20th in this long-running series, Mrs. Craven is the one who wants Kitty to get involved in solving a mystery! Matt and Kitty travel with her to try to locate the missing sister of one of her staff in the guise of being extra security for an engagement gathering. I couldn’t quite figure out the villain in this mystery, changing my mind several times. The story felt a bit drawn out and slow paced, but enjoyable. Matt’s side mystery played a very small part in the story, while I wanted to know more and wished we had gotten more information. I hope it becomes more central to the next book in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of the book.

3.5 stars

I always enjoy this long-running series featuring husband and wife investigators Matt and Kitty in an English between the wars setting.

They are helping a friend of Kitty's grandmother's and so are in attendance for a grand manor weekend and engagement party. Part of their investigation involves the disappearance of a maid. It isn't long before they discover the body and have to figure out who and why.

Matt and Kitty are a good team, logical, non-dramatic and willing to be nosy. The waning of the old aristocratic houses and the post war changes in British society add to the setting. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

💖Review: Murder at the English Manor

🥞Rate: 5 Stars!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

💌Praise: Kitty and Matt are my favorite mystery solving couple! First off! I love the cover! I love all of Helena's book covers but this one with its twilight background and kitty holding a smart martini glass in her hands made me realize right off the bat this is going to be the ultimate page turner! (Well all of Helena's books are page turners!)

🥃 Kitty and Matt have been invited by Mrs. Craven to a english manor where there have been some suspicious activity going on! Including a murder! She asked our couple to help investigate and make sure everything is tip top shape before a big wedding! Gasp!! (Mrs. Craven truly is one of my favorites!)

⛱️ I stayed up late into the night wondering which character were carrying what secrets now! The new cast of characters are a quirky bunch! Some are artistic! Some are very traditional! And the ones that are in between definitely had me second-guessing their motives and their ideals! Are they innocent? Or are they hiding something?

🧁Characters: Mrs craven's old friend Lady Sarah is definitely someone I thought of Dame Maggie Smith playing! She's quick to the point and her dry humor was extremely entertaining! Lady Amelia has my heart because she is such a sweet artist! But once again Kitty and Matt are my favorite! From every eavesdrop on whispered conversations to the details of a beautiful engagement ball this book has it all! Matt having to solve a second case involving a missing friend of his from back then becomes more interesting as this story progresses!

🌃Extra; Helena is pen to parchment magic! I will be re reading this book and looking forward to other books of hers! I'm very thankful to have been selected to read this treasure early!

Part of a series featuring Kitty and Matt,a sleuthing couple . Characters are very interesting and the story kept me going.

Kitty and Matt are asked to visit Markham Hall, to inquire what has happened to a maid who has gone missing. During their stay they find out a there is a lot more going on then they realized. Then Kitty finds a body!

This was a fun quick read and I'm looking forward to reading more by this author!

In MURDER AT THE ENGLISH MANOR, written by Helena Dixon, Kitty and her grandmother visit Mrs. Millicent Craven for tea at her home in Dartmouth in May of 1937. Agnes, the sister of Mrs. Cravens’s maid, has disappeared, and Kitty is asked to attend a pre-wedding ball at Markham Hall to discreetly enquire about Agnes’s disappearance.

I find this book a bit long-winded, but I still enjoy reading it. The characters are interesting and well-formed. I appreciate the 1930s setting. In addition to the mystery, I enjoy catching up with Kitty and Matt. There are quite a few books in this series (twenty, so far), and I still look forward to reading more. Thank you, Bookouture and NetGalley, for the chance to read and review an advance reader copy.

This is the 20th book in this lovely cozy crime series, featuring Kitty and her husband Matt who are once again amateur sleuthing.

This is a really lovely series which gives the reader the opportunity to grow to love the characters and has a warm and welcoming atmosphere and builds on the relationships between the characters. Each book has a different case, while a thread shows ongoing stories that run through several novels. The relationship between Matt and Kitty is central to this series and in this book we see them trying to solve a murder while acting also as a protective service. Matt is also trying to solve a case from his past, which is moving towards a conclusion.

Great writing and familiar likeable characters with a sound plot and interesting storyline. One to recommend and definitely start from book one to enjoy the characters development.

