It's the 1930's and the Cartwright family live uneasily at Merisham Lodge, which accumulates in the first murder.
Under-cook Joan Hart and lady’s maid, Verity Hunter, have their suspicions and they conduct their own investigations which they duly report back to Inspector Marks.
I enjoyed this story and I like the characters of this English cozy murder mystery. ( )

A very cozy mystery in a delicious upstairs-downstairs setting. Got to love that era! The author did a great job conveying how exhausting the work was downstairs (although perhaps overdid the message that downstairs people are people with hearts and brains too). The mystery was fun, light, and cozy. ( )

First in a series of historical mysteries, this has two amateur detectives working to solve a murder in a large English manor house, circa 1930. The two young women, one a lady’s maid and one a cook’s assistant, must work hard to keep their places in the household. When their mistress is killed, they investigate while going through their daily chores…over and over.

As another reviewer on Amazon pointed out, there are no hunky leading men to save the main characters from themselves. Instead, the local police accept the help of the servants to try to solve the case. Highly unlikely, but it makes for a decent mystery.

Like so many of this kind of story, the rich are made out to be the spoiled bad guys while the lowly servants work hard to improve their sorry states. Blah, blah, blah.

Light reading for a winter’s evening by the fire. Very little violence, no sex, and no foul language. Recommended for cozy lovers of English house mysteries. ( )

Very interesting read ( )

I really liked this- both as a well-written mystery, and because of its insights into the lives of servants in the 1930s in Great Britain.

I am ever curious about what life was really like for ordinary people in all of the various cultures that have existed now and in the past. This novel had a perspective that, from what I know, nailed it- the introduction of tech like electricity, the loosening of standards because there were so many other employment options in the 1930s rather than going into "service", etc. That being said, I think Merisham was understaffed.

The mystery was handled well! Hart and Hunter were restricted from many options for sleuthing by their positions, but also took advantage of their positions to proceed.

Both Hart and Hunter were realistic and interesting characters. The other characters in the book were also well-drawn, and while there were red herrings, there were also fair clues.

I enjoyed this mystery a lot, and will likely read more in the series. ( )