This is really a 3.5 review. I have been reading this series since the beginning. World War I has ended. Lady Phoebe and her maid have been invited to stay at her sister Julie's Manor. When they arrive they find Coco Chanel using the house as a back drop for her new fashion spread. When one of the models is found dead Lady Phoebe is sure it is not an accident. Eva and her set out to solve the crime. I enjoyed the Manor House setting and I like the relationship between Phoebe and Eva. I did not care for the Chanel group or Coco herself. The mystery was easy to solve and did not make a lot of sense. There were not enough suspects and it did not keep my interest. This was not the best book in the series.

This was a fine whodunit with an intriguing plot. I adore the era it was set in.
Many thanks to Kensington Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Another charming Historical Mystery from the ever-consistent Alyssa Maxwell.

There’s really nothing new here for the genre, but this is a charming and entertaining mystery nonetheless, with the lovely Phoebe and Eva at the center.

This time there’s a fashion angle to the story, and it’s one that plays pretty well despite the fact that we’ve seen Coco Chanel show up in many a novel is similar fashion (pun intended) before.

This series has less atmosphere and sense of place than my favorites in the genre, but Maxwell always comes through with a cleverly-plotted and solved mystery, and her characters (though archetypal), are always likable and compelling.

It’s post-WWI England and Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid Eva Huntford find themselves unraveling the twists of a murder at Lady Phoebe’s sister’s country estate. Fashion icon Coco Chanel and her band of mannequins (models), assistants, photographer and personal staff have descended on the estate as the fashion designer plans to use the gardens to photograph her latest creations.

When one of the models is found dead after a flue in the fireplace in her room is closed deliberately, Lady Phoebe and Eva set out to discover the killer before an innocent man is charged with the crime.

Ms. Maxwell has created a lovely tableau of characters, a victim with many enemies, plenty of suspects…and lots of danger for our daring duo. There are plenty of historical details and a glimpse into the life of a society that wants to escape the horror they’ve just experienced and enjoy parties, fashion, excitement.

I look forward to more A Lady and Lady’s Maid mysteries from this talented author.

I loved this historical cozy mystery the characters where enjoyable and I felt like I was right there with them trying to find clues to solve the mystery this book is very well written and I enjoyed it alot cant wait to read more from this author!
Much thanks to #netgalley and #kensington for allowing me to read and review this ARC
All thoughts and opinions are my own

Alyssa Maxwell takes the Lady and Lady's Maid mysteries into Chanel fashion of the 1920's. Lady Phoebe and her maid Eva attend a small gathering at her sister Julia's which Chanel's entourage crash. One model has an accident and the other is dead by misadventure.. Whodunit? An interesting cross of English upper class mores, the fashionable world and small village life of 1920's England. Enjoy.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Lady Phoebe and her maid Eve are visiting Phoebe’s sister Julia’s estate. Her beau Owen is also in the house party. Everything is fine until some unexpected guests arrive including Coco Chanel and her entourage. It is bad enough that they descend on Julia but they bring along all their squabbles and intrigues as well as her fashions. When her primary model dies of smoke inhalation it does not slow Coco down. Not a bit. The woman is relentless, ambitious and not be be trusted, which the sisters learn sadly too late.

Was the death an accident? Suzette has many enemies including the new younger model whom she perceives as competition. When the actual killer is revealed and the motive, it is hard not to empathize with the murderer. These books always do a good job of highlighting the differences between classes in the years following WWI. This one does an admirable job in an interesting story. In the midst of glamour and beauty, ugliness still prevails. It is just masked.

Phoebe and Eve are modern women who are struggling to balance their desire to be free with the social strictures of the time. The two women do it well. Very well. Five purrs and two paws up.

Whether Alyssa Maxwell is writing an installment in her Gilded Newport Mysteries or her Lady and Lady’s Maid Mysteries, you can always depend that she is going to be true to the era, the dialogue and the moral dilemmas in which she casts her characters. She is a master of the genre and it is always a pleasure to be swept away in one of her beautifully descriptive and often hilarious murder mysteries.

