This was a wonderful mystery. It was nice and cozy. The characters were a lot of fun, and the plot was well written. This one made me want to read the others. ( )

In this mystery, set in the small town of Sitting Marsh in England during World War II, residents are not happy when a munitions factory is built near the town. So unhappy, in fact, that Douglas McNally, manager of the plant, shows Lady Elizabeth Hartleigh Compton some threatening letters he has received. When McNally and a cleaning woman are found dead after a fire at the factory, the Fire Marshall rules the fire an accident, which satisfies the police, but Elizabeth isn't convinced, especially when she hears the victims bodies were found inside a locked office. She decides to investigate the deaths herself, but unless she's careful, things might get too hot for her!

This is another delightful cozy mystery in Kate Kingsbury's Manor House series. The mystery itself is slight, there aren't that many suspects and it's pretty obvious who the murderer is. But I read the mysteries more for the characters and what is going on in their lives. Elizabeth is a good strong heroine, although a little too full of her "position" in the village at times. Fans of the series will be glad to hear that Earl is back, but you'll have to read the book to find out how and why! Violet and Martin, are a bit of a cliché as the faithful household retainers, but Kingsbury writes them in such a way that you care for them and actually hold your breath when Martin walks down the stairs, hoping he'll make it. And Martin is involved in some of the most humorous moments in the book, making a reader wonder if he is as dotty as he sometimes seems to be. Housemaids Sadie and Polly show what life was like for young girls in war torn England.

This is a good book for fans of cozy, humorous mysteries. ( )

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