I've enjoyed all of the Lady Eleanor books I've read, but this one hits it out of the ballpark! I highly recommend.

Lady Eleanor is turning 30 and to celebrate she and her staff (which are like family to her) are having a holiday in Brighton. Lady Eleanor and her butler, Mr. Clifford, are staying at the Grand Hotel while the rest of the staff are lodging nearby. When they arrive at the Grand Hotel, everything is topsy turvy and they discover there's been a murder. As the police are removing the body, the sheet slips and Lady Eleanor recognizes the dead man and faints, but not before saying "Hilary, it can't be you" The police are immediately suspicious of her as she recognized the body as her presumed dead husband and he had registered under an alias.

What follows is wonderful sleuthing by Lady Eleanor and her partners in crime. Since the hotel was locked and no one entered or left, the murderer must have been someone staying at the hotel. And as we sleuth along with Lady Eleanor, we meet many who may have had a motive.

The murder is well done (I did not guess but it was tied up especially well). Good balance of fun with Eleanor's house staff enjoying Brighton and wonderful descriptions of Brighton and the sea. A touch of romance as well as Lady E is over her infatuation with the very immature Lancelot and has moved on. And a touch of emotion as Eleanor works through her feelings for Hilary and his disappearance and what she then discovered about him.

OMG! What an incredible read! Where to start? This book smacks a bit of an Agatha Christie (of whom I'm a huge fan) novel, with a slew of suspects that need to be whittled down and the correct conclusion deduced. The author (or should I say, authors, as it's a husband-and-wife writing duo) did a great job of also making me feel like I was by the sea. I love imagining the sound of gulls and the crashing of waves. I also love thinking about the smell of the salty air...

But what can I say? I have a weak spot for historical British cozy mysteries and for mysteries that take place next to water, so when I saw this book up on offering on NetGalley, I knew I wouldn't be able to wait to get started. And, boy, it did not disappoint! I read this entire book in a few sittings--and that says A LOT for me. When I devour a book that quickly it only means one thing: I was so enraptured that I couldn't put it down!

Eleanor Swift is turning thirty, and she's certainly an interesting and addictive character. She's eccentric (she talks to herself in third person), and she's a definite foodie! I don't know how she doesn't put on weight eating the way she does. LOL

She has close relationships with her staff, especially her dear butler, Mr. Clifford. Their relationship is so incredibly special that you can feel the warmth coming off the pages. With that said, it was like they were real people, not just cardboard cariactures passing across the page.

This was my first Verity Bright novel, and without real need to say it, my first Eleanor Swift mystery. This story stands on its own, but you might become so addicted to the characters that if you're starting here, you'll find yourself going back to the beginning and picking up books 1-4! I just very well may do that myself.

I received an advanced reading copy of this book for honest review. Thank you to the author, Bookouture, and NetGalley.

Review will go live on my Celebrating Authors blog on March 11th.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "Mystery By The Sea" in exchange for my honest review.

This was our 5th time joining Lady Eleanor Swift on one of her adventures. This time she and her staff have gone to Brighton on a weeks holiday. Ellie has never been one to follow protocols so her butler Clifford, maid Polly, cook Mrs. Trotman (Trotters) and housekeeper Mrs. Butters have traveled with her. Of course no Lady Swift adventure would be complete without my favourite character Master Gladstone the elderly, willful, sausage attacking bulldog. Not only are they having a holiday but they will be celebrating Lady Eleanor's 30th birthday.

Of course, no Lady Swift adventure would be complete without a murder. The ladies stay with a friend who has a boarding house, while Lady Swift and Clifford check into the Grand Hotel. As they arrive a body is being taken out on a stretcher. As Ellie appears to know the victim DI Grimsdale takes an immediate distrust of her. Apparently Ellie was married to the victim when she was living in South Africa. The Inspector doesn't believe that she has not heard from him in 6 years. why would she have ...... since Ellie believed him to have been killed by a firing squad.

Guests at the Grand quickly become suspects. Since it is off season there are not many people staying at the hotel. Rex Franklin was the head of the firing squad. Noel Longley, a tall man who denies knowing Hilary. Bert Blunt, a short man with a limp, who also denies knowing Hilary. Longley and Blunt claim to be cousins. Grace Summers is very interested in Ellie and while she denies knowing Hilary, she knows way too many details about Ellie. Willem de Meyer booked in after Hilary did, but so had all the others.

One of the highlights of the book is the arrival of DCI Seldon. As hinted in previous books, there might be romance in the air between Ellie and "please call me Hugh". They go dancing together and he buys her a lovely birthday present.

As Clifford and Ellie follow the clues they find that one of their "suspects" has become a victim. They try to put together the clues that Hilary left before another murder or even worse the murderer gets away with what he/she did. This adventure left me guessing until the very end when all the threads are woven together.

I'm eagerly awaiting Book #6 to see what our group of friends will be doing next and especially to see where the romance between Hugh and Ellie might lead.

When you have spent the last year solving murders in your small Cotswold village the chance of a holiday by the sea is a welcome escape from the norm. So, in the early spring of 1921, Lady Eleanor Swift, her butler, Clifford, and the staff, who have quickly become her family, all head off to Brighton.

With her ladies safely ensconced in their boarding house Eleanor and Clifford book in at the prestigious Grand Hotel, only to see the police leaving a suite with a sheet covered stretcher! On closer inspection, and to her horror, Eleanor discovers it contains the body of her late husband who, she believed, had died six years earlier!

