The allure of the Mitford sisters drew me into the series, and I will admit that it has been a fun series to follow. This was an audiobook that I was given access to by the publisher via Netgalley. I was surprised at how well the narrator did in personifying the specific way the Mitfords spoke, with an Edwardian drawl.

This mystery was focused on the last to be highlighted in the series (six sisters, means six books with one spotlighting each) and this allowed the reader to spend time in Chatsworth, the estate of the Duchess of Devonshire, also known as Debo Mitford. A vast and slightly decrepit manor home means spooky things must happen, and while our protagonist, the former nanny Louisa comes to stay with her young daughter for Christmas with the members of the family not dead, in jail or in America, a mystery unfolds that she tries to solve.

It's a historical mystery series that starts before WW1 and continues into the war years. I admit that I have enjoyed it, but it's also fair to say that the Mitfords weren't necessary to the story, other than as a means of drawing attention to the series and providing a setting or backdrop. And I say this as someone who tends to follow anything about the family.

What a delight it is to discover this mystery series. I had not previously read any of the earlier Mitford Murder mysteries by Jessica Fellowes, but I have read work by and biographies about the real Mitford sisters, whose life stories were at times almost as improbable as the most outlandish speculative fiction, so I began this book with great enthusiasm and a slight amount of wariness. I needn't have hesitated for even a moment, though, as Fellowes does not disappoint.

She introduces the fascinating, eccentric Mitford sisters into a fictional set of murder stories, and, at least in this particular mystery, also includes other real-life characters, here, one of John F. Kennedy’s sisters, Kathleen (Kick), who was a close friend and sister-in-law of Deborah (Debo) Mitford--after Kick’s husband, Billy, died in the war, only three months after their wedding, the line of succession in the family changed, and Debo’s husband--Billy’s younger brother, Andrew--became Duke of Devonshire. Kick herself died only a few years later, at the age of 28, in a plane crash). These characters are beautifully drawn, and very true to reports of their real personalities, and the investigation is led by a well-developed, fictional ex-nursery maid for the family, and now turned friend, detective Louisa Cannon.

She finds herself looking into the murder of an local woman during a Christmas holiday gathering at Chatsworth, House, which was the real home the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire. By setting the plot in 1941, the author weaves into her story the turbulence of the period, as it unfolded within the Mitford family itself. Several members of the family are not in attendance this Christmas, as they would not have been in real life: Diana, who had married the fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley, was at that time in prison; Jessica, known as Decca, had already become a communist and decamped to America; and brother Tom was in the service; another sister, Pamela, is also not part of the cast of characters here.

Another Sister, Unity, who had followed Diana into a foolish infatuation with the fascist cause, even spending time in Germany and meeting Hitler, was, in real life as well as in this book, permanently brain damaged at that time from a botched suicide attempt. The members of the Mitford family that are main characters here are Nancy, Debo, and the Mitford parents, known to the family as Farv and Muv.

The author beautifully and with a true researcher's gusto captures a moment of English history, a fascinating cast of characters, an interesting mystery, as well as the details of daily life during the second world war. I will be immediately reading the first five books of the series. Highly recommend.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an opportunity to listen to the audio book. The narrator, Rachel Atkins, is terrific, and I look forward to hearing her performance in other books in the series.

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the narrator and felt that they went good with the story. I hope to read more by this author in the future. I really liked the main characters and the Mitford sisters!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and to the author for the ARC!

Thank you MacMillan Audio for this ARC of The Mitford Secret. Thank you Jessica Fellowes for a wonderful book I read in one day. The narrator did a stunning job! I love historical fiction, with a bit of some “real” characters. Louisa and her daughter were an integral part of this story set during WWII based in London. Amazing descriptions of air raids, German spies, and intrigue. The mystery of the maid, exposed by the seance, candles and disbelief among the characters was intriguing. And this story just got better and better with some eye opening secrets exposed during the last half of the book. I most definitely recommend this book, for a lover of historical fiction, and I would also recommend it to a lot of book lovers as a fresh new look at something different than their normal read!! 5 stars for this book, and many thanks to Jessica Fellowes.

Some upstairs/downstairs drama, a secret child, and WWII spies. What else does a cozy mystery need. I likes the storyline and that Louisa has human faults - jumping to conclusions, dredging up drama, etc. It’s very similar to the Maisie Dobbs series. I wish there was a little more about the family itself.

The narration was great and I thought the personalities became so distinct and believable.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #MacMillanAudio for the advance copy of the publication!

One of my favorite authors and series. I highly recommended to read in order to understand the links of characters but not necessary. This one did not disappoint. The author has an amazing way of creating a storyline and to keep you guessing until the end. It’s a must read.

I didn't finish this. It felt like too odd of an amalgamation of historical fiction and a mystery -- it just didn't work for me.

Book Title: Mitford Secret
Series: Mitford Murders #6
Author: Jessica Fellows
Narrator: Rachel Atkins
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Genre: Historical Fiction
Pub Date: January 17, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 Stars

This series features Louisa Sullivan who was the maid to the Mitford sisters. It is told from her POV.

Deborah who is the youngest Mitford daughter has invited her family and Louisa to Chatsworth, for the Christmas season. Louisa’s husband Guy has remanded in London as he part of the Home Guard.

One evening a psychic is there and tells them a maid was murdered twenty-five year ago in this house and although she is a psychic she can prove it.
Louisa a former maid finds this very interesting and decides to investigate. The family would prefer to keep their family secrets hidden.

Love the author’s historical notes at the end of the story.

Nothing too excited about this story ~ I like Louisa and found the story enjoyable.

Want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for January 17, 2023