For all of you who already have read Jessica Fellowes' five Mitford family murder mysteries featuring former nurserymaid turned sleuth, Louisa Cannon, why didn't somebody tell me about them?! The Mitford Vanishing finds Louisa married to former D.I. Guy Sullivan and mother to their baby Maisie nearing a year old. Louisa has just joined Guy in their new private detective agency when they are called by the Mitfords to find sister Decca (Jessica Mitford at age 19) who has disappeared. As those who are familiar with the Mitfords know, several family members were fervent supporters of Naziism, while Jessica was much more left leaning. The Spanish Civil war is drawing anti-facists to Spain via France. Hitler is gaining power in Germany. Jessica has taken all her "running away" money and -- run away. Why? Where? Is she safe or in harm's way? Meanwhile, Louisa is called in to find another missing woman, Petunia Atwood, who failed to return to work after her vacation. Is it just a coincidence that she has an enemy in Bernard Plum, a well regarded employee at her insurance agency who was suspended when Petunia accused him of fraud? Fellowes is very adept at mixing an entirely fictional set of characters, Petunia, Bernard, Louisa, Guy and various other heroes, heroines, villains with a historically accurate picture of the Mitford sisters and Decca's disappearance in 1937, somewhat reckless, undeniably hard on her family, an act of rebellion and and a decision based on personal and political passion. I "read" the audio version of this book and found it delightful. The mysteries were well-plotted and the characters, even the minor ones who care for Maisie, run a Communist bookstore, translate for Guy, etc. are well drawn. Although I plan to go back to read the first four books in this series, I was not unduly confused by reading the fifth book first, just disappointed it took me so long to find this series. Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of the audiobook.

A real life mystery centered around the real life characters makes this an intriguing read. The period piece is beautifully described. The characters seem to come alive. While listening I felt like I knew them. The narrator is excellent. This is one book I will read again!

My Interest

The glamorous Mitford girls, daughters of Lord Redesdale (a first cousin of Clementine Churchill), were "influencers" (in today's terms) in posh society in 1930's London.  Unity became one of the first well known stalkers--she was in love with Hitler and stalked him till she got to meet him. Nancy left a Guinness (yes, THAT Guinness family) for Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Fascists, and Jessica was a communist who later wrote exposes on the funeral industry and birth "industry" in the USA among other works.  They fascinate me for another reason, too. The tiny bit of truly "formalized" education any of the girls received (beyond a governess) was thru Charlotte Mason's Parents Education Union.  I'd love to do some sort of fiction about THAT part of their lives!

The author, Jessica Fellowes, is niece of Julian Fellowes, creator of Downton Abbey. So, she's not likely to make a hash of titles or forms of address, now is she?

The Story

1937--the Coronation of the new King George VI looms, war rages in Spain and the 5 of Lord Redesdale's six daughters has vanished! Former Mitford family nursery maid, Louisa Cannon, now a private investigator with her husband (a former police detective) is called upon to discreetly find her! Younger sister Deborah's (aka "Debo" later Duchess of Devonshire and one time sister-in-law of Kick Kennedy) debutante season and marriage prospects are potentially to be diminished by the possible scandal! (Someone pass the smelling salts! And, please, sweet tea and Sherry!) Meanwhile, two very ordinary women have disappeared--is there a link? Louisa and husband, Guy, must find out.

The story is based on the real life "disappearance" of Jessica, aka "Decca" Mitford when she ran off with some-degree-of-cousin-disant-enough-to-marry, Esmond Romilly--a nephew of Clementine Churchill. Married while already expecting the couple's first child--who would die from lack of a measles shot.

My Thoughts

I think this entire series is already on my TBR, but I wish I hadn't waited so long to jump into it. It's pretty well done for a who-done-it series! (I've posted about it before in this post). It's hard to write about mysteries without giving away the whole story. I liked the way the Mitford family is fictionalized--they are believable here. I also like the way Louisa has come into her own in the series--that's a great touch. That the topic of the "side" murders is something women today can relate too--i.e. a 1930's #metoo moment and battered wives, is ok with me. It's handled in the terms of the era of the story--nothing too modern occurs. And, one thing that happened I don't think Agatha Christie would have considered! That was a great idea [No spoilers].


I will definitely go back and start at the beginning--a rare compliment from me, previously given only to Louise Penny's Chief Inspector Gamache series!

Note to the editor of this book: It was called a "receiver," not a "hand set." Gosh, will this mistake never end? "Hand set" entered the language with cordless phones. And, an "invisibility cloak"? It was just used to describe something, but please.... Tiny things, but ....


My Verdict
4 Stars

(or should that be four peer's coronets?)

How can so many people just go missing? This book followed a couple main disappearance cases (Jessica Mitford and Petunia Atwood).

While I ended up liking the mystery in the end, the first two-thirds drug on a lot without getting real far. There were just so many characters to keep track of. When really digging into Petunias disappearance, it felt like the story finally came together. Since I listened to the audiobook, the narrator really helped in getting through the beginning of the book. She was pretty engaging.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book for my review.

The Mitford Vanishing by Jessica Fellows was a fun audiobook! I’d recommend for fans of Agatha Christie and Murder She Wrote! This one stars a husband and wife detective tracking down a Peet’s daughter who has done a runner! Good fun and not too scary or violent!

This is an enjoyable cozy mystery in a series of books that fall along much the same lines. It personally did not work for me, however. I thought the main character didn't have much personality, despite her world being filled with fascinating people. I don't love that the mystery revolves around the Mitfords (real family) but their real-life zaniness certainly lends itself to fiction. In all, this didn't work for me, but I certainly would recommend it to friends.

