Murder in Black Tie

High Society Lady Detective Olive Belgrave receives an invitation to a house party at the estate of Parkview Hall. In Murder in Black Tie by Sara Rosett, Olive is facing a mini crisis housing crisis but encounters tension among the house guests and especially between her cousin Gwen and Inspector Longly. (Murder in Black Tie will be available on October 15.)

Her uncle and aunt have invited several people including new heiress Deena Lacey, Captain Thomas Inglebrook, Lady Gina Alton and Vincent Payne as well as Olive's father and stepmother. Mr. Payne is an avid map collector and he thinks everyone should own one of the antique maps he has to sell. Sir Leo, an avid collector, has been deciding which of Payne's maps he might purchase. Mr. Payne has a bit of a reputation as a rogue, so Olive is hopeful Sir Leo will not be duped.

Among the other guests are Olive's cousin and Gwen's brother Peter, a survivor of the Great War with no injuries, but with his mind disturbed. He seems to be getting better, but when he is found in the conservatory kneeling unseeing over the dead body of Mr. Payne, Olive worries he may have relapsed. Peter also has a swollen eye and it appears he may have been in a fight.

With Inspector Longly in the house, it doesn't take long for the investigation to begin and all eyes are on Peter. He doesn't remember anything after entering the conservatory and has no idea about his swollen eye. But Olive knows her gentle cousin would not kill anyway and she also recalls the flash of color she saw when she entered the conservatory. This leads her to believe someone else was in the conservatory with Mr. Payne.

As Olive investigates, she discovers some disturbing information about her stepmother Sonia, someone she has not always cared for.  As she digs deeper, she discovers several connection to the late Mr. Payne adding to the suspect list.

Another elegant mystery set in one of the opulent homes of the wealthy in England. I love this series - the gowns, the jewels and the stately homes. Sigh. Think Downton Abbey for a setting.

Disclosure: I received this book from the author.

The Egyptian Antiquities Murder

Aristocrats in England have long been fans of Egyptian antiquities, but with the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922, collecting artifacts has increased. When Lord Mulvern, an avid collector, dies suddenly in The Egyptian Antiquities Murder by Sara Rosett, his niece calls upon Olive Belgrave to help quell the rumors. (The Egyptian Antiquities Murder will be released on March 15.)

When Olive arrives to meet Lady Agnes, she discovers Lord Mulvern's death is being attributed to a malevolent mummy in his collection. It seems her uncle was in the final stages of preparing for an exhibit of his Egyptian antiquities when he died. Because of a note found with the body, the media believes Lord Mulvern was driven to suicide by the mummy from his collection called Zozar.

Lady Agnes knows this is tabloid nonsense, but believes her uncle was murdered. She wants Olive to
prove he wasn't and in the meantime try to damp down the rumors about her brother Gilbert as well. Gilbert, it appears, was only too anxious to inherit and his greedy wife wants to pin the murder on Lord Mulvern's valet. The police, on the other hand, are only to happy to rule Lord Mulvern's death a suicide.

When Olive discovers the current butler is related to someone who deals in antiquities, possibly stolen ones, she turns her focus towards him, although she hasn't been able to clear Gilbert or Nora. Their stories don't seem to match up and Olive knows if she wrongly accuses either of them, that will be the end of the high society detective.

An insightful view on how the other half live with Olive on the fringe of aristocratic society and Lady Agnes in full swing. A lighthearted mystery with an excellent protagonist.

Murder at Blackburn Hall

After concluding her first case successfully, High Society Lady Detective Olive Belgrave thinks she will be flooded with interesting cases. In Murder at Blackburn Hall by Sara Rosett, Olive has been relegated to searching for missing pets, note the cases she was hoping for. (Murder at Blackburn Hall will be released on January 14 by McGuffin Ink.)

She is eturning from a job interview as a hat model when she encounters her friend Jasper Rimington. He laments her foundering detective work, but encourages her to call Vernon Hightower, owner of Hightower Books.

When she does Hightower hires her to discover why his celebrated author R.W. May, whose real name is Mayhew, has missed a deadline for the latest book in his series. The recluse author has never been to Hightower's office and he follows a clandestine method of submitting his manuscripts through his solicitor.

As her cover Hightower sends Olive to Blackburn Hall under the

pretense of discussing Lady Holt etiquette book. Olive discovers R.W. May has lived like a recluse in the village of Hadsworth and no one has seen him close up. Many have seen him wandering the lanes dressed in his tweeds with a colorful tie and pocket square. Most prominent is the mask he wears to cover a war injury. 

His typist has never seen him either. Anna Finch, daughter of the local doctor, types the manuscripts and returns the typed pages to May by dropping them through the mail slot at the cottage. Even she has not seen him. 

Olive is determined to meet him, but Anna says he left her a note saying he was going to be away for a while. This sends Olive to his cottage to snoop. After a thorough search she realizes the cottage doesn't look like someone was planning to be away. As she walks back to Blackburn Hall, she discovers Lady Holt's eccentric sister Serena clambering up the riverbank. Serena announces that she has found a body. 

And there, my friend, the plot thickens. 

I love this series and cannot wait to read the next one The Egyptian Antiquities Murder.

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Murder at Archly Manor

Olive Belgrave is looking for a job, but investigating a murder isn't what she had in mind. Her socialite cousin Gwen asks her to come to her home to help her with her sister Violet. In Murder at Archly Manor by Sara Rosett it seems Violet has gotten herself engaged to a young man no one really knows.

Her family wants to know more about Alfred Eton, but he is cunningly oblique about his past. He claims his father was a civil servant in India and his parents were killed in a ferry accident. Society photograph and all around part animal Sebastian Blakely is his godfather, but as for any other information, he has been cagey.

Olive's aunt hires her to investigate Alfred's background, but he is very tight-lipped about his past. When she asks him questions he is very vague, which frustrates Olive. She recruits the assistance of her old friend Jasper to see what he can find out through his connections.

When Olive and her cousins are invited to a weekend party at Sebastian's estate Archly Manor, Olive eagerly accepts with hope of learning more about Alfred. But once at the Manor, a murder occurs and Olive is forced to defend her cousin Violet.

Murder at Archly Manor is the first in the High Society Lady Detective series. Looking forward to more.

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