A Murderous Marriage - A Review & Giveaway

Review

A MURDEROUS MARRIAGE by Alyssa Maxwell

The Fourth Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery

A wedding should be a happy event, but that's not the case in the Isle of Wight. Everyone knows it's not a love match between Lady Julia Renshaw and the viscount forty years her senior. Despite her sisters protestations that she can and should walk away, Julia marries Gil Townsend to ensure the coffers of the family home are full. The nuptials seem a hasty occasion with the reception on board the yacht named after the groom's first wife. An overly familiar secretary, an angry sister of the groom, a concerned best man, and unpleasant weather add to the dismal affair. When the groom goes missing the following morning and is soon found drowned, suspicions fall on the new bride. When her sister, Julia, is taken to the police station, Phoebe knows she can't just stand idly by. It's up to Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady's maid, Eva, to prove Julia's innocence and find the real murderer.

A MURDEROUS MARRIAGE looks at familial obligation and its ramifications. Julia marries to help her family and nearly destroys it as well as herself.

I really enjoyed this historical mystery which also serves as a reminder that single women didn't have the freedom I presently enjoy. I love the relationship between Eva and, not only Phoebe, but Julia as well. While Eva is a maid, her standing is much closer to one of the family and her thoughts and assistance looked to and depended upon. The characters here are a wonderful mix, with many suspects evidencing nasty behavior. While I admire Phoebe's independence and Eva's intelligence, my favorite character in this fourth Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery is Hetta, Lady Julia's new maid. There's more than meets the eye with this Swiss woman with limited English skills and I find her a fun and delightful new character.

A MURDEROUS MARRIAGE is an engaging historical mystery that illustrates the importance of family and duty by both the upper and working classes in 1920 England.

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A Murderous Marriage (A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery) by Alyssa Maxwell

About the Book

 

A Murderous Marriage (A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery)  

Cozy Mystery 4th in Series  

Kensington (January 29, 2019)  

Hardcover: 304 pages 

Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, are preparing for a wedding, but it may not be the happy occasion everyone hopes for . . .

Since the Great War, some family fortunes have suffered, including those of the Renshaws. Despite being the granddaughter of an earl, Julia Renshaw is under pressure to marry for money—and has settled for Gilbert Townsend, a viscount and a wealthy industrialist. He is decades older than Julia, and it’s clear to her sister Phoebe—and to Eva, who has been like a surrogate mother to the girls—that this is not a love match. Nevertheless, the wedding takes place—and in a hurry.

At the reception aboard the groom’s yacht, there appears to be tension between Gil and several guests: his best man, a fellow veteran of the Boer War; his grouchy spinster sister; and his current heir, a nervous young cousin named Ernest. The bride is also less than pleased when she discovers that her honeymoon will be more crowded than expected—with Gil’s pretty secretary, among others, coming along.

That very night, Julia pounds on her sister’s door, brandishing a bandaged hand and reporting a hot-tempered outburst on her new husband’s part. Julia is feeling doubt and regret about her hasty decision, but returns to the boat. Then the next morning, before the yacht can depart the harbor, Gil’s body is found in the water below—and Phoebe and Eva must discover who pushed him over . . . before the Renshaws’ social standing is irreparably stained by Julia’s arrest for his murder . . .

About the Author

Alyssa Maxwell knew from an early age that she wanted to be a novelist. Growing up in New England and traveling to Great Britain fueled a passion for history, while a love of puzzles of all kinds drew her to the mystery genre. She and her husband reside in Florida, where she loves to watch BBC productions, sip tea in the afternoons, and delve into the past. You can learn more about Alyssa and her books at www.alyssamaxwell.com.

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