Murder at the Mansions (High Society Lady Detective)
Life is finally settling down for Olive Belgrave, stylish detective for the upper classes in in 1924 London: she has a pleasant flat in the new South Regent Mansions, things are developing with the delicious Jasper, and her latest project for her client and neighbor, Lola, was a cinch. But when her friend Minerva spots signs of foul play on the second floor, Olive dives in to find the victim. Problem is, their neighbors have scattered, and no one’s ever seen the mysterious Darkwaiths in suite 228. Tracking down her errant neighbors and trying to determine who’s hiding what will take all of Olive’s flair, smarts, and ability to fit into small spaces.
As always, Rosett’s prose is as crisp, stylish, and bubbly as the Bright Young Things who populate her pages. Characters and settings are winningly sketched, the action brisk, the plot turns engaging. Rosett lets the reader come along as Olive gathers information and spots clues, and the whodunnit lives in its historical period, featuring details like motors, the cultural scene, and the Flying Scotsman railway route. Other series might grow tepid or start to sound familiar this far in, but this is the best Olive adventure yet.
