The stories involving Lady Eleanor Swift and the mystery murders she somehow gets dragged in are not just good stories. Not just of murder but always include beautiful settings, handsome men, damsels in distress, her own personal butler Clifford and her coterie this time of domestics who have accompanied her to Venice on what was to be a holiday.

Dragged into one murder as a witness, the other deliberately targeted as the suspect, we have a family vendetta reminiscent of the Capulets and the Montagues, with dominant heads of families and a pair of star crossed lovers.

The settings were picturesque and so descriptive that one was swept along without almost realizing that this is actually a murder mystery that has got to be solved.

Entertaining reading.

This was an enjoyable cozy mystery set in 1924 Venice. Lady Eleanor Swift is on a tour of Italy with her butler Clifford and she’s excited to see the world-famous carnival. Enjoying the sights on a gondola ride she witnesses an argument, between the gondolier and a passenger who falls into the canal with a knife in his back. She soon finds out they are from 2 rival families who’ve been feuding for years. At a glittery ball that evening she learns of a plot to steal a family heirloom. Soon, Lady Eleanor is thrust into a mystery as she tries to solve the murder.
I loved the witty banter between Eleanor and Clifford as they worked to solve the mystery. The descriptions of the decadence of visiting the 1920s Venice were also a lot of fun. There’s romance, intrigue, history, feuding families, and witty banter. This was my first Lady Eleanor Swift story, which certainly won’t be my last.

Thanks to @bookouture @netgalley and the author for this ARC

Lady Eleanor Swift, her butler Clifford and her staff of ladies are in Venice taking a holiday. Of course, Gladstone and Tomkins have travelled with them. as well. They are looking forward to sightseeing and shopping and enjoying Carnival. Ellie is missing her fiancé Chief Inspector Seldon who couldn't accompany her due to his workload.

Lady Eleanor "Ellie" and Clifford are enjoying a gondola ride on one of the canals when they witness an argument between a gondola driver and another man. The next thing Ellie sees is the man face down in the water with something protruding from his back. It's not long before Ellie and Clifford are on the hunt for our killer. Of course it won't be easy, there is long-standing tension between two prominent families, a secret romance. a theft, and lots of intrigue.

I loved this book. I have read several of this series and I think this maybe my favorite yet. The descriptions of the city and history make you feel like you are visiting. The characters are like old friends you are happy to spend some time with again. The mystery is good, and the book kept me reading. I did not want to put it down. Although I have to admit, I feel like that with all the books of this series. Also, the cover art is beautiful and makes you want to pick it up and read it.

My visit with Ellie, Clifford, the ladies and of course Tompkins and Gladstone was too short. I can't wait till their next adventure!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this book.

A charming cozy mystery! This was a quick read and I enjoyed the banter between our two leads. There was a lot going on other than the murder that sort of took away from it all but overall a very enjoyable read!

Eleanor is in Venice leading up to carnival season. She and Clifford are in Gondola when they witness a murder. The police soon decide who the murderer is and arrest him.
She is curious who the victim was and at a party held by a Contessa she has previous acquaintance, she finds out that he was a member of one of the two main families in Venice which are currently at a truce. When the alleged murderer is also murdered and he is from the opposite family, the fragile truce is in danger. Also in danger is the betrothal of Catrina and Leonardo who are in opposite families. If the families are again at war with each other, they will be unable to marry.
Eleanor and Clifford find themselves embroiled in the darker side of Venice with the clock counting down to trouble.
An engaging read.

Thank you @netgalley for a fun little cozy mystery read!!

This is my first of Verity Bright’s mysteries, and it was a fun one. The whimsical dialogue and exciting setting (1920s Venice!) were a delight to follow along with, and the cover art definitely sets the scene perfectly. The murder mystery got a bit weedy for me, but still an enjoyable read!

Pros:
- Setting
- Dialogue and prose were lots of fun
- Cheeky little side characters

Cons:
- Mystery was a bit hard for me to follow at times: too much Venetian politicking and not enough Ellie/Clifford shenanigans.

What could Lady Eleanor be up to in Venice? It seems that mystery and murder never take a holiday when she, he butler and of course her faithful dog find themselves in the middle of a murder.

A man is stabbed and it appears to go back to a family feud, centuries old. Or is it? A fun journey as usual that will leave you turning to get to the last page!!

Venice during Carnival time set in 1924. Should be a winner!
Unhappily murder and mayhem was overshadowed by the travelogue aspect. I appreciated that part but the mystery? A pity! I just wasn’t into it. Too many site descriptors and not enough story.

