Heading to her Irish estate for the first time since inheriting, Lady Eleanor Swifts discovers a body in the middle of the road. Not quite dead, she and her butler rush the man to a nearby abbey. However he soon dies and Ellie suspects everyone from the mother superior to the doctor to the policeman...
Murder in an Irish Castle is the 12th cosy murder mystery to feature Lady Eleanor Swift and her indefatiguable butler Clifford.
Ellie is convinced that foul play is involved in the death of the man they tried to save. Her suspicions are focused on almost all of the locals and she needs to unpick the motive and opportunity for each person. Every suspect is acting in a peculiar way so Ellie needs to work out whether their behaviour relates to the death or not.
The pace of the progress in the investigation is a little slow but there is plenty of action as Ellie frequently puts herself in danger in order to find the truth. Clifford frequently despairs despite his unflappable demeanour.
I enjoyed this book and the effort that Clifford goes to in order to protect his mistress. There is a fair amount of humour from this angle of the plot. Indeed, his loyalty is stretched almost to breaking point by the escapades needed to investigate the case. However, I did miss the other staff and Ellie's love interest, Hugh.
Murder in an Irish Castle is an intriguing mystery in this well established series.

3.5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Murder in an Irish Castle is a part of the Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Series and I’m sure it won’t be the last one I pick up from Verity Bright! This book is filled with fun twists and turns, great vocab, and the most heartwarming end.

I really wanted a transition from fall thriller to holiday magic and I’m not a big holiday romance reader so this was a great fit. Though I had trouble following in the beginning and wasn’t fully gripped at times, the ending truly made me smile ear to ear. Everything from the personalities of Lady Eleanor and Clifford, to Gladstone the pup, to some amazing descriptions of holiday meals which left me hungry for more. I loved how though this is book 12 in this mystery series, it’s great as a stand-alone read. Can’t wait to check out the other Lady Eleanor Swift stories!

A special thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for my first ARC and a chance to review.

Set entirely in Ireland, Ellie & her butler, Clifford, find a seriously wounded man on the road on their way to spend Christmas at a home she has inherited from her late Uncle. But nothing is as it seems: the staff has abandoned the castle, the village seems unwelcoming, and the identity of the wounded, now dead, man, unknown. Left on their own, Ellie and Clifford, both come to enjoy the village celebrations and solve the mystery.

After receiving an invitation to attend Christmas festivities in a small Irish town, where Ellie also own another ancestral home, Hennelly Towers. She and Clifford get lost on the way, and find an almost dead man on the road. After bringing him to a local nunnery, the two are told by the local doctor, priest and constable that the man, who’s a stranger, died, most likely of a heart attack, or heavy drinking, or getting run over. All of which seems highly unlikely to Eleanor and Clifford.

Hennelly Towers is practically abandoned, and has only one caretaker, and nothing set for a welcome of the pair. Everyone in the local village also seems a bit off, or seeming to know too much but saying very little. And the headmistress who invited Ellie claims no knowledge of having done so. So, curious, and all a little off-putting.

Eleanor,of course, decides to find out more about the dead man, especially as it seemed unlikely the man should have died once out of their care.

Even though Eleanor and Clifford are welcomed and fed in the village, there are successive incidents that give the two a strong sense that they’re in danger, which only keeps Eleanor and Clifford being that much more determined to get to the bottom of the mysteries.

I liked this installment a lot. I particularly liked the feeling of dread he author conjured with each new wrong thing happening. I also continue to be amazed at how much food Eleanor tucks away, and how brave she is, even with the mounting danger. Her unstudied and down to earth behaviour tends to win her friends everywhere she goes, and much as Clifford despairs, Eleanor’s relaxed attitude is what usually opens doors for them each time they encounter a mystery. Which Clifford despairs about amusingly at the beginning of the book. And, of course, they’ll be up against a new set of problems next book!

Thank you to Netgalley and to Bookouture for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Thanks very much to NetGalley and the creators of this book for providing me with an ARC!

