A Fashionable Fatality
Lady Phoebe was invited to a house party at her sister, Julia, English country manor home. Julia had also invited the designer, Coco Chanel and her male companion, The Earl of Chesterhaven as well. However Julia did not realize that Chanel would come with an entourage and planned to photograph models wearing her latest creations in the manor’s gardens.
The house party was disrupted when one of the models died of smoke inhalation after the flue in her bedroom fireplace malfunctioned. One of the servants was accused of mishandling the flue after he set the fire but it was ruled an accident. Phoebe and her ladies maid, Eve, were convinced that the death was not an accident but a malicious act. They wanted to clear the footman who had lit the fire. So they started their own investigation among the staff and the servants. They wanted to know what really happened and who was responsible for the death.
This is the eight book in the Lady and Lady’s Maid Mystery series. They are set in England in the years after World War I that are sometimes called the Downtown Abbey era. I enjoyed the book and may read some of the other books in this series.
I received this ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

murder, murder-investigation, cozy-mystery, 1920s, class-consciousness, historical-novel, historical-research, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, Cotswolds, England, family-dynamics, relatives, country-house, rural, injured-veteran, historical-figures, historical-places-events, friendship, falsely accused****

I've read several nonfiction accounts that support the self-centered ruthlessness of Coco Chanel. The descriptions of her behaviors, the way she treated her employees, and the detailed description of her clothing designs all ring true.
Phoebe, Eva, and Mme Chanel were invited to Julia's home. None of the entourage were invited, and that sparks the rest of the tale. First untoward event is a riding incident caused by a foolish young woman. Then another is dead of smoke inhalation with the wrong person accused. The sisters have different views on whether the fire was an accident or deliberate. And so the sleuthing begins! A good read.
It is a well formulated story with many fascinating, if exasperating, characters and excellent world building. A nice easy read, I loved it!
I requested and received an EARC from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Lady Phoebe and Eva her lady's maid are at it again. Only this time Phoebe isn't hosting guided tours for historical societies. Instead her sister Julia invites Phoebe to a house party, also attending are Coco Chanel, the fashion designer and her current flame, Lord Chesterhaven., Coco surprises her hosts by inviting an entire entourage of photographer, models, make up artists, wardrobe overseers and more, and it is not a pleasant surprise. The tension between the two models is immediately noticed by all and after one has an accident falling off a horse, the other ends up dead. Everyone seems to be a suspect because they all seem to have had a beef of one sort or the other with the deceased. Who is to blame or is it as Julia keeps insisting, the resulting accidental death caused by a negligent servant?
Eva and Phoebe join forces and begin their usual snooping around, asking touchy questions, putting themselves in the line of fire.
Picking up this book and reading about Phoebe and Eva is like visiting old friends, it is a comfortable, well paced mystery that has a few twists to keep you guessing. One thing I am don't really know how I feel about is how Coco Chanel is portrayed. Because if she was really like she is in this book then ugh, not a nice person at all and one I would not like to meet. I do recommend this book to all historical mystery readers, it lives up to expectations. 5 Stars for sure. Publishes in January of 2023, start the new year off right and grab a copy.
thank you to Kensington Books and Net Galley for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review in return.
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Lady Phoebe Renshaw, accompanied by her lady’s maid Eva Huntford, is attending a house party at the home of her sister, Julia. She’s surprised to find that Julia has also invited fashion designer, Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, and her current paramour, the Earl of Chesterhaven. And no one is pleased when Coco invites her entire entourage, announcing that Allerton Place would be the perfect backdrop for a fashion shoot. All does not go smoothly due to competition between Coco’s two model’s, Tensions escalate quickly, and when one of the models is found dead in her bedroom, Phoebe and Eva find themselves investigating a murder.

The core characters of Phoebe and Eva continue to be a major draw. They each have their roles to play in the investigation, obtaining information in their own ways—Phoebe upstairs, and Eva downstairs. I was happy to see Phoebe growing as an individual. She has always been a strong female protagonist, but here she deftly stands her ground with regards to her developing relationship with her long-time admirer, Owen. It was also very interesting to gain understanding of Eva’s concerns about her future now that Phoebe has grown into a confident young woman.

The mystery was intriguing, and while determining the why for the murder was easy, there were several suspects who could have fulfilled the role of murderer. The murder though was pushed aside by the Coco Chanel fashion subplot. I love a historic subplot, but this one was not of any real interest to me, nor was the use of Chanel to move the plot along. I will say that this had the best capture of a murderer that I’ve seen in some time!

The period and setting of an aristocratic manor house party in the early 1920s was well thought out and vividly described. And the author provides a great deal of insight into the well-know class system of the British aristocracy and their servants, as well as the classes within a business such as Chanel’s.

Really, Julia, how you speak to your help.” Mademoiselle Chanel shook her head and tsked. “You pay their wages, do you not?”

