Murder at Archly Manor (High Society Lady Detective)
Murder is glamorous fun in this first in Rosett’s High Society Lady Detective Series. In 1920s London, Olive Belgrave is well-born but unemployed and jumps at her aunt’s offer to investigate the background of her cousin Violet’s slick and suspicious fiancé, Alfred Eton. Olive’s inquiries take a darker turn when she witnesses Alfred being pushed off the balcony of a country house by a blond woman during a fireworks display, and the culprit could be any number of guests—including either of Olive’s cousins.
Less Agatha Christie than Georgette Heyer-meets-The Great Gatsby, Rosett’s foray into the historical realm shimmers with period costume, slang, and fancy motors, as well as the shadow of the Great War. Olive is sleek and resourceful, able to charm information from children and hall porters alike, and the plot delivers all the requisite eccentrics, red herrings, entrapments, and surprise reveals right on cue. Readers will enjoy the posh settings, delicious detail, and the light handling of intrigue and betrayal, and can look forward to more of the same—and hopefully more of the mysteriously alluring Jasper—as Olive sets herself up in the Lady Detective business for the next books.
