Death Down The Aisle is the eleventh in the Lady Eleanor Swift cozy mystery series. While there is a bit of a romance storyline that runs across the books, each mystery is self-contained so you could read without worrying too much about missing anything.

Lady Swift is to be a bridesmaid at her friend Constance's wedding, but her husband to be, Lord Davencourt, is arrested for the murder of the woman he was once engaged to. Constance is convinced he has been wrongly accused and asks Eleanor to investigate, which she can't say no to!

Death Down The Aisle is a well written historical cozy, full of intriguing characters and plenty of twists and peril for Eleanor to handle.

I have previously read the first in the series, A Very English Murder, and I found Eleanor a little bossy and abrasive, but it was nice to see that she mellowed a little. Don't get me wrong, she was still her doggedly determined self, willing to do almost anything to get to the bottom of the case, much to the chagrin of her butler Clifford and dashing Detective Sheldon.

I also enjoy the back and forth between Eleanor and Clifford. It's not your typical servant/mistress dynamic and they play off each other nicely, adding a bit of humour to the story.

Death Down the Aisle is a brilliant whodunnit that kept me engaged from beginning to end. A must if you love historical cozy mysteries!

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'Death Down The Aisle' by Verity Bright.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Verity Bright, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 31st August 2022.

This is the eighth book I have read by this author. It is also the ninth book in her 'Lady Eleanor Smith Mystery' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read Verity's 'A Witness to Murder' (3rd book in the series), 'Mystery By The Sea' (5th book in the series), 'Murder At The Fair' (6th book in the series), 'A Lesson In Murder' (7th book in the series), 'Death On A Winter's Day' (8th book in the series), A Royal Murder (9th in the series) and 'The French For Murder (10th in the series which I would also recommend reading.

I was originally drawn to this book by its fantastic eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that 'Fans of T E Kinsey, Agatha Christie and Lee Strauss will be totally charmed.' I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Verity and if this is as good as 'A Witness To Murder', 'Mystery By The Sea', 'Murder At The Fair', 'A Lesson In Murder', 'French For Murder', 'A Royal Murder' and 'Death On A Winter's Day' it is sure to be an epic read. 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 35 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 England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, 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. I have actually visited and had holidays in England on several occasions so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise anywhere that Verity has based the book on.

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 in anything.

A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO VERITY ON YET ANOTHER PAGE TURNING SUCCESS!!

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. The synopsis and cover also suit the storyline.

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, laughter, murder, clues, deceit. tension, suspense and so much more!! It 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, especially considering I have read so many of Verity's books yet she manages to get me everytime. I must add that I absolutely adore the cover of this book and I think it's one of the nicest in the series so far. The atmosphere was perfectly suited to the mystery. I also love the fact that although this is a cosy mystery it also had me in stitches of laughter in so many occasions which makes it the perfect light hearted read!! If your looking for a dog dressed as a policeman, a Lady with an attitude and a lighthearted cozy murder mystery then look no further!!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Verity's historical notes that she includes at the back of the book so ensure you don't forget to read those. I love learning about history do was fascinated by the information she includes in the historical notes about:

*Breach of promise
*Women's Institute
*Women in the police force
*WWl Air raids
*Conscription in WWl
*Identity tags
*Ghosts and WWl
*Hypnotism

Thank you Verity for including these, I learnt quite a few facts that I had no idea about previously.


Although this is the eleventh book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

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. I absolutely adore her relationship with Clifford along with the rest of her "staff" that she treats more like friends. The only downfall is that herself and Clifford are fictional as these are two characters I would absolutely LOVE to meet in real life!! Clifford is absolutely fantastic and I really enjoy how he makes me laugh with his diplomatic skills while being extremely sarcastic at times. It is so sweet how he has taken Eleanor under his wing and admonishes her in several occasions in his humerus ways. They are like the perfect comedy duo but don't tell Clifford!! I also love Seldon who is completely overworked but still such a gentleman who is constantly on edge with Eleanor's adventures!! I must say that I love how slow burning the relationship and romance between him and Eleanor has been. It makes a nice change to boy meets girl and gets together within the first few pages. However, I am landed to see them finally have a proper kiss which I believe is actually their first proper kiss although I may be wrong. I loved meeting them all again along with Butters, Trotters, Polly and new maid Lizzie who are all larger than life with their own exceptional personalities. I can't forget the absolutely adorable Gladstone who is an adventure in himself!!! I also enjoyed meeting most of the new characters although I can't say all, e.g Lady Davencourt. I cannot wait to meet them all again and see what they get up to in the next "episode".

