Another wonderful instalment of my favourite cosy mystery series. Ellie and her butler/sidekick amateur sleuth Clifford are back doing what they do best when a guest at the castle they are staying at for Christmas is murdered.
I never tire of these books, the characters are so loveable, the 1920's way of life always fascinates me
and I am always kept guessing right until the very end!

When Lady Swift is invited to spend Christmas in an isolated castle she takes her entire faithful staff to spend the time and help out with the festivities, as per the norm a guest is killed and due to the weather and sparse location it is left to Lady Eleanor and her faithful butler to oust the murderer and save an innocent man from the noose

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

I'm a huge fan of this series and this latest adventure is amazing! The story is set in an old Scottish castle at Christmas which is one of my favourite settings :-) I love the characters and am so happy how things between Eleanor and Hugh evolve, I've been waiting for this since book 1.
Absolutely one of my favourite series ever and an auto-buy. This series is my comfort blanket and always gets me out of a reading slump or a sad phase. Absolutely can't wait for book 9!

Wholeheartedly recommend this book and the 7 before to anyone who enjoys Agatha Christie and Downton Abbey.

Thank you to the publisher who provided me with an e-copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

How could I have not heard of this series nor these authors. I had such a good time reading this cozy. I love my new favorite heroine, and amateur detective, Lady Eleanor (Ellie) and her faithful butler, Clifford. If you are looking for a book to make you enjoy a good cozy mystery this is it. To the point, I know have to read the previous 7 books in the series. This is book 8 and yes def a stand alone.

Lady Eleanor is invited to the Scottish highlands to celebrate Christmas and all hell breaks loose. She hasn't left yet, when their is a crisis, the very Protestant highlands DO NOT CELEBRATE CHRISTMAS, in fact it is a normal work day, except for attending mass. The staff at the Castle Ranburgh except for 3 members, have said they will not work, so Lady Eleanor asks her staff to step in - which they gladly do. On Christmas Eve, there is a murder and it's up to Lady Eleanor and Clifford to discover who the culprit is and why. The Scottish detective who is investigating is extremely biased and from the start arrests Lord Ashley.

I loved how DCI Hugh comes in to help Lady Eleanor and how the relationship progresses.

I def finished this book with that happy feeling you get when you read a book you have enjoyed. I can't wait to read the other books, and now I can't wait to read book 9.

Thank you NetGalley!!!!!!

Though part of a series, this does well as a stand alone though the major characters of Lady Eleanor
the inimitable butler, the kitchen staff and the mutt all star in all the books.

Lady Eleanor has decided to spent Christmas in Scotland. In a remote castle. Her friends the beleagured Baron and
Baroness Ashley are left without any domestic help as the Presbytarian Church has apparently cancelled Christmas.
The staff are angry and annoyed and obstructive when Lady Eleanor descends on them with Clifford in charge of the
domestic arrangements to take over and present a pleasing Christmas for all.

When one of their number is found murdered, and only Clifford keeping the peace and protective of Lady Eleanor
because so many hidden currents of animosity exist between the guests that it is decided that an investigation
privately has to be undertaken because the Baron is taken into custody as a prime suspect in the murder.

When victim Number Two falls from a balcony or was she pushed, the search is a bit more frantic and Lady Eleanor
herself is in danger from a most cunning murderer.

Very enjoyable writing, in the spirit of Christmas despite the murders, Lady Eleanor and her cast keep the
reader very amused and moving along very well.

A lovely start for December.

Hurrah! Another Verity Bright book about Lady Eleanor Swift! Death on a Winter's Day has Ellie offering her staff to Clarence and Wilhelmina Ashley, whose deeply religious staff have refused to work on Christmas Day. Ellie, Clifford and the staff travel to the Highlands to spend Christmas in a castle.

Ellie finds that one of the guests knew her mother, who had stayed in the area. There are some eerier, touching moments as Ellie follows her mother’s footsteps.