The Mitford Vanishing (Mitford Murders #5)
by Jessica Fellowes
This is an interesting double crime that has many twists and turns that will fool the reader during the story, although its all explained in the end. Set between the wars, with political influences from Socialism, Communisms, Fascism, or capitalism and its influence on England, and the world. With stories of the battles in Spain, and the refugees in France. It was a difficult time, and the mystery is colored by this difficulty.
The reader of the book did a great job switching between the point of view, and creating interest in the story. The reader has a way of making the confusions, and divergent paths more realistic.

In the Mitford Vanishing, Louisa and Guy have just opened up their own detective agency and their first big case is to find one of her employer's daughters. Louisa and Guy travel back and forth to France and all over London gathering clues and evidence as the initial task of locating a daughter ends up being connected to the disappearance of another client's sister, and eventually, the disappearances of two more women and a man are thrown into the mix as well. I liked that this was a mystery with plenty of storylines to unravel, yet didn't possess any suspense. I find that suspense stresses me out and makes me anxious so I usually avoid the mystery genre, but this one was very enjoyable with suspenseless mystery fun. I have not read any of the previous five titles in the series but found this one to be entertaining as a standalone.

The audio narrator was fantastic. I would listen her again.

The Mitford family is having their (fictional) moment. There has been a recent streaming show of The Pursuit of Love; the publication of Michelle Gable’s latest novel, The Bookseller’s Secret; and the upcoming The Mayfair Bookshop by Eliza Knight. The latter two feature Nancy Mitford.

Jessica Fellows was one of the first (so far as I know) to fictionalize the Mitfords. She finds the Mitford family fascinating and has created a mystery series that centers on them. The Mitford Vanishing is the fifth book in the series. I found it to be a good read.

Jessica Mitford is missing. Nancy Mitford calls on Louisa and Guy to find her. For those who don’t know, Louisa was once a servant to the Mitfords. She married Guy, a police officer, and now has a little girl. Together, Guy and Louisa have formed a private detective business, Cannon and Sullivan. Nancy’s call brings Louisa and Guy back into the Mitford orbit and they accept the case.

The story takes place as the Spanish Civil War is being fought. Has Jessica gone to Spain? Why? Who is she with? Readers know that Jessica was the “communist” Mitford so going to help the forces there may be a logical possibility.

At the same time, Louisa is consulted by a woman who is looking for her sister. Where has she gone? Is she also in Spain? Will the cases intersect? Pick this one up to find out.

This review is for the audio version of this title. It has a wonderful narration with each character having their own voice.

I recommend this title in either book or audio form for those who enjoy historical mysteries. Readers may then want to read other titles in the series. Each has featured one of the Mitford sisters.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I have not read any other books from the series, nevertheless, an author kept inserting short descriptions from the previous books to make the current one understand easier. Loved it.

A newly established Private Investigation Agency "Cannon and Sullivan" have received their very first case. The fact that the new client is Louisa's previous employer - plays a huge role. The daughter of the Mitford family is on the run, and Louisa and her husband Guy are hired to locate and bring the girl back to England. The search takes the couple from London to Paris, and finally to Bayonne. While working on their first case, Louisa has accepted a new work, from a local Londoner searching for her missing sister. As the PI couple works on both inquiries, they soon establish a strange connection between the two cases.

Wonderful plot. I could not get enough of it. The simplicity of the writing, to well built-in twists - this novel includes it all: love, betrayal, and politics. Louisa's role in the story is the strongest one, in the times when women had no major rights - she is not afraid to speak her mind, ask necessary questions, make her own observations, and act on it. She is dedicated to the cause. Not able to give up and leave tasks/actions unresolved. On the other hand - the Mitford family, based on this book I can tell - those are some feisty sisters and I would love to read and learn more about their stories. I can absolutely promise to look forward to the next Jessica Fellowes' novels. Thank you, Net Galley and Minotaur Books publisher for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

Missing

In 1937 during the raging civil war in Spain one of the famous Mitford girls goes missing. The Mitford family engages their former maid turned detective Louisa Cannon and her husband Guy to find their daughter Jessica.

They travel to France to try and find the missing girl, in the meantime they are engaged on another case of a missing woman perhaps headed to Spain. Are the two cases related? Now they are hunting for two missing women and an elusive man that may hold information to the cases.

A good job of detective work. An English historical mystery. I enjoyed the clothing descriptions and the different places and people along the way.

It was a good mystery, perhaps a bit long, but a good story even so. I did enjoy the audio book and the narration was great.

Thanks to Jessica Fellowes for writing the story and doing a great job of narrating it, Macmillan Audio for publishing it and for NetGalley for making it available to me.

The Mitford Vanishing is the 5th installment in a series that divinely mixes historical fiction with cozy mystery. Set against the backdrop of the Spanish civil war and the precursors of WWII, this novel delves more heavily into the history of the time than the earlier novels of this series while still setting up a rich, complex mystery. This is definitely my favorite book in the series so far.

Louisa and Guy make a great sleuthing duo. Though Guy worries for Louisa's safety, and rightfully so, he knows she is a capable detective with a heart for finding the truth. Though the two work the case together, the book follows Louisa's progress more closely.

This book ticks all the boxes that are important to me - rich history, strong female protagonist, compelling characters, lush mystery. I loved it and recommend it to cozy lovers and historical fiction lovers alike.

I would describe this as "just OK." There are so many British mysteries that are so much better than this.

Review copy provided by publisher.