The third in the Miss Morton mystery series. This is a fun, quick-reading series with delightful continuing characters. I have to say though that my favorite character is not Miss Caroline Morton, but rather her employer, Mrs. Frogerton. Mrs Frogerton is unapologetically "new money," runs her own business with the assistance of her son, and very protective of her employee, Caroline Morton, who has been hired to smooth the way for Mrs. Frogerton's daughter to join "the ton" and hopefully snag a titled husband. Mrs. Frogerton is the strongest personality in this third entry in the series, and I really hope to see more of her in the future.

This is the third book in the Miss Morton Mystery series. It is a historical mystery set in Regency England. Lady Caroline Morton has been summoned to the office of her family's solicitors with regards to a second will from her late father, the Earl of Morton, suddenly coming to light. The first will indicated that her father had squandered his estate and the dowries of his two daughters. Thus, there was nothing for them to inherit making them dependent on extended family. Caroline was forced to take a position as a lady's companion to make ends meet and her younger sister, Susan, was sent to a boarding school.

Caroline's employer, Mrs. Frogerton, has taken a deep interest in Caroline and is very supportive of her endeavors, so she accompanies Caroline to the solicitor's office. Upon arriving at the office, they discover that the attorney handling the second will has disappeared and they don't know where he or the will is. He later ends up murdered. Other suspicious deaths follow.

There is a lot going on in this story. Caroline and her sister inherit 500 pounds each from their deceased Aunt Eleanor. Susan runs away from school to be with her greedy cousin Mabel who is trying to get her hands on their inheritance from their Aunt Eleanor. Caroline has two suitors, Dr, Harris and Inspector Ross, that are showing an interest in courting her. Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton are earnestly trying to find the connection between the missing will and the murders that keep happening.

This mystery has a cast of interesting characters and the plot moves along at a steady pace. Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, and the author for an Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance
After her father’s death, Lady Caroline is left penniless. She becomes a companion to Mrs. Frogerton who treats her very well. Two years after her father’s death, his lawyer contacts her about a new will.
She meets with Mr. Smith but before she sees the new will, he is attacked, his office ransacked and the will is missing.
This is the third book in the Miss Morton Mysteries. It is the first one for me and I found it charming. It was a quick read and flowed well. I enjoyed the mix of mystery and regency.
I would read more by this author and of the series.

Summoned to London after her father’s death, Caroline uncovers a hidden will and a secret fortune, only to be thrust into a dangerous game of inheritance and deceit. When her lawyer is murdered and her sister disappears, Caroline must navigate a web of suspicious characters, including a love triangle, to uncover the truth and claim her rightful inheritance.

This fun and intriguing mystery held my interest with its many twists. The book is part of a series best read in order.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

well the book started with one plot line and like 3 more were added which was confusing especially the one about caroline's sister it didnt fit in my opinion , im going to assume its going to be a ongoing stiry line in a series but all is well with the mystery to thr main plot.

3.5 out of 5 Stars

After the suicide of her spendthrift father, Lady Caroline Morton found herself orphaned, penniless, homeless, and with the care of her much younger sister. What is an intelligent, vibrant, and intrepid young lady to do in such a situation? She found herself a position as companion to an equally intelligent, intrepid, and boisterous woman. Mrs. Frogerton, a rich as Croesus mill owner, wanted Caroline’s help with guiding her daughter, Miss Dorothy Frogerton, through a London season with the hopes of landing an acceptable husband. Dorothy, you see, wanted a titled gentleman. Since Lady Caroline, as the daughter of an earl, had the manners and contacts to see they received invitations to all of the right events, it was a match made in heaven. Little did they know – they both had a knack for solving crimes – particularly murders!

This book finds us toward the end of the season when Dorothy decides on a beau who clearly seems to care about her. That means there are many things for Lady Caroline to worry about – the wedding, her sister, and what she will do after her employment with Mrs. Frogerton ends and Dorothy is married. She doesn’t need any more worries, so she ignores the first letter from their family solicitor. So what if her father had made a second will? There were NO assets, none, even their doweries were gone, so what difference could a second will make? Evidently, someone thought it made a lot of difference because people began to die, the will disappeared from the Lawyer’s office, and Lady Caroline was attacked and threatened. Who could possibly be interested in that second will? Now that it has disappeared, maybe things will just quiet down and go back to normal. Or not!

