This was a fun 1920's cozy mystery. Jane and Redvers and fun characters. I didn't read book 1 yet, so I am off to get that one, but you can follow pretty well and the mystery can handle itself. I did guess the murderer halfway through but I enjoyed the lead up to the sleuths figuring it out.

Dollycas's Thoughts

Moving on from Egypt Jane and her Aunt Millie make a stop at Wedgefield Manor in the countryside of Essex, England so that Millie can have some quality time with her long-lost daughter, Lillian. Millie is also enjoying time with their host Lord Hughes. Meanwhile, Jane spends her time reading mystery novels and taking flying lessons. Millie would rather have her using her feminine wiles to land a man.

Not long after their arrival one of the estate's mechanics, Air Force veteran Simon Marshall, is killed when the car he is driving crashes into a tree. Mr. Redvers arrives to inform everyone of the man's death and reveals it was not an accident. Someone had cut the brake lines. Redvers offers to stay and assist in catching the murderer. Jane is happy about that and looks forward to working with him again. But their investigation isn't going to be easy. The manor is full of visitors and servants and even mysterious strangers and they are all suspects. Plus they are not even sure Simon was the intended victim. She and Redvers will have to work through all the secrets and clues to uncover the killer. While at it, maybe she can uncover what her true feelings are for Mr. Redvers as well.

______

Again Ms. Neubauer takes us back in time, to England in 1926 and the country estate of Lord Hughes, a very complicated man with more than a few secrets. Several characters including Lord Hughes from Murder at the Mena House return in Murder at Wedgefield Manor so we get to know them better and in different ways.

Jane Wunderly is a great protagonist. She is strong-willed, smart, independent and ready for almost anything. She has grown quite a bit since the first book in this series. Jane and Mr. Redvers make a very good team and I enjoyed the way their feelings for each other played a major part in this story. I like a little romance with my mystery and this one continued to develop over the course of this story in a very natural way, especially for a woman who has sworn off ever getting married again. Millie is still trying to play matchmaker for Jane so she is thrilled when Mr. Redvers arrives on the scene. Her daughter Lillian has devoted herself to bettering her golf game in hopes of playing in tournaments. Like Jane, all these characters are well-developed and their growth continued throughout the story.

There are a lot of new characters introduced too. They are all unique and I never felt overwhelmed getting to know them and how they fit into the realm of things at the manor. It was interesting and I was pleased to see that Lord Hughes hired so many veterans from the war. They were all dealing with emotional or physical disabilities, sometimes both. They were realistically portrayed but there is more than just the Lord's generous nature behind these hirings.

The murder mystery was very well-plotted and written. The police, Redvers, and Jane all were active in the investigation and I like the way they worked together. Clues were sorted through, secrets were revealed and some good honest legwork came together leading up to an exciting chase to catch the killer. I thoroughly enjoyed every part of solving this mystery.

I must also say the setting of Lord Hughes's estate was wonderfully described. From the manor house itself to the outbuildings and the countryside, the author took this reader on a wonderful virtual trip to a beautiful place at a fascinating time.

Murder at Wedgefield Manor was a stirring story filled with an entertaining cast of characters. The mystery was compelling and the setting ideal. I can't wait to see what is next for Jane as her journey continues.

A Jane Wunderly Mystery Book 2.

Jane is staying at Lord Hughes’ estate with her Aunt Millie while visiting England in 1926. Simon Marshall, the hired mechanic takes off in one of the cars, crashes, and ends up dying. The police discover the brake line has been cut. Who would do this wicked act and was Simon the intended target?

I really liked the complex characters and the plot. There was lots of action and a few suspects with motives. I felt like I was reading a classic mystery. There were some contemporary issues addressed and a lot of girl power going on, but overall I enjoyed reading this book. I haven’t read the first book yet, but this book is fine as a stand-alone. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

RATING: 2.5 STARS
2021; Kensington

Let me get this out of the way, I am not sure I like Jane or her aunt, Millie. Of course, I love when aunts are quirky and sweet, but also when they are grumpy but endearing. Millie is stuffy and a bit boring. Even her trying to set up Jane is meh. The mystery was interesting enough, but nothing that made me rush through to see what happened next. I did download book 3 from my eLibrary when I put the other two audiobooks on hold. It looks like Aunt Millie and even more boring Lillian might not be in the next one so I will try one more.

***I received a complimentary copy of this eBook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

When I read historicals, they are mostly set in the Victorian or Regency eras so the 1920s timeframe was different and very enjoyable for me. I also very much enjoyed the country house feel of this and absolutely loved the main character Jane!