This is my first cozy mystery in a while, but I was glad to return with the cold season starting. This really is what it was advertised to be: a funny, comfortable cozy mystery. I haven't read the previous books (this is the 12th book in the 'Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery' series), but it wasn't necessary at all to be able to get everything you needed to know out of this book. I will be taking a look at the rest of the series however, I think I might enjoy those as well. I do think it could have been a bit shorter, but I didn't really mind it too much. I do like that we get to see Eleanor's thoughts quite a lot. It isn't the most original story ever written, a bit predictable at some points, but I personally don't mind that when reading cozy mysteries. I mostly come for the comfortable and fun read, not for some exquisite plot full of the craziest twists. The descriptions were very good. The way the food is described in this book just made me hungry. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more of Verity Bright's work!

Murder in An Irish Castle by Verity Bright takes us on another adventure with Lady Eleanor Swift, and her butler extraordinaire, Clifford, and of course, the dog, Gladstone. They are in the middle of a journey in the Rolls that will end at Henelly Castle in Ireland. It is part of her uncle’s estate that she wasn’t really aware of, but they are journeying there now because of an invitation which had arrived inviting them for Christmas. Clifford, of course, had been in touch by letter with the staff, full of instructions. Now, they were late and had barely stopped in time to avoid running over a man lying in the roadway. They determined that they must try to save him, and ventured back down the road to a convent, where the Mother Superior offered them succor and called a doctor, the constable, and a priest. Sadly, the unnamed man died anyway. As always the duo tried to reason out what had happened. They had come to no conclusion when they reached the castle, only to find out that most of the staff had fled, the reason supposedly being a ghost. Ellie had trouble with that explanation, but had no other. She and Clifford pieced together some food and a place to sleep and got up a few hours later to go into town. Everyone here seemed strange, but the food in the pub was good and people started warming up to them.

Lady Swift is a wonderful character who is struggling to become an English lady in the early 20th century. She is forever making mistakes. Clifford is struggling just as much to help her become the lady she is meant to be. Since she had never been to Ireland before, nor had he, they had no explanation for how odd everything was. They continued to explore and investigate. It was quite the mystery, very convoluted, but, compelling. It took both of them, with a little help to eventually figure it out. Bright writes a wonderful book encompassing interesting characters, new vocabulary, and a terrific and mystifying mystery, very satisfying at its completion.

I was invited to read a free e-ARC of Murder in An Irish Castle by Bookoutre, through Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own. #Netgalley #Bookoutre #VerityBright #MurderAtAnIrishCastle

Verity Bright’s Murder in an Irish Castle features her series character, Lady Eleanor Swift. It’s different to most of the previous books: the only member of staff to feature is her butler, Clifford. However, I’m delighted to say that the banter between the pair of them is up to standard. Lady Swift has been invited to the village of Derrydee in Ireland, where her uncle owned Hennelly Towers. However, when she arrives, the staff have fled, apparently scared away by the ghost of old Eamon. All but one, that is. Corcoran, an aged retainer remains – but he won’t enter the house.

Even before Eleanor and Clifford reach the house, they find a dying man in the road and take him to a nearby Abbey, run by Benedictine nuns. The nuns and Father Quinn, the village priest, play a large part in the story, as you might expect for a novel set in 1920s Ireland. Following a – mmm… – “problem” with the Rolls, Eleanor and Clifford travel around in a vehicle much more in keeping with the setting too.

The characters, apart from Eleanor and Clifford, seem to have been shaken out of the box labelled “Early twentieth century Irish stereotypes”: a nun, a priest, a rude village doctor, a publican – all speaking traditional Irish phrases, to be sure. I still enjoyed the book and it’s quite possible that a rural village and small town in the 1920s would be populated with 100% stereotypical characters – but it seems a little far-fetched. I think you’ll have to suspend a little disbelief in order to enjoy the book as much as the others in the series.

#MurderinanIrishCastleALadyEleanorSwiftMysteryBook12 #NetGalley

This is a great cosy mystery, I love the 1930s period setting and felt that I learnt a lot about Irish customs at that time. Although this is part of a series it works equally well as a stand alone novel. I heartily recommend this series.

A perfect cozy mystery for the holidays.

I just really enjoy this series featuring Lady Eleanor Swift, her butler and partner in crime solving, Clifford, and her bulldog, Gladstone. This particular installment, the twelfth, is set in the tiny village of Derrydee in west Ireland. It’s Christmas, 1924, and Lady Swift has decided to visit a castle there that she has recently inherited. Along the snowy road right outside the estate, Ellie and Clifford nearly run over a body in the middle of the lane. They immediately obtain aid for the man, but he dies before they find out who he was and what he was doing way out there in the country. This is just the first of the mishaps, calamities, and dangerous situations that Ellie and Clifford will confront during their Christmas holiday in Derrydee.