Bright sets us a classic locked room puzzle – the guests are at dinner; the lights go out; one of them is murdered. It must have been someone in the room; but it can’t have been any of them. This book isn’t the best of the series – I understood whodunnit but I am still uncertain about howdunnit or whydunnit. The reader not so much has to suspend disbelief, as tie its hands together and kick it overboard tied to a concrete slab. However, I don’t care. I enjoy the banter and the moments of action where Clifford behaves more like James Bond than a butler.

Get the book, but do read the earlier ones in the series first.

#DeathonaWintersDay #NetGalley

Eerie, atmospheric and action packed – this is a hugely enjoyable read. I love the entire series but Death on a Winter’s Day is probably my favourite so far. The setting – an isolated castle in Scotland – adds to the sense of drama and threat, and it’s great that Ellie is there with her entire household, so I got all my favourite characters into the bargain. A certain police detective makes an appearance too! As for the denouement, talk about tense! It was perfectly done.

This is the latest from the authors behind Verity Bright, having heard good things about this series, I decided to read this historical crime series featuring Lady Eleanor Swift who has inherited Henley Hall and the wonderful staff that go with it. There is the gem that is the butler Clifford, housekeeper Mrs Butters, the marvellous cook Mrs Trotman and young maid Polly. It is 1921 and in a broken telephone conversations with her friends, Baron Clarence Ashley and his wife, artist Wilhelmina, Eleanor learns that Christmas at their Ranburgh Castle has been cancelled as the Presbyterian Church has banned Christmas in Scotland. Their staff are refusing to work over the festive period, so after consulting with her staff, they, Eleanor and her bulldog, Gladstone, are all going to Scotland to support the Ashleys, particularly as their marriage had been a lovematch that had not gone down well in society.

Driving up to Scotland in her Rolls, Eleanor arrives completely soaked at the Castle in the middle of a loch, the weather is atrocious and matters are about to get much worse. There is discord between the staff and there is a tense atmosphere amongst the guests, which include Sir Edward and his wife, Lady Fortesque, relatives of Clarence, Dr Connell, Robert Cameron, the Laird of Dunburgh and his son, Gordon, and the unpleasant American Eugene Randall. After dinner on Christmas Eve, everyone is playing the game wink murder when the lights go out, when they come back on there is there horrifying sight of Randall who has been stabbed to death. The local police prove to problematic, and when Clarence is arrested for murder, Wilhelmina asks Eleanor to investigate, which she does with the help of the reliable and knowledgeable Clifford. As they look into all the guests, the killer has to be one of them, there is another murder and an under the weather DCI Hugh Seldon of Scotland Yard arrives to help.

This is a fun and entertaining murder mystery, set in a time of rigid social and class structures, and the social niceties and aristcratic etiquette are a challenge for the free spirit that is Eleanor, who grew up abroad and has little knowledge of what is expected of her. Having lost her parents when she was young, Eleanor is surprised to learn that they had honeymooned in Scotland, close to where she is staying. She becomes more familiar with Scottish folklore and legends of selkies as she seeks to discover more about her mother. Eleanor finds herself having to use her nursing skills when events take a deadly turn in this engaging seasonal historical crime read which I think many readers will enjoy. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

I so enjoy Lady Eleanor Swift and her adventures! In Death on a Winter's Day, she and her staff spend Christmas at her friends' castle in Scotland. It becomes immediately clear that her hosts are having financial difficulties. Unfortunately, the very unpleasant person they are counting on to help turn things around is killed during a game of ... Murder. It is up to Eleanor to find the culprit! A surprise guest arrives in the nick of time to help. All of Lady Swift's stories are fun and engaging quick reads. If you enjoy Beth Byers, T.E. Kinsey or Helena Dixon, you will love Verity Bright's Lady Eleanor! Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #DeathonaWintersDay!

