Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

The Lily Adler books have quickly become a favorite mystery series of mine. Death at the Manor is Schellman's take on a Gothic novel and features a haunted manor, a dysfunctional family, a locked door mystery, and a pair of fabulous lady sleuths!

This book had all the components of a classic mystery novel and I loved it for that. Schellman's writing is so clear and easy to read. The setting was atmospheric and the cast of characters contained plenty of intrigues. In this book, we get POVs from both Lily and Ofelia as they work together to crack the case. They are both great characters who brought something fresh to the novel. It was interesting to see Lily from her friend's perspective and see some of her blindspots.

My main gripe is that Jack, my preferred love interest, was absent for almost all of the book. I love his dynamic with Lily, and in this book, she seemed to flounder without him there to steady her. I hope we will see more of him in future novels--although it seems like Schellman is setting them up to be a SLOW burn.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher, but all thoughts expressed are my own. Death at the Manor is the third title in the Lily Adler series. The action moves from London to the countryside where Lily is visiting her aunt and her aunt's companion before travelling on to her friend, who is set to deliver a baby shortly. While paying a visit to one of the local families, the Wrights, when it is discovered that the matriarch of the family has been murder. As the door was locked from the inside and had to be opened using a key, the rumors of a ghost haunting the home is viewed by many to be the logical answer, but Lily is skeptical. Assisted by Lady Ofelia who is also skeptical of ghost stories, Lily sets out to determine who killed Mrs. Wright. Was it her rogue son, her daughter who has been stuck at home instead of marrying and setting up her own home, or someone else entirely?

I really enjoyed this title and thought the mystery was extremely well done. Looking back, the clues are sprinkled throughout the book, but it took me a long time to put everything together and guess the killer. The author kept the mystery moving at a good pace - it wasn't drug out, but it also didn't end abruptly or too quickly. There are a few developments related to Lily and her potential love interests. I look forward to future titles in this series.

If you love a good historical mystery series then the Lily Adler mysteries are the books for you! Set in the Regency Era, Lily Adler is a widow who continually has the good fortune of solving mysteries that develop in her midst. Lily is a strong female lead ahead of her time and she continues to delight in this third installment in the series, Death at the Manor.

I was sad to see that Jack, who has been Lily's partner in solving crime in the previous two novels, was not present in this latest novel. We only see some letters exchanged between the two friends. This might have been why the book didn't quite hit the mark for me as the previous two did, but I think the pacing was a bit slower in this one as well and that definitely contributes to my overall reading experience.

On the whole, if you are a mystery lover I think you should definitely check out this fun mystery series. Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this advance review copy in exchange for my honest review. Look for Death at the Manor from your favorite bookseller on August 9, 2022.

I love how so many things happened in the book. I could not keep myself from the book because it was so good

NICE, BUT NOT MY FAVOURITE LILY ADLER MYSTERY

For me, this book does not feel on par with the rest of the series. While it was not a bad book at all, it just didn't feel like it belonged in a series with the two previous books. And that was a let down, because I really enjoyed them.

👍 What I Liked 👍

Mystery: What really made this book worthwhile was the mystery at the center of the story. It had a sort of classical feel to it. A locked room mystery were all of the suspects are known right from the start. That just felt so retro to me and I absolutely loved it. While I was quick to guess the method of killing, the murderer did surprise me.

👎 What I Disliked 👎

Jack: Lily's previous companion in solving murders had been her husband's friend, Jack. I always liked Jack. I felt like he delivered a lot of humour and he always managed to keep Lily grounded. Sadly, Jack isn't in this book at all. He is out at sea. And in my humble opinion, the book suffered from his absence. While the Schellman offers us Ophelia as a substitute, she doesn't fill the void left behind by Jack. Lily needs Jack. They are a duo.

Detour: Most of all this book felt like a detour of sorts. Not like a natural continuation of the series. But more like a spin-off of sorts. Or as if it should have been novella.

Liked it well enough. I did find it a bit of a muddle to get through at some points and it does feel like a book that reading the previous titles would give a lot more context and color to the book. But overall enjoyable enough as a mystery.

I really wanted to like this book a lot. However, the middle of it dragged for me, and I am honestly not finished with it yet. I am having a hard time getting back into it. I was actually kind of dreading picking it back up again.

One thing that I really didn't like, was the change in name of the characters over the course of the book. It was confusing to me who the main character actually was. I didn't read the previous books in the series (didn't even realize this was part of a series) and it felt like the names were jumping all over the place. I get that people were much more formal back then, and people would be called by their formal names, but the author went back and forth even among family and close friends with the formality. It confused me.