The use of real people as characters has it’s advantages and disadvantages. Bringing a character like Chanel (and her “what’s in it for me” personality) into the story introduced a variety of emotions and situations that fed the narrative quite well. And while I did appreciated the afterward which delved into the life of Coco Chanel, her life and some of her flaws, I’m not sure why the author chose not to include certain information that I find important about her. Regarding Chanel’s activities during World War II, the author makes the statement “During WWII and the years leading up to the war, she proved herself to have no loyalties except to her own profits, no sense of morality but what benefited herself.” Yet the author provides no particulars. The most telling omissions are Chanel’s affair with a high ranking German officer, passing information obtained during “business trips” to Spain on to Nazi officials, and her attempt to reclaim a portion of her business by using the Nazi’s new laws which forced Jews to give up their businesses.

So, while not my favorite book to come out of this series, all in all, this was a good cozy mystery that made for light and mildly entertaining reading.

Source: NetGalley and Kensington Books

Lady Phoebe and her maid Eva are deep into another murder - or was it just a tragic accident? Visiting her sister, Phoebe finds Coco Chanel and her staff also in residence. Coco and her crew are less than model house guests, but is one of them a murder?

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this advanced review copy, which I voluntarily read. All thoughts are my own.

Alyssa Maxwell does it again with "A Fashionable Fatality" the latest installment of the Lady and Lady's Maid series. In this one, Phoebe and Eva are guests of Phoebe's sister Julia, now Lady Allerton. It's something of a house party, and the other guests are friends of Julia. One of them is Coco Chanel, who took it upon herself to invite a few others. One of those few others is who ends up dead. Naturally, Phoebe and Eva spend the majority of the rest of the book trying to figure out whodunit.

It was an engrossing and entertaining read, especially since I didn't figure who the murderer was until Phoebe did. I must say I was surprised, but I could empathize with the killer's reason for committing the crime. I especially appreciated the afterword provided giving more details about Coco Chanel's life and personality, which was on display in the story itself. It makes me want to read her biography, to learn more and to see if I come away with the same assessment of her that Maxwell has.

If you like mysteries set in Downtown Abbey era, I recommend this book, and the whole series for that matter. You won't be disappointed.

Imagine if the Great Gatsby had instead been a fun cozy mystery.

Doesn't that sound amazing! I know I would have loved to read that!

Well, this book definitely gives off that vibe. Phoebe definitely feels like Daisy. And Eva, for whatever reason, feels like a lady's maid version of Nick. Even the boyfriend Owen reminds me a bit of Gatsby - as he should have been, of course.

Throw into that mix a famous designer (Coco Chanel, of all people) and a little bit of murder mystery sleuthing. This book is a quick, fun read with just enough glitz and glamour to feel Roaring 20s.

"With a gasp, she forgot everything else going on around her, and broke into a grin of delight. 'Owen!' They met halfway up - or down - the stairs, and if Phoebe worried about teetering on the step, Owen's strong embrace held her steady."

Stylistically just the thing for fans of Fitzgerald and cozies.

I think Maxwell's A Lady and Ladies Maid series get better with each new book. The characterization gets stronger and the writing is smoother.

In A Fashionable Fatality, Lady Phoebe and her lady's maid Eva are visiting Phoebe sister, Julia, and her family. Julia also is entertaining Coco Chanel, an up-and-coming fashion designer, and her models/entourage. When one of the models dies of smoke inhalation, Phoebe is convinced it was murder and not carelessness by one of Julia's staff.

I loved the portrayal of Chanel and of an early fashion house. Make sure you read the author's note; Coco was an amazing talent but a pretty horrible human being.

These are good, cozy, historical mysteries. They are best read in order.

Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her maid Eva are invited to spend some time with her sister Julia, now Marchioness of Allerton. Among the other guests is up and coming French designer Gabrielle Chanel better known as Coco. Julia, the perfect hostess, is unsure what to do when a model, photographer and various other staff from Coco's salon arrive and expect to stay at her home while they are shooting still photography. Also on hand is the rebellious daughter of an aristocratic family who catches Coco's eye. When one of the models is found dead of smoke inhalation from a blocked chimney flue, Julia wants to fire the footman who set the flues, but Phoebe believes there's more to this death than an accident. She and Eva make a terrific sleuthing duo. Enjoy this series very much

A Fashionable Fatality is another book in the ongoing adventures of Lady Phoebe and her lady's maid Eva.

It is post WWI and Phoebe's sister Julia is holding what was to be a small soiree. However, when Julia's guest Coco Chanel arrives with her own entourage it becomes a whole different party. Coco has brought two models with her to showcase her newest fashions with photographs in the garden.

The models are quite competitive and there is a great dead of stress in the air. When one of the guests is found dead due to smoke inhalation it is up to Phoebe and Eva to get to the bottom of just what happened.

I enjoy these cozy historical books with their fascination characters. Coco Chanel was a fun, albeit annoying, addition to the story!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Kensington Books and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

A delightful historical cozy mystery. If you’re a fan of historical reads and cozy mysteries, you’ll be happy with this one.