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

If you are looking for a cosy mystery that will have you laughing until your crying look no further!!!


This is exactly why you are one of my favourite authors and this is one of my favourite 'series' Verity! A page turning and unputdownable success!

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

Genres covered in this novel include Cozy Mystery, Murder, Cozy Crafts & Hobbies Mystery, Cozy Culinary Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery and Crime amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of T E Kinsey, Agatha Christie, Lee Strauss and anyone looking for a very easy, page turning and enjoyable read.

319 pages.

This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle and £7.61 on paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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Another fabulous addition to this series!

I always enjoy reading these books because they are fast-paced and full of fun. The characters are likeable and the fact that there is a little bulldog who features quite prominently in the story certainly makes the story even better, in my opinion :D

I love the interactions between Eleanor and Clifford, and I definitely LOVE the interactions between Eleanor and Hugh.

Reading a new book in this series always cheers me up.

I've read all the adventures of Lady Eleanor Swift, and this must be my favourite so far! I love all the recurring characters, and I am always so happy to find them again in each book, as if I was meeting old friends. There's a very slow burning romance between Eleanor and Hugh that's finally picking up a little, I can't wait to read more in the next book :-)
The plot was very well done, and I didn't guess until the very end. As usual I enjoy Eleanor's humour, her banter with Clifford, and her modern and kind spirit.

Highly recommended!

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

There isn’t one book in this series that I don’t love and #11 is no exception. Loaded with dry humor, wit and a well thought out mystery I spent a bunch of very happy hours with Lady Eleanor, her butler Clifford and their entourage. The publisher has sewn up my best thought with the introduction on the cover page - “A totally unputdownable 1920s cozy mystery.” It is exactly that wrapped up in the best possible dialogue, best described setting, and the most delectable meals, picnics and all sort of delicious edibles. I love that there is always a wave at the politics and inequalities of the day. Oh, I just really love these books.

Thank you Bookoutre and NetGalley for for an Advance Copy. I am really looking forward to the next installment and more of Lady Eleanor’s escapades.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher, but all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Death Down the Aisle is the 11th title in the now long running Lady Eleanor Swift series. This time, Eleanor's friend Constance is set to marry Peregrine, Lord Davencourt, but before the happy day, the bridegroom is facing a breach of promise suit from a former fiancé. He claims they parted amicably, and both agreed to call of the engagement, but Constance's father insists that the wedding is off until the lawsuit is resolved. After agreeing to Constance's request that Eleanor helps resolve the issue, the young lady in question is found dead with Peregrine right next her. Determined to find out the truth, Eleanor finds herself (with the help of her trusty butler and bulldog, Gladstone) digging into the past of the dead woman. Will she survive clearing Peregrine's name? Will Eleanor and her sort of beau Hugh Seldon take the next step in their blossoming romance? This book was a fun read that is the perfect way to pass an afternoon; reading a book in this series feels like checking in with an old friend. I continue to look forward to future titles featuring Eleanor, Clifford, Gladstone, and the ladies at Chipstone Manor.

Another entertaining read in this cozy historical mystery series.

In this eleventh installment, Lady Eleanor Swift needs to find out who murdered Daisy Balforth so that her best friend, Constance Grainger, can marry the dashing Lord Peregrine Davencourt. It seems that Peregrine had once promised marriage to Daisy and now she is suing him for breach of promise! Not only is he in trouble for that offense, he's now the main suspect in Daisy's death.

Eleanor and her butler, Clifford, join forces with her beau, Detective Hugh Seldon, to get to the bottom of the situation so that the wedding can go on as planned.

Although Eleanor is an unlikely amateur sleuth given this time period (1920s), she is not an ordinary lady of the manor having come into the title quite late in her life. In her early 30s, she has had some crazy adventures in her past and is now quite fearless -- much to the chagrin of both her butler and her beau. I enjoy her independent sprint, her generous nature, and her sense of humor and wit. This is one of the few series that I continue to follow having tired of so many of the others. I enjoy all the period details and descriptions and the plots are always complicated trying to figure out the whodunit aspect. Can't wait for the next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. Be sure to give it a try and start at the beginning.

Lady Eleanor Swift has really gotten herself into it this time. Her good friend Constance is getting married on Saturday but Ellie has just promised to help organize and lead a suffragette march to the police station with a petition to let women onto the force on the same day. And she has to go to the wedding. Poor Constance is already withering under her soon-to-be-mother-in-law's constant disapproval. But Eleanor can't let down the ladies of the village either. It's especially complicated that the wedding might not go off since the groom-to-be, Lord Peregrine Davencourt, was just discovered over the body of his dead former fiancee. Or maybe not so former after all.
On a timeline, Eleanor has to figure out how to juggle the march, preparing to be in the wedding, solving a murder and doing it all without un-endearing herself to her beau, Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon.
Not a lot of character development in this one but Hugh and Eleanor's relations does progress a bit.

