When I saw the title of Verity Bright’s latest novel, Death Down the Aisle, I immediately thought “No! Lady Eleanor Swift can’t be getting married yet!” and no, she isn’t. Phew! She has been invited to be a bridesmaid to her friend, Constance Grainger. However, there is a murder… I won’t explain the plot as the publisher’s blurb already does so.

We have the usual well-written banter between Ellie and her butler, Clifford. Verity Bright’s books are highly evocative of the 1920s and the sub-plot involving a demonstration in support of allowing women to join the police force involves Ellie’s staff (housekeeper, cook, maids). Bright’s other skill involves characters and dialogue. This book is dominated (as that’s honestly meant as a compliment!) by the most unpleasant female member of the aristocracy to march through the pages of a book. Lady Davenport, Constance’s future mother-in-law, is a Gorgon. To the dress designer: “I am not having my son’s bride parade through the church in a wedding dress butchered in a rural backwater like Chipstone.” And to the bride: “Imagine looking through [the photographs] in a few years and realising what a poor figure you cut on my son’s wedding day!” And I thought the wedding day was meant to be the bride’s biggest, most joyful, day!

I enjoyed the book and I thought the denouement was well done but I did feel that the author cheated. I can’t explain because that would be an immense spoiler but I think it prevents the book from being a 5-star one.

#DeathDowntheAisleALadyEleanorSwiftMysteryBook11 #NetGalley

Eleanor is going to be a bridesmaid in her best friend Constance's wedding the next weekend. She is at a meeting of the Chepstone and Little Buckford's Women's Institute, and suddenly realizes she has been chosen to arrange a parade and write a petition for women to join the police force. She is late getting to the dressmaker for the final fitting of her brides maid dress. Fortunately, her employees make all the plans for the parade. However, suddenly Constance's fiance Peregrine Davencourt is being sued for breach of promise. Peregrine tells Constance that he had dated a woman in the theater, Daisy, and asked her to marry him, but they had agreed together that they should not marry. However, Peregrine's father had recently died, and Peregrine was now a Lord and had inherited a lot of money.

Eleanor agrees to try to try to find Peregrine innocent of the breach of promise. When Eleanor and Clifford go to meet Daisy and Peregrine at the Eagle Hotel in Chipstone, they hear a scream as they go in, and getting to the room find Daisy dead on the floor with Peregrine standing over her, and Mrs. Harris (a maid and a woman who had been at the Women's Institute meeting fainting on the floor. Constance's older sister is also there with her five year old son Bertie, as well as Constance's parents Sir and Lady Grainger.

Eleanor's friend Seldon arrives to investigate the murder, and he leaves Eleanor to try to solve the breach of promise problem. Soon, the manager of the hotel is found killed, and someone smashes Constance's father on the head at the golf course. Fortunately, Eleanor arrives in time to see the man run off and nurses Sir Grainger until the ambulance arrives. Has Eleanor bitten off more than she can chew. Can she clear Peregrine's name and find the killer before the wedding? And, what happened to Bertie? This is a clever story and we see Eleanor and Hugh Seldon getting just a little closer.

Fans of light period mysteries can not do any better than to discover Verity Bright’s Lady Eleanor Swift series.
Her detective duo ( featuring Lady Eleanor and her butler) is every bit as clever and soignee as Nick and Nora Charles. I love them. . . And, the seductive bulldog that accompanies her everywhere is charming.

This is the kind of reading experience where “ more is more.” You will definitely want to read the entire series to immerse yourself in the wonderful world of Eleanor Swift.

Netgalley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a candid review.

Another lovely cozy crime set in the 1920’s with our heroes Lady Eleanor and butler Clifford. This time Eleanor is helping the local woman’s movement petition for them to be allowed to join the police force and, of course, a murder occurs that they find themselves investigating again.

The plot is well thought out, good development of characters on the previous books in the series and the lovely relationships Eleanor is nurturing with her staff, friends and potential beau well written.

Highly recommended and thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

thank you Netgalley and publisher....

My favorite book in the series. This book was probably the best in my opinion. The story was interesting and seeing Hugh and Ellie start declaring their feelings just made it better.

I loved the mystery and the characters. Def kept me engrossed.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Death Down the Aisle, the eleventh novel to feature Lady Eleanor Swift, set in Buckinghamshire in 1921.

Lord Peregrine Davencourt is found leaning over the dead body of Daisy Balforth and promptly arrested for murder. The same Daisy Balforth who was suing him for breach of promise as he was about to marry Eleanor’s friend, Constance Grainger. Already involved at Constance’s behest Eleanor now has to clear Peregrine’s name, catch a murderer and get to the church on time.

I thoroughly enjoyed Death Down the Aisle, which is a light, frothy read with an intriguing plot. It is told entirely from Eleanor’s point of view, so the reader gets close to her thoughts and thought processes and can easily identify with her.