I found it interesting that Maxwell took on the persona of Coco Chanel and while mildly tarnishing someone who deserved much harsher treatment her point came through. Revealed as a “self-absorbed shrew” who was capable of prevaricating anything and everything to achieve her purposes, she served as a competent foil for the purposes of this mystery.

It was heartening that Lady Phoebe’s maid Eva was given a louder and stronger voice in this installment. Always a steadying influence she is also shown to be a deep thinker and puzzle master. Not to minimize this well thought out and intricate murder mystery, due to Maxwell’s skillful depiction, I realized that I enjoyed the characters and their interactions as much as if not more than the plot. The Author’s Note was enlightening and while I brought substantial knowledge about Chanel the woman to this reading, I would have liked to have had the information in the Note before reading this book.

Thank you Kensington Publishing and NetGalley for this copy.

Lady Phoebe has been invited to visit her sister Julia. Accompanied by her lady’s maid Eva, they arrive to find Julia’s favorite designer, Coco Chanel, is on hand as well, apparently with the idea of dressing Phoebe more suitably.

Coco takes over the house with an assistant, a clothing mistress, a current lover who is an Earl, two models, photographer, makeup artist, and large tents on the grounds for an outdoor photo session. Of course, they are all staying at the house — without ever being invited. Julia is appalled but thinks they won’t stay long. She’s wrong.

Suzette has been Coco’s model for several years, but for this outing, a younger model, India, is making her debut. She is a natural where Suzanne is temperamental and fussy.
Rumors fly about the relationships among the group. Coco has had many men in her life and is campaigning to marry the Earl. He thinks he is a gift to womankind and is willing to share the wealth of his charm. The photographer and Suzanne were an item or maybe it was the makeup artist. It’s all very scandalous.

When smoke is detected in the house, everyone rushes outside while the men search for the location of the fire, only to find out, it’s only smoke. It’s in Suzanne’s room and she’s dead. The flue to the chimney was closed and a footman is blamed.

Julia hopes Coco will pack up and leave after such a horrible death of one of her party, but she goes on as if nothing happened. The police rule it an accidental malfunction of the fireplace combined with Suzanne’s drunkenness. Phoebe thinks not, and she and Eva set out to solve what they are sure was murder. This case is a difficult one with a time limit. Once the fashionistas depart, there’s no hope of finding the truth.

This is book eight in the series, set after the Great War, when times are tough and so are the people, gentry or not. Phoebe has an inquisitive mind and so does Eva. Between them, a killer doesn’t have a chance. I enjoy seeing strong women follow protocol where they must, chase clues and facts where they can, and not just survive but adapt and thrive.

This was a well-laid out and well-paced mystery. There was nothing particularly bad about this one but it just didn’t grab me and pull me into the story. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve only read one other book in this series and I’ve lost a lot of back story or if the story itself just wasn’t appealing to me. There is a lot of research that went into the book and I did learn more about Coco Chanel, fashion, and WWII in France. I will revisit this title again once I catch up on the series.

There's something about the author's writing that grabs me and keeps me engaged in the story.

I enjoy the relationship between Phoebe (the Lady) and Eva (the Maid) and how they work together to investigate and gather information.

Phoebe is invited to visit her sister Julia and her husband Theo. Things have been strained between the two of them since their father's death in the war, so she welcomes the opportunity She doesn't know that fashion designer Coco Chanel and her beau (the brother of a schoolmate of Theo's) are also visiting. Julia discovered Chanel's designs when she and Theo were in Paris earlier. Julia and Theo are surprised when Chanel invites her staff to do a camera shoot at their estate. There's quite a bit of drama and infighting amongst Chanel's staff, as well as between Chanel and her beau. And it all comes to a head when the main mannequin (model) is found dead. There are many possible suspects and Phoebe and Eva do their best to discover what really happened.

The historical aspect of the mystery adds a lot of interest as well. It is a very well written mystery.

I received an ARC from the publisher via Netgalley but the opinion expressed is my own.

I enjoyed this mystery set in English high society, featuring Lady Phoebe, a modern women in the 1920s wanting to assert her independence. When Chanel arrives and takes over her sister’s house with her boyfriend, her models and her employees, it leads to disaster. When one of Chanel’s models, Suzette, is murdered, Phoebe and her maid Eva start to delve into the reasons. Every employee has a reason to murder Suzette, including jealousy, blackmail and money, so it is difficult to find the truth.

