A very enjoyable cosy read, you do not need to have read the first two in the series to follow the plots but it does give you a background to our lead character

Looking forward to the next read

I enjoy this series. Mrs. Adler is great, an independent woman who is willing to have her friends help her and will even ask for help. The mystery kept me guessing and entertained.
I look forward to more in the series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Death at the Manor is the latest installment in Katharine Schellman's historical mystery series centered around the character of Lily Adler. While the two previous books in this series held my interest and were quite enjoyable, this one fell flat for me. Although the main mystery was intriguing and had fun twists to keep the reader guessing, the rest of the plot seemed a bit mediocre. It seemed like Schellman was trying to delve deep into the motivations of each ensemble character, but it never really felt like that exploration went anywhere. In addition, the romance subplot was a bit contrived and I didn't sense any chemistry between Lily and her partner. Even though Death at the Manor wasn't my favorite, I'm hopeful that the next installment in this series will pique my interest again.

The is the third Lily Adler mystery and I’ve been eagerly awaiting it. I think it’s easy enough to jump in if you haven’t read the others, but you get a better feel for Lily if you’ve read the first two.

Lily Adler is a young regency widow who has had some luck solving murders other people want to sweep under the rug. When she arrives in Hampshire with her friends the Carroways to stay with her aunt and her “friend”, she expects a quiet visit to further her with acquaintance with nearby Matthew Spencer.
 
But a ghost has taken up residence nearby. Half the servants have left in terror, but the family seems delighted with the notoriety. Intrigued, Lily and her party arrive ready to be entertained—only to find that the matriarch has been killed in her bed and her door locked from the inside.
 
Mrs Wright’s family is convinced that the ghost is responsible. Lily is determined to learn the truth before another victim turns up. This story has a more gothic bent than the previous ones.

In the previous mysteries, Lily was assisted by her late husband’s best friend Captain Jack Hartley, a half-Indian naval officer who she’s grown closer to. It’s clear Jack loves Lily, but she’s oblivious/fighting it and in this book she’s taken by widower Matthew Spencer who she met in book 2.

I prefer Jack over Matthew, so this was rough for me since Jack has returned to sea. His insight and support was a notable absence for me. I like Sir Edward and Lady Carroway—a Miss Lambe-esque heiress from the previous books—but Ofelia doesn’t have Jack’s humor. Lily didn’t have as active a role as she typically does compared to her supporting cast. Bow Street constable Simon Page is also absent.

If you haven’t read the previous books, you’d think Matthew was great and the investigation satisfactory. But for me, Jack and Simon’s absence cast too long a shadow and I’m not thrilled with the attempted gothic tone. The middle of the investigation dragged for me, and I haven’t felt that way about the previous books. Here’s hoping book four gets back on track and the gang gets back together.

Historical fiction mixed in with a cozy mystery. It follows Lily and co. and you really get a feel of the relationships without having to read prior stories. This was my intro into a "locked-door" story. I liked it and would continue the series. I am a spooky girl so i love Goth vibes.

Thank you Net galley for sending me an arc!



As the series progresses more and more so does Schellmans writing. Since the first book she keeps getting better at captivating the readers interest.


Although the murderer was more easy to guess I applaud her for the plot development and the extremely positive interactions between Lily and the other characters.

The strong female friendships in these series, especially considering that Ofelia is a woman of colour who is constantly assisting Lily in solving the mysteries instead of being thrown aside, were particularly pleasant to read.


(Also Lilys interactions with her aunts were an absolute delight)

I also was happily surprised to realize that the romantic side of the book was more of a subplot and didn't take away from the main plot. I quite honestly root for both Captain and Mr Spencer, and definitely plan to follow along Lilys journey in the next books.

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to spending the autumn away from the social whirl of London society. When she arrives in Hampshire with her friends, Lord and Lady Carroway, she doesn’t expect much more than a quiet country visit and the chance to spend time with her charming new acquaintance, Matthew Spencer.

