Lily Adler arrives with her friends the Carroways to stay at her Aunt Eliza Pierce's home. On finding that a nearby house is been haunted they visit with various expectations. Only to discover that the mistress, Mrs Wright has died, in her locked bedroom. On seeing the body, Lily and her friend Ofelia Carroway are suspicious and so decide to investigate.
A somewhat slow paced but well-written cozy mystery set in the Regency era. There are enough likeable characters in the story to make it an entertaining read.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Death at the Manor is the third Lily Adler mystery series book. Set in Hampshire, this book is a delightful read and will appeal to fans of historical mysteries. The protagonist, Lily Adler, instantly grew on me with her sharp observational skills and level of detail. The supporting characters, particularly Lord and Lady Carroway, are memorable, and their interactions flow well throughout the book. Matthew Spencer is a charmer, and his chemistry with Lily is unmissable. The plot itself is intriguing, with the matriarch of the Wright family found smothered to death in her bed along with a supernatural twist of a weeping ghost. Katharine has done a splendid job presenting a good mix of narration and dialogue. A 4-star read!
I look forward to reading more of Katharine's work.

A thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing an advanced readers copy. This honest review is left voluntarily.

Mrs. Lily Adler, who is a widow, and her close friend, Lady Ofelia Carroway, are busybodies who pride themselves on their ability to solve crimes. While they are in Hampshire visiting Longwood Cottage, the home of Lily's aunt, Eliza Pierce, and Eliza's companion, Susan Clarke, the ladies decide to call on Mr. Thomas Wright and his sister Selina. Rumor has it that a ghost, known as "the gray lady," haunts Belleford, the Wrights' estate, and the ladies want to learn more about the apparition. While Lily and the others are there, someone murders Thomas and Selina's mother. At their earliest opportunity, Lily and Ofelia sneak into the victim's room and snoop around, looking for clues. This is a puzzling case, especially since Mrs. Wright always locked her door from the inside before retiring for the night.

In "Death in the Manor," Katharine Schellman deftly recreates the atmosphere in nineteenth-century England, a time when there was a huge gulf between the wealthy and those who had to work hard to earn a meager living. Who committed the murder, what was the motive, and how did the villain get away with it? Although a magistrate and a runner from Bow Street are summoned, they are clueless. It is up to Lily, Eliza, and Ofelia to interrogate those who knew the deceased and uncover the evidence that will lead to the culprit's identity.

This work of historical fiction has supernatural elements, satirical dialogue, a spicy romance between Lily and an attractive widower, colorful characters, and juicy subplots involving promiscuity, jealousy, and revenge. Although the novel is a bit talky and repetitious at times, it is also funny and engaging, and the author wraps things up with a surprising and clever conclusion.

The intriguing third instalment in Schellman's Lily Adler Mysteries. I quite enjoyed the mystery itself - it was delightfully gothic. Even though I liked the cast of characters - Lily's family and friends - I very much missed the presence of Captain Hartley and his repartee with Lily. And given other developments, I find myself anxious for and preemptively cringing in anticipation of the inevitable conversations upon his return from sea duty. Suffice it to say, Schellman has me hooked, even if I may have to read parts of the next book thru my fingers.

… wringing of hands, and wailing, of course!

Lily Adler once again has her hands full. This time investigating the ghost of Belleford Manor. And surprise, surprise, the matriarch of the Manor is found dead in her bed.
The widowed lady sleuth is taken with their neighbor Mathew Spencer and this holiday in Hampshire is a chance to get to know him better. Which she does. But what about the Captain? … some would ask, indeed I ask the same!
However now our regency lady detective has something to get her teeth into, a haunting and a murder. Who knows what else will happen?
Except the investigation, the clues, the raison d’être has little of the excitement and adventure I was looking for. All a bit ho hum really.
Maybe the next in the series will be more defining. I hope so!

A Crooked Lane Books ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

I think I dragged my reading of this book because I learned the heroine was not with her duet of boys to assist her, It seems I misjudged there, as I thought there would be some romance between one of them and Lily.
So while it might be a good book for a new reader to enter the fray, it is a bit unsettling for the readers from the beginning as they will not get the same pace without Jack Hartley and Simon Page helping her.
Plus there is a sort of new love interest in this book for Lily, introduced in the previous book, Matthew Spencer.
Donc take me wrong, he is a nice acolyte for Lily, but they did not share the same dynamic than with Jack and Simon.