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

MURDER AT THE ENGLISH MANOR is the twentieth novel in the Miss Underhay Mystery series by HELENA DIXON. It is a most enjoyable read set in the English countryside in 1937, with interesting characters and a clever plot that will keep you guessing.
The story starts with the disappearance of Agnes Jones, a maid at Markham Hall, the home of Lord and Lady Faversham. Mrs Craven, a relative by marriage of the Favershams’, asks Kitty and Matt Bryant of the Torbay Private Investigative Services to attend a ball at which the engagement of the Favershams’ eldest son, Sebastian to an American heiress, Ruby Conway is to be annuunced, in order to find out what has happened to the young woman. The family are counting on Ruby’s money to avoid losing Markham Hall………
I really enjoyed this charming and easy read and am looking forward to the next novel in the series.
I was given a free copy of the book by NetGalley from Bookouture. The opinions in this review are completely my own.

Kitty and Matt are not only good private investigators but a delightful couple to spend time with. No matter what is going on, including murder and mayhem. They seem to keep their cool and carry on, although Kitty would dearly love to tell Inspector Lewis off, I'm sure. His lack of respect for her sleuthing skills is long standing, however, and Kitty (and Matt) seem to have learned to cope with him well. That said, they were a bit surprised when he showed up to investigate the murder of the maid at Markham Hall since it's out of his usual realm. There at the invite of Lord and Lady Faversham, perhaps prompted by Mrs. Craven, to add to the security of the gathering to celebrate their eldest son's engagement to a rich American heiress. This seemed to be a common during this time period, which is 1937, England. It's obviously a marriage of convenience, with the daughter getting a fancy title while the Faversham family gets a much needed ingestion of cash. Let's just say Markham Hall is showing its age.

Although Matt isn't distracted long from the long running quest of the series to discover the secrets behind Redvers Palmerston's mysterious appearance after seemingly been dead for years. More on that to come, I'm sure, in future books. The primary focus is to discover what happened to Agnes, sister to Mrs. Craven's maid Dora. That answer is discovered by the rather unpleasant discovery of the body by Kitty while out walking, Bertie, her spaniel who seems to have a nose for finding bodies. There are multiple suspects, mostly focused on those who were there for the engagement announcement. Family secrets seem to abound and rumors of gambling debts, break-ins, and blackmail circulate. In the meantime, what the heck is the American bride-to-be up to? Just one more mystery for Kitty and Matt to solve. Now, if they can just keep Mrs. Craven from getting into mischief/danger. Will the wedding happen? Why does the potential groom's brother take off to stay with friends? What was Agnes up to when she was killed? Who....oh, more than enough teasers.

It's an intriguing mystery with lots of twists and turns and I didn't really figure out whodunit until it was revealed, fun to try to figure out. I definitely have enjoyed getting to know Kitty and Matt better every book and following Matt's efforts to sort out the Redvers' mystery. Although run-down, the setting of Markham Hall adds a touch of upper-class life to the story while the murder itself is, sadly, not the least bit respectful of wealth and class. Thanks to #Bookouture and #NetGalley for initially introducing me to Kitty and Matt and allowing me this early peek at their current case and progress(?) on the Redvers' front. Definitely looking forward to the next installment after that ending.

When Kitty is summoned to afternoon tea by Mrs Craven, she knows something is brewing! Having packed for a weekend away with husband Matt and their dog Bertie they begin their search to discover what happened to Mrs Craven's housekeeper's sister who worked at Markham Hall while also passing an expert eye over the security of the estate. Lord and Lady Faversham are preparing for a party to celebrate the engagement of their eldest son to a rich American socialite, but tension is in the air and when Kitty and Bertie discover a body she knows things are definitely going to get worse before they get better 

This, amazingly, is book twenty in Helena Dixon’s excellent Miss Underhay Mystery Series and I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, Bookouture, but the opinions expressed are my own. I thoroughly enjoyed this, was sure I had the killer identified and was completely wrong!  I can absolutely recommend this book to any fan of a quintessential British cosy historical crime series.

Kitty and Matt are asked to visit Markham Hall in Bovey Tracey, to track down what has happened to a maid there who has gone missing. Staying the weekend, they realise that the Hall’s owners are financially strapped and reliant on Sebastian marrying Ruby, daughter of a wealthy American, whose money will secure the Hall’s and family’s futures.

And then Kitty finds a body…

This is the twentieth in the cosy historical mystery series, and delivers another solid entry which sees Kitty, Matt and Bertie the dog solve another mystery - this time with Mrs Craven on board too. It’s a decent mystery with lots of description, and will appeal to anyone who likes cosy historical crime.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review.

I was in desperate need of a break and was very pleased to see a new Kitty Underhay novel by Helena Dixon available on NetGalley. As a fan of this series, this latest installment does not disappoint. It was a fast, easy, and engaging read that had me flipping the pages. This series is just a lovely escape to another time and another country. I loved the fresh way the author resolved the mystery in this one too.

Thank you to Bookouture for the advanced reading copy.