Murder at The Brightwell by Ashley Weaver is book one in the Amory Ames Mystery series. I really enjoyed this cozy mystery set in the 1930’s. I will definitely get the other books in the series so I can see how the characters develop.

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

MUST READ! If you like murder mysteries like me, get a copy of this one ASAP! The ending was unexpected, and the story so attention grabbing I had to finish it in one night. Also, don’t start reading this during the weekdays, because you cannot put it down once you begin. The ending will definitely blow your mind, & the romantic sparks will keep you asking for more.

Amory Ames is thinking that her decision 5 years ago was a mistake and she shouldn’t have married Milo, he is still the playboy he was before meeting her, his reputation is all over the news. When his ex fiancé Gil shows up asking for help, she doesn’t hesitate and goes on a trip with him to convince Gil’s sister not to marry her fiancé who seems to be another Milo. In the seaside At the Brightwells, there are a particular group of people who are not what they seem. Everything turns out to be a disaster when one of them is killed, and the killer is a member of that group. Also, taking Amory by surprise the playboy arrives, Who is the killer? What are Milo’s true intentions?

I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but I’m glad I chose it. From the first page the story hooked me, It was an entertaining reading, until the last pages the book keeps its rhythm and mystery. I enjoyed a lot the dose of romance (without being cheesy), diversion and intrigue. Furthermore, the setting takes an important place in the story, a hotel out of town, by the beach, very cozy. The book is set in the 1930's between wars and post depression, the author keeps true to that period.

Ashley does an excellent job giving us the information necessary to imagine the whole personality from the characters, that fact reminded me of Agatha Christie. It has her vibes combined with Ashley style which I loved. The characters are amazing, I adored the perspective of the upper high class full of secrets, strange relationships and a lot of gossip. The main character, Amory Ames is an intelligent and stylish woman, the way she analyzes each of the guests that knew the victim kept the suspense for most of the book. Through the pages we are never sure of anything, everyone there seems guilty. While reading I was jumping from one suspect to another, and that is an incredible sensation as a reader.

It was a charming reading, it kept me reading until late night, the combination of plot, wonderful cast members, the settings, the mystery, the witty dialogues, AMAZING. It’s an excellent recommendation for those who want to have a pretty and relaxing time. I’m looking forward to reading the other books in the series and discovering more of Amory Ames adventures.

This was an entertaining cozy. Loved the setting of the Brightwell Hotel. Old world hotel on a cliff overlooking the sea. Lots of rich vacationers just killing time lunching and playing cards, dancing etc. until one of their own is killed. Amory Ames is with the party affected and tries to solve the mystery but the bodies start piling up. Can Amory figure it out before it's too late. Will her marriage survive this little sojourn? Very good read!
I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher and voluntarily chose to review it.

This stylish murder mystery was a pleasant surprise and thoroughly entertaining. I really enjoyed reading it. It falls comfortably into the Agatha Christie/Dorothy Sayers/Georgette Heyer style of mystery with its 1930's period setting and engaging characters. In fact, the tone was so authentic, I might well have been reading a novel written during that time period. Set in the Brightwell, a seaside hotel, group of friends (or possibly frenemys) gather for what is supposed to be an enjoyable getaway.

Amory Ames and her former fiance Gil Trent, become part of the party with the purpose of foiling Gil's sister's engagement to an attractive cad. Amory makes an engaging and classy amateur detective--and she and her husband Milo Ames, have a lively chemistry--a hot and cold relationship enlivened by its witty repartee. I look forward to reading other novels that feature them.

I really enjoyed this book, it struck me as more of a cross between romance and mystery as opposed to a straight cozy mystery. While I don't usually enjoy that much romance, I liked the characters and their interactions.

When I first started this book I felt that it was a bit slow and was somewhat dragging my heels. However, I am certainly glad that I decided to continue reading despite my misgivings because this was a wonderfully charming book that introduced its characters rather well while still leaving you wanting more. The Ames' are a couple that I look forward to getting to know better and I found the plot intriguing once I got further into the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this free copy for which I received in return for an honest review.

This review was posted on Goodreads on Sept. 29, 2020
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3572604468

Well I'm clearly on a female amateur detective phase!

Amory Ames has been married to Milo for five years, not all of them happy. He's a bit of an international playboy and she has become accustomed to seeing pictures of him with glamorous women in places like Monte Carlo, while she sits at home in Kent.

When her former beau Gil (who she dumped for Milo) invites her to attend a weekend by the sea at the Brightwell Hotel with some friends to act as a warning to his little sister (who is engaged to Rupert, a playboy very like Milo), Amory jumps at the chance and is struck by the 'what might have beens'.