Why this book stands apart in this series for now or it might be the author’s will to change of direction with a new team to support her heroine and a new love interest as nothing was really set except Jack’s not really concealed feelings.

After the mystery and murder is intriguing and despite some dragging moments, I did not see it coming. The sometime creepy gothic atmosphere, Lily being assisted by her friend Ofelia, fun but not Jack, the new suitor, all in all was quite entertaining if not occasionally confusing.
3.5 stars rounded up

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 kisses

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.

This third book in the series had a slightly different feel than the previous two books. Lily and her friends are in the country staying with Lily's aunts and near the home of Matthew Spencer. The pace is a little slower as the pace in the country is a bit slower than the social whirl of London. While I did miss Mr. Page and Captain Hartley I did enjoy the smaller cast list of this story.

The mystery is an intriguing one involving a ghost and a house full of secrets with a mild Gothic tone. The investigation unravels slowly but didn't drag and gave room for some character development. Lily had to deal with some self doubt and it was nice to see a bit of vulnerability in her character. The reveal was surprising with more than a few twists and turns and I really enjoyed it!

This is a fun historical series with great characters and interesting mysteries. I so enjoyed this one and am looking forward to more in the series.

I really love this series - the characters have really grown on me and I have loved the stories so much. When I saw there was going to be a new one, I was very excited and even more so when I got it from NetGalley. I have to admit, this is one that I have been really excited to read [which sometimes comes back to bite me; thankfully, that was not the case here!!].

Here is where I need to be honest - I really enjoyed this book and the story/mystery swept me along. I love how the author uses the language of that time and at no point did I think the conversations were "modern" [I am very sensitive to this right now because of that hideous new "Persuasion" movie]. I loved the parts that DID remind me of Jane Austen's novels; it was like coming home and putting on a comfy sweater and being with friends you haven't seen in a long time. I really enjoyed the addition of Lily's aunts and of Ofelia and Ned [the jury is still very much out on Matthew Spencer - I LOVE Captain Jack and missed him tremendously in this book and the addition of Mr. Spencer didn't make me miss him less, if anything, I missed the Captain more] and the Wrights are...well, they are typical gentry of that time frame [with Miss Wright being the silliest of silly girls. Good grief. ]

I say all that to say this - I knew who the "ghost" was very early on and by halfway though I knew who the killer was and some of the why [though some of it was a surprise to me and that was AWESOME]. I was lulled several times into thinking I was incorrect [the red herrings in this book are outstanding] and at no point was I bored and wanting to skip ahead, so I will take that as a win.

It is difficult when you read as many mysteries as I do to not look at the story differently than some and I often guess who the killer is and what the mystery is about in the books I read - to have all that and still really, really. like a book says so much about how great a writer the author is [and she is]. I was sad when the book ended, but then happy when I saw online that the author is working on book 4!!! SQUEEEE!! I truly look forward to the next one. I am pretty sure, no matter how much Lily says that she will not find murder and mayhem in Surrey, that that very thing will happen and sweep her up once again. Can I hope that Captain Jack will be around to help this time?? ;-)

Thank you to NetGalley, Katharine Schellman, and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another absolutely delightful tale of the adventures of the intrepid Lily Adler! Can Lily enjoy a trip to the country to visit her aunt without being embroiled in a murderous scandal? Her dear friend, Jack, doesn’t believe it’s possible, and he’s probably right.

Lily is, as always, a logical and clever observer of the scene in which she finds herself - the decaying and purportedly haunted Belleford Manor. But when the “ghost” becomes a murderer, she must puzzle her way through her disbelief of the supernatural and the odd behavior of the residents in order to solve the mystery. In a nod to the gothic literature of old, Schellman paints a creepy picture and outlines a great locked-room who-done-it, all with the sweet sensibilities we’ve come to love from this series.