Another thing that was unbelievable to me were the author's obvious attempts at inclusion. While I get that the 'aunts' surely existed back then, I don't believe so many people would have been accepting of it and dismissed that, even if both of the characters were extremely likable (which they were). And also the fact that Ofelia was a woman of color who also was just accepted by people in society did not ring true to me. The behavior of people from history needs to fit what would have been true at that time, not what we wish had been true.

This book fell flat for me. While someone else calls the climax of the book 'spectacular', it is going to have to really be something to drag my opinion up to where it was when I began the story. For now, it seems to be dragging on, with no redemption in sight. I am not interested in other books in this series, even if they are well-reviewed by others.

Lily Adler is set out to investigate a murder... who is the key suspect? A ghost. This was a FUN murder mystery with twists and plots that can easily keep a reader engaged. The regency setting makes this even more fun!

I liked other mysteries in this series but i wasn't a fan of this one as I found it too slow and some of the turns a bit unbelievable.
Lily is an interesting character and I hope the next story will be more exciting.
This one wasn't my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

⭐⭐⭐ -- ADORE the cover on this one!

I unfortunately was a little disappointed in this one. The main issue I had with the previous one was that it was slow and drawn out, and again, in this one, we have the same issue. The saving grace of the previous book was that it had a cast of diverse, likable, and intriguing characters. In this one, I struggled to like Lily at all, and Jack and Simon were non-existent. Ophelia was really the only character that stood out for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Will I pick up the next book in the series? Honestly, I am not sure...

**ARC Via NetGalley**

"The tortured spirits of the dead haunt a Regency-era English manor - but the true danger lies in the land of the living in the third installment in the Lily Adler mysteries, perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn.

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to spending the autumn away from the social whirl of London. When she arrives in Hampshire with her friends, the Carroways, she doesn’t expect much more than a quiet country visit and the chance to spend time with her charming new acquaintance, Matthew Spencer.

But something odd is afoot in the small country village. A ghost has taken up residence in the Belleford manor, a lady in grey who wanders the halls at night, weeping and wailing. Half the servants have left in terror, but the family seems delighted with the notoriety that their ghost provides. Intrigued by this spectral guest, Lily and her party immediately make plans to visit Belleford.

They arrive at the manor the next morning ready to be entertained - only to find that tragedy has struck. The matriarch of the family has just been found killed in her bed.

The dead woman’s family is convinced that the ghost is responsible. Lily is determined to learn the truth before another victim turns up - but could she be next in line for the Great Beyond?"

Ghosts and a Deanna Raybourn namecheck? YES!

There is a likeable cadence to the tone of the Lily Alder Mystery series, and 'Death at the Manor' is no exceptions. I was, however, slightly confused by some of Lily's choices considering the societal norms of the Regency period. Lily is entirely dogged and capable in discovering who is responsible for the death of a neighbor in a locked room. Hysteria has it that Mrs. Wright was killed by a ghost, but Lily proves she knows better. I missed Captain Jack, and except for the final pages where he seems to be in the picture I would be thoroughly disappointed in the trajectory of Lily's private life. I anxiously look forward to more in the near future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

In this third installment of the Lily Adler mysteries, Lily investigates a murder who is said to have been done by a ghost! This was a very fun mystery! There were many twists and plots that it kept me engaged throughout the series! Lily is a very fun and intelligent protagonist. She is observant and independent! I also love the Regency setting! Overall, this is a very fun series for Bridgerton fans! I recommend this fans of the Jane Austen mysteries!

This historical mystery set in Regency Hampshire is the third in series following the adventures of Lily Adler, a widow who seems to find deadly mayhem wherever she goes.

Lily, while visiting her aunt with friends in the country, is pulled into a “locked door” murder mystery at the creepy manor of the nearby Wright family. The matriarch is found dead in her locked bedroom and the suspected culprit…the manor’s resident ghost. However, secrets come to light which point to an all too real villain. Was it the son (a n’er-do-well rogue), the daughter (an overly dramatic, fragile recluse), the intense butler, the often overlooked, quiet maid Alice, the outgoing maid Etta or the manservant Isaiah?

I’ve enjoyed this series, but there were a couple of things that surprised me with this one. Lily’s romantic life takes a decided turn (there’s been the beginnings of a love triangle previously) that threw me off a bit…still not sure how I feel about it. Also, some of the discoveries toward the end were just too unbelievable for me. I also felt the story was too long and could have been tightened up more. But otherwise I enjoyed it and its Gothic feel, just not quite as much as I had expected.

My thanks to the author, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing the free early arc of Death at the Manor for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Lilly goes to the country to visit her aunt in hopes of some peace and quiet from her recent adventures in London. Upon arrival she learns the local manner has a ghost haunting their home. While the ghost has scared off most of the staff, it all seems rather harmless...until someone dies. Though looking for rest and relaxation (and an opportunity to get to know Matthew Spencer better, Lilly is once again drawn into solving a murder mystery. Was it really the ghost that caused this murder or are there other forces at play?