The group that gathers at the Brightwell are an unusual bunch, some singles and some married couples, all of whom have secrets. Then, while Amory is still trying to untangle her feelings about Gil and Milo, Milo arrives at the hotel and proceeds to cause mischief until Amory finds Rupert lying dead, presumably having fallen off the hotel balcony onto the terrace below.

As the body count rises and Gil is the prime suspect Amory is determined to prove his innocence while dealing with her charming but distracting husband.


Charming and engrossing, sort of Lord Peter Wimsey meets Miss Marple (or Hercule Poirot) in a swanky British seaside hotel this kept me guessing right to the end. I've already started the second one!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

thanks to Netgalley for an ARC, warning, spoilers.
Along with other readers, I'm confused as to why a book published in 2014 appears as an ARC (also, you've had 6 years to edit it, and there're still a lot of typos!)
Verdict - if you are desperate for a Christie knockoff to read, this may be for you; I couldn't get past the bad writing and plotting - just watch Poirot instead.
There are many things that bugged me about this book. (I may try another further into the 6 or 7 book series later and see if anything improved.)
- 'cozy' mystery written in the first person - the author seems to think it makes her character sound more classy or vintage or both to never use contractions in the narration, I think it just sounds weird.
- this is 1932, we are firmly into the Depression (yes, this happened in Britain too), but these people all seem to have money to burn, maybe the author has confused the '20s and '30s?
- way too much description of the protagonist's wardrobe!
- large cast of two-dimensional stock characters, none interesting or likeable.
- the protagonist seems very tolerant of her philandering husband, but very critical of herself in many ways, so sexist!
- kinda reads like Agatha Christie fanfic, not very well written, not well-edited (multiple instances of repetition/redundancy), not compelling, lots of details but not the right ones.
Spoiler!!
Apparently this book is a vehicle to get Amory and Milo back together so that they can become Nick and Nora, I think if the backstory had been attended to at all, you wouldn't have needed to slog through a whole book for this.

Amory Ames is unsure of her relationship with her husband, Milo, so when her former fiance, Gil, asks her to accompany him to a week by the sea at The Brightwell and hopefully convince his sister, Emmeline, Rupert, is a bad choice. The second day in one of their group turns up dead and Amory starts investigating. Soon Milo shows up confusing Amory even more.

I love The Brightwell. It sounds like a lovely place, all sunny and airy where you can hear the sea from your room. People get up and dress for breakfast, lounge around most of the day except for Amory and Milo who are helping to find a murderer. Dinner is a lavish affair with the men in tuxes and the women in gorgeous gowns. There are cocktails and dancing. The Brightwell almost felt like another character in the book of which there were many. The mystery was intriguing and not until the very end was the culprit revealed.

Amory strikes me as a no nonsense, practical type of woman with a lot of style who struggles with her marriage. Milo is something of a rogue but I loved his droll sense of humor. This is the first in the series and although I read another in the series previously it was nice to go back and read of the beginning of their relationship. Amory and Milo Ames will be added to my to-read list from now on. They are delightful.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book. These are my thoughts.

A Seaside Holiday is Filled With Murder
This is the first book in an English classic mystery series. The series begins in 1932 with all of the glory of the roaring twenties still intact. The mystery is laid out in a classic manner. I had no idea who the culprit was until the glorious climactic scene. The fun part is the couple who are the center of the story. He is somewhat of a ladies man and she thinks that he no longer loves her. Together, they are quite the pair. I have read more books in the series and I do think that they would be better read in order. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Amory Ames and her husband Milo have, to all appearances, a fabulous life. Good looking, wealthy and living a care-free life. But sometimes appearances aren't completely true. Milo spends a lot of time away, most recently in The Riviera. Amory fell really hard for Milo, but now she wonders what his feelings are. to complicate things, Gil Trent, the fiance she left for Milo, visits and asks her to help him convince his younger sister Emmeline that her new fiance Rupert is not good husband material. Gil and Amory travel to the coast and will join a party at The Brightwell, a luxury hotel near Brighton. After they arrive things get complicated, then there's a murder, then another murder and attempted murder. Then Milo shows up. Amory's feelings are conflicted, can she and Milo make a go at their marriage? When Amory is surprised by the murderer while snooping, she may not survive the encounter. In true, Agatha Christie tradition, the murderer is taken away by the police, the amateur sleuth (Amory) discovers which man she loves. This is a satisfying "cozy mystery" in the classic tradition, I can't wait for the next book featuring Amory.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I admit that I'd read the first in the series after reading a later Amory Ames novel. I'd enjoyed Ashley Weaver's writing and her depiction of the wealthy, privileged and discontented Amory Ames as an amateur sleuth. In Murder at the Brightwell, Amory is young, beautiful and disillusioned with her gorgeous and glamorous husband Milo. They've been married for five years and her husband's escapades and adventures with other women has filled the society pages and scandal sheets. Amory has been holed away either in their luxurious London flat or their large estate but largely on her own while Milo travels to expensive locations to gamble, party, socialize, etc.