We also get to know several characters even more intimately than before, including the feisty Lady Ofelia and the earnest Mr. Spencer, as well Lily’s loving aunt. I was happily and thoroughly entertained, as usual.

Great thanks to the author and Netgalley got my free copy. These opinions are my own.

This is the first time I'm reading Lily Adler Mystery series and suffice to say I can follow the plot just fine.
But, I would suggest to read the first two books to know more about the characters and the other cases that connect them.

The plot is actually interesting and mysterious, with a tricky case to solve. Multiple POVs is a nice touch for the readers to see the investigation progress throughout the story.

However, the pacing of the story is a bit dragging and slow in the middle of the story.
Regardless, I'm still surprised with the culprit of this murder case near the ending. It was quite unexpected.

There seems to be a love triangle here between Lily, Matthew and Jack.
Some people seems to like Lily more with Jack. But since I haven't read the first two books I don't have any problem with seeing Lily and Matthew relationship progress. They're sweet with one another.

Overall, it's a pretty good read.
The mystery is interesting to investigate and I find myself actually curious to know what Lily Adler will solve next.

Check this one out if you love mystery historical fiction with paranormal elements and a pinch of romance.

Thank you to Netgalley, Katharine Schellman and Crooked Lane Books for granting this e-ARC to me. I'm leaving this honest review voluntarily!

I had been been looking forward to another mystery involving Lily Adler but I missed the involvement of Jack and the rest of the London characters in this, the third book of the series. Lily and Jack made a great team. This time Lily is in Hampshire with friends as they visit her aunt, taking a break from the bustle of London Society. Jack has returned to sea and Lily has plans to spend time with Matthew Spencer, a widower with two young children who is ready to court her. (I'm on team Jack) Ophelia Carroway and her husband are her companions in this outing but the chemistry isn't as good as it had been when Jack was involved (IMHO)
Upon arrival they learn of The Grey Lady who haunts a nearby manor house and they decide to go see for themselves. A ghost is one thing but they get more than they expected. Mrs. Wright, the lady of the manor, has been found murdered in her bed and the door locked from the inside. Blame is put on the Grey Lady and the local policeman has no intention of catching the all too real killer even when a second death occurs. Lily and Ophelia, with the help of others, set out to unmask the killer.
Aside from my disappointment about the missing characters from the first two books, I was happy with a locked room mystery in a manor house with a resident ghost. I was not disappointed with the mystery at all and I will save a spot on my TBR list for more mysteries in this entertaining series.
My thanks to the publisher Crooked Lane and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A Delightful addition to the series, Death at the Manor is a wonderful little cozy historical mystery, with a strong female lead, and a quirky cast of characters. I'd recommed this to anyone looking for a good cozy mystery

Lily Adler's third case is a death that may have been caused by a ghost. In "Death at the Manor," Lily, along with her friends Lord and Lady Carroway, are on a visit to Lily's aunt in Hampshire. There have been recent sightings of a "Grey Lady" at the local manor, so Lily and Ophelia wish to investigate. Matthew Spencer, who may or may not be a potential beau, is a neighbor of the Wrights, and assists with their investigation.

While good, this book may be suffering from sophomore slump, even though it's the third in the series. I think this is largely due to the absence of Jack and Simon. Matthew may be a potential suitor, but he isn't the foil for Lily the way the other two are. It was nice that Lily and Ophelia got to spend more time together, and we got to spend time with the Carroways as a couple and see more of their relationship.

I also think the book couldn't decide what it wanted to be, a Regency romance, a cozy mystery, or a gothic. It led to some slow pacing and an overall disjointedness. That said, it's still a really good mystery on its own merits, and if I hadn't had the previous two to which to compare, I'd probably have rated this one more highly.

3.75/5 stars

I received an advance copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Lily is meant to be enjoying time in the country with her aunt and her friend Ofelia- and maybe the enticing Matthew- but she finds herself wrapped up in the mysterious murder of Mrs. Wright. Did the Grey Lady ghost do it? That's one explanation, given that the room where she was found is locked. But Lily (and Ofelia) know that there's more to the story, especially since Thomas Wright will finally get his hands on Belleford Manor. It's an intriguing historical cozy with good characters and some red herrings. Fans of the series (and this will be fine as a standalone) will miss Jack, best friend of Lily's deceased husband who worked with her in the earlier books but who is out at sea for this one. I'm certain Matthew will mature in time and, in fairness, this does set up for a potential fight for Lily's affections! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

This is the third book of the Lily Adler series. I haven't read the previous two books but then I actually enjoyed reading a mystery setting of a historical fiction.