Three and a half stars
This book comes out August 31, 2022
Follows The French for Murder
ARC kindly provided by Bookouture and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

I like the indomitable spirit of Lady Eleanor who is definitely different from ladies of this era.
Totally modern in the very best sense of the word, fair and just employer with a sense of humour and
love towards all. Also an excellent detective and along with the love of her life the very clever
Detective Hugh can solve most mysteries.

In this story Constance is getting married in a few days and she seems to have it all - a distinguished
bridegroom, money in plenty, very much in love with her groom and everything on track till the small matter
of a murder of a girl who turns out to be the ex fiancee of the bridegroom. All hell breaks out with the
bride's father refusing his consent to the marriage at all, the groom in custody but the bride believes
in her groom and Lady Eleanor is sought to clear his name.

The story is a good whodunnit going through the list of suspects (which grows) with each passing day starting
from the bridegroom's mother a very nasty lady to the bride's own father with reasons of his own. The star
of the story however is the relationship between Clifford the butler and Lady Eleanor. Discreet, indispensable,
impeccable in behaviour and appearance, a fountain of knowledge and always there when needed this is a story
in itself.

Captivating reading. Very descriptive of the times and behaviour of all.

Another compelling read in this series. The romance between Hugh and Eleanor moves along slowly and the great banter and fun between Clifford the butler and Eleanor create their usual magic. The cast of other favourite characters including Gladstone the dog also add to the fun. I highly recommend this series if you love fun fast paced cozy crime stories. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I really enjoy this series and like how things are progressing forward, even if it is slowly. The mystery kept me guessing. I was interested to see how it was going to be resolved and who the killer ended up being..

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review. I hope there are many more.

I love a good cosy, especially one set in the golden age of cosies. And what a delightful way the butler speaks. I received an advance copy and am voluntarily leaving this review

The first book I have read in this series, and even though I have missed the previous 10, it didn't detract from being able to enjoy the story.

Lady Eleanor Swift is not your typical upper-class lady, her title, money, and staff occurred after the death of her uncle, she had a different upbringing and is well traveled as well as being a widow.

In the background, we have a story of politics and getting women into the police force, and in the main story, we have the death of Daisy Balforth, who was suing Lord Percy Davenport for breach of promise, he is due to marry Constance Grainger, Eleanor's best friend in less than a week, and even worse he was found leaning over the body.

Can Lady Eleanor find the truth?

A slow-burning cosy mystery, the story is helped by the relationship between Eleanor and her butler Clifford. There is also a budding relationship between the detective and the heroine, which to be honest is very slow!

A nice rainy afternoon read

Lady Eleanor, her butler Clifford. and Gladstone the dog are all excited (well, sort of) about Constance's wedding to Peregrine but then there's a problem- big problem. Peregrine's former fiance is found murdered and he's the prime suspect. Constance doesn't think he did it and the handsome Detective Hugh doesn't really either. This means Ellie gets to investigate! It's a fun cozy with a good setting and if the names are a bit much. well just go with it. I've only read one in the series but that wasn't a disadvantage. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. For fans of historical cozies.

"The society wedding of the decade has everything: the blushing bride, beautiful flowers… and the groom arrested before he can walk down the aisle? Thank goodness Lady Swift is on the guest list!"

Lady Eleanor Swift just gets better.
Another adventure involving murder and blackmail in which she and her handsome police inspector prove to be cleverer than anyone else (mainly because our favourite butler in the world is always on hand to support)
Great fun

Death Down the Aisle by Verity Bright

Published: August 31, 2022
Bookouture
Pages: 317
Genre: Cozy Mystery
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Verity Bright is the pseudonym for a husband-and-wife writing partnership that has spanned a quarter of a century. Starting out writing high-end travel articles and books, they published everything from self-improvement to humour, before embarking on their first historical mystery. They are the authors of the fabulous Lady Swift Mystery series, set in the 1920s.

“Love is blind always and cannot see.”

Lady Eleanor prepares to be a bridesmaid for her best friend when her fiancé is accused of breaking a marriage contract. Just when everyone is trying to understand that, the supposed former fiancée is murdered, leaving Lady Eleanor to solve several mysteries before her dear friend completely crumbles.

This was my first book in this series, so while there was a well-done introduction to the character, there were several references that I didn’t understand.

