I so adored this book! It has brilliant main characters, an excellent plot and it kept me engrossed all the way through. I would highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this way more than I expected to in all honesty. I love a nice historical mystery - Was this doing anything that different? not reeeally. But it was actually very endearing.

I really liked Ottilia. She was confident without being unbelievable for the time period. Sure it was a bit far fetched that no one else put any clues together but I can overlook that because it actually works in the books favour by the end. The other characters like Fan and Sybilla also gave the story a lot of life.

I think the romance really stood out for me. There's this trope in historical mystery where you get this broody investigator being patronizing to the peppy heroine until she and her trust parasol turned weapon melt his cold dead heart. We've seen it. Its been done.

This book subverts that trope and it's honestly lovely. Right from the start, there's friendship, respect and communication. Fan immediately realises how clever Ottilia is and he needs her help. There's no macho pride. He likes how smart she is, he's grateful. And you can see why she falls for him - He's decent and funny and he listens to her.

They are a seriously refreshing, sweet couple in this genre.

Overall this book is fun and charming. The dialogue is great and the romance is adorable. Sure, some of it is predictable. But frankly I don't care! It's a nice escape and I would read the sequel!

First I would like to say that I am very grateful to Sapere Books and the author Elizabeth Bailey for permitting me to read an early edition of this book in exchange for my honest review. The idea of a Regency mystery novel truly piqued my interest but the execution is where this book falls short. Ottilia is an interesting protagonist, however, the manner in which she becomes the protagonist is quite strange. The dowager who seems to have a distaste for almost everyone immediately takes to Ottilia, which just doesn't seem authentic to me. I get that the dowager appreciates Ottilia's straightforwardness but at the same time, there is some level of decorum that is to be expected in Regency-era London. I feel this book would be better if it had a shorter rising action. It takes a while to accumulate any suspects. I was about 22% in and still, the only suspects discussed are a potential anonymous lover and the woman's husband.

Unfortunately, this book was too slow for my liking and did not manage to keep me interested. It is very rare that I put down a historical fiction novel without finishing it but this time I simply had to. Perhaps this book is less historical fiction and more mystery/thriller. This could explain why I wasn't a huge fan of it.

An excellent premise overall that shows promise if the author were to make the evidence discovery more action-filled. A lot of times I felt like the author was telling instead of showing, which is where she lost me. Bailey's knowledge of Regency-era writing style, however, is excellent and I recommend this book to fans of Georgette H.

I am so glad this is a series! I can't wait for the next installment! This is a great Regency murder mystery with some romance thrown in-all in one book. The plot is well-written with interesting, likeable characters. I really liked it!

Thanks to Sapere Books for this advanced copy.

How to rate this book? If you are looking for an easy and enjoyable quick read, then by all means go ahead. But if you're going into this with a critical, as I did, you may come out a tad disappointed.

In this novel - the first installment of the series - we follow Ottillia Draycott who has just become companion to the Dowager Lady Polbrook. That same night, Lady Polbrook's daughter-in-law is found strangled in her bed, with her husband missing. Mrs Draycott, with a Miss Marpleyan eye for observation, promises to be up to the task of finding out the truth about the horrific murder.

So far, so good. The story is enjoyable and the writer's grasp of period language shows through quite well. The mystery is well-executed and I have to say that I had a different murderer in mind than the actual murderer. So definitely a +1 for the author there. It's a compelling story with all the 'ingredients' that constitute a good murder mystery.

The host of characters: with their ridiculous names (Come on! Candia, Sybilla, Ottillia? Really?), I am surprised that they would even insist on addressing each other by their given names because anyone called Ottillia would probably curse her parents' lack of judgement all her life - but this insistence on being on first-name-term is also shockingly anachronistic. For lady's companion - practically a nobody in societal terms - to address a Dowager Marchioness in her 60s by her given name is something that made me a little nervous for the rest of the book, to be honest.

These rather 'Georgian Era's Top 10 Most Unique Baby Names'-characters fit the mould of most 18th/early 19th century romance novels' [i] dramatis personae [/i]. We have the licentious marchioness, the heroine who is conscientious, clever, witty and full of integrity (and who, therefore, you can't stand at all), we have his Lordship Rancour who needs to avenge his sister's murder, we have the witty Dowager, etc. etc. That is not to say that the characterisation is badly done because the characters are fleshed out alright. But the angle from which the author has created them is a bit... done..

What bugged me as well in this novel was the character's propensity to grin, laugh, or suppress their 'bubblings of mirth' or whichever turn of phrase the author used time and time again. Sometimes I wanted to shake the characters, especially Ottillia; she would for example be interviewing suspects and all the while wittily observe ~human nature~ and find herself in hysterics, whilst the interviewee was talking about their connection to the murdered lady. It feels as if the author has read too many bubbly regency novels and isn't used to write 'serious' subjects.