Lily Adler arrives in Hampshire with her friends, Lord and Lady Carroway followed by her male friend, Matthew Spencer. When rumors circulated around the small village that a ghost woman is haunting in Belleford Manor, Lily and her friends arrived in the manor. The matriarch of the manor, Mrs. Wright is found dead and was smothered in her sleep. But the room door is locked from inside. The maids and the people convince that the ghost had killed Mrs. Wright but Lily thinks there might be a murderer lurking inside the house.

This was actually a very interesting plot. This is a locked room mystery where all the people are suspects and one of them could be the murderer so that actually itself was very interesting. I do like how Lily solved this murder case with the help of her friends. The author actually did a good job of drawing the reader into the story so to make the reader feel like they are part of the story. Some of the characters were bit confusing to me but maybe because I haven't read the two previous books. Nonetheless, I cannot wait for what Lily Adler's next adventure is going to be!

Worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

The Lily Adler series takes a turn to the Gothic for this episode. Lily Adler is stopping off to see her aunt on her way to a visit with friends in the country. She is travelling with the Carroways who are also on their way to their country home.

Her aunt offers up a local ghost as a way of entertaining her guests. Unfortunately, the ghost is only the start of things. On a visit to see the ghost at Belleford manor, they find instead that the lady of the house has been killed inside her locked bedchamber.

Unwilling to attribute the death to the grey lady supposedly haunting the place and unwilling to leave her aunt in the same location as a murderer, Lily decides to look into the case. She is assisted by her new friend Mr. Spencer whose home is in the area. She is also assisted by her friend Ofelia, Lady Carroway.

After having her confidence in her abilities as an investigator shaken by the revelation of her aunt's living situation which had slipped her notice, Lily interviews suspects from Mr. Wright who will finally inherit from his mother to the few remaining servants at the house.

This was an engaging and entertaining historical mystery. I enjoyed the Gothic elements. I also enjoyed Lily's growth as she moves away from her grief as a widow.

Barbara’s rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Series: Lily Adler Mystery #3
Publication Date: 8/9/22
Period: Regency
Number of Pages: 352

This latest addition to the Lily Adler Mystery series is a bit of a departure from the first two books. There is supposed to be a bit of a gothic bent to the book, but that fell a little short for me. Gothics have an atmosphere to them that is built layer-by-layer – they make your spine tingle, and this certainly didn’t even come close to that. Lily is also missing her normal supporting characters and I felt their loss. One of the nice things about a series of books is the way the cast of characters works together book after book. They grow as a group and as individuals and we sorely missed that in this book. Two of the main supporting characters – Captain Jack, and Bow Street Runner Mr. Simon Page – are missing from the story except for some honorable mentions. It was good that Ofelia and Ned were there as I enjoyed their company and Ofelia and Lily work well together. Mr. Matthew Spencer, who we met in book 2, reappears as a ‘love’ interest for Lily.

Lily, along with her friends Sir Edward (Ned) and Lady Carroway (Ofelia), travel to visit Lily’s aunt Eliza and her companion Susan Clarke. Ned and Ofelia will spend a few days with Lily and her aunt and will then continue to their estate. Lily will stay with her aunt until her best friend’s husband, Lord Walter, arrives to convey Lily to his estate where his wife is anxiously awaiting Lily’s visit. As soon as they arrive at Aunt Eliza’s home, they hear of a neighbor whose home has been having visitations by a ghost. They, of course, simply must visit. That visit lands them smack-dab in the middle of a family crisis – the matriarch of the family has been murdered and they all believe the ghost did it. Who else could it have been since the room was locked – from the inside?