A NetGalley ARC

This novel is an entertaining addition to this lovely series, a solid mystery and a love letter to Venice. I loved to see Venice through the eyes of someone in another time and with a different background.
I visited Venice with locals and I still cherish the memories of the less known corners and the atmosphere.
The band of Eleanor and her friend, Gladstone and Clifford plus the ladies, are in Venice during the Carnevale in 1924. There will be murders even if Eleanor is loving the city and what she sees and would prefer enjoy the city and Carnevale.
There’s plenty of twists, feuds that go back in the century and a lot of surprising twists. The book kept me reading and I enjoyed the solution.
The characters are well developed as usual and the solid and tightly knitted plot kept me reading till late in the night.
I cannot wait to read the next one, highly recommended
Many thanks Bookouture for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I’ve loved the Lady Eleanor Swift Mysteries since the very first book, A Very English Murder, came out. A Death in Venice was no exception.

This time, Eleanor, Clifford, and their animal and human entourage are in Venice. It’s not long before Eleanor gets wrapped up in a mystery!

I loved reading this book, the plot is intriguing, and I enjoyed watching Eleanor try and figure it out, especially as there didn’t seem to be much in the way of motive to start with.

The setting was excellent, and really different to anything we’ve seen Eleanor and Co tackle before. The colourfulness and unusual landscape of Venice really came through. It felt like the ideal setting for the intrigue of this particular story.

Overall, this was an intriguing and exciting mystery, in a unique setting. I can’t wait to see what Eleanor and her friends get up to next.

I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

I really enjoy the characters (the butler!). The mystery kept me guessing and loved the setting.

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

1924 & Lady Eleanor Swift & her household have been on a grand tour around Italy for a month. Finally arriving in Venice, she’s thrilled to be attending the famous carnival. However on her first gondola ride to take in the sights, a passenger in a nearby gondola collapses into the canal with a knife sticking out of his back. Eleanor saw an argument break out between the gondolier and the victim, Councillor Benetto Vendelini, and it turns out they're rivals from the city's two great families.
The seventeenth book in the series & whilst it could be read on its own I love how the dynamics between Ellie & her staff have developed, especially the relationship with Clifford. This wasn’t my favourite of the series, maybe because Hugh didn’t feature apart from a couple of phone calls & a telegram. Ellie finds herself drawn into the conflict between two families & it takes all her resolve & quick thinking to resolve the case. A well written enjoyable mystery & I look forward to the next in the series.
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Another beautiful cover on this seventeenth book in the series. How can you resist picking up a book which looks like this!

Lady Eleanor Swift and her butler, Clifford, are still on their grand tour of Europe and this time they are in Venice. Only Elly could witness a murder in a gondola almost as soon as she has arrived in the city. So instead of sightseeing, partying and shopping she finds herself investigating and getting herself into some very dangerous situations. Of course Clifford is there to help but she is very resourceful and manages to save herself more than once.

A very enjoyable, fun read and I am already wondering where Elly and the team will be going next.

Lady Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Swift is taking a holiday in Europe arriving in Venice at Carnival time; she has not only bought along Gladstone and Tompkins but the entire staff, overseen by the absolutely loyal and almost unshakable Clifford. Hugh, due to the pressure of work, has remained in England.
Ellie is finding Venice amazing, overwhelming and charming, but when she accidently bumps into a young lady, sending her handbag flying, the contents strewn over the cobbled paving, she is mortified.
Helping pick up the contents she chats with the young woman who replies in a very enigmatic style, before quietly disappearing in the crowd, but just before she completely vanishes, Ellie realises there is an item left behind, that of a beautifully crafted Venetian glass heart.
And so begins the latest and to date most intriguing adventure to involve Ellie and Clifford, as they discover in the most horrific way possible, that Eleanor has landed herself in a decades long feud between two powerful families, with someone out to destroy the fragile truce, or anyone and anything that gets in their way.
A Gondola ride later that day sees Ellie and Clifford witness to very disturbing incident on the canal resulting in the death of a City official, also a member of one of the families. When her hotel room is ransacked, with nothing taken, a second murder occurs, that of the Gondolier ferrying the murdered man, Ellie’s instinct for solving mysteries sees her begins to wonder what is really going on.
Verity Bright has captured the magic of Venice, the myriad of winding canals and narrow lanes that make up the City, the centuries old beauty of the buildings and the immense pride the Venetian's have in their City built on nothing but timber piles, in the fast pace murder mystery, A Death In Venice that pushes both Ellie and Clifford into territory never faced before, as they struggle to survive against a killer who really means business.
A Death In Venice would have to be considered as the best yet from Verity Bright. What will Lady Eleanor Swift and the indomitable Clifford get up to next. I for one can’t wait to find out!

