MY THOUGHTS AND BOOK REVIEW
It was the beginning of the snowfall in London. Lily has returned to Hertfordshire for the Christmas season to join her family and friends of her late husband Freddy. Lily didn't have true friends. She was happy to spend time with the Adler family at the Christmas ball organized by Mrs. Grantham. The neighborhood friends and their families have been invited. Lily has been widowed for three years at such a young age. Mathew Spencer, Lady Adler, Lily, John Adler (Magistrate), Captain Jack Hartley, and his youngest sibling Amelia Noor Hartley, Peter, and his mother Coleridge who have been moved to the neighborhood have been some of the guests of the house party that midnight. Jack Hartley had been the boyhood companion of her husband and had become her own trusted confidant. Jack was most of the time at sea to picture him on land was impossible, that's when at the party he announces his retirement soon.
As the party and guests arrived at the dinner, music, friends, and dancing as always were present. Mathew Spencer takes Lily out of the crowd to propose she get married to him. Her reply was not decided. Having widowed she never thought of getting married again.
The snow doesn't stop and the neighborhood and the guests wake up to find Gregory Edison one of their guests has been murdered, his body lying in the snow. Sir John and Lily are faced with investigating the murder. Even though Amelia was accused of having a relationship with Edison nothing seemed to be going on right there to find Amelia guilty of murder. Who could have killed Mr. Edison? Having been trapped inside the house with not much evidence, Lily assists John Adler in searching, questioning the guests, and even finding the criminal at last. There seemed to be even a theft and another incident of murder in the house.
Very intriguing and challenging to find the murderer but no surprises. It's surely one of the guests who has committed it. I enjoyed thoroughly this novel and the suspense which kept me guessing and thinking till the end.
Thanks to Partners in Crime, Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance copy for my honest review.
Author Bio:
Katharine Schellman is a former actor and one-time political consultant. These days, she writes the Lily Adler Mysteries and the Nightingale Mysteries. Her books, which reviewers have praised as “worthy of Agatha Christie or Rex Stout” (Library Journal, starred review), have received multiple accolades, including being named a Library Journal Best Crime Fiction of 2022, a Suspense Magazine Best Book of 2020, and a New York Times editor’s pick in June 2022. Katharine lives and writes in the mountains of Virginia in the company of her husband, children, and the many houseplants she keeps accidentally murdering.
Catch Up With Katharine Schellman:
www.KatharineSchellman.com
Goodreads
BookBub – @KatharineSchellman
Instagram – @katharinewrites
Facebook – @katharineschellman
Murder at Midnight
by Katharine Schellman
September 18 – October 13, 2023 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Ashley Weaver, when a body is found shot to death after an unexpected snowstorm, Lily Adler quickly realizes that some people will stop at nothing to bury their secrets.
Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to a quiet Christmastide away from the schemes and secrets she witnessed daily in London. Not only will she be visiting the family of her late husband; she will be reunited with Captain Jack Hartley, her friend and confidante, finally returned after a long voyage at sea.
But secrets aren’t only found in London. Jack’s younger sister, Amelia, is the center of neighborhood scandal and gossip. She refuses to tell anyone what really happened, even when an unexpected snowstorm strands the neighborhood families together after a Christmas ball. Stuck until the snow stops, the Adlers, Hartleys, and their neighbors settle in for the night, only to be awakened in the morning by the scream of a maid who has just discovered a dead body.
The victim was the well-to-do son of a local gentleman–the same man whose name has become so scandalously linked to Amelia’s.
With the snow still falling and no way to come or go, it’s clear that someone in the house was responsible for the young man’s death. When suspicion instantly falls on Jack’s sister, he and Lily must unmask the true culprit before Amelia is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit.
Praise for Murder at Midnight:
“Delightful . . . Historical mystery fans will devour this holiday treat.”
~ Publishers Weekly
“A plummy period whodunit with a colorful collection of suspects.”
~ Kirkus Reviews
Book Details:
Genre: Historical mystery
Published by: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: September 2023
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781639104321 (ISBN10: 1639104321)
Series: A Lily Adler Mystery, 4
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Penguin Random House
Thanks so much for the review! this sounds like a wonderful book!
ReplyDeleteWelcome Wendy!!
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