At the moment, all - or most - of what I read are murder mysteries. My mind is unsettled, some terrible news have reached me lately and all I want is the comfort of a murder mystery.

Some people find it strange, when you say that your go to comfort read is a crime novel, but for me it’s always been like that. I was obsessed with Enid Blyton, Carolyn Keene, Jo Pestum, Börje Isakson etc. I read loads and not just mysteries, but I always loved a mystery and adventure story. And that has not changed.

It’s lucky then, that new installments of favourite series are being published. Or that I am lucky enough to get advance readers copies of those series I love. This new installment in the Verity Kent series is not out until August, but I was lucky enough to be approved for a Netgalley. Initially, I thought I would wait a bit closer to publication day, but who am I even kidding?

And so I settled down on Friday evening to start reading only to finish the book that same night.

I won’t go too much into what this particular mystery is about but just talk about why I love it.

murder most fair anna lee huber.jpg
A great adversary
I love a series with an overarching plot that continues over a series of books. And so, it is for this one, I hope that the arc will be done at some point, but for now it’s a brilliant backdrop to the individual mysteries that need solving in each book. An enemy that is almost too powerful to be brought to justice is just excellent and a trope that I have loved since I read Sherlock Holmes.

Relationships that need patching up
A lot of cozy mysteries suffer from what I like to call the “perfect relationship” syndrome or the “all relationships are terrible” syndrome, they hover in either of those extremes and that is at times tiring too read because relationships are more complicated than that. And I like it Anna Lee Huber’s books that she portrays that well. At first, I did not like one particular character in this book series, but now I have warmed to that person. And of course, relationship would be complex in that immediate time after WWI: all those secrets you have to keep but yet you have to come to terms with what happened during the war. Being apart from people you love, having lost people you love… all of that would create strain. And I think the author does an excellent job of writing that without losing focus on the fact that we are here to solve a mystery.

Mysteries you can solve
I like nothing more than a puzzle and there is always a puzzle to solve. Sometimes, I know early-ish what’s going on, for other things I am left more in the dark. Yet to me what matters is that I can puzzle along with Verity. It’s what I like best in a mystery.

Adventure
An aspect so often overlooked in mysteries is a sense of adventure. And I love that Huber always adds that element to all her books. I wish more cozy writers would add that, as much as I love a Poirot “using his grey cells”, I also love the mad dashing about looking for clues and finding yourself in peril tropes.

I can really recommend this series as well as her Lady Darby series. They are great fun for cosy weekends that take your mind off things and leave you a bit more rested than you were before.

This fifth in series historical mystery was a thoroughly engaging, thought provoking and most entertaining read.

Unlike its predecessors, its focus was on the interrelationships of our plucky protagonist, Verity Kent, and her family members in post WWI England. It also spoke to the strained relationships among people from opposing sides of the war. So many emotions, protocols and sensibilities to unpack. And unpack them author Anna Lee Huber did, deftly and beautifully.

It's November, 1919 as England "celebrates" the first anniversary of the Armistice. Verity and her husband Sidney, are not in a celebratory mood as they ruminate on all the treasured souls lost to war. Verity, in her efforts to protect her family as well as deal personally with the loss of her brother, had stayed away from her family's home for a number of years. This year, she has decided that it's time to head home for the holidays. A surprising knock on their door reveals the arrival of Great Aunt Ilse of Germany with her pretty young maid, Fräulein Bauer in tow. Even though Great Aunt Ilse is family, folks in Britain are none too keen to have a couple of Germans wandering among them. Thinking it to be the better part of valor, Verity, Sidney, Aunt Ilse and Fräulein Bauer descend upon the familial estate up in the remote Yorkshire Dales two weeks ahead of schedule. As much as everyone is shocked and delighted to see Verity back at home, the German ladies receive a most chilly reception from the staff. Being quite suspicious of Fräulein Bauer, Verity's mother's maid starts spying on the poor girl and snidely relates the young maid's activities to Verity. Just when Verity is to hold a private tête-à-tête with Fräulein Bauer at a remote location, the poor girl is discovered dead. There is of course a number of suspects, not the least of which is a mystery man, believed to be yet another German in the village's midst. Of course, Verity and Sidney are the best chances the locals have at sussing out the perpetrator, which is not without its dangers.