But something odd is afoot in the small country village. A ghost has taken up residence in the Belleford manor, a lady in grey who wanders the halls at night, weeping and wailing. Half the servants have left in terror, but the family is delighted with the notoriety that their ghost provides. Piqued by this spectral guest, Lily and her party immediately make plans to visit Belleford.

They arrive at the manor the next morning ready to be entertained—but tragedy has struck. The matriarch of the family has just been found smothered to death in her bed.

There was no one else in her room, and the door was locked from the inside. The dead woman’s family is convinced that the ghost is responsible. The servants are keeping secrets. The local magistrate is flummoxed. Lily is determined to learn the truth before another victim turns up—but could she be next in line for the Great Beyond? (Goodreads synopsis)

I have not read any novels by Katharine Schellman, so I will have to go back and read the first two Lily Adler mysteries.

I enjoyed the historical mystery as well as the gothic tones that the author employed. I, especially, was enjoyed by Lily and Ofelia’s straightforward, intelligent outlook to the case. Both women are down to earth, but are not ridiculous enough to put themselves at risk. They also recognize romance when it is staring them in the face, although this does not distract from the main theme.

The mystery was well plotted, and gave more than enough suspects. I found myself thinking one way (due to the amount of mysteries I read), changing my mind, and then returning to the original thought.
I am worried, though, of the potential love triangle that the author appears to be implying. I really hope that this is not the case, as such a cliche can cause unnecessary drama.

Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.

Death at the Manor is an enjoyable cozy mystery. With a rather simple, gothic inspired plot, the book's selling point is the atmosphere and characterization rather than the mystery itself. I liked immersing myself in the idyllic English countryside, and appreciated the inclusion of Black characters in a very organic manner. I did not care for romantic subplot as I thought it didn't enhance the story in any way, and the purpose of the male character's inclusion could have been served regardless. The emotions are a little underexplored.

What a great historical fiction!! Death at the Manor, the third installment of the series was well written with very well-crafted characters. So much so, that you feel as if you know them.

The novel is about the haunting that occurs at the Manor. One spirit a lady in grey has scared the servants away. Lilly is so intrigued she decides along with her friends to visit Belleford manor. They arrive at the manor ready to see the spirits only to find that tragedy has struck. The matriarch of the family has just been found killed in her bed.

So, Lily decides in investigate to find out what really happened. And, you will be surprised by the ending.

Can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Much like the first two Lily Adler mysteries this delightful period romp of our favorite characters was the perfect mix of comfort, friendship, and mystery.

Brilliant read! Well written (and likeable) characters and the excellent backdrop of the creepy Manor House made this novel a great, fast paced experience. I was guessing right up until the end!

If you like serious (but not gory) historical mysteries, this series is for you. In this book, Schellman delves into the gothic house in the countryside mystery. Lots of fun, great characters and an interesting love triangle that is leaving me guessing as to what's going to happen next. C. S. Harris and Laurie King fans will enjoy.

The third in the Lily Adler mystery series. I enjoyed spending time with Lily and her friends, but was slightly disappointed by Lily's lack of observational skills when it comes to those close to her in this one. I also was sad to see Captain Hartley not playing a greater role. I suppose this will be a challenge for future books, as his career necessitates his absence most of the time. It will be interesting to see how the series handles this fact going forward.

Having not read the first two books in the Lily Adler series, I wasn't sure how I would enjoy this but I really did! You quickly work out who the main characters are, and how they're linked. It reminded me very much of the Laetitia Dodd series.

I thought the mystery itself: that of a ghost haunting an old manor, the lady of the house killed whilst locked in her room, very good. There were numerous potential suspects and I enjoyed ruling them out and then ruling some of them back in again. There were some surprises and twists thrown in and the ending is shocking so I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Whilst this is a mystery series, there's lot of extra romance thrown in which I actually enjoyed too and didn't think took away from it being a mystery. I felt it added to the character's as they would have their own lives continuing despite investigations. It was also good to see that whilst the series focuses on Lily as the main 'detective', others in the group (namely Ofelia and Matthew) combined efforts.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and will be looking into reading the first two in the series!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

Slow and overdiscriptive. Not a page turner but the ending is what I was not expecting at all. Surprised me to say the least. Pops of love and potential love throughout really didn't need to be there to tell the story but was a cute little addition.