I enjoyed this second book in the series. Although I did not find it as engaging as the first one, and it seemed to lack the same feel of intrigue (that could be due to the Egyptian setting of the first book, where this one is set in England), the mystery was well done and the outcome satisfying. Jane and Aunt Millie are back and are up to mischief. Or, in Aunt Millie's case, trying to spend time with her daughter and the man she loved. Murder At Wedgefield Manor has plenty of interest, fun characters, with just enough history and action to keep the story moving.

Jane is one of those characters that you are always excited to read about. She has gone through a nightmarish marriage and has recovered most of her self-worth, but she has flaws and fears just like any real-life person. She is outgoing, adventurous, and mostly happy with her newfound freedom, and the man she has come to realize is very important in her life. While spending time at a manor house in England with her aunt, life becomes exciting as Jane learns more about her strict, old-fashioned aunt’s past and how to fly. Other characters in this series are equally interesting and add to the action, especially Redvers.

A young man is killed, and Redvers shows up to help Jane save the day. There aren’t many suspects, mainly those staying at or working at the manor, but those that there are all have a reason to want young Simon out of the way, or so it seems. Evidence is abundant, but readers will need to have their sleuthing caps on to unravel every red herring. The setting of England and its countryside invokes ideas of lord and ladies, wealth, history, and grandeur which makes it difficult to think about murder. But the investigation shows there is more than one secret to uncover at this manor house. After a harrowing chase, Jane and Redvers catch the killer and are heroes once more.

Who wouldn’t enjoy spending time in England, living in a manor house, and not having to do anything other than enjoy yourself? Murder At Wedgefield Manor reflects the era and shows growth and maturity in the characters and the plot. This is a wonderful story filled with action, adventure, quirky characters, and a delightful mystery. I highly recommend this book and series if readers want a great adventure back in time.

Jane Wunderly and her aunt have settled in England on this stage of their travels. She and Aunt Millie are welcome to stay on the estate of Millie's former paramour (and father of their child, Lillian), while Millie gets to know Lillian a bit. Lord Hughes made pretty good money during WWI, and is able to hire veterans to help run his estate/golf course while his daughter Lillian practices for amateur golf championships. When one of the veterans dies at the wheel of Lord Hughes car under suspicious circumstances, the return of Inspector Redvers isn't far behind. Very much like a classic Christie novel, the estate is populated with family, servants and plenty of secrets. It was a great follow up to the first book.

Murder at Wedgefield Manor is the second book in A Jane Wunderly Mystery series. You do not need to read the first book but I feel that you should. Since I did not read the first book, I felt a bit lost through most of the story regarding the characters.

Erica Neubauer lands Jane Wunderley with her aunt in Wedgefield Manor in 1926. Jane is learning to fly and her Aunt Millie is reconnecting with the manor owner Lord Hughes. Simon one of the servants is murdered which brings Jane's old partner in solving murders Mr Redvers onto the scene. Clues go back to World War I and someone is trying to frame Lord Hughes. Lots of suspects to muddy the water. This is a classic cozy.

Murder at the Mena House was one of my favorite books of last year and this was a great follow up. Neubauer is smart, her characters never fit neatly into tropes, and her plots are engaging without feeling predictable. Loving this series and can't wait for the next one!

American Jane Wunderly arrives at an English estate owned by a Lord with her Aunt Millie. Jane wonders why her aunt dragged her along.. In unusual behavior aunt Millie is highly solicitous to the Lord and his daughter Lillian. When one of the veterans Lord Hughes employs is killed in a car accident, Jane wonders if Lord Hughes was the actual target. With a house full of suspects and the appearance of the enigmatic Mr. Redvers, Jane is on the hunt to find the killer. I loved this book so much I went back and read Murder at Mena House.

Wedgefield Manor is an aristocratic estate located in the “tranquil” Essex countryside. The year is 1926, a period that dovetails with Downton Abbey, the popular television show and movie sensation. Aristocrats are tightening their belts and making do with skeleton staffs since their former servants have more career choices after the war. A possible exception—in the aftermath of the Great War, England is flooded with veterans, many of whom have difficulty reintegrating into society because of visible and invisible wounds.

American widow Jane Wunderly and her abrasive, match-making Aunt Millie are guests of Lord Hughes and his daughter Lillian at Wedgefield Manor. A little background: Millie and Edward (Lord Hughes) are Lillian’s natural parents. A little irregular perhaps, but Lord Hughes is now a widower (he and his late wife “adopted” Lillian) and the ladies are glad of a respite in the English countryside before they return home to the United States. A respite in Jane’s parlance is active, not passive. Not content with merely reading mystery novels, Jane takes flying lessons (even though Aunt Millie disapproves) from Group Captain Christopher Hammond. Aunt Millie is very strong-minded but then so is Jane. Jane is determined to remain single because her first marriage was a nightmare: her late husband Grant abused her mentally and physically. However, in Egypt, she met a handsome English banker, Mr. Redvers. In Murder at the Mena House, the first Jane Wunderly mystery, Redvers helped Jane solve a murder and coincidentally upended her life.

