Murder in Season (A Lady of Letters Mystery, 3)
In vibrant 1860s London, the ton are gathered and eager for the Season in Winters’ third Lady of Letters mystery—a whodunnit featuring Agony Aunt turned amateur investigator Lady Amelia Amesbury, and introducing her rambunctious younger sister, Madge (Margaret), who arrives unexpectedly just before Amelia’s first hosted ball. Married into gentry and sadly widowed two months later, Amelia is tired of years of mourning black and delighted to have her bright, bull-headed sister with her for the season, even if it means some surreptitious chaperoning. A murder at the ball, for which Madge finds herself in a vindictive detective’s sights, and some thefts of priceless heirloom jewellery are the conundrums Amelia must unravel, whilst clearing her sister’s good name.
Settings, clothing, décor, social mores and faux pas of the ton are intricately presented, as are Petticoat Lane’s dark and dangerous nighttime environs, where thieves and fences abound. Red herrings and multiple suspects drive the plot through a series of twists with details that are enlightening without ever being didactic. Amelia and fellow sleuth, Simon Bainbridge, negotiate carefully around their growing attachment (heaven forfend the formidable matriarch, Aunt Tabitha Amesbury should catch them unawares!), whilst Madge might find love of her own. The murder scene is enacted at the start of the novel, allowing the storyline to work through nefarious motives and the victim’s possible culpability for his own demise. The names Madge and Margaret are used interchangeably, a narrative device which keeps Madge’s child-like naughtiness and her role as a countess’s respectable sister evenly balanced, but some readers may find this mildly annoying. Readers will, however, get a kick out of the chapter heading ‘Agony Aunt’ letters culled from history, including a cure for concussion should a physician be unavailable! Keep a sharp eye out for this first-rate cosy series.
