Alyssa Maxwell continues her Lady and Lady's Maid mysteries with a Devious Death. Phoebe, her maid Eva, and her sister Julia are staying in a country house with cousin Regina who inherited the family fortune. Disinherited brother, wife and mother of Regina left penniless turn up with their lawyer. The lawyer is murdered. Who among all the suspects are the red herrings and who the murderer? Communist plots, misbehaving maids, and police stranded among the aristocracy interact to make a compelling cosy. Well worth curling up in a comfortable chair to read.

Another fabulous story in the series. Fast-paced. Really enjoyed this book.

I enjoy reading this series as it is set in the past and I get a view of living after WWI. I like seeing how Phoebe is able to do her investigations and still act the way she should as a lady of her standing. I like trying to decide what I think will happen and then see if it does.
I received a copy as a gift, the review is mine.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
Phoebe and Julia question why they have been invited to visit their cousin, Regina. From the beginning, nothing seems straightforward and when Regina’s mother, brother and sister in law arrive, the tensions go into high gear. Regina’s father has bestowed his fortune upon her leaving the other three impoverished. Needless to say, accusations fly. It is anything but a happy family. Regina’s strange friend and the family lawyer make up the group staying in Regina’s home.
When Regina is murdered in her bed, there is a long list of people who might have wanted to do her harm, including Julia’s lady’s maid who seems to have a “history” with the dead woman. The lawyer appears to have stumbled upon important information which he wants to share with Phoebe. He is murdered before he can do so.
Who is responsible for the murders and why? With a plot laced with avarice, deceit and a dose of ether, nothing becomes clear until Phoebe herself is put in mortal danger.
This is an entertaining series where the reader feels they have been transported back to post WWI England, a nation much changed from before the War. The characters are fascinating= those clutching the old ways and those who acknowledge the upheavals. I do enjoy historical novels that can make you feel as if you are truly there. This does it most effectively.
I give it five purrs and two paws up as a good read for a snowy winter’s day.

In this cozy mystery, Lady Phoebe and her lady's maid, Eva, work to solve a murder that directly impacts Phoebe and her family. Inheritance disputes have brought Phoebe's warring relations to descend on the home Phoebe and her sister are visiting, and the arguments soon lead to murder.

Lady Phoebe and Eva are compelling and strong characters, and their relationship is a delight, as are the romances they find themselves in. The supporting cast are unique and interesting, and as a reader I found myself genuinely caring about the solution to the crime and who it would impact.

I'm not a huge fan of the book cover (I think it makes the book look more amateurish than it is), and the story did start out a little slow for my tastes, but this was a fun cozy in a series I could see myself revisiting.

Phoebe Renshaw and her sister Julia are invited to their cousin Regina’s new home, High Hedge Lodge, for a summer visit. When they arrive, they are meet by Regina’s eccentric friend, Olive, and a limited staff of a cook and young female helper. It quickly becomes apparent that things are “off” with the plans for Regina’s home. On the second day of the visit, Regina’s mother and brother arrive, with the family lawyer and brother’s wife in tow, to make claim to the father’s inheritance that left everything to Regina.
Without the father’s inheritance, the brother and mother have had to let their London home (the only thing they received in the father’s will), so Regina allows her family to stay overnight at the persuasion of the family lawyer Ralph Cameron. Of course, the night ends with a scream and a body… Regina is found in her bed with her mother’s hat pin inserted at the base of the back of her neck.
Constable Miles Brannock arrives with his superior to investigate the murder and quickly enlists Lady Phoebe and her lady’s maid, Eva, to help learn more about the background and relationships of the guests of the house and the servants. The suspects quickly start increasing with a Russian couple turning up on the estate trying to evade the police and Lady Julia’s maid acting suspiciously.
A thoroughly enjoyable 1900s country estate type mystery. The story is well constructed, with a lot of twists and turns and the ultimate culprit is an unexpected surprise. I really believed the relationship between Lady Phoebe and her maid. Especially enjoyed the very sweet romance between Constable Brannock and Eva. Looking forward to the next installment.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher, Random House Publishing Group – Alibi, for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Third in the Lady's and Lady's Maids series, set in post-WWI England. Lady Julia and her sister Lady Phoebe are off with their maids to visit cousin Regina who has recently come into her father's money and bought a house. When they arrive, things are not typical for a large English home...no servants come out to greet them, only one of Regina's friends, Olive, who seems to have a lot of influence of Regina.

