Friday, March 4, 2022

BLOG TOUR - A Royal Murder


DESCRIPTION:

At the royal boat race there are beautiful barges, plenty of bunting, a handsome prince and… is that a body in the water? Lady Swift is on the case!

Spring, 1923. One-time adventurer and now amateur sleuth Lady Eleanor Swift is attending the annual royal regatta with her new pal Tipsy Fitzroy. Tipsy has Eleanor trussed up like a debutante in a new dress, determined to turn her into a proper society lady. Even Eleanor’s favourite companion, Gladstone the bulldog, has a new outfit for the occasion.

But the sparkling prize-giving ceremony is interrupted when the devilishly handsome host gulps his glass of champagne on stage and collapses to the floor. The victim is none other than the king’s cousin, Lord Xander Taylor-Howard. He was rumoured to be entangled in a rather dubious gambling ring, 
but did someone kill him instead of collecting his debt? Or was this simply an ill-timed tragic accident? Either way, a right royal scandal is afoot…

Sir Percival, the head of the royal police, asks Eleanor for her help investigating. He’d do anything to keep the story under wraps. She knows it will get her into hot water with a certain dapper 
Detective Seldon, but she’s determined to see justice done. However, as she digs deeper, she learns Lord Taylor-Howard was hiding more than one murky secret. It isn’t until she takes a closer look at the unfortunate royal’s shattered champagne flute that she stumbles upon just the clue she needs. But can she reel in the killer before her ship is sunk too?

A warm and witty 1920s mystery that cozy fans will just adore. Addictive reading for fans of T E Kinsey, Lee Strauss and Agatha Christie.

BUY LINKS:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B09M3RYT22social

Audio:
UK: zpr.io/cyqVbRNRiSpk
US: zpr.io/pBxeLFqVYaB6

Listen to a sample here:
https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/a-royal-murder-by-verity-bright-narrated-by-karen-cass

MY THOUGHTS:
 

Title:   A Royal Murder
Author:  Verity Bright
Series:  Lady Eleanor Swift Book 9
Publisher:  Bookouture 
Genre:   Cozy Mystery
Format:  Kindle ARC
No. of Pages:   280
Date of Publication:   February 28, 2022
My Rating:   5 Stars 

As a former war nurse, death is something that Lady Eleanor Swift has seen in passing more than she would like to remember. However, Ellie has become more than adept as an amateur sleuth and she gets that very same opportunity yet again. She is attending a royal regatta, with a stunning new dress. Her friend Tipsy Fitzroy provided her input as to an apparent makeover and depending on how Ellie does at the event, she just might prove she can now be a proper lady. 

Considering Ellie had spent most of her life doing as she wished, conforming to her proper station in life has definitely proved a challenge. She has the very special Clifford at her side, butler turned guardian turned confidante - and more. The pair get the opportunity to do what they do best when the host at the regatta drops dead immediately upon drinking champagne. Poison seems very likely the culprit and Ellie intends on finding out who could be responsible. 

Sworn to secrecy by Sir Percival Westlake of the royal police, Ellie is brought into the investigation of which was quickly determined to be murder. She was actively agrees to cooperate but she definitely has her own idea on how to proceed. 

What a fabulous read! This book is part of a delightful series and each story is nice and fresh, thoroughly entertaining with the perfect mix of drama and intrigue, with just the right dose of danger. Also, don’t miss the extremely informative Historical Notes at the end of the book. 

 Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.



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