A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Book 26

Today, I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour celebrating the publication of the 26th novel in The Lady Swift Mystery series. It has been such a joy to follow this series right from the beginning and I can’t thank the publisher and Verity enough for allowing me to tag along for the ride.

This time we join the Byron Detective Agency in Stratford-upon-Avon as they take on a case of missing treasure from the Shakespeare Memorial Theatre’s irreplaceable collection but soon after they arrive a body is discovered in a burning building and so their task is soon upgraded to a murder investigation. Secrets and suspects are aplenty and the local police are none too impressed with having the detective trio on their patch making it even more difficult to investigate. With the threat of being locked up in a cell themselves or, even worse, further murders, this might just prove to be their deadliest and most difficult case to date.

I am again in awe as to how different each case is and how Verity brings the past alive with interesting snippets of history. You can feel the research that as gone into the details but they never feel heavy or like you are being lectured on the past. They just help you feel as though you are travelling back to the roaring twenties. As always the characters are a pleasure to return to and I feel that there is more to come as the mystery surrounding Eleanor’s parents slowly comes to light. If you haven’t read any of these novels yet then I recommend starting at the beginning – they are a joyful piece of escapism. Funny, gentle, crime puzzles that are easy and cosy reads – perfect to snuggle up with as the autumn approaches. Of course you could read this as a stand alone but I feel you would miss out on getting to know these enchanting characters properly.

Thank you so much to Sarah at Bookouture for inviting me to read this book via Netgalley and take part in the blog tour. It’s been a pleasure as always. I look forward to seeing what comes next.

Synopsis

Lady Swift and her handsome husband Hugh Seldon are totally charmed by the picturesque town where Shakespeare once lived. Everyone is abuzz with chatter about the upcoming production of Macbeth… But wait, is that a body backstage?

Dashing showman Richard Ratcliffe is set to return to the stage at the famous Shakespeare Memorial theatre. But when priceless items belonging to Shakespeare himself go missing from the theatre’s collection, Eleanor knows someone has gone off-book…

Then the beautiful old theatre is set on fire. The gang are horror-struck, and while racing to help, Eleanor’s loyal butler Clifford discovers an act of foul play: Ratcliffe, the show’s leading man, is dead inside from a blow to the head. Was the fire a deliberate distraction to cover up the murder? Hugh believes Ratcliffe may have caught the thief in the act, but Eleanor isn’t so certain.

With the production in tatters, the cast and crew are flailing. Everyone is playing a part and Eleanor needs to decide who is putting on a deadly show and who is telling the truth. Did the director have more to gain from the insurance money than a standing ovation? Maybe the leading lady feared she was about to be upstaged?

Hunting for local gossip at the town tearoom, Eleanor discovers Ratcliffe had secrets he was desperate to keep from stealing the show… But the culprit is waiting in the wings. And it’s only a matter of time before Eleanor steps too far into their deadly spotlight. Can she catch the killer before it’s curtains for her too?

A totally delightful historical cozy murder mystery. Fans of T.E. Kinsey, L.B. Hathaway and Lee Strauss will fly through the pages!

About the authors

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

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Happy reading!

Shelley x