I started reading this book and found that it was not for me. I didn't think it was right to review a book that I didn't finish.

A nice historical cozy mystery that I liked better than the previous one.
It's engrossing and entertaining and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
I liked the vivid description of the setting and well researched historical background, the well thought characters and the plot.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This is Book 3 in the Nell Drury mystery series. It can be read as a standalone. It is 1926 in Kent, which is still adjusting to post-war life. The book opens with Chef Nell Drury preparing for Lady Ansley’s luncheon to welcome their new neighbors, Sir Gilbert and Lady Lisette Saddler. As they attempt to entertain the eccentric pair, they learn Sir Gilbert is organizing a Summer African Art Festival at his home, Spitalfrith Manor. The festival would feature the “Artistes de Cler.” The festival is the talk of the town and everyone is invited. When a murder occurs at the festival, Lord Ansley’s valet is arrested. Can Nell clear his name?

This is a nice historical cozy mystery. The characters are well developed. I loved the author’s description of Lady Saddler “…She smiled, but it wasn’t the kind of smile that warmed the cockles of one’s heart. It was more the smile of a crocodile….” The members of the “Artistes de Cler” are an interesting group of characters as well. The story is told from several points of view, but it works well and is not confusing. In fact, it gives us more knowledge of some of the characters. The author also provides a helpful cast of characters list at the beginning of the book. I was hoping to read more about food since Nell is a chef, but the story centered more along the lines of art and investigation with just passing references to food. The mystery is well done, with plenty of red herrings thrown in. Recommended for fans of historical mysteries.

I received a free copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley for Historical Novels Review magazine. My opinions are my own.

"A summer festival ends in disaster for chef sleuth Nell Drury in this gripping historical mystery full of dark secrets, disturbing discoveries and page-turning twists.

1926, Kent. Chef Nell Drury is busy with preparations for Lady Ansley's luncheon to welcome Wychbourne Court's new neighbours, Sir Gilbert and Lady Saddler. The couple's arrival has led to much rumour and intrigue swirling around the village, particularly with regards to the mysterious Lady Saddler. Sir Gilbert belongs to a new artistic movement, the Artistes de Cler, and is organizing a summer festival in the grounds of Spitalfrith Manor, where the Clerries will gather to reveal their Africa-inspired paintings. The whole village is invited and buzzing with excitement. But at the festival itself, Nell witnesses some strange and disturbing events, and when a terrible discovery is made the following day, she is horrified to learn that Lord Ansley's valet has been arrested. Can Nell clear his name while also confronting a face from the past?"

Just the right type of 20s Midsomer Murders vibe I'm looking for!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Severn House for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “Death and the Singing Birds.” All opinions are my own.

Nell Drury, our heroine has been chef at Wychbourne Court for two years. Lord and Lady Ansley are the owners, and live there with their family. It’s 1926 and so we’re removed from World War I, but only just. The new owners of a nearby manor house (Spitalfrith Manor – that name!) have come to lunch. Lord and Lady Saddler. These folks are, to use a nice word, eccentric, especially the French wife. Lord Saddler is an artist, and he has brought his artist friends together to discuss a proposed art festival that will make their reputations. However, the festival that’s supposed to take place is not well beloved by all; namely, Lady Saddler. You can tell immediately that our Frenchwoman is going to cause a lot of grief, and it isn’t going to end well.

There are plenty of memories from the war left over, especially for the men; one such is Mr. Briggs, Lord Ansley’s valet, who has what we would call PTSD today. He lives in a world of his own, barely functioning. In the course of time Nell finds the garden of singing birds, the automata – carved wooden birds -- that Mr. Briggs and his friend Freddie have created in the Spitalfrith gardens. It is a haven of peace for them. Unfortunately, someone destroys the garden, and everyone suspects it was “the snake,” as Lord Saddler’s stepdaughter calls the new French wife. Well, pretty soon Lady Saddler is no more, and poor Mr. Briggs is quickly accused of the crime. He confesses, even. Nell doesn’t believe it, of course, and sets out to find the real murderer. It helps that “her” Chief Inspector is there, as the investigator. Their love affair is rocky, as she’s at the estate and he’s in London. This is one of the ongoing issues in the series, and if you’ll been following along with these two individuals, the author is a deft hand with keeping the two together and apart.

