As England recovers from its costly involvement in the Great War, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, find the steady comforts of their lives unsettled by a local case of murder . . . Eva is excited for a visit from her sister Alice, who lives in Suffolk with her husband and three children. But when Alice arrives alone, desiring a break from her family, Eva becomes concerned. … family, Eva becomes concerned. Her dismay deepens as Alice starts spending time with a former beau, Keenan Ripley, who owns the nearby pear orchard. At the same time, Phoebe’s sister Julia, now a widow and pregnant, is in a fretful state, and Phoebe struggles to be helpful to her.
When Keenan’s brother Stephen, the new head gardener at the Renshaw estate, Foxwood Hall, is found impaled by a pair of hedge clippers, the police—including Eva’s beau, Constable Miles Brannock—suspect his closest kin. Stephen had been eager to sell their orchard to an American developer, but Keenan had fiercely resisted. A table set with two teacups and scones suggests Keenan had company the morning of the murder—and Eva fears her sister was with him.
If Alice were to provide Keenan with an alibi, her reputation and marriage would be ruined. She denies being there but is clearly withholding secrets, much to Eva’s consternation. Now, to protect her sister, Eva and Phoebe set off to expose the gardener’s real killer, putting their own lives at risk . . .
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In this fifth installment of the A Lady and Lady’s Maid Mysteries, Lady Phoebe’s sister Julia, now a widow and pregnant, is having a hard time coping with the sudden death of her husband and is worried she’ll be a terrible mother. Phoebe wants to be helpful to her sister, but Julia keeps pushing everyone away. Meanwhile, Lady Phoebe’s lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, is excited for a visit from her sister Alice and her three children. But when Alice arrives alone and announces that she needs a break from her family, Eva becomes worried. Her concern deepens as Alice starts spending time with a former beau, Keenan Ripley, who owns a pear orchard. When Keenan’s brother Stephen, the new head gardener at Lady Phoebe’s family estate, is murdered, and Keenan becomes the main suspect, Phoebe and Eva decide to do their own investigation, especially when Eva begins to suspect that Alice might be keeping a secret that could prove Keenan’s innocence.
A Silent Stabbing by Alyssa Maxwell is a delightful and entertaining historical cozy mystery, with well-rounded characters, a charming English countryside setting, and an intriguing and well-plotted murder mystery. The plot flows perfectly and kept me turning the pages. The author’s engaging writing style and excellent research instantly transported me back to post World War I England, a nation still recovering, and forever changed by the war. Phoebe and Eva are both wonderful and intelligent characters. I found their relationship with their sisters to be very relatable. They are excellent at solving problems and make a great team. I look forward to more adventures with them. If you enjoy historical cozies, then I highly recommend this series.
I received an ARC from Kensington Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Not as much mystery as a story about sisters. Lady Phoebe’s sister Julia and Eva’s sister Alice, both are involved in the story with problems but not necessarily in the mystery. Their problems are resolved satisfactorily. The mystery is solved in a rush at the end. Except what did happen to William? There is a touch of romance and a bit of paranormal as well.
A Silent Stabbing is the fifth book in A Lady and Lady’s Maid Mystery series.
Once again, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntsford, will need to put their sleuthing skills to work, to solve another mystery. Eva is excited to learn that her sister, Alice, and her children are coming to visit her parents. Eva gets permission from Lady Phoebe to take a day off and visit her family’s farm. Eva and her parents are very surprised that Alice didn’t bring the children, only offering that “she needed a rest” for an excuse.
Keenan Ripley owns a pear orchard, along with his brother Stephen in nearby Little Barlow. An American real estate developer has come to Little Barlow and would like to buy the orchard and build a hotel there. Keenan does wish to sell but his brother does. Stephen has recently returned to Little Barlow and Lady Phoebe is surprised to learn that he has replaced Alfred Peele, who has left without saying anything to anyone at all.
Before Lady Phoebe and Eva head into the village, they decide to stop and see Stephen ask about Peele and why he left so quickly. They soon see his ladder by a row of hedges, then they find his body that has been stabbed with his hedge shears. Also, his helper is nowhere nearby.
The Chief Inspector thinks this an open and shut case and arrests Keenan for the murder of his brother. Eva’s beau, Constable Brannock agrees to provide whatever help he can to Lady Phoebe and Eva. Phoebe and Eva hope they can find Peele and the assistant gardener. They feel finding these two might just have some information that will lead them to the killer.