Both upstairs and downstairs are affected when “one of the estate’s mechanics, Air Force veteran Simon Marshall, is killed in a motorcar collision.” Lord Hughes, for reasons that no one quite understands, has invited veterans not only to work for him at Wedgefield Manor but also join him at the dinner table and in the drawing room. Simon developed feelings for Lillian, Lord Hughes’s daughter. All of this comes to the fore when the local police start an investigation based on the unfortunate reality that someone sliced the brake cables of the car Simon was driving when he died in a single-car accident. Was Simon the intended victim? What about Lord Hughes? The car was his after all. Murder at Wedgefield Manor is a closed manor mystery. Readers are given a plethora of suspects, clues, and possibilities. Fortunately, the enigmatic Mr. Redvers arrives unexpectedly, happy to help Jane sort out a murderous situation once again.

Jane falls back on excellent advice for determining what causes a crime: “Follow the money,” closely related to cui bono; defined by “who stands, or stood, to gain from a crime.” There are more than a few possibilities. Lord Hughes’s heir Alistair, the son of his estranged brother, seems to believe that Lillian is his chosen bride although the young lady is single-mindedly focused on pursuing a career in amateur golf. Lillian’s dearest friend, Marie, who makes her home at the Manor, also harbors romantic feelings for Lillian. There is evidence (breadcrumbs and mice in an outlying building) that an intruder is skulking and spying. Lord Hughes and Jane are both taking flying lessons from Group Captain Hammond, another one of Hughes’s veterans who lives en famille at the Manor. Hammond’s war record is puzzling empty which concerns Jane and Redvers.

Jane’s investigations are getting too close to the truth as is made clear one morning when she shows up for her flying lesson.

We reached the barn and Chris pushed back the large sliding door, a raspy creak greeting his effort, and we moved toward the little yellow plane, dust motes floating before us in the dim light. Almost immediately, we noticed a large wet patch on the ground beneath the engine compartment.



“Oh, no.” I did not have a good feeling about this. The weather had been dry overnight, and it was unlikely the liquid came from anywhere but the plane.

She’s right: they both smell gasoline and Hammond finds out the fuel line has been cut. Why would someone disable Chris Hammond’s precious little biplane?

Jane is at loose ends without her morning flying lessons, so she takes a walk around the estate. During her stroll, she spots something shiny in the stream. She marks the spot with a rock and goes back to the Manor for boots. Martha, the talented cook, who always kindly provides Jane with that American necessity, a morning cup of coffee, points her towards a pair of oversized olive green Wellies. Things don’t go exactly as planned.

I was about to step into the water when I heard the fast crunch of leaves behind me, and before I could turn in the sloppy boots, I felt two hands on my back, giving me a firm shove.



The water was freezing cold, and I felt rocks cutting into my legs where I landed on them. The stream wasn’t deep, but there was enough water that I was nearly completely submerged.

Jane Wunderly not only rescues herself, but she also keeps her eye on the prize. Before extracting herself from the water, she fumbles around until she retrieves the shiny object that caught her interest. It turns out to be a fork. She thinks to herself, “all this for a ridiculous piece of silverware.” But of course, she has unsettled someone enough for them to deliberately push her into a frigid stream.

What’s next in the cards for Jane and Redvers, her resourceful beau, after they uncover the murderer? Will Jane ever wend her way back to America? We can ponder the possibilities while enjoying a cocktail, an homage to the omnipresent bar carts at Wedgefield Manor, just one of its charms. Aunt Millie’s favorite tipple is a whiskey highball, although when things are at their most dire, she falls back on straight whiskey. Bring on the next Jane Wunderly mystery please—her American intrepidness and ingenuity are a breath of fresh air.

Spunky Jane Wunderly is reunited with the mysterious Mr. Redvers for this 2nd installment in Neubauer’s mystery series. This time around the pair are investigating the death of WWI veteran Simon Marshall. What at first seems to be a tragic car accident soon becomes a murder investigation. Evoking the classic English country house murder mysteries of Agatha Christie; Jane, along with Aunt Millie, Aunt Millie’s daughter Lillian, and Lillian’s friend Marie are all staying at Lord Hugh’s country estate. Soon joined by Redvers the mystery unfolds, but not before someone else is killed and others are threatened.

Likeable characters and an intriguing mystery lend to the enjoyment of this cozy 1920s historical mystery novel. Throw in a slow-burning romance, an offbeat chase scene, and a satisfying ending and this is a delightful addition to this new series. I can’t wait for the next one!