In the third book in the Lily Adler historical cozy series, we have a ghost and a murder mystery.

Lily is visiting her aunt and she discovers that a manor there is supposedly haunted, and the family is promoting these rumors with house tours and the like. When Lily and her friend visit, there a murder and of course, everyone except Lily assumes it was the ghost who did it.

Similar to previous books, we don’t have a twisty, suspenseful mystery, these books are a bit more character driven than plot driven, but we do have a locked room-type murder with a gothic feel to it. I do think this could be read as a stand-alone, but I think there’s a better appreciation for these characters having read the previous two books. I liked that this was a bit more an ensemble, with Lily working together with several other characters to solve this mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book which had a feel of Jane Austen mixed with a generous dose of Agatha Christie. The Victorian feel of it and the murder mystery set in a village, in a haunted manor nonetheless was a brisk read which kept me engaged and away from thinking about all the things going on in the world. Also, a perfect read in between tense and heavy books

I thank Netgally and Crooked Lane Books and of course the author Katharine Schellman for giving me this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lily Adler and her friend Ophelia Carroway go and stay with Lily's aunt for a few days only to be present at the occurrence of a murder of Mrs. Wright. Previously successful with solving murder mysteries, Lily cannot stop her mind from trying to find out the murderer. Here's the catch, everyone thinks the ghost that haunts that house is the one the frightened the poor woman to death.

This book is for those who are just getting into the world of murder mysteries and this is the perfect place to start as it slow and light. Unfortunately, being used to heavy murder mysteries with thrilling twists and turns, this book was not for *me*

The book was okay, pretty good but also slow and a little boring in places. It started off really slow with unnecessary descriptions and it only picked up once the murder happened. After that again it was a little slow with little bursts of information which excited you but no fun until about 50%. It's at this point you kind of figure who could be the murderer based on eliminating people and arriving at the conclusion.

I really liked that both Lily and Ophelia shared equal parts in investigating and I really liked their characters and their significant others.

The second half of the book really picks up and completely invites you into a thrilling mystery, but at this point even when they bring back suspects with evidence, you still have an inkling of who is the murderer. The end completely shocked me and the how and why I was astonished and had absolutely no idea. Woah. Indeed.

One thing, there were A LOT of romance plots here and a lot of talk about love and potential love etc which at the beginning felt unnecessary but definitely added a cute element to the book.

Lily Adler is looking forward to spending some time with her Aunt Eliza with her friends Lady and Lord Carroway ( Ofelia and Ned) but instead, she is embroiled in a strange murder that appears to be committed by a ghost at the nearby Belleford manor. Can Lily solve the murder with her friends while dealing with her feelings for Mr Spencer?
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion
This is the third book in the Lily Adler Mystery series, but I was able to get into the story and the characters without having read the previous two books. The book is told from a few points of view which makes the story a lot more compelling.
I loved the diverse range of characters in the book that naturally blended into the story and the expected prejudices are present but overall I loved how the characters in the book were able to accept Ofelia’s mixed-race descent. If anything, Ofelia’s difference from the other people in the village is her noble status.
Lily and Ofelia make a good detective team along with the official agencies such as the local magistrate and the Bow Street Runners.
The underlying mystery is interesting and would fit more within the cosy mystery category with a locked door mystery at its core. There is a definite gothic vibe to the book with the atmosphere at Belleford Manor, creepy butler, and equally creepy owners!
I imagine the romance between Mr Spencer and Lily would appeal more to readers who have read all the books in the series but this does not distract from the story.
Perfect for fans of
Historical Cosy crimes
Content warning
Allusions to racism
Note to publisher
This review will be published on my blog seriesbooklover.wordpress.com on the 10th of August 2022

I enjoyed reading this book, its an interesting murder mystery, though I don't usually read murder mysteries, its a pretty good book.