Barbara’s rating: 4.4 out of 5 Stars
Series: A Miss Morton Mystery #2
Publication Date: 8/22/23
Period: Victorian – 1838 London
Number of Pages: 304

It is 1838 and Miss Caroline Morton along with her employer Mrs. Frogerton and Mrs. Frogerton’s daughter Dorothy have settled into their rented London home to attend Dorothy’s first season. Dealing with the ton will be a cakewalk compared to the harrowing times they lived through in Miss Morton and the English Houseparty Murder, the first book in the series.

Dorothy is busy setting the ton on its ear with her forthright, headstrong, and very engaging manner. Yes, they sit up and take notice even though her wealth comes from – gulp – gasp – trade. Meanwhile, Mrs. Frogerton has taken an interest in spiritualism and has attended a few sessions with Madam Lavinia. She even takes Caroline with her to a session to see what she thinks about it. Very doubtful and very skeptical, Caroline wants to bring Dr. Harris to one of the sessions for his opinion. Why? Well, Madam Lavinia passed along something that no one else could have known – and she did the same with Dr. Harris. Could she genuinely have a gift? We’ll never know because Caroline and Dr. Harris found her body – and Dr. Harris was soon charged with murder.

It was so much fun watching Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton set Scotland Yard on its ear with their staunch belief in Dr. Harris and their flat-out refusal to let him be railroaded. Since Sergeant Dawson wasn’t really interested in finding the real murderer – he only wanted to close the case as quickly as possible – Caroline and Mrs. Frogerton decided they’d solve it to save their friend.

I think you’ll be genuinely surprised by the identity of the villain. You will probably wonder – what if – but you won’t be sure. There are plenty of red herrings to keep you and our erstwhile sleuths off on tangents and plenty of wit to keep you smiling and shaking your head.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can recommend it. The characters are delightful – especially Mrs. Frogerton, because, for me, she steals the show. So far, there isn’t a romance of any sort – and I really need one of those to totally enjoy the series. There is, of course, Dr. Harris from the last book. I never warmed to him in that book and the same was true of this one. Then, there is a new character, Mr. DeBloom, who is a bit intriguing. Not only could he be an excellent romantic interest, but there are some other hints of things to come for Caroline’s future as well. Cool – mystery within a mystery.

So, if you decide to read this book – I hope you love it as much as I did! Happy Reading!

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

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Barbara’s rating: 4 of 5 Stars
Series: A Miss Morton Mystery #1
Publication Date: 5/31/22
Period: Victorian – 1837
Number of Pages: 296

As a huge fan of this author’s Kurland St. Mary series, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on her latest mystery series. It was definitely worth the wait. The characters – especially the featured characters – were excellently done. You didn’t learn everything about them right in the beginning, it was doled out a bit at a time – and some of what you thought you knew, it turns out you didn’t. 😊 You aren’t sure who the good guys are – or who the bad guys are. You THINK you know, but do you?

Lady Caroline Morton, daughter of the deceased Earl of Morton, is penniless and without reputation, through no fault of her own. No, not her fault at all, but society tars her and her sister with the same brush as her father when he kills himself and everyone finds he is deeply in debt. Fortunately, her aunt and uncle take them in and that works fine while they are still pretty young, but children have a habit of growing up. Caroline finally realized that she could strike out on her own and seek employment – or – she could stay with her aunt and uncle and become an unappreciated, unpaid drudge within their home. Being the strong, independent, forthright, intelligent woman she was, she arranged employment as a companion to Mrs. Frogerton. Mrs. Frogerton turns out to be an adventurous lady and one who is anxious to see her daughter marry well. She has tons of money, but their background is tainted with the stench of ‘business’ and ‘work’. Caroline and Mrs. Frogrton are perfect partners in crime-solving – and goodness – do they have some crimes to solve!

A few months after Caroline leaves her Aunt Eleanor’s home, Eleanor pays a visit to Mrs. Frogerton’s home to request Caroline attend a house party being given in honor of Eleanor’s daughter for her birthday. Caroline declines, but Mrs. Frogerton is delighted to attend. It appears they are going to have an adventure after all.

Not long after Caroline, Mrs. Frogerton, and her daughter arrive, bodies begin to drop. While Lady Eleanor refuses to acknowledge that any murders occurred in her home, Caroline and the local physician, Dr. Harris, know otherwise. As they investigate, Caroline begins receiving threats – veiled and not so veiled. Clues turn up in the oddest places, and large sums of money appear in places they should not be. And what about all of those charity children in the nursery? Oh – this is going to be a handful to solve.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery, it is interesting, well-plotted, well-paced, and excellently delivered. The book was, very, very busy and had a lot of characters and subplots that weren’t necessary to the story or my enjoyment of it. I will also add that I didn’t care for the punishments (or non-punishment) for the murderers. Should you choose to read the book, I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did.

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