Ms. Huber has written a highly atmospheric and well-informed tale from the early years between the wars. Verity's wardrobe alone is described in exquisite detail, right down to the shoes. The detailed descriptions of a seemingly relaxed Sidney (who was anything but, at the time), brought a smile to this reader's face. Without giving it all away, for this reader the richest element of the writing was the well developed interplay among the familial characters - sibling to sibling, parent to child, and husband to wife. Personally, I would recommend reading this series in order as the characters, as well as the longer plot arc, develop over time.

I am grateful to author Anna Lee Huber and her publisher, Kensington Publishing Corp for having provided this ebook through NetGalley. Their generosity, however, has not influenced this review - the words of which are mine alone.

Publication Date: August 31, 2021
Pages: 304
Publisher: Kensington Books
ISBN: 9781496728494

Verity Kent is back to solve another mystery. When Verity’s great aunt from Germany comes to visit, the hostility people in London show towards her encourages Verity to bump up her planned trip home to hopefully take her aunt somewhere safer. However at home, Verity is faced with hostilities from her family, who she has not visited since the death of her brother, as well as from the villagers who are upset at a German being in their midst after everything they have lost. When Verity's aunt sees someone from her past, Verity realizes danger must have followed them home. When a body shows up, Verity once again feels responsible for finding the killer before they can strike again.
I think this was a good installment in the series. Though I still don’t really like Sidney, the two of them work through a lot of issues and past trauma in this book.

Verity Kent is amazing. The relationship between her and Sidney (who is also amazing) feels so real. This latest adventure takes them back to her childhood home and family. She hasn't seen them much since her older brother passed away during WWI. Lots of family angst and town secrets to spare, and of course Verity finds herself in the midst of another murder. This time it follows the German maid that her Aunt brought over from Germany. I did not see the murderer coming, but it all made sense in the end.

I adore this series, just like I do the Lady Darby series, and this book has a lot of revelations into Verity's character and her family.

Verity's aunt from Germany arrives at their apartment with a maid and, hoping to avoid more problems (especially the Lord Ardmore variety), Verity and Sidney leave to her parents' house earlier than planned.

There are a lot of anti-German sentiments in the village when people find out about Verity's aunt and her maid, and when the young maid is killed, things get worse. As Sidney and Verity investigate the murder, the secrets that come up make a lot of people uncomfortable.

On a personal level, Verity hasn't been home since her brother died, and the reactions from her parents and brothers, and their perception of her reasons to not visit before now put a strain on everybody.

I highly recommend this book and the series, to be read in order.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.

I like this new mystery series - I really liked the first book and so was happy to continue with the series. Although I think this book was not as well-written as the others I have read (I guessed what would happen easily), it still was a fun read and had a hard time putting it down.

An engrossing read that deepens Verity's character, continues the exploration of the impacts of WWI on society and has an engaging mystery.

I thought the previous Verity Kent was a little slow and focused a bit too much on the aspects of the series that don't work as well for me (e.g. the love quadrangle that isn't), but very much enjoyed this one and felt it was a return to form. The book opens with Verity and Sidney holding a house party in their country cottage, when Verity's German aunt - Tante Ilse - unexpectedly arrives. Hoping to prevent her from being exposed to Ardmore's machinations or the intense anti-German sentiment - they all decamp for Yorkshire and Verity's family estate earlier than planned. Verity's return to the family fold is complicated by the rifts that have formed between her and her family and is then further ruptured by a shocking murder. Verity and Sidney try to discover if Ardmore's plotting has followed them to Yorkshire, or if something else is afoot.

This series is at its strongest when Verity is having to contend with being underestimated or looked at askance, due to her inability to talk about her war work. While I like having Ardmore as the series big bad, I really enjoyed this book pulling back a bit from the central mystery to contend with how Verity's actions (and lack of ability to contextualize them) have impacted her relationship with her family, and how she copes with the frustration of that. I also really liked that this book jettisoned any focus on the relationship (but really lack thereof) between Verity and Ryde and Alec. It's clear that Verity is sticking with Sidney - at least for now - so until that isn't in question, I think the series is better when it is focusing on their relationship, rather than introducing external threats to it.