All in all I feel a little conflicted about this book. While it is enjoyable, had likeable characters and an enjoyable style to it, the book has too anachronistic a feel about it (the first names, the inter-class relationships) to be considered good.

Interesting story about a murder in high society. solved without the police in a most charming way. a nice love story happens too.

I enjoyed this novel. It was well written and interesting. The storyline and characters were both interesting. I highly recommend!

If Jane Austen and Agatha Christie collaborated on a book, The Gilded Shroud would be it. I can't wait to read the next one in the series!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

This book made me do a happy dance! I was caught within the first few pages. The characters are fleshed out well enough that you know them as people and not characters. And the vocabulary is delicious! I love to read a book that has me looking up words. 😍

Ottilia Draycott is widowed and has just become a lady’s companion to a Dowager Marchioness of Polbrook and literally the next day the present Marchioness is found strangled in bed and her husband has fled. A little bit of a stretch that in Regency England a lady’s companion would be allowed the access to solve a crime but in books you have to suspend belief a bit and just enjoy the story. Read like a regency romance with the mystery added. This is a blended mystery and romance as there is a blooming romance with Francis the younger brother of Lord Polbrook. This was a very enjoyable read and fans of both the regency period and mysteries will enjoy. This is the first of a series and I look forward to the next book.

A good murder mystery romance all in one package. The Gilded Shroud is a well-written book that handles solving a crime and falling in love adeptly.

Set in 1789, this was a well-written, entertaining murder mystery with a little romance thrown in. The beginning of a series, it features a curious and highly intelligent young widow who joins an aristocratic family to serve as a lady’s companion only to become the lead detective in a murder investigation. Perhaps a bit too long, but still a delightful surprise. Second one is out next month, and yes, I will look forward to reading it as well.
Thanks to #NetGalley and #Sapere for the ARC!

THE GUILDED SHROUD by Elizabeth Bailey is the first volume in the Lady Fan Mystery series, which mixes historical romance with a murder mystery to compelling effect. The protagonist in this sharp Regency romp is a brave and intelligent new companion to the Dowager. When a shocking murder occurs at Polbrook mansion, she turns her fine intellect and innate curiosity to the task of uncovering the murderer. Throw in romance and a desperate killer, plus strong characters and rich period details, and you have a winner! 5/5

Thanks to Sapere Books and NetGalley for the review copy. Opinions are fully mine.

#TheGildedShroud #NetGalley

A delight of a book. A well written historical murder mystery romance with a good plot and characters. A lovely change from the norm. I shall look out for work by this author in the future.

I enjoyed the plot of this book, as a good mystery is always fun! I did find the beginning a little jarring, as it was not a smooth transition into the story. The characterisation is only latent, as you do not feel the characters are unique people in their own right. I think the context is nice, as it makes for a Miss Marple style BBC read, which is likely to give it a big selling point to various audiences (Especially romance novel readers of the Regency genre). I found the writing style fell short as an imitation of the era, which read like a weird hybrid of modern speech and historical mimicry. It detracted from the authenticity, but not enough to stop me from reading it. All in all a fun book!

I was looking forward to reading this but I’m sorry to say I didn’t enjoy it. It started well but the characters lacked substance and the setting was cliched. The plot was very predictable and I ended up only skim reading the second half of the book. It seemed a little like the author having had a great idea just wasn’t sure how best to execute it, given this I would give her next book a try with the hope of improvement.
I was given an ARC by NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Otillia joins the household of the dowager marchioness on the very day that the latter's daughter-in-law is brutally murdered in her bed - and the dowager's son, who was not close to his wife, disappears at the same time. Feeling sorry for the dowager and her family, and being the sort to enjoy a good adventure, Otillia decides to investigate. A colourful cast of characters help and hinder her investigations, and when the murderer is finally uncovered, the only question remaining is how her heart will recover...

Fans of Georgette Heyer's mysteries, step up! This is in a similar style and equally well done, though this is set in more a Regency time period rather than Heyer's contemporary setting. The mystery feels more like a vehicle for character examination and budding romance, which I appreciate. I'm generally not much of a mystery fan, but I enjoyed this one so much that I have gone and pre-ordered the second book of the series. Overall, highly recommended.

Characters: An interesting mix, all nicely managed and drawn neatly.
Storyline: The murderer can be determined by clues given along the way, but is not obvious from page 1 as some can be. The romance that is woven into the background is good, not dominating the mystery but providing some light relief in the dialogue in particular.
Content and language: Clean overall, though there is some veiled discussion of the potentially amorous events surrounding the murder. Language is good overall, I don't recall any particular issues.

