Light, reading, a good sense of place and time. So far the only problem with Arlen’s books for me is there are so many characters that seem minor who become major and vice versa. Maybe that’s why she puts the lists of characters in the front of the book! ( )

It's 1913, and Lady Montfort is staying in their London house, when she is happy to attend a dinner party hosted by the close friend of her mother, Hermione Kingsley. Unfortunately the party does not go as expected when one of the guests is found day. With the help of her housekeeper Mrs Jackson they try and find the murderer.
An interesting mystery with some good descriptions of how the rich live, though the book should be described as a Post-Edwardian mystery. ( )

Set in the Downton Abbey era:

Lady Monfort & her husband are invited to the 39th birthday dinner for Sir Winston Churchill at the home of her friend Hermione Kingsley. Much to everyone's dismay one of the guests is found stabbed dead in the dining room during the evening's music recital.

Lady Monfort & her Country-House Housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson work together to find out who killed the man, with little or no cooperation from Hermione's household, as Hermione has forbidden everyone in the house from discussing the murder.

It is discovered that he was the chair of Hermione's Chimney Sweep Boy's Charity and upon further investigation that he was skimming from the charity while being blackmailed by the Matron, which points a finger at Hermione.

I liked the plot/story and I liked most of the characters.

What I found tedious was all the supposition, self-talk, and the over-abundant repetitiveness of the Red Herrings, which means I skimmed much of Lady Monfort's & Mrs. Jackson's personal thoughts. ( )

My love for mysteries only goes back a few years. That is to say, I’m a newbie when it comes to this genre. I have Agatha Christie to thank for it. And really who better than the Queen of Mystery to introduce me to this genre. Agatha Christie is the gold standard that I’m sure many authors aspire to attain. However, reading her books has helped me understand what it is that makes a mystery a really great story. And for me, Death Sits Down to Dinner fits nicely in that category.

I had the good fortune last year to read Tessa Arlen’s first book in the Lady Montfrot Mystery series, Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman. I was immediately taken with the heroine of the novel, Lady Montfort and her housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson set in Edwardian England. So when the opportunity to read this second book came up, I jumped at it. As much as I liked the first book, I think this book is even better.

Lady Clementine Montfort attends a dinner party hosted by her friend Hermione Kingsley. The party is well attended by some of the who’s who of society—including Winston Churchill. However, after dinner a murder occurs, and, of course, Lady Montfort takes up the case. Everyone who attended the party or a member of the household staff is suspect. But Lady Montfort can’t solve this murder without the help of her reluctant housekeeper. Once she convinces Mrs. Jackson, it’s only a matter of time before the mystery starts to unravel.

“After the murder of her husband’s nephew last year, Clementine had come to the understanding that any human creature, no matter how well connected, well born, or utterly trustworthy, was capable of murder if he or she was put in a position where he believed he had no other choice.”

Try as I might, I didn’t guess the murderer until it was revealed at the end. It’s probably a good thing I’m not a detective. That’s what I really like about Tessa Arlen’s books. After all the red herrings and foreshadowing the answer was staring you in the face the whole time. The clues are so subtle that if you blink, you’ll miss them.

I really enjoyed this book: the setting, the stories, the characters. Tessa Arlen has a gift for mystery and I’m so glad she’s using it. I'm highly anticipating the third book in this series, which, unfortunately, doesn't come out until next year.

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2016/04/review-death-sits-down-to-dinner.html#E... ( )

Death Sits Down to Dinner is the second book about amateur sleuths Lady Clementine Montfort and her housekeeper, Mrs.Jackson, the first book is Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman. At a birthday party for Winston Churchill, hosted by Hermione Kingsley who is a patroness of a large charity. A death occurs at this party, a man, Sir Reginald Cholmondeley is the deceased stabbed in the chest. Clementine is the person who is first on the scene of the murder. Hermione has insisted that no one talk about the murder that happened at her dinner party, this includes all of her staff. Everyone who attended the party is questioned by Detective Inspector Hillary and as time progresses, Clementine is not too happy as to how the investigation is progressing. Hermione is to host a huge event to support England's largest charity but with the illness of her companion Adelaide, Clementine offers the services of her housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson. Kill two birds with one stone if your will, Mrs. Jackson can assist with coordinating the event and snoop around to find out exactly what the staff knows. The two women are insistent on finding out who killed Sir Reginald and why. This story takes place in 1912, a tenuous time in England with the unrest that is happening not only in England but in the rest of the world. England is preparing for such an event with the development of airplanes. Winston Churchill is sure that there will be a war with Germany, as First Lord of the Admiralty he founded the Royal Navy Air Service to prepare for this event. This is an Edwardian mystery that reminded me of the show Upstairs, Downstairs, filled with real and imagined characters, upstairs and downstairs at two households. The glitter of high society in England makes this novel a treat to read. I learned one interesting fact, the women who worked in these households were called Mrs. no matter the age or whether they were married or not. The men were called John or William, as these names were easy to remember and acceptable names. I had not read the first book, Death of an Honorable Gentleman but that in no way confused me as the author made reference on a few occasions of the murder mystery that involved Lady Montfort and Mrs.Jackson. A fast paced story that was very enjoyable to me. ( )