Erica Ruth Neubauer has written a marvellous second instalment in her Jane Wunderly Mystery series. American WW1 widow Jane and her Aunt Millie are staying at Wedgefield Manor in the picturesque English Essex countryside so that Millie can spend some time with Lord Hughes and his daughter, Lillian. Jane, who is currently enjoying taking flying lessons also spends some of her leisure time reading mystery novels. Lord Hughes makes a concerted effort to hire wounded veterans and after dinner and during drinks one evening, one of them, Flight Lieutenant Simon Marshall shows an interest in Lillian. When a disagreement ensues Simon loses his temper but calms down a little before abruptly leaving the room. The noise of a car engine, the beam of headlights and the spitting of gravel alerts the group in the drawing-room that one of Lord Hughes' cars is being driven at high speed away from the house and the driver is Simon Marshall. The next morning whilst Jane is eating her eggs, bacon and toast, Mr Redvers turns up with bad news; there's been a fatal car accident...

This instalment has everything required for a perfect country manor estate mystery. The characters are well created and layered, and the English countryside setting is beautifully described. The protagonist Jane, a war widow, is full of fun, intelligent and very engaging. I enjoyed the mystery aspect which was a puzzle, the family secrets and the understated humour. I'm planning on reading the first book that I've missed, Murder at the Mena House and I'm very much looking forward to solving more mysteries with Jane as well as satisfying my curiosity as to where she'll wind up next. I have no hesitation in recommending Murder at Wedgefield Manor and if you favour historical cozy mysteries, you should definitely give this series a try.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

This is a solid historical cozy. I realized a couple chapters in that I'd missed the first book, which made it a little disconcerting. There wasn't a ton of introduction to some of the characters, but I was able to follow along eventually without a huge problem. I kinda guessed the killer, but it isn't as big of a deal to me in a cozy. I really enjoyed the setting and found the characters engaging.

I have read and reviewed the previous book of the series. I liked the characters, and when I got a chance to visit with them again, I took it. The first case was in Egypt, where our leading lady Jane and her aunt met up with two girls as well as a few other people, one of whom plays a large role here. Jane is currently staying at the house of a Baron whose relationship with her aunt goes way back. During this time, she is picking up a hobby or two. Her relationship with her aunt continues to be tenuous at best, and when another dead body turns up, she is once again given free (grudging) reign to identify the culprit and unravel the events.
The plot of the murder and the resulting chaos was a little predictable. I could see where the story was going, and I was proved right. The romance and the budding relationships, as well as some of the quips, were quite entertaining. Overall a decent follow up to the first book, but I hoped for something more. The writing continues to be smooth and easy to follow.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ᴘᴜʙ ᴅᴀʏ!

I have been neeeeeeding this. A murder mystery, but not too dark. A fun mystery, if you will. This gave me real Midsomer Murders vibes, with a hint of Miss Marple, and a dash of Downton Abbey. 😁

Quick read, easy to follow story, and perfect amount of characters/suspects. (I hate when there was TOO many people to keep track of.) Great cozy read. 🥃

This is book 2 in the series but I don’t think you have to read the first to follow along with this one.

Thank you @netgalley @ericaruthneubauer_author for the arc!

If you enjoy Golden Age mysteries with plucky heroines, you're in luck with this novel. It includes a country house, complex family and professional relationships among well-developed characters, and post-war social and political issues.

The story is well-constructed, with fair clues, but I was surprised by the twists and turns in the plot.

Though the book brings up concerns that don't usually show up so overtly in classic mysteries, there are no jarring anachronisms and the dialogue is convincing. I look forward to reading more of the series.

Jane Wunderly is a thoroughly modern young American WWI widow & is travelling abroad with her Aunt Millie, enjoying the hospitality of an English lord at Wedgefield Manor in Essex, until murder makes an unwelcome . While Millie spends time with her long-lost daughter, Lillian, and their host, Lord Hughes, Jane fills the hours devouring mystery novels and taking flying lessons—much to Millie’s disapproval. But any danger in the air is eclipsed by tragedy on the ground when one of the estate’s mechanics, Air Force veteran Simon Marshall, is killed in a motorcar collision.
The sliced brake cables prove this was no accident. The house is full of suspects—visiting relations, secretive servants, strangers prowling the grounds at night—and also full of targets. The enigmatic Mr. Redvers, who helped Jane solve a murder in Egypt, arrives on the scene to once more offer his assistance.
This is the second book in the series & is a very well written enjoyable read. The characters are well portrayed with lots of depth. The pace is good & I just devoured it. There are twists, turns & red herrings aplenty. I loved the slowly developing relationship between Jane & Redvers & look forward to this slow burn relationship continuing in further books. A delightful read which I thoroughly enjoyed
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read