A “modern” classic British murder mystery…
I’m a fan of classic British murder mysteries, and of historical murder mysteries. So I was happy to get a chance to read a review copy of this “modern” version of a classic British murder mystery, which is the first in Verity Bright’s Lady Eleanor Swift series.
Although written today, A Very English Murder is set in the time between the wars, and has lots of details that seem appropriate for the period. I was particularly amused when Ellie bought a bicycle to ride around Chipstone, but then had to deal (with the help of the bicycle shop) with how to keep her skirts away from the wheels. And by Lancelot’s early open-cockpit airplane, which necessitated the wearing of goggles by the pilot. The background added a lot to my enjoyment.
I also liked the plot, even though I was pretty sure I had guessed whodunnit quite a while before the end. But the story was engaging and kept me reading, just to find out if I really had figured it out or not. The only downside I found was that I thought the writing could have been a teeny bit sharper. There weren’t big grammar mistakes or anything, though, just a little lack of crispness, and I was still perfectly happy reading it for the story and for the historical elements.
Please keep in mind that I try to avoid star-flation a bit, and not to give too many five-star ratings. So four stars from me is a solid “read-this-book” rating. And my thanks to the publisher and NetGalley, who provided me with the review copy, in exchange for my honest review.
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