A Very English Murder - (A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery) by Verity Bright (Paperback)

Thanks to author Verity Bright for a gifted copy. All comments and opinions are my own. This is the first in the series, and I'd previously read #3 and #8, so it was especially interesting to read this and pretend I didn't know anything about the characters. I actually liked this novel the best of the three, and would seek out the others on the strength of this cozy murder mystery. The premise, that adventurer and world traveler Eleanor Swift returns to Britain after receiving "a letter telling me of my uncle's death and the unexpected news he had left me Henley Hall. So...I came back, hoping I could belong here, that I could call it home...But as usual, I feel like a complete stranger." Ellie, who has become Lady Eleanor upon her inheritance, was orphaned as a young girl and came to live with her uncle before he sent her to a girl's boarding school. After leaving school she took a job that gave her the rare opportunity to explore the world. Now she's about to start another chapter as a "Lady" in the small town of Chipstone, at her new home of Henley Hall - with servants! But her adventures continue as she soon witnesses a murder. Without a body or any other evidence, no one but her butler, Clifford, believes a murder has been committed. The rest of this entertaining novel consists of Ellie trying to solve the murder, determining the suspects, and learning who she can trust. Simultaneously, she discovers more about herself and develops an endearing sleuthing relationship with Clifford. Don't let the references to Miss Marple and Agatha Christie influence your decision to read this novel, as the only connection Eleanor has is living in a small country town and solving murders - she's a young risktaker and independent trailblazer defying the conventions of the 1920s. I liked her a lot and look forward to reading more of her adventures. If you appreciate witty dialogue, an intrepid heroine, lots of British jargon and food, plus a few murders to solve, you'll enjoy this charming debut.