Another wonderful book from Verity Bright in her series of A Lady Eleanore Swift Mystery. Eleanore has done it again in the beautiful place of Venice. She is witty and adorable. The story is fascinating, gripping, and hard to put down.

This was my first Eleonor Swift novel and it just wasnt for me.
The scenery was great, it felt like I was in Venice. Though because of that it felt more like a “come visit venice” than getting the story anywhere. It took a long time to get to the action and by then I was over it.
I see the Romeo and Juliet retelling of it, but it seems a bit cliche - Italien, familyfeud, murder, mafia?, hot tempers.

Favorite Quotes:

‘Still harbouring a yearning to join the profession, my lady? Rigidly following a routine meal schedule and indulging in only lady-like portions?’ She shook her head in horror. ‘Not a chance, Clifford. What a hideous idea!’

Clifford! I’ve just had the most extraordinary moment where words came out of my mouth before I’d even had the thought.

‘You shouldn’t be mixed up in any of this awful trouble, anyway. I so wanted you to come away purely for a holiday.’ ‘Which it has been,’ he said drily. ‘In inimitable Lady Swift style; replete with inappropriate venues, danger and, ahem, bodies.

If a compliment was intended, please forgive my having missed it.


My Review:

I adore this delightful series. The crafty writing duo known as Verity Bright just keeps getting better with each new addition. Their writing style is smooth, witty, wryly amusing, and unfailingly entertaining. This installment was opulently detailed with the brilliance and colorful splendor of Venice and had me wanting to pack my bags and hop on a gondola myself. The mystery was well-plotted and unsolvable for anyone but the uncanny brain trust found in the pairing of Lady Swift and her infinitely prepared butler, Clifford.

Lady Eleanor Swift, her butler Clifford and the four ladies from Henley Hall, along with Gladstone (the dog) and Tomkins (the cat) were in Venice for a much needed holiday. On a gondola with Angelo, their gondolier, Ellie was in awe of everything around her. Clifford was as well, but didn't show it as much as his mistress did. But when a speedboat zoomed past and the gondola rocked in the wake, a man fell overboard from the gondola ahead. When he was dragged from the canal, he was dead. Ellie was sure it wasn't an accident...

The rivalry from the two greatest families in Venice was known to be long and bitter, and with a carnival starting in a few days, the feud of centuries looked set to raise up once again. With stolen artifacts, a thief stealing Ellie's handbag, and a burglar ransacking her hotel room, Ellie could feel herself becoming deeply involved with something sinister in Venice. She and Clifford were desperate to solve the crimes, find the murderer and get on with their holiday. But could they do that, with the murderer having struck again?

A Death in Venice is the 17th in The Lady Eleanor Swift series by Verity Bright and I enjoyed it very much. A lot of description of a beautiful city; set in 1924 (100 years ago!) with characters who were determined to better "the other side"; gondolas, bridges and people - everywhere. A fun read, with Clifford as his usual stiff butlery self. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

A murder interrupts a vacation in this cozy mystery.

Lady Swift and her household are on a grand tour when they stop in Venice. While gliding along the canals in a gondola, Eleanor and her butler, Clifford, witness a murder. Of course, they get involved and uncover a longstanding family feud reminiscent of Romeo and Juliette. Can they save the day and let true love prevail.

I was a bit disappointed in this installment. It was quite like a tour guidebook about Venice, which is interesting enough, but the actual plot and the murders and their involvement seemed a bit too far-fetched. I missed the usual funny banter between Ellie and Clifford. For some reason, it all just seemed off from the usual stories in this series. Truth told; it was sort of boring.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review. I really have enjoyed this series and have read all of the books and hope for a return to the usual in the next volume.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Verity Bright for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Death in Venice coming out March 28, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I have several books by this author, but this is the first one I’ve read. Historical cozy mysteries is one of my favorite genres. I’m obsessed with Venice, so I was really excited to receive this book. I thought there was a lot of world building and explaining what it’s like in Venice. I think Eleanor is a strong heroine and I enjoyed her asking a lot of questions and trying to solve the murder. I loved it! I definitely need to read more books in the series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical murder mysteries located in famous cities!