The novel is firmly anchored to the era with breach of promise at its centre. It seems silly to us nowadays but it was serious enough at the time, with marriage being the only source of financial stability for many women. Eleanor is a bit of an outlier in this respect with her wealth, social standing and single status. Still, enough of the seriousness, this is a fun read with her up to her usual shenanigans of dicing with death, squabbling with her butler, Clifford, yearning for Chief Inspector Seldon and generally saving the day. There are twists and turns and a lot of laughter to keep the reader turning the pages.

It is the relationship between Eleanor and Clifford that makes this series a standout. She is lovely with a desire to do the right thing and an impetuosity to match. Clifford is her guiding light, who seems to know everything and is the restraint to her lack of caution. Their squabbling is highly amusing and always makes me laugh. I am happy to report that the love affair between Eleanor and Hugh Seldon takes another tentative step forward, but, as ever, I can’t help forecasting another setback in the next novel as this is the way of it with both being gun shy, rather untypically for Eleanor.

Death Down the Aisle is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

3.75 stars

Lady Eleanor, who is a titled aristo rather against her will, becomes embroiled in another mystery in early 20th century England. She is preparing to be a bridesmaid in a friend's wedding when the groom is discovered crouching over the dead body of an earlier fiancee.

Eleanor isn't that certain about the groom, but she can never desert a friend. She and her butler/friend/pseudo uncle Clifford are a formidable investigative team. She even has the reluctant permission of her possible love interest Detective Inspector Hugh Seldon. In the meantime, Eleanor and the Women's Institute are planning a secret rally to persuade the local constabulary to start hiring women coppers.

A great ensemble and a fun setting. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

An Unexpected Turn..
The eleventh in the Lady Eleanor Swift series of mysteries and a society wedding is about to take a wholly unexpected turn. Luckily Eleanor is there to deal with the fall out and perhaps catch a killer before they can pounce again. Another engaging instalment in this long running, entertaining series of cosy mysteries with a likeable and feisty protagonist.

cosy-mystery, 1920s, family-dynamics, family, friendship, relationships, cultural-differences, amateur-sleuth, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, dog, England, class-consciousness, historical-novel, historical-research, wedding-madness*****

Being very diligent in sleuthing out the murderer is always a good thing, but this series has the very best and interesting characters (good, bad, and absolutely silly). The series began as a farce: Eleanor is widowed and is a presumed orphan from South Africa (and world traveler on the cheap) who comes to rural England and finds that she has inherited the title and all that from uncle who is recently deceased. The best part of it all is The Butler Who Knows Everything who helps her with anything, and never treats her like a ninny. Along the way she falls for the widowed Chief Inspector Seldon who is so often tangled up in the murders she encounters. She also has a new best friend and is preparing to be a bridesmaid for her. Then things all go sideways and there is another murder to investigate!
I really enjoy all the ongoing (as well as new) characters, but because the mysteries are so well done.
I requested and received a temporary digital ARC of this book from Bookouture via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

This fabulous series is set in 1920s England. This is book 11 in the series……I found myself second guessing all the way through. Extraordinary. Outstanding…

Lady Eleanor Swift has never been much good at making friends, her independence, uncompromising ideas of right and wrong, and involvement with police investigations, are considered unseemly amongst her peers. Constance Grainger is different however, she loves Eleanor despite everything and now, as she prepares for her wedding, she needs her bridesmaid's help or it may not happen at all.

When a body found in a local hotel has links to Constance and too many other  people for her liking, the bride to be asks for Eleanor’s help. With her almost-beau, DCI Hugh Seldon, unable to help as much as he'd like, it's down to her and butler Clifford to get the investigation started. Unfortunately as other crimes are discovered Eleanor is in a race against time to identify their increasingly desperate killer before they strike against the worse possible victim,

Eleven books into the wonderful Lady Eleanor Swift mysteries the standard continues to impress. All the main protagonists play their part once again and are vital to the success of this series. The new characters range from endearing children through frosty aristocrats to chillingly evil antagonists all of whom could be unmasked at the end of the investigation. As this series has progressed the cases have become more complex and multi faceted ensuring Eleanor and Clifford spend a considerable amount of time one step behind and chasing their tails.

The historical information included is as always factual and fascinating and I love the way it fits perfectly into the obviously well researched storyline. The changes in Eleanor’s lifestyle are a forerunner of those taken for granted now and are always an important part of each novel with notes at the end to explain things further.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is another brilliant addition to this excellent series and highly recommended.

Another solid entry in this very enjoyable series. Ellie, Clifford, Gladstone, and the other regulars are caught up in a murder mystery as they try to ensure that one of Ellie’s friends can get married as planned. The plot hangs together well and moves at a good pace, and series readers will enjoy seeing the regular characters and, in particular, Hugh and Ellie attempt to make progress with their relationship.

Book 11 in the series, although I doubt you would be lost if you went out of order. Lady Eleanor has found another murder mystery, and steps in to help her detective Hugh with the help of her trusty butler Clifford. Enjoyable series set in 1920s England. Highly recommend.