I have always liked romance in my mysteries, and so far, this series has none. We have some characters who could be potential suitors, but none who seem to stir Lady Caroline’s blood. We have Dr. Harris who has been in all three books, but I don’t care much for him – at least not for Caroline. Then there is Inspector Ross who chose to work at Scotland Yard much to the objections of his titled family. We were introduced to another potential suitor in this book – Mr. Samuel Frogerton – son of Lady Caroline’s employer. I liked him and I could see a match there because he isn’t the typical doting sycophant – he challenges and discusses with Lady Caroline. We did rule out one potential suitor though. I just need some romance – and soon. 😊

I enjoyed this book and the mystery was good, but it just wasn’t my favorite. Lady Caroline seemed to be ‘less’ in this book – less decisive, less vibrant, less intelligent – just less. Then, in the middle of the story, a sub-plot popped up with Lady Caroline’s sister, and that sort of bogged things down. I’m sure it was to move things along in Caroline’s relationship with her sister, but everything just seemed to go on hold. So, while I enjoyed the book, I wouldn’t care to read it a second time. I will, however, look forward to the next book and hope Caroline is back to her full vibrance and that we get some romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

At the end of the last book in this series, Caroline's aunt had died. This book opens with an invitation to her aunt's funeral as well as a reminder that Caroline needs to get in touch with her father's lawyer about his will. Since her father was rather profligate, Caroline does not feel the need to rush over since she is fairly certain it will just be the lawyer wanting her to pay some of her late father's debts.
The news at her aunt's funeral is not what Caroline expected. She and her sister both receive some inheritance. The news at her father's lawyer's is also unexpected. Both sets of information are going to lead to some harrowing experiences for Miss Morton... and her sister.

Four stars
Miss Morton #3
Follows Miss Morton And The Spirits Of The Underworld
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Publishing and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Was there a second will? Had the Earl of Morton somehow squirreled away money that would be most welcomed by Caroline and her sister Susan? Well, someone has killed because of this and Caroline and her employer Mrs. Frogerton are on the case in this twisty and entertaining mystery. In the past I've liked the characters more than the mysteries but Lloyd has upped her game here. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a good addition to the series but entirely enjoyable as a standalone as well.

I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

I love Catherine Lloyd’s historical mysteries. Her new series is the Miss Morton Mysteries. You can see my reviews for book 1: Miss Morton and the English House Party Murder and book 2: Miss Morton and the Spirits of the Underworld, which were both thoroughly enjoyable. I’ve been looking forward to book 3: Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance, and was not disappointed.

Miss Caroline Morton was the daughter of a peer, but he gambled away the family fortune then killed himself rather than face the shame of bankruptcy. That left Caroline and her younger sister Susan in the lurch, dependent on the charity of relatives. Caroline took matters into her own hands and found a position as a companion to a wealthy businesswoman (a commoner), Mrs. Frogerton.

Mrs. Frogerton is a no-nonsense, outspoken woman who hired Caroline not only as a companion, but also to help launch her daughter into Society. Miss Frogerton is determined to snare herself a titled gentleman. Caroline’s connections and advice are invaluable.

Unfortunately, Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton keep stumbling upon murder victims and becoming embroiled in solving the who-dunnits.

In the current novel, Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance, Caroline learns that she and her sister have inherited tidy sums from her aunt (a fact which makes her sister prey to an unscrupulous relative) and that her father may have made a second will before he died. Although Caroline believes he had nothing to bequeath, others are far more interested in what the will has to say. The plot thickens when the clerk making a copy of the will is murdered. Caroline has another mystery to solve – with the help of Mrs. Frogerton and two men who have aided her in the past, Inspector Ross and Dr. Harris.

Both the Inspector and Dr. Harris are drawn to Caroline, but show their interest in very different ways, and I’m curious to see who (if either of them) will eventually win her. A third man enters the picture, Mr. DeBloom, who pays her aggressive attention, trying to win her over by confiding that his mother swindled Caroline’s father, and he is determined to repay her. And then, a fourth man shows up, Mrs. Frogerton’s son, who shares his mother’s bluntness, and also her commonsense – once he convinces himself that Caroline is not out to swindle his mother.

In addition to the murder, Caroline’s sister goes missing, and it is all-hands-on-deck to find and retrieve her.

The plotting is complex, but the story moves right along. The characters are well-drawn. The resolution is satisfying. And the ending sets us up for book four!

Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance is a great read and definitely lives up to its title!

The twists, turns, and romance/would be suitors keep me reading. I couldn't help but root for the protagonist Caroline, especially after she goes through such tragic situations. The characters of characters and the mystery was well done, and I love the historical setting of the story.

My thanks to NetGallery and Kensington Publishing for this digital copy of this book for my review!

historical-places-events, historical-mystery, historical-novel, history-and-culture, British, secrets, series, amateur-sleuth, cozy-mystery, Scotland Yard, sly-humor, threats, investigations, fraud, murders, inheritance, reduced-circumstances, red-herrings, paid-companion, unpleasant-relative, unpleasant-guests, unpleasant-suspect, comic-relief, family-drama, family-dynamics, family-history, businesswoman, witty, theft*****

Penniless Lady Caroline Morton and her younger sister, Susan, are caught in a web of deceit and murder. Susan is petulantly opposed to the rural boarding school she is at and still believes that there is real money that is being kept from her. Caroline is well aware that her father squandered even more than he had and she is currently a paid companion to the extraordinary forceful Mrs Frogerton in London. The story begins when the solicitors contact Caroline and gets rolling with the first theft and murder. The author is diabolically adept at portraying each character so clearly that I wanted to clap for some and smack some others. Unputdownable!
I requested and received a free temporary digital review copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#MissMortonMysteriesBk3

"Social standing is everything in Regency England - and no one knows better than Miss Caroline Morton, a lady's companion from a disgraced line. But when she has a chance to claim what's rightfully hers, the one obstacle in her way is a dangerous murder mystery...

Miss Caroline has doubts when she receives an urgent invitation from a London law firm to discuss her late father's estate. After all, the dishonored Earl of Morton died without a pound sterling to pass on to his two daughters. But while immersing herself in helping Mrs. Frogerton's capricious daughter navigate the high social season, Caroline meets with a cagey lawyer, Mr. Smith, who shares life-altering news - the earl composed a second will, leaving behind an undisclosed fortune.

Mrs. Frogerton, however, is thoroughly unimpressed with the firm's conduct and suspicious of their true motives. Her instinct proves right when the two ladies find the office ransacked, staff in turmoil, and Mr. Smith missing. The full weight of the situation doesn't sink in until Mr. Smith dies following a brutal attack on the street - discovered with an empty envelope bearing Caroline's name in his pocket.

With a connection forming between two deaths at the firm, Caroline can't imagine why anyone would kill twice over the contents of a will. Further complicating matters is the amorous Mr. DeBloom - who claims his mother goaded the earl into making bad investments and promises to link Caroline to her inheritance - and the disappearance of Susan, her younger sister. As Caroline unwittingly becomes the center of both a criminal case and a sordid love triangle, she must tread with caution while seeking the truth...because someone is waiting to reduce her to nothing more than a signature on a dotted line."

It might be Regency but it smacks of Wilkie Collins.

This is the third book in the series and can be read as a stand alone, but some things may be unclear, such as Caroline's antipathy to Mabel.
Lady Caroline Morton's father spent his inheritance, gambled and drank himself into debt and looted his daughters' dowries. Caroline's fiance deserted her and her aunt, Lady Eleanor, took Caroline and her decade younger sister Susan in, but at a price of doing as she said. Caroline took a post as a companion to Mrs. Frogerton (a lady who came from "trade" and still runs her factories after her husband's death) to launch her daughter, Dorothy into society. Caroline is now Miss Morton and dead to society except for the occasional snub.
Out of the blue, Caroline is told that her father made a new will before he died that might have something to benefit her and her sister. As she tries to find out more, murder and theft at the solicitors office and a personal attack on Caroline cause concern. If that is not enough, disgraced cousin Mabel, (Lady Eleanor's daughter) is secretly contacting Susan at her school and poisoning her against Caroline.
All is eventually sorted out with the help of Mrs. Frogerton and her son, and friends Dr. Harris (who has NO tact at all) and Inspector Ross (another outcast from his family for not babysitting his profligate older brother).
Unwelcome suitors, South African mines, missing wills combine to make this historical mystery interesting.
I look forward to the next installment of Caroline's story as she becomes more confident in herself and how her relationships develop with her family, her employer, and her friends.

I haven’t read the first two books in the series and that made the story a bit difficult. The story carries over from what was set up, apparently, in the earlier books.

It’s a problem when a side character, Mrs. Frogerton, is a more enjoyable character than the heroine. Caroline seems rather blah. And there seems to be a set-up for two different romantic partners for her. I don’t like triangles in my romances. And it feels just like a way to drag out the series. Add in a bratty younger sister whom I just wanted to spank.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

In the third entry of this series, Caroline Morton gets some strange news: her disgraced father, the earl, might have made a second will, but everyone who knows about it ends up missing or dead. Caroline and her employer, Mrs. Frogerton, are determined to find out why a missing will is causing so much trouble. After all, the earl died by suicide to avoid his mountain of creditors, so how could a second will change anything? Honestly, Caroline wishes the whole thing would just go away.