I love this series. Set just after WWI in a beautiful village and interesting residents. Particularly enjoyable are Lady Phoebe and Eva. They seem more like sisters, rather than Lady and her Lady’s maid when they are in sleuthing mode. Even when not sleuthing, Phoebe doesn’t treat her as a servant and Eva would do anything to keep her Lady safe. Phoebe’s relationship with her sister continues to run hot and cold. Lady Julia is pregnant, so Phoebe has to be extra careful what she says.
I’m looking forward to the next book in this wonderful series.
A SILENT SLAYING, the fifth installment in the excellent Lady & Lady’s Maid Mystery, is a delightful read full of sibling rivalry, secrets, greed, and community.
Once again, author Alyssa Maxwell has woven an intriguing tale proving that life in the country is not always as bucolic as it seems. This time around Lady Phoebe and her maid Eva are both dealing with sisters who are acting odd. Julia is fretting over her pregnancy and all that rides on the child being a boy. Alice arrives for a visit, but without her children as expected. Eva fears something is wrong at home, especially when Alice seemingly rekindles an acquaintance with the local pear farmer Keenan. Keenan has troubles of his own when his brother Stephen comes to town after years of being away intent on selling the orchard to an American investor. When Stephen, who is the new head gardener at Lady Phoebe’s family estate, is stabbed with his gardening shears and Keenan is arrested for the crime, Lady Phoebe and Eva put on their investigative hats to get to the bottom of the mystery.
I really enjoy this series, and A SILENT SLAYING is a worthy addition. Maxwell has a flowing writing style that is effortlessly period correct while also keeping the cozy feel of the genre. It is immensely readable and engaging. I admire Lady Phoebe and Eva as they make their way through a rapidly changing post-WWI era. They are strong, independent, intelligent women. Their struggles with their sisters feel authentic and relatable.
The mystery is engaging and well developed with plenty of suspects and details. I changed my mind about the killer’s identity many times throughout the book as new clues were revealed. Though I thought I had it all figured out by the story’s climax, Maxwell still managed to surprise me.
A SILENT SLAYING is sure to please fans of the Lady & Lady’s Maid series and new readers alike. Highly recommended.
I gratefully received and ARC of this title from the author and Kensington Publishers and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.
A SILENT STABBING by Alyssa Maxwell
The Fifth Lady and Lady’s Maid Mystery
Stephen Ripley is back in Little Barlow and is causing all manner of problems. Not only does he want to sell the family orchard out from his brother, he wants to sell it to an American who wants to raze the pears and build a resort for wealthy Americans! Stephen has also taken over as head gardener at Foxwood Hall, yet no one knew of the previous gardener’s decision to leave. Lady Phoebe and her grandfather intend to speak to the man, but find him murdered, stabbed to death with his own hedge clippers. With suspicion immediately thrown on Stephen’s brother, Lady Phoebe intends to investigate. Yet keeping her mistress out of harm’s way is not Eva’s only concern. Keenan may have an alibi, but Eva believes that her sister…her married sister…may be the one to provide it. Now Lady Phoebe and Eva must work together once more to see that justice is served and propriety maintained.
The relationship between siblings is at the heart of A SILENT STABBING. Certainly Stephen and Keenan Ripley could rival Cain and Abel, but there is a strain between sisters too, as we see from Eva and Alice as well as Phoebe and Julia. Despite the tension between certain relatives, I enjoy seeing the way the families gather together, and the community as well. It did my heart good to read about everyone stepping in to help pick the pears and make the perry in Keenan’s absence. Of course, many of them may have had ulterior motives, after all, the perry must be saved! Be that as it may it was wonderful to see a community band together and unite against the obnoxious American who threatened their little town as well as their favorite beverage.
I loved the mystery in this fifth Lady and Lady’s Maid outing. An unlikable victim, plenty of suspects, concerns over who those suspects are, as well as odd behavior by several characters all add to the suspense. I liked the addition Miss Lara Greenwood and I hope to see more of her in future books. As for the ne’er do wells, while I had my suspicions as to the murderer, I eventually thought I was wrong and was thrown for a loop at the end!
A SILENT STABBING is a great period mystery highlighting family relationships as well as class differences. I only wish that I had my own glass of perry to raise in its honor!
FTC Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book in the hopes I would review it.