The mystery is almost a B-plot in this book and the murder doesn't take place until over halfway into it - however, I thought the pacing worked reasonably well and solving the murder wasn't overly drawn out. I was more interested in the character interaction, anyway, so I think it was the right decision. Overall, an enjoyable read and a return to form for this series.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. I love Verity and Sidney, and I love historical crime. This had a good plot and most of it takes place in Yorkshire where Verity and Sidney are staying with her family. It touches delicately on shell shock, and on how people can grieve loss in different ways, as well as the difficulties of not being able to say what you did in the war, or people thinking you faked a wound to get out of fighting. The only real gripe I have with this book, was Huber’s obsession with over describing things. Verity doesn’t just put on a coat. Or even a blue coat. It’s always a slate blue dress with mustard yellow belt, or autumn leaf coloured shirt, moss green skirt, etc. Even the furniture gets over described. It jerked me out of the narrative each time as I’d frustratedly think “for god’s sake not again”. Docked a star for overdoing it and annoying me, otherwise a solid book.

"Murder most fair" is the latest addition to the wonderful Verity Kent Mystery Series, a sophisticated whodunit centred around a xenophobic killing and the festering psychological wounds still running deep across the country in the aftermath of WWI.
A searing portrait of a family and a community left emotionally scarred by a bloody conflict that upended their lives dramatically. I personally found the "spying story" somewhat less interesting than the sibling/parent relationships and the need to overcome their profound emotional difficulties and challenges in a postwar England questing for closure and stability.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Kensington for giving me the opportunity to read this wonderful novel prior to its release date

I have to admit, I did not like Sydney very much after the first book, This Side of Murder. However, I now absolutely adore him! Verity and Sydney are such complex and interesting characters on their own and as a couple are extraordinary. The ongoing saga with Lord Ardmore is still in the background of this book along with their friends Max and Alex but this is amore personal story. Although it wasn't called that at the time, the characters are all dealing with their PTSD from the Great War and the death of friends and family members. Because so much of Verity's life during the War is secret, she doesn't get the same latitude and sympathy the men in her life do. At her family's estate, she must deal with her brother's death during the War and the arrival of her German aunt and her maid. With the anti-German sentiment rampant, it is not surprising that there is a dead body involved. Overall, I think this might be my favorite of Verity and Sydney's adventures so far. Catching the teasers through out this book, I cannot wait for their next story! Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read #MurderMostFair.

post WW-1, historical-fiction, historical-research, England, cosy-mystery, family-dynamics, friendship, murder, murder-investigation, 1919, espionage, suspense, suspicion*****

After the War To End All Wars, suspicion and hatred from one nation to another was just as rampant as it had been during the conflict. This made things difficult for many families as well as individuals, such as Verity's beloved aunt. And Verity herself is hampered by close self important relatives who would castigate her even more than usual if they knew that she had been involved in espionage in Europe during the war during the time that it was believed that her husband was dead. A grand mess. Then Aunt's maid is murdered and Verity plus husband must sort out the tangle of problems.
The publisher's blurb is a good hook, and this series has my nose stuck to the pages. Loved this one, too!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy of this book from the Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

November 1919 and Verity Kent's Great-Aunt Ilse arrives at Verity's home in Kent with her new maid Frau Bauer in tow. Soon stories of strange men accosting Frau Bauer and fears of what Lord Ardmore might do if he found out that Verity's German aunt had come to the UK lead Verity and Sidney to decide it would be best if they all decamp to Verity's parents' home in Yorkshire two weeks earlier than planned. Verity hasn't been home since her brother's death and she has a fraught relationship with her mother, so this is a big sacrifice on her part.

Then Isle's maid is found dead and secrets are revealed. Was she murdered by the mysterious stranger she was seen arguing with? Was it Verity's younger sister Grace's new beau who apparently has a 'Blighty wound' which invalided him our of the war? Is it a villager convinced she was a German spy? And what is Aunt Ilse hiding?

Although this is yet another well-crafted mystery for Verity and Sidney, the focus of this book is very much on relationships. We learn a lot> more about Verity's relationships with the rest of her family, and how each of them has been affected by the war and the death of her brother Rob. In fact, I would happily have read this with no murder at all just because it advanced everything else so much, all those tantalising glimpses into Verity's marriage and her older brother's disapproval are all brought to the surface and it is very satisfying. Also, a personal thanks that the book does not start with Verity and Sidney estranged as seemed to happen with several of the other books.

Overall, a great instalment in one of my favourite series and I can't wait for the next one.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.