Christmastime In Scotland Beckons…
Lady Eleanor returns for the eigth outing in this fun, cosy series and Christmastime in Scotland beckons. What could be better than spending the festive season in a glorious castle with friends - but when bodies begin to pile up faster than the snow Eleanor knows that she needs to catch a killer..and fast. Entertaining escapism with a very likeable protagonist, a good sense of time and place and a colourful cast of supporting characters. A fitting addition to this enjoyable series

Lady Eleanor Swift is rather partial to Christmas and is looking forward to spending it in a snow covered  Scottish castle owned by her friends the Ashleys. Unfortunately things don't go quite as planned, the weather is awful, the staff are rebellious, and the trip includes a perilous boat journey! Add to that a strained Christmas Eve dinner, an obvious murder, and the arrival of a police officer far less efficient than her own DCI Seldon and Eleanor knows it's up to her and the indefatigable Clifford to sort everything.

Although a limited number of suspects, numerous reasons for the death of an unpleasant person, and a location new to them both, means Ellie and Clifford know solving this case won't be easy they still don't hesitate to leap right in. As the weather worsens and someone close to her is put in mortal danger, Eleanor knows she must swallow her fears, live up to her reputation, find the killer, and save those dearest to her if she is to prevent everyone's Christmases being cancelled forever.

This has become one of my favourite cosy historical crime series and improves with every new book. Once again Eleanor and Clifford are on top form although the ever patient butler is tested from all sides keeping him ever more vigilant and efficient. The setting and subsequent descriptions and explanations in the author's notes add another dimension to a series I thoroughly enjoy.

My one bugbear was Ellie's internal musings which seemed more intrusive than previously but not to a degree which spoilt anything. The final chapters added a jeopardy which had me trying to read faster while not wanting the story to end which, to my mind, is an ideal scenario.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. The previously mentioned author's notes also indicate more to come for Lady Swift and I couldn't be happier; this is a brilliant addition to an excellent series and is highly recommended.

An enjoyable cozy mystery set in 1920's England. I've enjoyed the series immensely and while it can certainly be read as a stand along it would be nice to have some background on the characters. I recommend especially if you enjoy murders at a house party.

Lady Eleanor Swift is invited to a Christmas house party in the Scottish Highlands. It is the first house party held by her friend Wilhelmina and since both families disapproved of the marriage between an Older Baron and woman who comes from trade, Ellie really feels she needs to provide support. Ellie gets a call from them cancelling Christmas because their staff are devout Presbyterians and frown on celebrating Christmas.

Ellie asks her staff is they're willing to pitch in and of course, they are. They all head up to snowy, cold Scotland.
They meet the other guests, the local laird and his son, the local doctor, an American financier, and the Baron's cousin and her husband. Three of the servants have remained as well.

After dinner that night, the party plays Wink Murder. The lights go out and when they go back on they discover one of the guests has been stabbed to death. When the Baron is arrested, his wife asks Ellie to investigate.

The victim was very unpopular and many had scores to settle with the unpleasant man. The identity of the murderer was a complete surprise even as we follow along as Ellie investigates.

I received an ARC from the publisher via net galley but the opinion expressed is entirely my own.

Stilted dialogue, cardboard characters, twinkle-eyed servants, a dubious solution to murders, an improbable climax, just too much coziness with endless food descriptions, a devoted butler whose devotion verges on creepiness…I didn’t enjoy this very much

The Lady Eleanor Swift series is a favourite for fun and cosy crime, so I was pleased to receive an ARC of Death on a Winter’s Day.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I love this collection of characters, so it’s always a welcome return. This time, they’re off to an isolated castle in Scotland, where (as usual) Eleanor gets entangled with dead bodies.

This story was a lot of fun. Eleanor and Clifford have a more difficult time of it, as they are so isolated from sources of information. The conclusion was quite dramatic, and there’s a slight touch of fantasy in parts, but I really enjoyed it. I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series.

Overall, this was a fun and exciting cosy crime. Perfect for happily whiling away a few hours.

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

Thank you so much for letting me review this amazing book! I absolutely loved the returning characters and the story! Had me hooked from the very beginning! I couldn't put the book down! I highly recommend this book to enjoy!!! You will love it too!

An amusing and entertaining read with a returning cast of interesting characters. A little intrigue, a little romance, a little sarcasm - what could be better ?