Note that I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review and this is my considered opinion of the book.

The Gilded Shroud by Elizabeth Bailey is the first book in A Lady Fan Mystery series.

This is the combination of romance and cozy mystery who will appeal to fans of J.Austin and A.Christie both.

Story is interesting enough and it flows nicely. Characters are presented even if little predictable, especiallly how loved, supported and equal the main characters is. However slight indiscrepancies did not ruin the book for me.

Pretty companion helps handsome lord to solve murder close to home. Even though she is hired help amazed by her observance and intuiting she gets promision to participate in solving the crime.

Heavy on the romance with inteligent and nicely paced mystery.
Light, fun and entertaining this is a great period read.

The cover of the gilded shroud promised me a book set in Victorian London, which is usually one of my favourite times for historical fiction to be set in. Also, the synopsis of the book sold it to me completely. A murder in the big house, a lady detective, a hapless hero – all seemed perfect!

However, sadly the book fell short of expectations by, if not considerable, definitely a healthy margin. While the book cover does complete justice to conveying the content of the book, the title left something to be desired. There was no gold-plated shroud in the story, realistically or metaphorically. Unless, the author would like the title to convey that a shroud of a rich person is still a shroud. in other words when one is dead it hardly matters whether you have a shroud of jewels or a tattered one.

The story begins with a murder, lots of screaming maids and inquisitive footmen and all around general mayhem. The lady of the house has been slain in her bed and the master of the house has vanished. The Lord’s younger brother is left behind to pick up the pieces and must also inform his belligerent dowager mother. So far, so good. However, at this point the story takes a slightly unlikely turn with the introduction of the dowager’s companion, Mrs. Dalcroft. She has only just joined the dowager’s household the night before and over the breakfast table, while she is still acquainting herself with her employer, she becomes privy to the news of the tragedy that has occurred in the house. And then proceeds to take over the investigation! And, wonder of wonders, is allowed to do so with the full co-operation of this fine aristocratic family – dowager, lord, butler, housekeeper and all.

From everything that we have read about the British upper classes, they were supposed to be a notoriously tight-lipped lot. It seems beyond the pale that they would allow a mere companion to dictate their actions at a time like this; that too when she is a completely unknown commodity at that point. For some reason it reminded me of how confidence tricksters are supposed to enchant people they have only just met.

The story then progresses with Ottilia taking on the investigation in order to prove the innocence of the missing master of the house. Her logical reasoning was spot on and it is hard to deny that she used her brain in a methodical and scientific manner. The romance in the book and all other character etchings are very well done. The various reactions of the household towards the tragedy that has taken place in their midst is shown with a lot of finesse. The most genuine reaction to the lady’s death though seems to come from her brother, who, though portrayed as a bumbling fool, actually seems to be the only one who cared deeply about his sister’s death.

So, having been thrown off kilter by the precipitous nature of Ottilia becoming a trusted confidant of the household, it was a pleasure to find that all was not lost as the story progressed. The love story was suitably Victorian with lots of blushes and heartfelt sighs and abrupt departures. Ottilia is one of those thoroughly sensible females though, for which one can only be thankful when one has read enough stories with simpering, belligerent heroines getting into all manner of idiotic scrapes and clinging to the hero for rescue.

The conclusion of the mystery was not very hard to figure as per norm, although the author did manage to confuse the reader a little here and there. The bow street magistrate was also shown to be as someone with integrity and determination when faced with the polite malevolence of the aristocratic society in which the crime has occurred and thus found favour with me. Even the missing Marquis was so true to type that one feels such disdain for the man and such pity for everyone else who is doing their best to rescue him from his follies.

It is a good book to pass the time when you are not in the mood to be too critical and do not mind the author’s tendency  to drag the story a bit around the middle of the narrative. In fact, with a little brushing up it would seem the Lady Fan series may be something to look forward to in the near future.

This was a nice series opener, set in Regency-era England, that brings together widow Ottilia Draycott and Lord Francis Fanshawe as they tried to determine who murdered Fan's unfaithful sister-in-law, hoping that the murderer is not Fan's brother, Lord Polbrook, who happens to be missing soon after the the commission of the murder.

Ottilia, having just accepted the position of Fan's mother's companion, immediately (and to be honestly, somewhat improbably) takes over the investigation. Her position allows her to question everyone in the household from servants to nobility, and she is not shy in her pursuit of the villain.

The writing is layered and, sometimes, slow-paced. Shaving 50 pages off the length might have helped. Nevertheless, there is chemistry between the principals and the mystery is logically unraveled. I will be looking for the second book.

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.