When a dinner party turns deadly, the feisty Lady Cecilia Bates and intuitive cat Jack are on the case, in this first entry to an exciting new historical-mystery series.England 1912. Danby Hall is the only home Lady Cecilia Bates has ever known. Despite the rigid rules of etiquette and her mother the Countess of Avebury’s fervent desire to see her married off, Lady Cecilia can’t imagine life … Cecilia can’t imagine life anywhere else. But now, with an agricultural depression sweeping the countryside, the Bates family’s possession of the hall is suddenly in peril.
A possible solution arrives in the form of the imperious American heiress Annabel Clarke. The Earl and Countess of Avebury are determined that Cecilia’s brother, Patrick, will win Annabel’s hand in marriage—and her fortune along with it. To help the lackluster Patrick in this pursuit, the Bates and their staff arrange a grand house party upon the heiress’s arrival.
When a guest dies after sipping from a glass meant for Annabel, it’s clear the Bates have a more poisonous problem on their hands than a lack of chemistry. As the scandal seizes Danby, Cecilia sets out to find the culprit, with help from Annabel’s maid, Jane, and Jane’s curiously intelligent cat, Jack.
After the poison that someone had stashed away inside the manor is discovered, Cecilia is left with two possibilities: Either a resident of Danby snapped and tried to kill the arrogant heiress, or the threat is coming from one of their guests, who would love to see the Bates family’s decline become permanent.
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Fans of Downton Abbey will be delighted in the setting, the smart and likable aristocratic heroine, her plucky American maid and the stowaway cat.
An absolute delight! I was immediately smitten with Danby Hall and Lady Cecilia and, of course, her investigating sidekick Jack the cat. Eliza Casey has penned a truly clever mystery, rich with engaging characters and robust with historical details. I can’t wait for a return visit.
Very Downton Abbey like
This book is set in Danby Hall in England in 1912. The descriptions of the house and its grounds and of the clothing that was worn were wonderful. It really made me feel like I was there observing it for myself. I also loved the descriptions of all of the shops in town, especially the Misses Moffat’s tea shop. I like Lady Cecelia and how she wants to protect her brother, so she starts investigating what happened to their guest, with the help of Jane, one of the ladies maids. The characters are engaging and I enjoyed the history included in the story. The mystery was also very well plotted. I can’t wait to see what happens next at Danby Hall and what Lady Avebury has planned next for her children’s future.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Berkley Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
“LADY TAKES THE CASE” BY Eliza Casey
I love a great Historical Mystery story sub genre and this debut novel of the Manor Cat Mystery Series is an amazing beginning to series I will be looking forward to. The setting is in the Danby Hall in 1912 and Eliza Casey writes a wonderful cast of characters that include Lady Cecilia Bates and her sidekick Jack the Cat. I love the historical detail that Eliza Casey writes within this lovely mystery story. Its Downton Abbey meets Agatha Christie and I cannot have enough of this amazing start of a great series. I am certainly now a fan of this one.
This was an exciting read for me and one that I thoroughly enjoyed in one sitting. The pacing is great and the characters are absolutely vivid and engaging. What a lovely ride back in time for this amazing cozy mystery.
LADY TAKES THE CASE is the splendid debut of the Manor Cat Mystery series, taking place in England 1912, by Eliza Casey. Historical mysteries are my favorite sub-genre, and there is much to love between these pages.
The aristocratic Bates family faces a dire future if Lord and Lady Avebury do not find a way to infuse their land rich yet monetarily poor estate with funds. The quickest way to do this appears to be marrying their son Patrick off to American heiress Annabel Clarke even though they know little about her or her family. When house party guest and infamous explorer Richard Hayes suddenly dies at a dinner honoring Annabel, Patrick becomes the prime suspect. Patrick’s sister Lady Cecilia, with the help of Annabel’s plucky maid Jane, dedicates herself to unmasking the killer among her parents’ guests.