A likeable, considerate heroine, exciting story, and interesting historical details about Chanel and the 1920s made this a pleasure to read. I will certainly look for the rest of the series!

I received this ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is my first in Alyssa Maxwell's series featuring sleuthing duo, Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford. It was an engrossing read and I didn't figure out the identity of the murderer before Phoebe. I am eager to read the earlier books in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Kensington Books via NetGalley and this review is my own unbiased opinion.

Alyssa Maxwell brings the fashion designer Coco Chanel into her fictional world in this latest addition to the Lady and Lady's maid series. Chanel is not a likeable character, and from what I've read about her, this is an accurate portrayal of a somewhat controversial individual.

I particularly like how Maxwell writes from the point of view of her two characters who have very different standings in their world, but also have a very close relationship. The "lady" is Lady Phoebe. Her sister and her fiance have some interesting character developments in this book that make me quite excited to read the next in the series.

This is the 8th book in the series, and although it can be read as a standalone, knowing the backgrounds of the characters make it more fun.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Cotswolds - 1921

Phoebe Renshaw is visiting her sister, Julia, the Marchioness of Allerton, her husband, Theo, and their baby son. As always, Phoebe has her faithful lady’s maid, Eva, with her. Phoebe and Julia are the granddaughters of the Earl and Countess of Wroxley and Phoebe’s home is the Foxwood Hall estate. Phoebe’s longtime beau, Owen, is also visiting. It is nice for them to have time together to catch up.

They find that Julia is hosting the well-known French modiste, Mademoiselle Gabrielle Chanel, who goes by Coco. She is there along with her beau Ralph Hewitt-Davies, the Earl of Chesterhaven. Coco is preparing for an upcoming fashion show and is having a photographer take photos of her two models, India Vale and Suzette Villiers on Julia’s beautiful estate. The two young models do not care for one another so there is animosity between them.

When the group goes on a horse ride, India is injured when she and Suzette both try to jump a hedge. Later, Suzette is found dead in her room from what appears to be smoke inhalation from a closed flue on her fireplace. Everyone feels it is an accident but the police have arrived to investigate. Of course, Phoebe and Eva cannot keep away from the puzzle and conduct their own investigation.

As always, this author keeps the reader guessing right up to the end as she makes us wonder who did what as we try to solve the mystery ourselves. Phoebe and Eva are great characters, but I can certainly say that I don’t like Julia as too often she acts like a shrew. Enjoy the mystery.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is the third book by this author that I have read but only the first in this series of 8. I found it was easy to read as a stand-alone and enjoyed the relationship between the lady and the lady’s maid. It was unusual and they worked well together. I found the story to be filled with a lot of descriptions of clothing, which if you love fashion would be perfect for you. For me, I felt it took up too much of the story and didn’t really add anything to the mystery. I felt the story flowed nicely but I didn’t think it was as good as her other murder mysteries. I would like to read more in this series. I received this as an ARC from NetGalley and freely give my review.

After the great war when fashion and parties had only been a memory, Lady Phoebe and Eva, her lady's maid called upon Phoebe's sister Julia, only to discover that the house was filled with unexpected guests that had tagged along with fashion designer Coco Chanel.

Murder and mayhem is an unexpected addition to the all ready chaotic situation that has happened since the guests has arrived.

A fun and witty book that will have you intrigued until the end.

I like this author's books. The mysteries always keep me guessing. I like the characters and the setting. Progress is always made in the character's lives.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoy this series! Phoebe and Eva make a great team and I love having the story told from both perspectives. The storyline is intriguing and there are so many potential suspects that I couldn’t stop reading! I had to know who wanted Suzette dead and why. I also liked having Phoebe’s love interest Owen in the story. He is quite a distraction for Phoebe which makes her character more relatable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

It is a well written story with many fascinating and sometimes even exasperating characters. The plot is well written and the love the use pf a real life character who turns out not to be very nice. Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing. I wasn't aware that this was book eight so could be read as a stand alone very similar to T E Kinsey's books. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily