Murder at Archly Manor

Olive Belgrave has become desperate for employment but it is not easy in London of 1923. But her family knowing of her quick and inquisitive mind, her aunt asks that she investigate her cousins' fiance as he doesn't seem quite the right thing. All this leads to a house party and a body.
An enjoyable cozy mystery to start off the series, the characters were a likeable bunch and quite varied, hopefully some will reappear in the next book.

As Autumn nights draw in my go to genre of choice is a murder mystery. They are comforting bowl of soup and freshly baked bread on a cold day.

Murder at Archly Hall totally fits the bill.

Aristocratic, but down on her luck, Olive Belgrave is searching for employment in 1920's London. Even her connections aren't paying off when she receives a telegram to return to her family estate. Olive's cousin Violet has become engaged to Alfred Eton, a young man whose life in the colonies and heritage remain a mystery and who may not be a suitable match. Aunt Caroline employs Olive to use her skills and social connections to investigate.

Intrepid Olive heads off to an extravagant house party hosted by photographer Sebastian Blakely, Alfred's wealthy but unlikeable godfather and friend to dig up some dirt on her cousin's future husband, but as a firework display is underway a murder occurs.

With cousin Violet as a prime suspect, Olive sets  out to prove her innocence and find out exactly what has happened and why.

Olive herself is by far the star of Sara Rosett's book. Her narrative style is chatty and easy to read but doesn't skimp on atmospheric detail. She reminds me of Daisy Dalrymple but with more fun and more sass. The story was compelling and I thoroughly enjoyed solving this country house murder. I'll definitely look out for Olive's future adventures and more books in the High Society Lady Detective series.

Thanks to Kobo Writing Life and Net Galley for this free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my very first historical cozy mystery. And guess what? I am super impressed! This book was not only glamorous but had a fantastic mystery. I was enamored in the story and am so excited to read the next book! I hope it comes soon because I don't know if I can take the wait!

I have a weakness for well written mysteries with very interesting people involved. I started this book because I wanted a break from the kind of books I was reading and was rewarded for making that choice. I read this book in two sittings, two only because I had to sleep. We are introduced to our leading lady Olive Belgrave. She is on a hunt for a job as she's strapped for cash. Her cousin then gets herself entangled in an unwelcome relationship ( unwelcome by her family that is). Olive offers to look into it in a sort of official capacity. 

What unfolds next are a sequence of events which are essential to a tale of this kind: murder,suspicion, misdirection and a final reveal. The highlight of the experience is not the case itself but the world we are introduced to, the people and the goings on. It did feel like the story played out in a very different era.There was some action thrown in and the ending was very believable in context with all that we have been told about the case at hand( that is something that is sometimes hard to come by). 

It was very simple but it held my attention and I am really looking forward to what Olive would do next! I actually even found the notes written by the author at the end of the book interesting and felt it an extension of how to understand Olive better.

"A high society murder. A spirited lady detective. Can she out-class the killer before an innocent person takes the fall?

London, 1923. Olive Belgrave needs a job. Despite her aristocratic upbringing, she’s penniless. Determined to support herself, she jumps at an unconventional job—looking into the background of her cousin’s fiancé, Alfred.

Alfred burst into the upper crust world of London’s high society, but his answers to questions about his past are decidedly vague. Before Olive can gather more than the basics, a murder occurs at a posh party. Suddenly, every Bright Young Person in attendance is a suspect, and Olive must race to find the culprit because a sly murderer is determined to make sure Olive’s first case is her last.

Murder at Archly Manor is the first in the High Society Lady Detective series of charming historical cozy mysteries. If you like witty banter, glamorous settings, and delightful plot twists, you’ll love USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett’s series for Anglophiles and mystery lovers alike.

Travel back to the Golden Age of detective fiction with Murder at Archly Manor."

It's a golden week for new mystery series, and if I do say so myself, I always have a soft spot for the 1920s and murder!

Olive badly needs a job so she volunteers to check out her cousin's new boyfriend. They plan to marry and her aunt is not sure about him. She's not either and the money will come in handy. In the middle of the investigation, he falls from the balcony and dies. Her cousin is accused of murder. She might not know about him but she knows her cousin didn't kill him...

Kobo Writing Life and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It has been published and you can grab a copy now.

Olive steps up her investigation and tries to find proof it wasn't her cousin on that balcony with him watching the fireworks display. She's got two men who are flirting with her, the women are being snippy and she knows some are lying. When she finds out he's a blackmailer, she thinks she has a motive for death. But who did it?

The story began in the past and with various alias names and unknown history together, it takes some effort to find the killer. When Olive sets a trap for them, she almost gets caught in her own trap. They've already killed once, what's another body or two?

This was a good mystery that was very busy. No one in the story is an angel, but some are more evil than others...

I love historical mysteries and was excited to read this one by a new author to me. It was well written and fun to read. Both the story and characters were interesting and easy to relate to. I highly recommend and look forward to reading more in this series.

Murder at Archly Manor is an impressive beginning to a new cozy mystery series. The elements of a good story were all in place and worked together very well. I was interested from the first page and remained completely engaged to the last word.
Olive is a whip-smart main character. I particularly liked that she was part of proper society, but down on her luck, so that she had to rely on her wits - and a little help from her extended family.
Archly Manor was an excellent setting for a murder - an isolated manor filled with potential suspects. Every time I thought I had figured out the culprit, I was wrong - this made the unveiling of the killer very satisfying.
I set the mood for reading by listening to this playlist on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/user/1273770988/playlist/132NEqR1asKt3ATLwSZ2AW?si=kSPLS6YGQOKE_BOC9PgTJQ
I recommend the book and the playlist for an immersive reading experience.

I really enjoyed this mystery! Historical mysteries are not a common read for me, I certainly gravitate more to contemporary mysteries, but I really enjoyed this one.

As a fan of <u>The Great Gatsby</u>, I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that I like the reading about the 1920s. This story was an artful blend of aristocratic and the working class in England after the Great War.

The mystery unfolded in a natural way with clues pointing to everyone! The story was easy to follow with enough characters to keep interest, without confusion. I hope there will be plenty more stories about Olive and her investigations.

I plan on reading more of this author's mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

A fun historical cozy mystery filled with humor, a well developed plot and interesting characters,. It bring to life the early 20th century and the difficulty that women had in entering the working world. I enjoyed it.

Olive Belgrave is out of funds. Too attractive to get taken on as a governess and too unskilled to get taken on as a typist, she eventually receives the novel offer of private detective from her aunt. The mission? To find out more about her cousin Violet's unsavory fiance, Alfred. His uncouth manners show he's hiding something, but Violet is so enamored with him she doesn't even question his vague past and lack of connections. 

When Olive travels to Archly Manor to monitor the shady Alfred at a house party, it's not long before murder ensues. Determined to protect her cousin's reputation, Olive looks for her own clues alongside the Scotland Yard inspector only to uncover selfishness, secrets, blackmail, and other sordid details that point the finger in half a dozen directions. Will a trail of broken pearls lead the way? Can she find the murderer before death strikes again?

This well-crafted mystery kept me guessing till the very end. Olive is a likable protagonist with sound instincts and a commendable sense of family loyalty. Both her longtime friend Jasper (a languid society gentleman who knows where to dig up information) and the thorough Inspector Longly were sympathetic characters who, I trust, will make an appearance in the next installment of the series. 

I couldn't help comparing this book to Lauren Willig's The Other Daughter, which is also set during the 1920s. Olive's high society friend Jasper reminded me of Simon Montfort from Willig's book. As an outsider trying to infiltrate the Bright Young Things, Olive's own investigation was similar to the one Rachel conducted. But despite the similarities, the tone of these books was very different, with Sara Rosett penning a cohesive and compelling whodunnit while Lauren Willig's book had a far more literary and romantic quality. Both books are great examples of 1920s historical fiction. 

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

historical-fiction, murder, amateur-sleuth, women-sleuths, cosy-mystery, British

Enjoying this book was easy, writing a review without leaking spoilers is not.
The publisher's blurb is pretty good, but can't let you know that it's hard to pick out who will actually be the victim or how convoluted the suspect list becomes. There are even a small few characters that I really hope will feature in later books. Speaking of characters, they are very well drawn from the shallow to the ably competent to the downright slimy.
An excellent read!
I requested and received a free ebook copy via NetGalley. Thank you!

Murder at Archly Manor by Sara Rosett is the first book in the High Society Lady Detective series and I hope this will continue for some time.

I found Ms. Rosett's writing to be descriptive and smoothly paced as the characters were introduced to the reader. I like Olive and cheered her on as she tried to find a way to make a living in London during the 1920s. Being from a higher society, but not the "upper crust", Olive has a few years of college under her belt but no marketable skills. She needs a job to support herself as she left home after her father remarried. Her Aunt Caroline and cousin, Gwen, hire her to establish the background on Alfred Eton who has become engaged to Violet, Gwen's sister. To learn more about him, Olive and Gwen attend a weekend party at Archly Manor. Unfortunately, the first night of the party, Alfred is pushed off a balcony and now Violet is the police's number one suspect. With a deftly plotted story, many shady characters attending the party, and enough twists and turns to cloud motive, means and even opportunity, it's an intriguing story that I was completely wrapped up until the end. It's obvious that Ms. Rosett did her homework for this historical novel and I was fascinated by the little details about the life and times of London and the countryside after the war.