Barbara’s rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Series: Miss Morton Mysteries #3
Publication Date: 8/20/24
Period: Victorian London – 1838
Number of Pages: 275

After the suicide of her spendthrift father, Lady Caroline Morton found herself orphaned, penniless, homeless, and with the care of her much younger sister. What is an intelligent, vibrant, and intrepid young lady to do in such a situation? She found herself a position as companion to an equally intelligent, intrepid, and boisterous woman. Mrs. Frogerton, a rich as Croesus mill owner, wanted Caroline’s help with guiding her daughter, Miss Dorothy Frogerton, through a London season with the hopes of landing an acceptable husband. Dorothy, you see, wanted a titled gentleman. Since Lady Caroline, as the daughter of an earl, had the manners and contacts to see they received invitations to all of the right events, it was a match made in heaven. Little did they know – they both had a knack for solving crimes – particularly murders!

This book finds us toward the end of the season when Dorothy decides on a beau who clearly seems to care about her. That means there are many things for Lady Caroline to worry about – the wedding, her sister, and what she will do after her employment with Mrs. Frogerton ends and Dorothy is married. She doesn’t need any more worries, so she ignores the first letter from their family solicitor. So what if her father had made a second will? There were NO assets, none, even their doweries were gone, so what difference could a second will make? Evidently, someone thought it made a lot of difference because people began to die, the will disappeared from the Lawyer’s office, and Lady Caroline was attacked and threatened. Who could possibly be interested in that second will? Now that it has disappeared, maybe things will just quiet down and go back to normal. Or not!

I have always liked romance in my mysteries, and so far, this series has none. We have some characters who could be potential suitors, but none who seem to stir Lady Caroline’s blood. We have Dr. Harris who has been in all three books, but I don’t care much for him – at least not for Caroline. Then there is Inspector Ross who chose to work at Scotland Yard much to the objections of his titled family. We were introduced to another potential suitor in this book – Mr. Samuel Frogerton – son of Lady Caroline’s employer. I liked him and I could see a match there because he isn’t the typical doting sycophant – he challenges and discusses with Lady Caroline. We did rule out one potential suitor though. I just need some romance – and soon. 😊

I enjoyed this book and the mystery was good, but it just wasn’t my favorite. Lady Caroline seemed to be ‘less’ in this book – less decisive, less vibrant, less intelligent – just less. Then, in the middle of the story, a sub-plot popped up with Lady Caroline’s sister, and that sort of bogged things down. I’m sure it was to move things along in Caroline’s relationship with her sister, but everything just seemed to go on hold. So, while I enjoyed the book, I wouldn’t care to read it a second time. I will, however, look forward to the next book and hope Caroline is back to her full vibrance and that we get some romance.

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

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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