Many a post WWI story has to do with events that take place during the war, and this is no exception. Loss and betrayal and revenge figure large. Slowly, the bits and pieces are tied together, and the truth emerges.

There’s a large cast of characters here (the author includes a list, which is always nice). Ms. Myers knows how to individualize each person, especially those artists. Motive looms large for each. And the denizens of Wychbourne Court get their day also, ones that have figured in this book and the two that have come before. “Death and the Singing Birds” will entertain you while serving as a reminder of the evil things that people do during wartime.

1926, Kent. Chef Nell Drury is busy with preparations for Lady Ansley’s luncheon to welcome Wychbourne Court’s new neighbours, Sir Gilbert and Lady Saddler. The couple’s arrival has led to much rumour and intrigue swirling around the village, particularly with regards to the mysterious Lady Saddler. Sir Gilbert belongs to a new artistic movement, the Artistes de Cler, and is organising a summer festival in the grounds of Spitalfrith Manor, where the Clerries will gather to reveal their Africa-inspired paintings. The whole village is invited and buzzing with excitement. But at the festival itself, Nell witnesses some strange and disturbing events, and when a terrible discovery is made the following day, she is horrified to learn that Lord Ansley’s valet Mr Briggs has been arrested.
This is the third book in the series, I haven’t read the first two books, which I need to rectify. I thoroughly enjoyed this cosy mystery. A well written book that is very evocative of the period, the characters are well fleshed, there are lots of them & I liked the list of characters. An engrossing story that has plenty of twists and turns as well as betrayal & revenge. I loved Nell & her determination to solve the murder
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Fans of the historical cozy might enjoy this latest in a series featuring Nell, a chef (who never seems to cook). In this outing, it's 1926 in Kent and Nell's fond of her employer Lord Ansley's valet Mr. Briggs, who suffers from shell shock. She's appalled, therefore, when he becomes the prime suspect in the murder of Lady Sadler, a neighbor of the Ansleys and a woman with, as cozy readers know, a way of annoying people. Her romantic interest, DCI Alexander Melbray, is called in to solve the crime and of course, he's not happy that she's determined to find the villain first. There are some nice atmospherics but golly this has a large cast of characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast read and one where I didn't guess the answer.

I've been reading books by Any Myers for more than thirty years. It is always a pleasure to find a new one. She writes cozy crime stories with a delightfully light touch.
Nell Drury is the chef at Wychbourne Court. She is also an amateur sleuth. When Sir Gilbert Saddler acquires nearby Spitalforth Manor there is gossip upstairs and downstairs. With the arrival of the exotic Artistes de Cler comes murder most foul.
Set in 1926 this novel takes the reader back to a golden age and is written with style and confidence.

Chef Nell Drury in 1926 Kent has to solve a murder in a neighboring household; Lady Saddler is found dead and
Lord Ansley's valet is suspected. Nell knows he is shell shocked from the Great War and unlikely to be the murderer. She gets the local police to call in Scotland Yard; she knows the policeman who will come will follow all the suspects.. The shadow of lady Saddler, a former French citizen who spied for the Germans lies over many suspects. An intriguing complex tale well worth reading.

