels that she is so very put upon, a bratty younger sister, and a raft of real characters in this lighthearted cozy mystery. I haven't read the earlier books and never felt lost. Good fun!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Poisoned Pen Press via Netgalley. Thank you!

Maggie Robinson's series featuring Lady Adelaide Compton is so enjoyable so therefor I was a bit sad at the end when it seemed like this would probably be the last of her adventures. With Addie's mother in jail for killing her lover, it is hard to say which is more surprising - that she had one or that he was a Duke! It takes Addie, DI Hunter and her ghostly late husband to solve the murder. If this is the last book, I will be sorry to see the series end but have enjoyed Lady Adelaide's adventures. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #FarewellBlues!

This was the fourth book in the series and I had only read one previous book which I thought was pretty good. This book read well enough as a stand-alone, although I feel that I missed out on some previous character development.

It’s a lighthearted 1920s mystery with Lady Adelaide and her unlikely partner, Scotland Yard detective Dev Hunter along with the ghost of her late husband Rupert. The mystery in this book hits a little closer to home, with Adelaide’s mother being accused of murdering her lover.

I thought this book was a little slow moving without a lot of action until the second half of the book. There were a lot of modern phrases said by these characters which was noticeable enough but didn’t distract too much.

It’s a nice book if you want a historical cozy that’s a quick and pretty enjoyable read, even though it doesn’t have a huge amount of depth to it.

I was looking for an easy read and Farewell Blues did not disappoint. I realized early on that this was part of a series; the author did a good job is quickly bringing the reader up to date on the characters and their roles in past books. I appreciated the detailed information about life in the time period as I was not that familiar with how British aristocracy conducted itself in that era.

Most of the characters, especially Addie and Dev, were delightful. But,following Rupert called for a huge stretch of my imagination. I found myself glossing past his shenanigans in favor of where Addie and Dev would next find themselves. Solving the murder was somewhat drawn out yet "who did it" was a surprise.

I did not care for the Epilogues at all. Although it's always good to know how a story ends these endings were too perfect to be realistic.

Thank you to Net Galley and Poisoned Pen Press for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonder addition to a great historical mystery series. The authors writing style makes it very easy to read and enjoy. Romance, intrigue, and a mystery with lots of twists and turns make this novel highly enjoyable!!

. . . A fun and frothy light period mystery with two of the most captivating protagonists you’ll encounter in this genre. The romantic detective duo of Lady Addie and her Scotland Yard “ partner,” Dev, is very improbable, but nonetheless satisfying. They are smart, fun, and get their “ villain” in the end. . . . (Along with a few other rewards).

There is no doubt that a detective novel of this description and content requires a serious “suspension of disbelief,” but it is a long, hot summer and this book was the perfect tonic.

NetGalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid r3view.

Lady Adelaide Compton learns that her very proper mother, Lady Broughton, has been arrested for the murder of her lover the Duke of Rufford in their hotel suite at the Ritz, the evidence looks very damning, especially as she was found in her nightclothes holding her own pistol standing over his lifeless body. With the police happy to have such a strong suspect and the press enjoying the fall of a member of the aristocracy it falls on Lady Adelaide to prove her mother's innocence and what better suspects than the late Duke's family, all of whom had reason to wish him ill?

Lady Adelaide can call upon her friendship with Detective Inspector Devenand Hunter, an Anglo-Indian police officer she has become close to over the course of investigating/being involved in several other mysteries, and the ghost of her philandering husband Rupert who is atoning for his wicked life by performing good deeds in order to get into heaven.

This is obviously the fourth book in a series, none of which I have read previously. I found it easy to read this as a stand-alone book as the past history was explained quite early on. However, there was no hint of a Randall and Hopkirk, deceased storyline in the blurb, much less that Rupert had some celestial mission to perform. I thought this was a bizarre plot choice as it meant that Rupert could go anywhere and eavesdrop on conversations, even stealing items to further the investigation, a bit like a deus ex machina.

I could probably have got over Rupert's involvement, indeed he didn't uncover the killer, had it not been for the relentless politically correct agenda. Don't get me wrong, I strongly believe in diversity and inclusion and I am a proud ally of the LGBTQ+ community but having characters from the 1920s using twenty-first century terminologies and expressing modern sensibilities (eg treating her maid more like a friend, even going out together and cleaning up in her stead) is just jarring in what was supposed to be an historical novel.

I also felt that the story took too long to move forward, we seemed to be about half way through the book and nothing much had happened, then four (count them, four) epilogues to give all the characters a HEA - it felt as though Maggie Robinson was heartily tired of the series and wanted to ensure that there were absolutely no loose ends to drag her back in.

Having moaned a lot, this was pleasant enough and an easy read.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Enter The Dashing Detective..
The fourth in the Lady Adelaide Mystery series and disaster strikes when Addie’s mother, Constance, is accused of murder. Enter DI Dev Hunter, the dashing detective, who arrives once again to assist Lady Adelaide in her hour of need. A fun, enjoyable mystery with delightful characters and a wholly entertaining plot. A worthy addition to this very readable series.

Well, looks like it's the last installment in the adventures of Lady Adelaide and inspector Hunter. This time Addie's mother is accused of murder when her lover is shot with her hand gun. Addie and Dev team up to clear her name and find the real murderer. Rupert is also there of course, lending an invisible hand and trying to atone for his sordid past and make it up to Addie.
I'm a little sad to see the end of the series Despite being written in a somewhat old-fashioned way the books captivated me and i found myself rooting for the shy inspector and even really liking Rupert. In the end justice prevails, the guilty party is apprehended and 3 epilogues give us closure for Beckett, Cee and Addie. And of course Rupert- I was happy to see him finally move on but sad that we won't be reading about his antics anymore.