After her involvement in two murder investigations, Lily Adler is off to Hampshire to visit her Aunt Eliza. In London she had become acquainted with Matthew Spencer, a widower who has a home near her aunt. At a dinner with Matthew, Lily, her aunt and her friends Lady Carroway and her husband are entertained with stories of the gray lady, a ghost that haunts Belleford Manor. The following day a trip is arranged to the manor to investigate the sightings. Their tour, led by Thomas Wright, is abruptly halted by the screams of Thomas’ sister Selina. After finally gaining access to her mother’s locked bedroom, she found her mother dead in her bed. Selina believes her mother was scared to death by the ghost, but Lily has seen bodies in the past and she believes Mrs. Wright was murdered.

Thomas and Selina’s mother had full control of the estate’s finances. She allowed the estate’s condition to become shabby while she secretly amassed a fortune. Belleford’s staff was minimal and rumors of the ghost had scared a number of employees away. While Selina was content to live in genteel poverty, Thomas wished to escape the manor and settle in London. With their mother’s death it may provide an opportunity to change their lives. Gossip in the village and observing the Belleford’s staff gives Lily possible suspects. The question that she can not answer is how anyone entered the locked room to commit murder. It is a question that she must answer before she can discover who is guilty.

Katherine Schellman’s Regency mystery provides a true puzzle. Lily Adler is a young widow who has a warm relationship with her aunt and her aunt’s companion Susan. Though she misses her husband, she relishes the freedom that widowhood provides. Her husband has been gone for three years and she finds herself attracted to Matthew. While she questions her own involvement in the investigation, she is uncomfortable ending her visit with a murderer on the loose so close to her aunt. She is intelligent, determined and a character that is easy to love. This is the third book in Schellman’s series and I look forward to seeing more of Lily Adler in the future. I would like to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this book for my review.

Very fun story! This is part three in a series about Lily Adler, and each subsequent book has been well structured and cleverly written. I love the plot twists and developing relationships between the characters / it makes for an engaging series to continue!

Death at the Manor by Katharine Schellman is the third in her Lily Adler series, although this is the first of her books that I’ve read. Lily goes to stay with friends and accompanies them on a call to the Wrights’ the following morning. They find Mrs Wright dead in her bed with a look of terror and fury on her face. The household all firmly believe that “the ghost did it” as Mrs Wright’s door was locked from the inside. Lily and her friend, Lady Ofelia Carroway, are determined to find out the identity of the real murderer.

Although it seems wrong to start at the back, I have to blurt it out now: the climax of the book is superb. Although I had confidence that Lily would survive (come on, is the author likely to kill off her series heroine?!), I genuinely couldn’t feel at all confident about any of her friends.

However, I wasn’t hooked by the earlier text. It’s OK – and I might buy other books in the series if I saw them in a charity/thrift shop, but I’m not going to go hunting for them. Two things struck me, causing me to stop identifying with Lily:
1. The author is inconsistent with her naming. Sometimes the main character is “Lily” but then, in Chapter 6, she becomes “Mrs Adler”. The reader feels alienated: someone they were getting close to has suddenly turned all formal.
2. We initially see things from Lily’s perspective and feel we are accompanying her, looking over her shoulder. That’s good in a mystery, as we then hear/see what the “detective” hears/sees but no more. However, in Chapter 11, accompany Ofelia to the village, leaving Lily to go elsewhere. I understand how this allows us to be present when further information is divulged to Ofelia, but it destroys our close identification with Lily.

The characters were a little bit cardboard but, again, OK. I did enjoy Lily’s Aunt Eliza, though: she’s obviously someone who doesn’t suffer fools – gladly or any other way!

Finally, although I haven’t read the earlier books in the series, that wasn’t really a problem, although a bit more context about Lord Walter, other than “the husband of her friend, Serena” would have been helpful.

Thanks, Crooked Lane Books, for letting me have a free ARC to review.

#DeathattheManor #NetGalley

Perfect locked room mystery!
Lily Adler and her friends, the Carroways, are escaping London. The Carroways are dropping Lily off at her aunt’s house and staying for a couple of days.
Belleford Manor in the little village has been plagued by a ghost, is there such as thing? Lily and her friend are intrigued, and ready to check it out for themselves. As they arrive at the Manor, they don’t find a ghost but the lady of the house death in her bed in a locked room …. Natural causes???
Loved this installment! Did not see the end coming at all!
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a early peek at this great book.

Absolutely fantastic. This author gets better and better with each book; I can't wait to see how the next one will come out. I was totally wrong about who the murderer was and I was extremely cheerful about it - REALLY well done. Can't wait to see more of Mrs. Adler in book 4!