Once again Eleanor finds herself at the centre of a murder mystery with nothing and no one being exactly as first appears. She is determined to ensure everyone still enjoys their holiday but knows finding out where her husband has been all this time and who finally killed him is equally important. This time though Eleanor and Clifford might have met their match coming up against someone who has no intention of leaving any witnesses to their crimes.

Mystery by the Sea is the fifth book in Verity Bright's Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series and is a very entertaining read. The very nature of the crime, those involved, and the unfamiliar location however, means that Eleanor and Clifford are one step removed from their usual investigative routines and allies. This seems to have necessitated the huge amount of historical information and the scenes of Eleanor and her staff at play, not all of which is strictly necessary and is, in some cases, quite distracting.

This is still a good book, the historical information is interesting, and the denouement both surprising and satisfying. The sense of contentment Eleanor now has is beautifully written and adds a definite feel good factor to this story which I definitely enjoyed.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I recommend this book which works both as a standalone and as the latest installment in a great series.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Mystery By The Sea' by Verity Bright.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 11th March 2021.

This is the second book I have read by this author and the fifth book in the 'A Lady Eleanor Smith' series but can be read as a standalone. The other book I read by Verity is called 'A Witness to Murder' which is the third book in the series which I also highly recommend it.

I was originally drawn to this book by its beautiful eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I also loved Verity Bright's 'A Witness To Murder' so am hoping it is as good and am looking forward to meeting some of the characters again. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 45 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Brighton, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.

This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Lady Eleanor Smith. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out on anything.

Another successful unputdownable cosy mystery by the very talented Verity Bright. I'm always a bit dubious with books based historically as I worry about not being able to 'deal' with the language used but I absolutely love how Verity has written her books. The language used is perfectly suited to the era whilst being easy to read and making it quite humorous on several occasions. The atmosphere and descriptions were perfect and I found myself looking up places to stay in Brighton as it made me feel I was already there mentally and desperately wanted to go physically. It was like I could hear the waves crashing and seagulls cawing.

The storyline had me hooked immediately and I love the way that Eleanor and Clifford go about their detective work. There was so much going on that it kept me entertained thoroughly throughout with mystery after mystery and clue after clue. It was filled with suspense, mystery and suspense and is absolutely perfect to read either curled in front of the fire or lying on a beach which not many books can achieve. I never did work out who the killer was and was completely shocked when they were discovered. A great achievement as I am a huge crime fan and tend to work out who did what quite early on.

The characters were all larger than life, realistic and a complete breathe of fresh air. Eleanor is an amazing character, very bubbly and certainly not your typical 'Lady' she is absolutely unique as well as a very strong female lead which is a great bonus for myself being female. Clifford is absolutely fantastic and I really enjoy how he makes me laugh with his diplomatic skills. I loved meeting them again along with Butters, Trotters and Polly who are all larger than life with their own exceptional personalities. I cannot wait to meet them all again and see what they get up to in the next "episode".

I thoroughly enjoyed the historical notes and it is easy to see that lots of research has been done on the setting of the book which is great to see.

A huge congratulations on another fantastic success Verity!!! Here's to looking forward to your next book 🥂

Overall a fun and easy to read cozy murder mystery with just the tight amount of humour that will keep you turning the pages.

Genres covered in this novel include Cozy Mystery, Murder and Crime amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Agatha Christie and anyone looking for a very easy and enjoyable read.

276 pages.

This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

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I thoroughly enjoyed the previous Lady Eleanor Swift book, so was excited to read Mystery By The Sea. Unfortunately I didn't feel this was as strong a book, and I found myself becoming frustrated several times by historical inaccuracies (an English seaside resort in the 1920s would absolutely not serve pancakes for breakfast, for example) and clumsy modern inserts., which have characters musing more than once about whether in future there will be more equality between the sexes. While not at all averse to modern sensibilities in period crime (the Murder Most Unladylike series for teen readers is a superb example of how to promote messages about female empowerment, sexuality and diversity that is also period-appropriate), these were heavy handed and badly written. That being said, it was an undemanding and enjoyable read and would be ideal for anyone looking for some escapism.

This is a very light and simple cozy historical mystery that I really enjoyed. Not having read the other books in this series, I had no problem catching on to the different characters and their backstories. It’s extremely well written and fun to read with just the right amount of mystery involved to make it interesting. Highly recommend!

I’ve not read any of the previous books in this series, but I liked the cover and description, and enjoy other cozy crimes set in the 1920s, so I thought I’d give it a try. I’m glad I did.

This story worked very well as a stand alone. Although there were a couple of points where I was aware that things had happened before, everything I needed to know was in this book, and I was never confused.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The main characters (Lady Eleanor Swift and her staff) are well drawn, likeable, and entertaining. There’s a good array of mysterious and nefarious-looking suspects, and the mystery itself is fun and interesting. Brighton makes an excellent setting.

I did find Lady Swift a little slow on the uptake to start with, on some things particularly (eg the photograph), but I think this is realistic, given the emotional strain she was under. I’ll be reading the previous four books, as I enjoyed this one so much, so I’ll find out if this is always the case. However, she did begin to pick up on things more as time went on, with a few nudges from the very helpful Clifford (who I love as a character).

In conclusion, this book was an absorbing and entertaining way to pass a few hours, and I’d recommend it to cozy crime fans who love reading historically set books.

I was given a free copy of this book, my opinions are my own.