1926 Strange happenings occur when Sir Gilbert Saddled, painter, holds the first Festival de Chef at his new home of Spitalfrith Manor. When Charlie Briggs, valet, is arrested, Nell Drury, chef, at Wychbourne Court investigates. But soon DCI Alexander Melbray of Scotland Yard is called in.
An enjoyable cozy historical mystery though I really didn't take to the character of Nell
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new mystery series for me even though there are two previous books in the series. I was very impressed with the way author Amy Myers realistically placed her story in 1926 England, eight years since the war has ended so people are trying to become accustomed to moving forward with their lives while still dealing with the consequences of what happened in their world during the fighting. Nell Drury, the chef at Wychbourne Court - not a cook, seems to have a habit of getting involved in criminal investigations which have led to an unofficial understanding with a Scotland Yard inspector. This relationship was surely difficult to maintain with him in London or investigating crimes all over England and Nell firmly entrenched in rural Kent. Excitement is in the air when the neighborhood discovers the new owner of Spitalfrith Manor is Sir Gilbert Saddler who painted the portrait of Lady Enid of Wychbourne Court when she was the reigning marchioness. Naturally, with impeccable credentials like those Sir Gilbert, his wife and their artist friends will be instantly welcomed into the neighborhood. Especially when the village finds they are all invited to an art festival on the grounds of Spitalfrith Manor.

I very much enjoyed watching the author build these characters, their histories and the location into a puzzle involving the consequences of things that happened during the war years. While it wasn't very difficult to spot who the victim would be, the same certainly couldn't be said for the perpetrator. Unfortunately there is a very obvious slowdown in the final 25% of the book. I kept thinking it seemed as if an incident of some kind or another crime should have been introduced to help move this portion of the book along. I was impressed enough with the writing of Ms. Myers that I have already bought another of her books and will be watching for the fourth adventure of Nell Drury. Maybe Nell will actually spend some time in the kitchen in that one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House Publishing for an e-galley of this novel.

Nell Drury cook to Lady Ansley at Wychbourne is an amateur detective. When death calls at their new neighbours the Saddler’s Nell will follow the clues. Will the artistic movement staying at the time of the murder be involved or will the War and its devastating reach be involved. Nell goes on a very twisted journey which sometimes slows the pace of the story. This is very much a story of its time period and fits well inside a cozy mystery genre.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Local Festival Brings Bizarre Events....
The third Nell Drury mystery, 1920’s Kent set. New neighbours at Wynchbourne Court and rumours abound and a local festival brings bizarre events. Enjoyable cosy mystery with a likeable protagonist in Nell and a colourful cast of supporting characters. An entertaining and comfortable read and a worthy addition to the series.

Chef Nell Drury – this is the third in the series of mysteries – is preparing lunch to welcome her employers’ new neighbours to the locality. Sir Gilbert and Lady Saddler have ties to a new artistic movement, the Artistes de Cler (nicknamed Clerries) and the whole village is invited to view their new paintings. But there’s also a buzz around Lady Saddler, who isn’t as liked as she’d like to hope. Nell attends the festival but is shocked and a little disturbed at what she sees – and when something unplanned occurs the following day, she suddenly has to clear a fellow colleague’s name. And quickly. This is the first of the series that I’ve read and I enjoyed it; it’s beautifully set and so vividly recounted.

A cozy mystery set in the 1920's with Nell Drury as the chef in a historic old mansion. I found Nell a little annoying, especially at first. The dialog is a little stiff, the humor, forced.
New neighbors to Wychbourne Court are not quite fitting in. Sir Gilbert and his wife Lady Saddler host an artistic event. A murder, a friend of Nell's who suffers from shell shock is arrested. The Wychbourne Court crowd, both upstairs and downstairs, are sure that Mr. Bailey is innocent.

Cozy mysteries are hit or miss with me. This one was a miss.

Read in Sept.; blog review scheduled for Dec. 27.

NetGalley/Severn House

Cozy Mystery. Jan. 5, 2021. Print length: 224 pages.

There's real potential in the latest instalment of this new series from Amy Myers, set in post World War One Kent. Not quite a Downton Abbey, but Nell the Chef, and amateur detective, works below stairs with her colleagues. Here she investigates the murder of a French First War heroine, recently married to an eminent British artist. But why is she already so unpopular which her fellow artists, and why does she make herself disliked by Nell's employers and landed gentry neighbours? Oh, and added to the mix in Nell's pudding basin, is her on-off and unrequited love for her handsome Scotland Yard detective! Good fun, and the regular characters are gradually evolving and becoming more fleshed out as the series develops.