A mansion, a title and marriage to a wealthy Lord – Lady Eveline Cartwright has it all. Unfortunately, it’s not enough to prevent her being bludgeoned to death one night in the study of Merisham Lodge, the family’s country estate in Derbyshire. Suspicion quickly falls on her ne’er-do-well son, Peter, but not everyone in the household is convinced of his guilt. Head kitchen maid Joan Hart and … Hart and lady’s maid, Verity Hunter, know that when it comes to a crime, all is not always as it seems.
With suspicions and motives thick on the ground, Joan and Verity must use all the wit and courage they possess to expose a deadly murderer who will stop at nothing to achieve their aim…
Murder at Merisham Lodge is the first in a new series of historical mysteries, Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate, set in the 1930s. The author, Celina Grace, is the creator of the bestselling The Kate Redman Mysteries and The Asharton Manor Mysteries, as well as several standalone thrillers.
Praise for Celina Grace by Amazon and Goodreads reviewers:
“Thoroughly enjoyed this read. I’ve been waiting for this story since the first of the Asharton novellas was published and I am very glad to see more of Joan and Verity. I think they are a great mystery team. Smart and active, but in a believable way. You don’t ever wonder how they could do what they do within the confines of their social roles and their “real” jobs are never thrown to the side.”
“Celina makes her characters someone you care about. I enjoyed this book and I am looking forward to the next book in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes mysteries, especially period mysteries.”
” I love her writing style. This book does not disappoint. A great mix of mystery, humor and wonderful characters. All in a beautiful Manor. Very enjoyable read.”
“I have read the four Asharton Manor books and enjoyed them all, but the first story that introduced Joan and Verity was my favorite and I am so glad the author wrote another story with the two of them. This time period is very interesting to me and then to throw in a couple murders to solve makes it extra interesting. I hope to read more about Joan, Verity and ( maybe Inspector Marks ?) in future books.”
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A fun read.
Easy to read, but seemed rather unbelievable to me, as well as unrealistic. Still found it entertaining enough to finish it (think Downton Abbey characters), so I give it 3 stars.
To me, this is another formulaic piece that fills time, but that’s about it.
An easy read and entertaining, but the characters seem a little bit unbelievable.
Just so-so.
Another great historical mystery set in Victorian England. This one kept me guessing for most of the book, and still managed to surprise me at the end. Miss Hart and Miss Hunter are both servants at the home of a wealthy family, and when multiple murders occur in the house, they put their heads together to figure things out. Believably done – aside from superior deduction skills, the rest is all figured out from sneaking, and discreet listening (as servants are known to do) – no over the top circumstances. This is the first of a series, and I’m glad to know there are more to come. 🙂
I always like a good mystery. Especially when it is in ole England with servants downstairs like in Downton Abby. I will definitely read more of Celina Grace’s books.
An enjoyable mystery made especially so by the protagonists — a kitchen maid and lady’s maid. The mystery is set in an English country house between the wars. It is refreshing to see the clever and resourceful detective work coming from women slaving below the stairs, a nice change from watching the entitled rich solve murders.
This was a delightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed the lightheartedness, which was much needed during this time of pandemic.
Shades of Downton Abbey. I could picture the house and grounds. The interaction of the characters was also very familiar. Mystery unfolds from the prospective of tha cook’s Helper. Fascinating!
I absolutely loved this book! It’s a little like Downtown Abby meets Agathy Christy where two friends who are housemaids solve a murder and save the day. The story was very entertaining and hard to put down.
Evocative of the era. Well written, strong plot.
This period piece is full of what it’s like to live in an English manor house. Great world building of what goes on with the staff “below the stairs” (because the kitchen was a floor below the first floor). The main characters Verity and Joanie are loyal to their employers but they aren’t blind to what goes on in the house. So when a murder takes place, they take a vested interest in solving it.
This is one of those books that is easy to read–a cozy mystery. The main characters are well developed; we hear the story through the view point of one of the main characters. I would call this a summer book: it is not all consuming, but it is entertaining.
I loved this book. Couldn’t put it down
The author gets you interested right at the beginning. Then the plot twists start. You feel like you’re able to see behind the scenes of the family, from the assistant cook’s point of view. I could identify with the teller of the story and wanted to know what was going to happen next. This is a great, easy read, but keeps you interested because of the happenings at Merisham Lodge.
Fun read!
This is an enjoyable country house murder mystery, free from a lot of gore. It was just the thing I was in the mood for on a quiet afternoon and short enough to read in one sitting. Joan Hart is assistant cook in the house of the wealthy Cartwright family, and her best friend, Verity, is maid to the daughter of the house, Lady Dorothy. When Lady Cartwright is found bludgeoned to death in the study, Joan and Verity do some amateur sleuthing and eventually help to solve the mystery.
The story is set in the 1930s and a big attraction for me was the detail about the lives of servants in large houses in those days – the meals they would have served, how they were prepared, how servants would have spent their meagre leisure time, and what they thought of the “upstairs” folk whose lives were made so comfortable by their hard work. From the bibliography, I see that the author did a lot of research and she put it to good use.
I felt that the Downton Abbey quality did tend to overshadow the mystery at times, but the plot was fine and there was enough of a twist at the end to make a satisfying finale. The story is told from Joan’s point of view and I liked her character and that of her friend Verity. The family were less convincingly portrayed.
My quibbles with the book were that calling Lady Cartwright Lady Evelina was confusing and incorrect. She was Lord Cartwright’s wife not his daughter or his widow. Also the plight of one of the other servants introduced a darker note that, to me, jarred with the rest of the story. There was rather too much harking back to a previous book for my taste, and there were some typos. Apart from these points, however, I recommend this if you’re looking for a pleasant, not too demanding read.
A well written upstairs downstairs English murder mystery, a pleasure to read.
Up to expectations for Celina Grace. Good read.