Edgar Award-shortlisted author Ashley Weaver returns with Death Wears a Mask, the witty and stylish next installment in the delightful 1930s Amory Ames mystery series “Amory Ames and her rakish husband Milo might just be the new Nick and Nora Charles.” –Deborah Crombie It was amazing, really, what murder had done for my marriage . . . Following the murderous events at the Brightwell Hotel, Amory … the murderous events at the Brightwell Hotel, Amory Ames is looking forward to a tranquil period of reconnecting with her reformed playboy husband, Milo. She hopes a quiet stay at their London flat will help mend their relationship. However, Amory soon finds herself drawn into another investigation when an old friend of her mother’s asks her to look into the disappearance of valuable jewelry snatched at a dinner party.
Amory agrees to help lay a trap to catch the culprit at a lavish masked ball. But when one of the illustrious party guests is murdered, she is pulled back into the world of detection, caught up in both a mystery and a set of romantic entanglements where nothing is as it seems.
Also out now in the Amory Ames mysteries: Murder at the Brightwell and A Most Novel Revenge
more
Milo and Amory are the best.
Shortly after their return from the murderous seaside holiday, Amory and Milo are enjoying a rather blissful state in their marriage. Everything seems to be going swimmingly. When and old friend of Amory’s mother invites them to dinner they could never expect to become involved in another investigation first of theft then murder. Additionally the bliss of the marriage is ripped to shreds with one condemning photo. With her personal life falling apart Amory focuses strongly on the investigation to keep herself sane.
This second installment is a fantastic follow up to the first book. Amory and Milo are such wonderful characters. Endearing and heartbreaking all at once. A delightful, complex and occasionally absurd mystery Death Wears a Mask is a must read for mystery lovers everywhere!
Have you ever read a series of books because you disliked a character? I hadn’t – until now. Of course, if the mystery wasn’t excellently written, fast-paced, and well delivered, I wouldn’t be interested in the characters at all. I started the series with the seventh book which constantly talked of Milo’s past indiscretions – which were apparently legendary. Since I’m pretty intolerant of infidelity, I wanted to read the first couple of books to see when/where/how Milo had his grand epiphany and decided to mend his ways. I also held some hope that maybe he was a spy for the Home Office (or some agency) and the playboy image was his cover. None of that seems to be the case. For me, Milo remains a one-dimensional character and I just can’t seem to get a handle on him. I think that has more to do with the fact that the stories are written in the first-person, so we never get Milo’s point of view – we only see Amory’s. Maybe we’ll get more depth from Milo in later books, but I still didn’t see any in the seventh book I read either.
I was at the point where I was ready to close the book and just write the series off, but decided to read another chapter – and I am glad I did. One of my main ‘problems’ with the relationship was that Amory is supposed to be a strong, smart female lead but I wasn’t seeing it. She let Milo walk all over her for five years, so I was hard-pressed to figure out how I was supposed to find her a credible heroine. She was so wishy-washy – Milo would want to talk and she’d tell him she didn’t want to talk about it. Well – DUH! Finally, at about the fifty-percent mark of the book, she began to let him know, in no uncertain terms that she was through tolerating his peccadillo’s. So – good for her. He, however, still didn’t seem to get it. Since scandal and gossip didn’t phase him in the least, he didn’t understand how it bothered her. So, there wasn’t a grand epiphany, no apologies, but maybe they did come to a meeting of the minds and hearts at the end.
I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery because there were plenty of villains to go around – and figuring out whodunit took me just a bit longer than usual. I enjoyed the times where Milo and Amory are actually sleuthing together and working in more of a partnership than seems to be their norm.
When a friend of Amory’s mother invites Milo and Amory to dinner, it is to ask Amory to watch the guests – and to help solve the mystery of some jewel thefts at her home. Amory ends up in the company of some rather unsavory individuals who are letches – and maybe thieves as well. Nobody is who they appear to be. When a young man is found dead at a ball, with pilfered jewels scattered around him, the chase is on in earnest. There are lots of red herrings to throw you off the scent and many unsavory characters to make your skin crawl. When the final pieces fall into place, Milo and Amory find themselves facing a villain who has already murdered once and is willing to do so again.
‘Amory Ames is a wealthy young woman who regrets her marriage to her notoriously charming playboy husband, Milo. Looking for a change, she accepts a request for help from her former fiancé, Gil Trent, not knowing that she’ll soon become embroiled in a murder investigation that will test not only her friendship with Gil, but will upset the status quo with her husband.
Amory accompanies Gil to the Brightwell Hotel in an attempt to circumvent the marriage of his sister, Emmeline, to Rupert Howe, a disreputable ladies’ man. Amory sees in the situation a grim reflection of her own floundering marriage. There is more than her happiness at stake, however, when Rupert is murdered and Gil is arrested for the crime. Amory is determined to prove his innocence and find the real killer, despite attempted dissuasion from the disapproving police inspector on the case. Matters are further complicated by Milo’s unexpected arrival, and the two form an uneasy alliance as Amory enlists his reluctant aid in clearing Gil’s name. As the stakes grow higher and the line between friend and foe becomes less clear, Amory must decide where her heart lies and catch the killer before she, too, becomes a victim.’
____________________________
3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.
Death Wears a Mask is the second book in Ashey Weaver’s debut series, The Amory Ames Mystery Series and is a historical mystery set in the 1930s.
This book read very much like a game of Clue with a murder occurring during a big house party and a set number of suspects and conspicuous rooms in play. Clue will forever be my favorite childhood game and so I love a good plot that reads this way. At the same time though I didn’t really enjoy the way everything was introduced, it seemed a bit convoluted and childish the scheme that she and Mrs. Barrington cooked up.
I really enjoy the dynamic between Amory and Milo, even though he’s infuriating. I never find them more amusing than when their sparing or making digs at each other. I jut wish that Amory stood up for herself a little more.
Milo really took a big step back from where he’s come in the first book. He is so absolutely infuriating at times, h is disregard for her feelings and his thoughtlessness to humilate her by having his name printed time and again in connection with other women. Regardless of whether or not things are as they seem in the gossip rags he is still responsible for putting himself into such positions, even if he does always have an exucse at the ready. I still however have the feeling that he might be a spy. Please, please, please let it be so, it would would make him ever so much more likable for me.
Overall I enjoyed the spot of danger and the unfolding of the mystery. I’m looking forward to continuing with the series and would recommend it to others.
Amory and Mil are still uncertain of each other as they team up to solve a murder. Death comes close to ruining their reconciliation.
Refreshing reading because the heroine is not stupid and there are no silly love triangles to distract from the stories. I really enjoy reading about this smart woman and her adventures. Interesting characters. Great settings. Good mystery. Can’t wait to read the next one.