I am a big fan of the author’s historical mysteries and romances written under various nom de plumes so I was thrilled to read LADY TAKES THE CASE. I was not disappointed. Casey takes a generous amount of time setting the stage for the murder by presenting quite a few characters, describing Danby Hall, and introducing readers to the local village. Personally, I enjoy all of this lead up, and I felt immersed in both the English countryside and pre-World War I era. Once the murder occurs, the story moves along at a quick pace all the way to its exciting conclusion. The plot provides plenty of clues, misdirection, and suspects without becoming overwhelming or unchallenging. There were some elements I figured out early on but others that kept me guessing. There is a nice balance between the mystery and the historical.
Lady Cecelia makes a wonderful amateur sleuth. She is obviously intelligent and naturally curious. Faced with the task of mapping out her future in a changing world, she is relatable and compelling. The supporting cast of characters is varied and engaging. Aside from Lady Cecilia, I find ladies maid Jane particularly captivating and look forward to seeing how, as a relatively inexperienced American, forges her way through life in the English Manor. And, of course, I would be remiss to not mention Jack, THE cat of the series title. I was not sure what to expect from the feline (i.e. human attributes or magical powers), but he a relatively normal cat and delightful sidekick.
LADY TAKES THE CASE is one of my best reads of 2019, and I cannot wait to spend more time with Lady Cecilia, Jane, and Jack. Highly recommended.
I received an ARC of this title from the author and voluntarily shared my thoughts here.
*** 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 ***
This book covers a lot of firsts – I believe it is the first book by the author, it is the first book in this series and it is my first read by this author. I have to admit I was a bit hesitant to request this book because I wasn’t sure if I was going to get a talking, magical cat or – well – something else. Happily, it turns out it is just a normal cat doing normal cat things and the sleuthing is left up to the two ladies.
The mystery itself isn’t too challenging to figure out, but it was interesting to see how the resolution unfolded. Historical mysteries are my favorite sub-genre and this fit right into that mold – although 1912 is a bit later than my normal reading period. I enjoyed the setting – a period when young ladies are trying to figure out what to do with themselves; the beginnings of the suffragette movement, etc. Given that, I think it will be fun to see Lady Cecilia work her way through what she wants for herself and her life – while solving mysteries, of course. In order to satisfy my reading requirements though, I’ll need a love interest for Cecilia and I didn’t see that. I did see one potential, though inappropriate, possibility in a private investigator who makes a brief appearance. We’ll just have to see what happens in the romance department before I decide whether to continue, long term, with the series.
The Blake family, like many others of the time, are titled and rich in properties, but poor in the money to actually support those properties or the lifestyles that go with them. If they don’t come up with a solution soon, they will be forced to sell their beautiful estate, Danby Hall. The family, Lady Cecilia, Lord Patrick (Viscount Bellham), and Lord Avebury are going along with Lady Avebury’s plan to marry Patrick off to an American heiress. Patrick is one of those lovely, sweet, befuddled people who is always lost in his own world of scientific (botany) experiments. He’s a very handsome young man, just oblivious to the world around him.
The Blake’s are hosting a house party with the American heiress, Annabel Clarke, as the guest of honor. It turns out the lady is quite a demanding, temperamental diva and is quite full of herself. Yet, she charms Patrick and he seems totally smitten. Cecilia notices some strange undercurrents among the guests, but they are a varied lot and some have old enmities. Most of the guests, however, don’t even know each other. That makes it really hard to figure out what is going on when a guest suddenly dies in the middle of dinner one evening. It seems he was poisoned and the heiress is sure that it was meant for her.
Lady Cecilia has always been curious about what was going on, but when it seems Patrick is the prime suspect, she is determined to solve the mystery. I love that Cecilia and Jane become instant friends and both have an insatiable curiosity. They work well together – one covers the upstairs folks and the other covers the belowstairs folks.
There was a lovely epilogue that sets up the next book, Lady Rights a Wrong, and that will be interesting to see. I’ll certainly read that addition to the series to see if a romance is added in and then I’ll decide whether to continue with the series or not.
This was a fun read and I think the author did a nice job of creating an interesting mystery with red herrings and distractions. I believe that Eliza Casey is a pseudonym for a multi-published author, but I don’t know which one.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.