After the romance cooled, Amory has been left to wonder if she'd made the wrong choice and if she should have married her longtime friend and fiance Gil. Amory had ended the engagement soon after she met Milo and feels guilty about the way she treated Gil all those years ago. Gil comes to Amory to ask for her help in dissuading his younger sister from marrying a beautiful young man much like Amory's Milo. Gil has seen the different articles and photos of Milo with glamorous women and still holds a torch for Amory. Though he doesn't expect Amory to leave Milo for him, he hopes that spending time together will rekindle their old love or at least to help persuade his beloved sister of the danger that comes with marrying the dangerous society playboy type.

For Amory, it seems strange that just as she is talking to Gil again, her husband returns from his own adventures in Monte Carlos. Amory resents Milo's adventures and welcomes the chance to take some time away, to help Gil after having hurt him in the past and to help his younger sister that she knew. So, Amory joins Gil's group of friends at the luxury hotel resort the Brightwell.

At the Brightwell, Amory finds a mix of characters, many catty society women, some staid and socially ambitious couples, the younger sister with her glamorous and cold fiance, a respected theater actor, Gil and, unexpectedly, Milo Ames. There are various delicious meals, awkward moments, flirtatious men but there is also the sudden and violent death of the young fiance. Amory is desperate when Gil is arrested and she finds herself working to find the identity of the killer.

Milo and Amory dance around each other while Gil hovers in the picture. As Amory tries to sort through her emotions and balance what she wants and needs, she is quite easy to like. I found myself enjoying Murder at Brightwell very much! I'm determined to read all of Ashley Weaver's Amory Ames mysteries. The language and characters are a delight!

#MurderattheBrightwell #AmoryAmes #AshleyWeaver #NetGalley

Nothing beats a tightly woven mystery with memorable characters on a stormy evening. This book fit the bill perfectly and was an enjoyable read.

Cute little mystery. I loved the time period that it was written for. It reminded me of Murder on the Orient Express. Amory Ames is your typical rich women who loves to get involved in helping solve murder cases. Plus through in an ex lover and a current husband with certain motives and you have a fun mystery. I didn't realize who the killer was until the very end. Loved the writing, how the characters developed and I loved seeing a women taking care of herself while investigating a murder. Easy read and would recommend it especially after you just finished a very intense book.

Absolutely loved it! Murder & mayhem among the very rich at a coastal hotel in 1930s England. Went on to read the second book in this series, Death Wears a Mask + the short story with the same charming husband & wife characters, Milo & Amory.
Highly recommended!


Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance copy.

This first book in the Amory Ames historical mystery series was fantastic. Introduces an intelligent, likeable heroine, an intriguing heroine, and the two men in her life. I absolutely loved it and recommend it to all my mystery loving customers!

This is a delightful 30s murder mystery - a group of acquaintances meet each other at a seaside hotel, tensions arise, and then Rupert fatally falls from a balcony. An accident, or murder? Amory Ames is drawn to investigate (while she also works out her complicated feelings about her old friend, Giles, and her often absent husband, Milo - it's always awkward when one goes on a trip with an old flame and then one's husband unexpectedly turns up). Amory is delightful, and this is a wonderful Christie-esque story.

"It is an impossibly great trial to be married to a man one loves and hates in equal proportions."

This is how the book opens, y'all. Sentence one of page one and already we have dived headfirst into the reason I adore this cozy mystery: Amory's conflicted, resentful, and passionate feelings for her rakishly handsome husband, Milo.

Within the pages of Murder at the Brightwell I discovered a penchant for witty women of the 1930s, scenic hotels situated on British bluffs, and tropes involving a husband and wife fighting to reconnect with the blinding love they once felt for each other. Five years of Milo's playboy jaunts across the Continent have left Amory's once unshakable infatuation with him rather, well, shaken. And it's an utter delight seeing these two play their games with each other, especially with the undeniable chemistry that still flares between them.

There isn't anything particularly splashy or spectacular about this novel, but I love it nonetheless.