As always, the plot was well developed and it was extremely nice to get a conclusion that I’ve longed to see since I started the series. I always enjoy coming home to visit these characters and find them quite entertaining and often very funny. I like the writing style and all the period details so important in any historical fiction. This is definitely a good one to curl up with on a cold winter night.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. This is one of the few series I still care to read and I can’t wait for #13.

Rounded up from 3.5

Lady Swift and her constant companions, Clifford, her butler and Gladstone the bulldog, are invited to the small village of Derrydee in Ireland for the Christmas holidays to stay at the other estate she inherited from her uncle, Hennelly Towers.

However, when they get there, they find a man half dead in the middle of the road. Not long after, they find the people of the town did not invite them to spend the holidays there. Why would someone lure her there and who is the mystery man?

What a fabulous festive treat Murder in an Irish castle was!

As always, I enjoy reading the back and forth between Eleanor and her butler Clifford, which always adds an element of fun to the story, but this time there's the addition of a very stubborn mule to add a bit more humour to this book.

I love the attention to detail and how Verity Bright infuses the story with Irish traditions and charm. There are also mentions of a lot of mouthwatering food, most of which I hadn't heard of but I would now like to try.

I'll be honest, I've dipped in and out of this series so there were aspects of the storyline I didn't get straight away so I would highly recommend you read some of the earlier novels before this one, just to get a better understanding.

If you're looking for an entertaining historical cozy with some feel good festive cheer, you can't go wrong with this book.

‘Murder in an Irish Castle’ sees Eleanor and Clifford transported to rural Ireland, Derrydee, on a visit to the castle which she inherited after her Uncle Byron’s death. They have been invited over to see how Christmas is celebrated there. Not far from their destination they find a body on the road and rush them to a nearby nunnery to get help for them. Unfortunately, the man died and Eleanor and Clifford decide that there is something suspicious about his death and put their detective caps on!

As you all surely know by now, I wax lyrical about this series. It's one of my all-time favourites and I always look forward to each new instalment! This was no different and I utterly loved this one. Once again it was the location that did it for me and being immersed in the historical details of the period was a bonus. It really did show the contrast between Eleanor’s home back in England and rural Ireland between the wars. Comparing the two was eye-opening as Derrydee was stuck very firmly in the past when it comes to the emerging modernity of the period. Anyway, this history nerd loved it all!

This is book twelve in the series but it is easily digested as a standalone. Due to the change of location apart from Eleanor and Clifford, all the characters are new to the reader and there is very little background story required! At least Gladstone was along for the ride, even if there was a distinct lack of sausages available for his consumption.

Roll on the next book, Death on Deck! I flaming love a historical mystery set on an ocean liner!

Favorite Quote:

Even those born with no ears has heard of it, miss.

My Review:

I continue with my infatuation with Lady Swift, Gladstone, her irreparably spoiled elderly bulldog, and Clifford, and her always prepared, highly astute, and perfectly impeccable butler. I adore this series, it has been as comically amusing as it has been deviously clever with murder mysteries that the little pea in my brain has never seen coming. This one was completely unsolvable, brilliantly plotted, and shrewdly paced. I’m already primed for their next escapade.

Accepting an invitation to celebrate Christmas with the villagers of Derrydee, Ellie (Lady Swift), Clifford (her butler) and her faithful canine, Gladstone, travel to West Ireland. What is supposed to be a relaxing holiday and a chance for Ellie to learn more about the Irish branch of her family, takes a sinister turn when en-route to Hennelly Towers, the estate she has inherited, Clifford nearly runs over a man lying in the road. Help is sought at a nearby nunnery and although assistance is given, a doctor and the local constable sent for, the man dies. The atmosphere is unfriendly and Ellie and Clifford are viewed with suspicion. They, in turn, believe the Mother Superior, the doctor and the constable know more about the dead man than they are willing to share. Ellie, as usual, is unable to let matters rest and once again becomes involved in another murder mystery, bringing her and Clifford into contact with some unsavoury types and fearing for their lives.

