Murder at the English Manor ( Miss Underhay Mysteries, #20), by Helena Dixon

 

Publication May 23, 2025

Kitty and Matt are not only good private investigators but a delightful couple to spend time with. No matter what is going on, including murder and mayhem. They seem to keep their cool and carry on, although Kitty would dearly love to tell Inspector Lewis off, I'm sure. His lack of respect for her sleuthing skills is long standing, however, and Kitty (and Matt) seem to have learned to cope with him well. That said, they were a bit surprised when he showed up to investigate the murder of the maid at Markham Hall since it's out of his usual realm. There at the invite of Lord and Lady Faversham, perhaps prompted by Mrs. Craven, to add to the security of the gathering to celebrate their eldest son's engagement to a rich American heiress. This seemed to be a common during this time period, which is 1937, England. It's obviously a marriage of convenience, with the daughter getting a fancy title while the Faversham family gets a much needed ingestion of cash. Let's just say Markham Hall is showing its age.

Although Matt isn't distracted long from the long running quest of the series to discover the secrets behind Redvers Palmerston's mysterious appearance after seemingly been dead for years. More on that to come, I'm sure, in future books. The primary focus is to discover what happened to Agnes, sister to Mrs. Craven's maid Dora. That answer is discovered by the rather unpleasant discovery of the body by Kitty while out walking, Bertie, her spaniel who seems to have a nose for finding bodies. There are multiple suspects, mostly focused on those who were there for the engagement announcement. Family secrets seem to abound and rumors of gambling debts, break-ins, and blackmail circulate. In the meantime, what the heck is the American bride-to-be up to? Just one more mystery for Kitty and Matt to solve. Now, if they can just keep Mrs. Craven from getting into mischief/danger. Will the wedding happen? Why does the potential groom's brother take off to stay with friends? What was Agnes up to when she was killed? Who....oh, more than enough teasers.

It's an intriguing mystery with lots of twists and turns and I didn't really figure out whodunit until it was revealed, fun to try to figure out. I definitely have enjoyed getting to know Kitty and Matt better every book and following Matt's efforts to sort out the Redvers' mystery. Although run-down, the setting of Markham Hall adds a touch of upper-class life to the story while the murder itself is, sadly, not the least bit respectful of wealth and class. Thanks to #Bookouture and #NetGalley for initially introducing me to Kitty and Matt and allowing me this early peek at their current case and progress(?) on the Redvers' front. Definitely looking forward to the next installment after that ending.