I enjoyed the characters and found the leading lady quite entertaining. I loved that Eleanor was not a born and bred lady of the manor. She is every bit the fearless leader a suitable story needs.

I found the plot well done. The descriptions were lovely, and the dialogue entertaining. This would be an enjoyable series.

This eleventh book in the series is not one to be read randomly. The basis for why Eleanor investigates and the latent comfort/discomfort in interacting with the head of the investigation will only make sense if you have met them all earlier and watch the relationships build.
Eleanor is not one to make friends, given her eccentric lifestyle before returning home to her title. Luckily, she was able to find a few over her adventures at home and otherwise who like her as she is. One of them is all set to be married and is hoping that Eleanor will be by her side until the wedding goes off without a hitch. This latter part is very important given the information that comes to light in the week before the wedding, and the body associated with the chaos is not found to be breathing.
With murder mysteries of this ilk, there can be two types of solutions. One where the reader can figure out who could have committed the crime based on the trail of breadcrumbs left by the author. The other is where you let the story wash over you, knowing you have no way of having all the information and watching the narration reveal everything in its own time, including the finale. This plot lies somewhere between the two. The parts we were supposed to pick up (or at least I thought so, even after the reveal), I did and kept it close but was unable to do anything with it. The final piece that was required to set it all together is only provided at the very end. I am not mentioning this as a spoiler but instead as a statement so that the reader does not overly stress about pointing out the culprit.
I am not sure how many more books will be in the series, but I will continue to read them if and when I can! I highly recommend this series to anyone who likes long series with equally high-quality content in each, regardless of how many books it's been since we first met the protagonist and she found her first dead body.
I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is based on my own reading experience of this and all the books previously written in the series.

With one week until the wedding of Lady Eleanor Swift's best friend Constance Grainger to Lord Peregrine Davenport, Ellie was enjoying preparations and her duties as bridesmaid. But when a young woman was murdered in The Eagle, a local inn, and Peregrine was discovered beside her body, the arrest was swift. Detective Hugh Seldon asked for Ellie's help as the force was down in numbers, so with Clifford by her side, as well as their bulldog Gladstone, the ideas were flowing. Constance was distraught as she knew Peregrine wouldn't hurt a fly - but convincing others would be a challenge...

When Sir Grainger was attacked, and another man murdered, it was obvious someone didn't want to be discovered. But Ellie's determination didn't waver. Would she, along with Clifford and Hugh, be able to get Constance and Peregrine down the aisle?

Death Down the Aisle is the 11th in A Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery by Verity Bright and I loved it. I love every cover and this one is particularly good! The plot is clever with many side characters in the form of the Women's League, and the support of Eleanor's staff who once again, play an exceptional role. I'm not sure how the author continues with these original and captivating stories, but I hope it continues for a long time to come. Highly recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

Another great story from this series with beautiful characters and covers to die for. The authors are doing a fabulous job of keeping Ellie and Hugh's relationship on a very slow burn - book 11 and I think this may be their first proper kiss.

For me the best thing about these books is the relationship between Lady Eleanor and her oh so proper butler, Clifford. They are like a comedy duo and it would be hard to say who gets the best lines. And then there is Gladstone the dog who would like to eat all day and loves dressing up.

In Death Down the Aisle Ellie runs to the aid of a friend whose wedding is about to be called off due to the discovery of a breach of promise against the prospective groom from a previous fiancee and which is then further complicated by a murder. Lady Eleanor, Clifford and Detective Seldon work as a team to try and get the bride - and the groom - to the church on time.

I loved every minute of it and hope there are going to be many more. Maybe it could take eleven more books to get Elly and Hugh to the church themselves.

The Lady Eleanor Swift mysteries has become one of my absolute favourite cozy crime series. So I was thrilled to be offered an advance copy of Death Down the Aisle, the 11th book.

I enjoyed reading this book so much. The writing just flows, and I very rapidly got swept up in the story. The plot was compelling, and kept me turning the pages, but was never stressful.

It’s always a joy to come back to this cast of favourite characters. Eleanor and Clifford work their usual magic, with fun banter and real supportiveness. I loved the ongoing, tentative, relationship between Hugh and Eleanor. And I always love spending time with Gladstone and the ladies who work for Eleanor. There were plenty of amusing moments there, as usual.

I love the way this series is written with a lightheartedness that makes me feel so happy, both whilst I’m reading, and afterwards. And this volume seemed particularly joyful.

Overall, the was a page-turning and amusing cosy crime, with a cast of favourite characters. I highly recommend it (and the rest of the series).

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