I have read and reviewed three previous books in this series:
I missed one book in this series thus far and have liked it. This particular instalment was the best of the lot. The character of Lady Eleanor Swift has just gotten better with every passing book. In this adventure by the sea, I believed in her deduction skills as an individual and felt she played a much more significant role in the conclusion of it all than in any of the previous ones.
Lady Swift, still uneasy with the power her title affords her, is taking her entire staff on holiday. On this holiday, she is booked in the Grand Hotel while the three women of her staff are staying at a friend’s place. Unfortunately for her, as soon as she enters the hotel, the most unfortunate sight meets her eyes. If you pick this up without reading the summary, the first twist is a pretty dramatic one (something the blurb should not be revealing!). What follows is a very tightly plotted mystery. We have all the suspects under close scrutiny, and every new addition brings something new to the analysis. Eleanor enjoys eating throughout the caper, as does her dog.
The humourous instances, conversational sparring were a lot more nuanced, and I enjoyed them all here. Our lead protagonist and her trusty butler are amateur detectives who systematically eliminate information most appropriately. I had not meant to read it all in one day, but I got caught up in the myriad of emotions tossed into this particular adventure that I read it in almost one sitting. I am now looking forward to whatever is next in store for Lady Swift.
I received this book as an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.