The girls are suspicious, and Phoebe considers leaving, but then Regina's estranged family shows up and Regina is found murdered. Phoebe and her maid Eva "assist the police with their inquiries" to help solve the murder.

The book is well-written and plotted. I enjoyed it very much and recommend it. Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A wonderful historical cozy - and don't worry if you haven't read the first two as this works just fine as a standalone (although you'll find yourself wanting to spend more time with Maxwell's characters.). Phoebe and Eva are one dynamic duo. A lady's maid is such an archaic convention for us but she was critical in 1919 Britain. That the lady and her maid team up to solve murders, well, that's just a terrific idea. This time around you'll learn a bit about inheritance, which is at the core of this mystery. Maxwell's tale reminds of how different it was before computers, phones, CSI, and so on. It's atmospheric, well plotted, and quite entertaining (there's even a chuckle or two.). Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This one will keep you guessing.

A well written and enjoyable read. I liked the characters and the overall plot of the novel. I highly recommend both this mystery and author.

Alyssa Maxwell is a careful observer of the changing mores that distinguished master/servant relationships between the wars. Those tensions are a major driver of the plot in “A Devious Death”. This book will be enjoyable for fans of Golden Age country house mysteries.

A Devious Death is the third book in the Lady And Lady’s Maid series.

I love to step back in time to before cell phone, computers, and the medical advancements we now have. The Lady and Lady’s Maid series is one my of very favorites for just that.

It’s August of 1919 and Lady Julia, her sister Lady Phoebe with their maids are on their way to visit Cousin Regina, who has recently inherited a large amount of money from her deceased father. Regina, who has purchased a manor house, wants Lady Julia to help her completely redecorate the interior. Also in residence, is Olive Asquith a friend of Regina’s. After conversing with Olive for a while, Lady Phoebe wonders whether her cousin embraces the socialistic sounding feelings of Olive.

As everyone is returning from a day of shopping, Regina’s family arrives in a major huff. It seems that with Regina inheriting all money, the only thing that went to her mother, brother, sister-in-law and the family lawyer was the family home and have come to convince Regina to part with family’s fair share of the money.

The next day a scream is heard and everyone exits their rooms to see Olive standing outside of Regina’s room. Inside the room is the lifeless body of Regina who just appears to be asleep. A brooch, belonging to Regina’s mother is found at the base of her skull.

Constable Miles Brannock is sent to investigate the death and asks Lady Phoebe and her Lady’s Maid Eva to be his eyes and ears as they are more likely to uncover some useful clues, as they have in the past for him. It’s going to be a tough investigation as the whole family certainly had it in for Regina. The lawyer, Ralph Cameron needs to come under scrutiny, too. To start the investigation, Phoebe tells Brannock that she had seen Olive coming out of Regina’s room in the middle of the night that she was killed. Also, that she was awakened by a loud argument between Regina’s brother and his wife. In addition, there is a Russian couple, who speak little English, claim to had been hired to clean at the house, but when Brannock says he is going to arrest, they take off running.

Once again, Ms. Maxwell provides the reader with a well-plotted and told story. The characters are all very interesting and believable. I do believe that Lady Julia character is more in line with how it was back in the period the book was set, but I also believe that interaction of Lady Phoebe and Eva also probably happened, just not the norm.

I can wait for the next exciting book in the series to see what adventures Lady Phoebe and Eva will be involved in. Also anxious to see if there might be a romantic interest for Eva developing.

I really liked this book - much more than the other two books in the series. With this one, I never guessed "whodunit" or expected the deaths of 2 of the characters! Such a shocker to me. And when we learn about the house and its usage is also a huge surprise; I wasn't expecting what happened to happen.
Overall, it was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to the author's next book in this series.