We meet all of the suspects early on, but the investigation into the motives and means wends forward at a steady pace. Lily and Ofelia work well together and their minds work in a very similar fashion, so I liked them working together. Still, I missed the supporting characters from the previous books and I think the story would have been much better had they been included. There are hints dropped throughout the book, but nothing is obvious. I had worked out the ‘how’ and was pretty sure of the ‘who’ before it was revealed, but none of it was just obvious.

All-in-all, it was a very good mystery and I enjoyed it. It was a bit slow-paced in places, but nothing too much. So, kudos for a good mystery. What I do not care for – and will not read – is anything with love triangles. Lily took a very big step in this book, but it wasn’t for the right reasons – certainly not for that period. Then, things were just left hanging and nothing was resolved. We still have Captain Jack and Matthew Spencer as love interests. I had hoped that would be quickly resolved, but apparently not. So, that leaves me to question whether I will read the next book or not – and the answer is, I just don’t know. Captain Jack is, by far, the more interesting character and is a better match for Lily while Matthew is more of a bland, take a back seat, kind of fellow I can only imagine she’d get tired of sooner or later. I guess I’ll know if I continue to read the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I didn’t realize this was the third book in the series until I started reading it. However, I think it works perfectly well as a standalone book. I had no trouble following the relationships and action. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery enough that I’ve purchased books 1 and 2. Lily and Matthew and her friends were quite delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As usual, my investigative skills are almost non-existent when it comes to choosing a book to read, so when I requested Death at the Manor I had no idea it was the third book in the Lily Adler Mystery series. Nevertheless, I had no issues following the story and understanding the main events of the previous two books. It is safe to say that can be read as a stand-alone, although I do not doubt fans of the series will disagree.

Because I did not know anything about the book, I can safely say that I went into it without expectations. However, right at the beginning, the protagonist, Lily Adler, gets involved in a murder investigation. I must admit that I was quite intrigued about where the story would go, given that the circumstances around the murder are odd and exciting enough.

Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this book as much as I would have. If it wasn’t because the whole point of the novel is about finding the person responsible for the murders, I am sure I would have enjoyed it way more. Sadly, predictability is the number one killer when it comes to Mystery Fiction; or at least, for me.

Apart from how effortless it was to find the culprit as early as a quarter way through, I also had a few issues with Lily Adler herself. I did not buy the persona she was supposed to be, because she did not seem the intelligent, detail-oriented, and brilliant character the author wanted me to believe.

Lily is obviously quite incompetent when it comes to social cues, so she missed too many details that were determinant for the plot development, and for characterisation in general. Admittedly, Lily was at best average, and I grew tired of other characters constantly telling her how observant and clever she is. Finally, Lily does not resolve the mystery, but simply stumbles upon evidence that was basically, impossible to ignore, so no merit from me for the ‘whodunnit’ element.

Overall, Death at the Manor is an OK cosy mystery with an average plot development and characterisation. Ideal for passing the time without needing brainpower.

In this third regency mystery featuring young widow Lily Adler, she has left the swirl of London society behind her for some time away in the country, especially after her involvement in solving a murder. She is initially visiting her much loved aunt in a small Hampshire village with her friends Lord Edward and Lady Ophelia Carroway. They are hoping for a quiet, relaxing time but it is not to be. Hearing of a ghost in local manor Belleford, they visit with their neighbour, widower Matthew Spencer only to discover the matriarch of the house is dead in her bed in a room locked from the inside, believed by all the house to have been killed by the ghost they call the Grey Lady.

While it’s not too hard to guess how the murder was done in this locked room mystery, the who and the why are much harder to discover and take some serious investigation and snooping around by Lily and her friend Ophelia. I was disappointed not to see Lily’s delightful friend Captain Jack Hartley involved in this mystery, as he has been sent back out to sea, but hope we will see him again soon, although he now has a competitor for Lily’s affections in Matthew Spencer, who seems very charming and smitten with Lily. Ophelia does make for a good fellow sleuth as she is as forthright, intelligent and courageous as Lily herself. (I was also pleased to see the author’s note as to why Ophelia reminds me so much of Miss Lambe in Jane Austen's Sanditon). I enjoyed this delightful historical mystery complete with a ghost and a fractured family in a decaying manor and can't wait to see where Lily finds her next murder.