This was another fun read involving Ellie, Clifford and Gladstone. Unfortunately, Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon and the female staff of Henley Hall are missing from this instalment. The inspector is involved in a high profile case and the girls are enjoying a quiet Christmas back in England, though I expect they will celebrate in their usual mischievous style. Despite these main characters being absent, the cast list is extensive with lots of quirky and endearing ones to take their place..

While Ellie and Clifford hunt for clues, village life goes on around them and Ellie learns about the laws, traditions, the hardships and the more pleasant aspects of life in a rural village. All is explained to Ellie (and the reader) thanks to the knowledgeable Clifford, whom Ellie, at one stage, refers to as her favourite encyclopaedia on two legs. The author's historical notes at the end of the novel also help to put into perspective life in Ireland at that time.

And not forgetting the primary reason for Ellie's visit to Derrydee – the village Christmas party. What a shindig that was! So beautifully described that I felt like I was actually there: savouring the food, joining in the reels and being amused at Clifford dodging the mistletoe.

Murder in an Irish Castle is another wonderful addition to the series. I enjoyed the mystery element, the banter between Ellie and Clifford and the antics of Gladstone (who by the way makes a new friend) as I always do, but the highlight was the Christmas party, making this a great festive read!

⭐⭐⭐ -- love this cover!

This is one of my favorite historical cozy series, unfortunately this book wasn't one of my favorites in said series. I didn't find it particularly festive for a book set at Christmas time and I prefer my holiday cozies to be festive on steroids. 😂 The other issue I had was this book didn't really have the same charm as the other books because the only two carry over characters in this book were Eleanor and Clifford (and of course Gladstone). And although I adore their relationship, it felt like something was missing. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Last, I found it a bit slow and too long. I chalk that up to the aforementioned issues. That said, I still love this series overall and look forward to the next book (Death On Deck)!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This is the first book that I have read in this series by Verity Bright. I feel these books can be read out of order and still make sense as I did not find myself confused at all. In this book Lady Eleanor travels with her butler to Ireland for Christmas seemingly at the request of the city council where a home she had inherited was located. Once there they immediately find a body and attempt to provide life saving measures, but are not successful. The rest of the book shows Lady Eleanor, her butler, and her dog Gladstone attempting to solve who the deceased individual was and what had happened to him. They are met with a lot of resistance from many of the townspeople and at times even warned to let it go. She becomes suspicious of almost everyone in town. This is a cute murder mystery and I was quite surprised in the end about what had been going on behind the scenes.

Christmas time is finally here and Lady Eleanor Swift has received an invite to the village Christmas party. Lady Eleanor happily accepts the invitation and is thrilled to trace her family history at her late uncle’s estate. Not to mention how excited she is to be celebrating Christmas in a castle in Ireland. Lady Eleanor with Gladstone, her amazing bulldog, and Clifford, her butler, arrive late at night. Imagine their surprise when they find a body laying in the snow just outside the estate. When the constable arrives and sees Lady Eleanor and Clifford standing over the body, they are at the top of the list of suspects. Lady Eleanor discovers the victim had an old key hidden in the heel of his boot, she immediately must find what it will unlock. The villagers have their own speculations of who the murderer is. And when there is a fire in the castle on Christmas Eve, Lady Eleanor wonders if she will make it out alive. Her first Irish Christmas is turning out to be the opposite of what she expected.

This was such a fabulous addition to the Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Series. I loved the twists and turns of the story and I was literally on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who-dun-it. This rapid, festive read was a wonderful escape to west Ireland. The detailed description of the Castle and the quaint village made me feel like I was there in the midst. Once again I loved Gladstone, the bulldog being right there front and center to all the happenings going on. This installment to the series can be enjoyed as part of the series or as a stand-alone novel. I highly recommend this must read for every cozy mystery fan. It is a lovely series.

Thank you Verity Bright for a wonderful addition to the series. This cozy mystery set in Ireland is exactly the holiday escape I needed. I loved it and I highly recommend it.

My thanks to Bookouture for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Murder in an Irish Castle’ by Verity Bright. I also was invited to take part in their publication week blog tour.

