Verity Kent is amazing. The relationship between her and Sidney (who is also amazing) feels so real. This latest adventure takes them back to her childhood home and family. She hasn't seen them much since her older brother passed away during WWI. Lots of family angst and town secrets to spare, and of course Verity finds herself in the midst of another murder. This time it follows the German maid that her Aunt brought over from Germany. I did not see the murderer coming, but it all made sense in the end.

I adore this series, just like I do the Lady Darby series, and this book has a lot of revelations into Verity's character and her family.

Verity's aunt from Germany arrives at their apartment with a maid and, hoping to avoid more problems (especially the Lord Ardmore variety), Verity and Sidney leave to her parents' house earlier than planned.

There are a lot of anti-German sentiments in the village when people find out about Verity's aunt and her maid, and when the young maid is killed, things get worse. As Sidney and Verity investigate the murder, the secrets that come up make a lot of people uncomfortable.

On a personal level, Verity hasn't been home since her brother died, and the reactions from her parents and brothers, and their perception of her reasons to not visit before now put a strain on everybody.

I highly recommend this book and the series, to be read in order.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I like this new mystery series - I really liked the first book and so was happy to continue with the series. Although I think this book was not as well-written as the others I have read (I guessed what would happen easily), it still was a fun read and had a hard time putting it down.

An engrossing read that deepens Verity's character, continues the exploration of the impacts of WWI on society and has an engaging mystery.

I thought the previous Verity Kent was a little slow and focused a bit too much on the aspects of the series that don't work as well for me (e.g. the love quadrangle that isn't), but very much enjoyed this one and felt it was a return to form. The book opens with Verity and Sidney holding a house party in their country cottage, when Verity's German aunt - Tante Ilse - unexpectedly arrives. Hoping to prevent her from being exposed to Ardmore's machinations or the intense anti-German sentiment - they all decamp for Yorkshire and Verity's family estate earlier than planned. Verity's return to the family fold is complicated by the rifts that have formed between her and her family and is then further ruptured by a shocking murder. Verity and Sidney try to discover if Ardmore's plotting has followed them to Yorkshire, or if something else is afoot.

This series is at its strongest when Verity is having to contend with being underestimated or looked at askance, due to her inability to talk about her war work. While I like having Ardmore as the series big bad, I really enjoyed this book pulling back a bit from the central mystery to contend with how Verity's actions (and lack of ability to contextualize them) have impacted her relationship with her family, and how she copes with the frustration of that. I also really liked that this book jettisoned any focus on the relationship (but really lack thereof) between Verity and Ryde and Alec. It's clear that Verity is sticking with Sidney - at least for now - so until that isn't in question, I think the series is better when it is focusing on their relationship, rather than introducing external threats to it.

The mystery is almost a B-plot in this book and the murder doesn't take place until over halfway into it - however, I thought the pacing worked reasonably well and solving the murder wasn't overly drawn out. I was more interested in the character interaction, anyway, so I think it was the right decision. Overall, an enjoyable read and a return to form for this series.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. I love Verity and Sidney, and I love historical crime. This had a good plot and most of it takes place in Yorkshire where Verity and Sidney are staying with her family. It touches delicately on shell shock, and on how people can grieve loss in different ways, as well as the difficulties of not being able to say what you did in the war, or people thinking you faked a wound to get out of fighting. The only real gripe I have with this book, was Huber’s obsession with over describing things. Verity doesn’t just put on a coat. Or even a blue coat. It’s always a slate blue dress with mustard yellow belt, or autumn leaf coloured shirt, moss green skirt, etc. Even the furniture gets over described. It jerked me out of the narrative each time as I’d frustratedly think “for god’s sake not again”. Docked a star for overdoing it and annoying me, otherwise a solid book.

"Murder most fair" is the latest addition to the wonderful Verity Kent Mystery Series, a sophisticated whodunit centred around a xenophobic killing and the festering psychological wounds still running deep across the country in the aftermath of WWI.
A searing portrait of a family and a community left emotionally scarred by a bloody conflict that upended their lives dramatically. I personally found the "spying story" somewhat less interesting than the sibling/parent relationships and the need to overcome their profound emotional difficulties and challenges in a postwar England questing for closure and stability.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date

I have to admit, I did not like Sydney very much after the first book, This Side of Murder. However, I now absolutely adore him! Verity and Sydney are such complex and interesting characters on their own and as a couple are extraordinary. The ongoing saga with Lord Ardmore is still in the background of this book along with their friends Max and Alex but this is amore personal story. Although it wasn't called that at the time, the characters are all dealing with their PTSD from the Great War and the death of friends and family members. Because so much of Verity's life during the War is secret, she doesn't get the same latitude and sympathy the men in her life do. At her family's estate, she must deal with her brother's death during the War and the arrival of her German aunt and her maid. With the anti-German sentiment rampant, it is not surprising that there is a dead body involved. Overall, I think this might be my favorite of Verity and Sydney's adventures so far. Catching the teasers through out this book, I cannot wait for their next story! Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read #MurderMostFair.

post WW-1, historical-fiction, historical-research, England, cosy-mystery, family-dynamics, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, 1919, espionage, suspense, suspicion*****

After the War To End All Wars, suspicion and hatred from one nation to another was just as rampant as it had been during the conflict. This made things difficult for many families as well as individuals, such as Verity's beloved aunt. And Verity herself is hampered by close self important relatives who would castigate her even more than usual if they knew that she had been involved in espionage in Europe during the war during the time that it was believed that her husband was dead. A grand mess. Then Aunt's maid is murdered and Verity plus husband must sort out the tangle of problems.
The publisher's blurb is a good hook, and this series has my nose stuck to the pages. Loved this one, too!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy of this book from the Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

November 1919 and Verity Kent's Great-Aunt Ilse arrives at Verity's home in Kent with her new maid Frau Bauer in tow. Soon stories of strange men accosting Frau Bauer and fears of what Lord Ardmore might do if he found out that Verity's German aunt had come to the UK lead Verity and Sidney to decide it would be best if they all decamp to Verity's parents' home in Yorkshire two weeks earlier than planned. Verity hasn't been home since her brother's death and she has a fraught relationship with her mother, so this is a big sacrifice on her part.

Then Isle's maid is found dead and secrets are revealed. Was she murdered by the mysterious stranger she was seen arguing with? Was it Verity's younger sister Grace's new beau who apparently has a 'Blighty wound' which invalided him our of the war? Is it a villager convinced she was a German spy? And what is Aunt Ilse hiding?

Although this is yet another well-crafted mystery for Verity and Sidney, the focus of this book is very much on relationships. We learn a lot> more about Verity's relationships with the rest of her family, and how each of them has been affected by the war and the death of her brother Rob. In fact, I would happily have read this with no murder at all just because it advanced everything else so much, all those tantalising glimpses into Verity's marriage and her older brother's disapproval are all brought to the surface and it is very satisfying. Also, a personal thanks that the book does not start with Verity and Sidney estranged as seemed to happen with several of the other books.

Overall, a great instalment in one of my favourite series and I can't wait for the next one.

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