Thanks Kensington Books and netgalley for this ARC.

This mystery will blind side, shock, and keep you reading til all hours. Can't wait to read the next one.

3.75 stars

This historical cozy series, featuring an upstairs-downstairs amateur sleuthing team of a Lady and her maid, has much to recommend it. The characters are quite nicely drawn, and the plotting and pacing is well done. The whole notion of this fraternization between classes seems very unlikely, but it doesn't stop this from being a rollicking good read if you are willing to set the plausibility of it all aside.

Lady Phoebe, her sister Julia, and her lady's maid Eva are visiting their cousins after a death in the family when a gruesome murder occurs. Since the family branch they were visiting is in disarray after ramifications of an inheritance are revealed, there are lots of suspects. But before the first murder can be solved, there is yet another death. It isn't long before Lady Phoebe and Eva are both imperiled during their investigation.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

August, 1919 - Lady Phoebe and her sister Lady Julia Renshaw, together with Lady Phoebe’s confidant and lady maid, Eva Huntford, are off to visit their cousin Regina Brockhurst to help design her new purchase, High Head Lodge. Think of anything that could possibly go wrong and there you have the basis of this entertaining, quick read. Having read and enjoyed the second in this series, A Pinch of Poison I happily returned to the the adventures of Ms. Maxwell’s characters and look forward to the next in the series.

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for an advance copy.

Lady Julia and Lady Phoebe have been invited to visit their cousin Regina at her newly purchased estate. Of course each of them have taken their maids. Julia has a new maid, Myra. Phoebe has her long time maid, Eva.

When they arrive at the estate, they not only find Regina, but they also meet her new friend Olivia. Suddenly, Regina's mother, brother, sister-in-law and family attorney all arrive. They are there to convince Regina to share her new inheritance. She refuses and that leaves her family with little or no income on which to survive.

No matter how angry her family becomes nor how soothing the attorney may be, Regina sees no reason to share her newly found wealth.

Within a short period of time, there are two murders.

Lady Phoebe and Eva act as a team of investigators. Eva has a close friendship with Miles who is the local constable. He is a bright policeman who is able to solve mysteries. And he is not above using Phoebe and Eva and their skills of observation and deduction.

This story is set shortly after World War I. The English world is changing. Things will never be the same for the gentry. The working class has a new sense of self worth. Some women now have the vote, but there are still inequalities among the classes and the sexes. All in all, the changes are coming quickly and altering lives.

This is the third in a series but it works perfectly well as a stand alone read. Ms Maxwell introduces us to each character and situation in such a way that a new reader will never be lost.

Phoebe and Eva are a wonderful team. They are very human. They are intelligent, and quick to see people and situations clearly. They are wonderful problem solvers.

Each of the characters, whether primary or secondary, are completely developed. Within a few sentences, we get to know the personality of each person.

The mystery is well done. It keeps the reader guessing and that is what it is all about.

I enjoyed this book very much.

I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review and all opinions are completely my own.

This was the first book I had read in the series and I didn't feel like I needed to have read the previous books. Even knowing that Phoebe Renshaw and her maid Eva Huntford have solved two previous mysteries, it still felt like I was able to get to know the characters without a lot of info dumping.
This time Phoebe and her sister Julia have been invited to their cousin's. She's just bought a new house and wants Phoebe and Julia to visit. But it is a very odd sort of meeting. The cousin has now servants, just an odd friend, Olive. And they're both being very secretive about their plans for the building. To add to the oddity, Regina (the cousin's) family shows up. Her mother, brother, and sister-in-law, all of whom are upset that Regina's father left all the family money to her. It should not be a surprise to mystery readers that Regina ends up dead and there are no shortage of people who would like to see her dead.
Yes, it's a little over the top but still fun.

Three stars
This book comes out December 26
ARC kindly provided by NetGalley

1919 and Lasies Phoebe and Julie Renshaw are visiting their cousin Regina at her new home at High Head Lodge. When the rest of Regina's family arrive there can only be one outcome.
A delightful easy read, and well-written.It can certainly be read as a standalone novel. Tempted to read the first two in the series.