This is a light mystery, but the story's momentum slowed down when a secondary plot about Caroline and her bratty sister, Susan, took the focus away from the main storyline. There's also a hint of romance for Caroline, with various gentlemen showing interest. I felt the book ended a bit abruptly, and I figured out the villain and motive early on. Still, this is an enjoyable series that I’ll keep reading, if only to see who finally wins Caroline's heart.

Caroline's father gambled and lost all her dowery, so Carolyn is working for Mrs Frogerton whose daughter has been participating in "the season" and now has found a husband to be. Caroline's lawyer thinks he's found another will, but when she goes to see him, the lawyer has disappeared, and later found killed. Mr. DeBloom soon starts trying to interest her in him. Caroline knows her father had made investments in the DeBloom's mines. Inspector Ross may be interested in Caroline, and she also has help from Dr. Harris. Caroline has made her younger sister Susan go to a school which her employer has been funding. However, Susan wants to be with her cousin Mabel.

Then Caroline is attacked. When Caroline is called to see the ill Mrs. DeBloom, she finds her dead. The end of the book appears to be optimistic, but one never knows! I'm sure there will be another exciting book about the trials of Caroline.

I thank NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corp. for an advance reader copy of “Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance.” All opinions and comments are my own.

Who knew that being the daughter of a disgraced earl would be so dangerous? Lucky readers will find the mysterious circumstances unfolding rather quickly in “Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance,” the third in the early Victorian historical mystery series by Catherine Lloyd.

Seems that her dead father may have not been so terribly terrible after all, as a new will has shown up that may afford some changes in to the two Morton sisters’ circumstances. But to get to this will is going to prove awfully difficult, apparently; there are people who will kill to keep this from happening. And in between dealing with this, she’s dealing with her “sister troubles” – the book is much taken up with these travails. Everything comes together in a scene that highlights Miss -- Lady -- Morton at her best, bringing some bad’uns to justice and setting the stage for changes to her own circumstances.

Is life looking up for Miss Morton? Dare we think that she will no longer be beholden to Mrs. Frogerton for everything? It’s tantalizingly obvious that author Catherine Lloyd would like us to believe that something might be lurking on the horizon. Until then, best to wait and see what else Ms. Lloyd has in store for our busy heroine. I’m sure it’ll prove to be entertaining.

Mrs Frogerton still brings the main character energy and I wish Caroline had more chances for her personality to shine. We don’t see her inner thoughts as much as I’d like. In the first books it felt like Dr. Harris was set up to be a match for Caroline, but now Inspector Ross might be the one. I can’t see where this is going because we don’t get Caroline’s thoughts on the subject. I’m not a love triangle fan, so I’m hoping this doesn’t go down that road.

The ending felt abrupt. I’m confused as to why anyone assumes Caroline will get a huge windfall. If Caroline’s father committed suicide because he was in debt, and Caroline inherits anything from him, wouldn’t that have to go to paying back the debts before she walks away with anything? She isn’t obligated to his debts, but the creditors have to be paid first before she gets anything from his estate. Everything was sold to pay creditors and Caroline had to even hide her mother’s pearls from being repossessed. So his debts have to be paid first, and then Caroline and Susan can inherit. How much would they really walk away with?

Dealing with her late father's will as well as her willful younger sister, Lady Caroline Morton certainly has her hands full! The former leads to murder, and the latter to an intervention, and all the while Lady Caroline is juggling more than one potential suitor. A charming cozy, and one I very much enjoyed, Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance is a lovely addition to the series. A+

Miss Morton mysteries by Catherine Lloyd continues with the next book in the series “Miss Morton and the Deadly Inheritance.” This series keeps getting better and better. Even though it can be enjoyed on its own, reading the earlier books adds so much more to the story. Caroline's family dynamics are explored further in this installment. She is surprised and skeptical to discover that her deceased father had a new will, and his lawyers were seeking her out. Her suspicions are stirred further when two of the law firms’ staff are killed. Could this be related to the will? Additionally, Caroline must deal with her resentful younger sister who blames her for being sent away to school and not being allowed to stay with their aunt. Overall, this is a charming historical mystery with characters that are well-developed, and a plot that keeps you captivated from start to finish. The historical backdrop is seamlessly woven into the narrative. Can't wait for the next book to come out!

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!