This is Book 12 in Bright’s delightful Lady Eleanor Swift series of historical cosy mysteries set in the early 1920s. I again complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook, narrated by Karen Cass.

While I have been following this series since the beginning, background is always provided for new readers. Still, it’s such a fun series I have no hesitation in recommending it. I especially enjoy observing the main and supporting characters development over the course of the series.

Christmas, 1923. Lady Eleanor Swift has received an unexpected invitation to attend a Christmas party in the tiny hamlet of Derrydee in the West of Ireland. She is excited to explore her ancestral roots and visit Hennelly Towers, a castle that is part of her uncle’s estate. She is accompanied on the trip by Clifford, her loyal butler, and of course Gladstone the bulldog.

Just before they arrive at the estate they come across a man’s body lying in the road. They manage to find help at Ballykieran Abbey, a community of Benedictine nuns. Sadly, the man does not survive and remains unidentified. Yet Clifford is convinced that he recognises him from the funeral of Eleanor’s uncle.

The villagers seem to be strangely apathetic about the victim though Eleanor is determined to discover his identity and obtain justice for him. Armed with her trusty notebook and assisted by Clifford there are plenty of clues to uncover and suspects to question. As things progress the stakes become higher and increasingly dangerous.

Alongside solving the mystery, Verity Bright takes the opportunity to highlight the social and political issues in Ireland in late 1923. In their Historical Notes they provide background on these as well as Irish customs. The recently concluded Irish War of Independence manifests in some characters expressing anti-British sentiments towards Lady Eleanor and Clifford.

In the past Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon has asserted that Eleanor attracts dead bodies “like a spinster attracts stray cats”. In this book she manages to fulfil the latter by acquiring Tomkins, a fluffy ginger cat. Still, it may be that Tomkins and Gladstone were the ones that made the decision.

Overall, I feel that this series continues to go from strength to strength. It provides the light entertainment of a historical cosy yet is solidly grounded in history.

I am happy that there won’t be a long wait for Book 13 as ‘Death On Deck’ is due to be published in March 2023.

Opening a Verity Bright novel is like stepping back in time to another world far unlike my own. This time Eleanor, her trusted butler Clifford, and her dog are off to Scotland to enjoy a lovely Christmas but their reality quickly takes another turn. They find themselves caught up in a mystery on the way into town with the discovery of a stranger in the road in need of medical attention. But not too long after they find him help, he dies. The suddenness and the offstandedness of everyone in the small rural town gets Eleanor's hackles and suspicions up. People are hiding something and she is determined to figure out what. The thing is though the more she sticks her nose in, the more danger she attracts.

I greatly enjoyed this book, from the characters to their conversations to the plot itself. The resolution was one I certainly never saw coming and it was extremely satisfying. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

A relaxing getaway for Lady Eleanor Swift, accompanied by her butler Clifford, and her dog Gladstone, proves anything but. Instead, on the drive to Ellie’s inherited estate in Ireland, Clifford nearly runs over a man, a man who looks as if he is at the brink of death. After perusing a map, Clifford finds a nearby abbey where they take the gentleman for care until a doctor can be called.

They are not welcomed with open arms, not just by the nuns at the abbey, but also the villagers are quite unfriendly as well. Ellie has been looking forward to spending the Christmas holiday in Ireland as she hopes that this will give her more clues about her past. Before she can even relax in her new setting, they learn that the man they aided has died. As Ellie has never been one to take things at face value, she is determined to discover who the man was and how and why he was killed. Even more so, she plans on finding the killer. Quite naturally, this will soon place her in danger.

It’s hard to believe that this is the 12th book in what is a delightful cozy mystery series by Verity Bright. Each and every story has been enjoyable and this installment is equally impressive. I love the banter between Ellie and Clifford, and I especially love how Clifford is equally proper and intuitive. This engaging read had a few surprises and it was enjoyable watching Ellie and Clifford as they solve yet another murder.

Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Please enjoy my YouTube video review - https://youtu.be/C9yEPbqvXRQ

“Irish whiskey, rolling green hills, a traditional Christmas feast and… a murder? Lady Swift will need the luck of the Irish to survive this holiday season”

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Oh My! Just when I thought that there couldn’t be many more ways to deliver another amazing “Golden Age” murder/mystery story, especially when the series already has eleven episodes under its belt, authors Verity Bright pulled this little stunner out of the bag!

Unique and intriguing, this upside down and back-to-front storyline, tests even the most well-honed sleuthing skills of Lady Eleanor Swift, her butler come companion Clifford and of course, everyone’s favourite four-legged assistant, Gladstone.

As usual, I encourage you to check out the “Historical facts” section the author has thoughtfully included at the end of the book, although whether you do this before or after you read the story, isn’t too critical one way or the other. As personal preference, I went to the facts first so that I could place them in context with the storyline’s narrative and dialogue as I was reading.

The story so far…

..

After enjoying a most bohemian and well-travelled childhood, three years ago Eleanor Swift returned to rural Buckinghamshire, England following the sudden death by poisoning of her late Uncle Byron, to take up the role of Lady of Henley Hall, in what was at that time, a most unusual inheritance for a woman. The staff at Henley have all stayed in situ to support her and over the course of time she has earned their respect and admiration for the kind and generous way she treats her employees. For Lord Byron’s butler and long-time confidante Clifford, the culture shock has been felt most acutely, as with all his guile and stoicism, he is finding it almost impossible to honour his Lordship’s deathbed wish that he should transform his new mistress into Lady of the Manor, whilst she in her turn, is, metaphorically speaking, determined to scrub all the starch from her butler’s stiff shirt collars.

It has also been an unfortunate coincidence that since Eleanor’s arrival murder has seemed to dog her every footstep, no matter where she has travelled. So much so, that she and Clifford have become quite adept as amateur sleuths, much to the chagrin of Eleanor’s beau Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon, and on more than one occasion the pair have been more than lucky to survive their unofficial investigations and indeed, to escape with their very lives.

Following a surprise item of post, it has come to Eleanor’s attention that she is also now sole heir to Henley Hall’s sister estate known as Hennelly Towers, situated on the west coast of Ireland, a place which Lord Byron had never personally visited, although he had sent the staff financial support for themselves and the property to keep all in good repair. She is invited by members of the local village community to spend Christmas with them (or at least she thinks she has!), an offer which is accepted by Eleanor and Clifford alone (along with Lord Byron’s faithful four-legged canine friend Gladstone, who travels everywhere with his new mistress), leaving the downstairs staff to celebrate Christmas freely and in their own way, at Henley Hall.

The pair face a long drive, in terrible conditions, to reach their remote destination after disembarking the ferry, although they are even further delayed from arriving in a timely fashion, after coming across the half dead body of a young man, rather inconveniently, or rather too conveniently, depending on your level of scepticism, lying in the middle of a lane, miles from anywhere. When Eleanor and Clifford take the man in their car and seek help from a distant Abbey, the welcome they receive is far from hospitable or charitable, although the nuns do have outside communication with the village, so the local priest, doctor and police officer are called. The young man subsequently dies, although the recorded cause of death instantly rings alarm bells for Eleanor and Clifford, as do some of the ensuing rather strange and secretive practices and the very blasé and non-committal attitude of the locals towards the new English interlopers, including the fact that not a single soul seems interested in who the young man might be or if he has any family to mourn him.

When Hennelly Towers gatehouse burns down, supposedly with the body of Corcoran inside, the single employee who has not, for some unknown reason, deserted the estate, Eleanor and Clifford know that there is more going on in this poverty-stricken enclave, than meets the eye. There is some unexpected and surprising respite when the villagers welcome Eleanor and Clifford into their midst on Christmas Day with open arms and genuine smiles, but this bonhomie is short lived and when immediately the festivities are over and the murder attempts get just a little too personal to Eleanor and much too close for comfort for Clifford, it is clear that this is a personal vendetta with a difference, so the pair decide to literally take their ever-growing list of ‘persons of interest’, but not necessarily suspects, and turn it inside out. Rather than starting with the body of the young man, they attempt to trace a chain of events where his murder might have been the eventual outcome. However, Eleanor, who is still distressed at never having been able to ascertain at whose hand her uncle had met his demise, is in for even more upset, as it transpires that a hitherto unknown and long-lost, black sheep of the family, had lost his life trying to make amends for past misdemeanours.

Eleanor and Clifford are correct in casting aside their original suspect list, as this is a community which has lived in terrorised isolation and fear for so long, they have almost lost their spirit and will to survive. It isn’t until one brave soul, inspired by Eleanors feisty determination to do the right thing, finds his voice, that a beacon of light is lit, and a fire rekindled in their collective hearts. They have all been touched by the kindness of the strangers from across the water, so when more death and destruction is the only path laid out before them, they rise as one body to rebel, reclaim their freedom and save their visitors. Their strength and resilience are rewarded with generosity by a truly grateful Eleanor, however she and Clifford are united in their wish to make it home to Henley Hall, in time to see in the New Year celebrations with their trusted friends, although whether Hugh will be quite so enamoured of Eleanors Irish exploits and brushes with near death, remains to be seen!

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This well-structured, multi-layered and highly textured storyline is fluently written in short, easy to navigate chapters, which keep the pace of the action non-stop and ever evolving. Just as well in a scenario where I was never able to spot the real villain of the piece or deduce the significance of the unidentified body in amongst the many twists and turns and multiple red herrings. In this story, revenge is definitely a dish best served stone cold and with calculated malintent.

Author Verity Bright has endowed her principal protagonist, Lady Eleanor Swift, with a unique gift, which served her well in this particular case. Her ability to relate to and interact with people from all walks of life, to recognise and nurture their individual strengths and encourage them to overcome their weaknesses, is a commendable trait which Clifford also possesses, although decorum and position means he is unable to articulate his feelings in the open and almost naive way in which his mistress does. The 1920s political theatre and location of this storyline, makes the abject deprivation and unique social mores of the time particularly pertinent and whilst they are not hidden from view, they are understood and compensated for in a discreet and poignant way by a Lady far ahead of her time, with great moral fortitude and disregard for authority and protocol. So, whilst many place names, with the exception of the ferry port, are fictional, through some evocatively descriptive narrative and dialogue, there is a genuine sense of time and place, enough to satisfy the appetite of this ‘armchair traveller’.

Whilst this storyline worked beautifully with a much smaller cast of regular characters, with its bleak and remote setting, it was a bit of a shame that on this occasion I wasn’t to be reacquainted with the ladies of Henley Hall and more importantly, Eleanor’s beau Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon. The relationship between the two fledgling lovebirds is still moving forwards very much at a snail’s pace, however, I have high hopes that one day Hugh is going to wear his heart firmly on his sleeve and move things ahead with a little more pace and abandon, as the balance he asserts between wooing Eleanor in a gentlemanly fashion and getting on with declaring his intentions, can be most frustrating. Clifford’s downstairs ladies are always a delight when they gang up alongside Eleanor to cajole him into letting his hair down a little, as he is still having difficulty in accepting that Eleanor brings with her a brand-new style of managing and interacting with her staff, with definite and very innovative ideas of exactly what a Lady of the Manor should behave like. Theirs is an ongoing battle of wits and subterfuge, but their growing respect and friendship for one another, can be in no doubt.

However, on this occasion, it was probably best that Eleanor, Clifford and of course Gladstone, ventured across the water to the west coast of Ireland alone, as there was little joy to be found in the bleak December isolation of Hennelly Towers, not even in the even stilted welcome the small party received from the locals of the nearby village and adjoining town. On this occasion, Verity has created a veritable cast of secondary characters, who are multi-faceted, well drawn and defined, are authentically realistic and genuinely believable in the individual roles which have been created for them. I could clearly visualise them all in my mind’s eye, even though they were never easy to connect with or relate to, until the very end, when there was the collective sigh of release from a long-held breath, and their friendly and garrulous Irish charm and wit was set free to fill the remaining pages of the book.

Whilst I would always feel quite comfortable in recommending that fellow readers might comfortably dip in and out of the series, as there are generally enough background story clues to bring them up to speed, reading book #1 would always be beneficial in offering up that slightly more detailed insight into the history between the main protagonists, so that you can see how the synergy between them is growing and becoming stronger over time. Oh! and I still maintain that every woman needs a Clifford in her life, even if she doesn’t realise it yet!

I read to relax, be entertained and enjoy a few hours of delicious escapism from the real world and a Lady Eleanor Swift story always sets me up, although I am always sad to see this dream team close a case and go off to get on with their own lives, leaving me to return to my own – but only until next time. Thanks for another lovely journey, Verity!