A Lady's Guide to Gossip and Murder
4 Stars

When a murdered acquaintance is found in possession of notes indicating that she has been blackmailing members of the ton, Lady Frances Wynn, Countess of Harleigh, finds herself recruited to help in the investigation. Frances is eager to assist, especially as her cousin Charles, who was courting the victim, is the prime suspect.

Despite the rather anachronistic style and characterization, this is nevertheless an entertaining cozy historical mystery series. Unlike many cozy heroines, Frances is very likable and manages to become involved in the cases without being excessively nosy. Moreover, she also avoids the often ubiquitous TSTL moments that plague these heroines.

The mystery surrounding Mary Archer's murder is satisfying although it is easy to guess the reason for the notes in her possession and the motive for the crime (even though it takes Frannie and company much longer to realize the truth). The culprit is also rather obvious but the climax and resolution are exciting nonetheless.

The romance between Frannie and her sexy neighbor, George Hazelton, is progressing nicely and it is clear that they will ultimately marry. The question is how long it will take George to convince her to take a chance on love after her disastrous first marriage.

One final note regarding the audiobook - it is interesting to note that there are two separate versions of the series, one narrated by Sarah Zimmerman, an American, and the other by Karen Cass, a Brit. Both do an admirable job, but as I began with Zimmerman, I decided to continue on with her as well.

In sum, this is a fun series and I look forward to more of Frannie's investigations. ( )

I find this Lady Harleigh mystery series truly charming and delightful. The protagonist is smart, resourceful, clever and rather kind at heart. Many of the characters introduced in the first book in this series continue on in this one. As their relationships to one another evolve, we readers develop stronger attachments to them all. The business partnership between Lady Harleigh and George Hazelton grows stronger with each case and the slow romantic burn between them keeps us wanting to know what happens next.

In this story, Frances, aka Lady Harleigh, is again sponsoring a young "American Princess". This time it's Lottie with her clumsiness and two left feet. Thankfully, Lottie has other redeeming attributes which play into the story. Meanwhile, Mary, a casually acquainted friend of Frances and fellow young widow is discovered dead in her home surrounded by reams of secrets regarding the members of the upper crust. Is there something among all this fodder for the gossip mill which brought Mary to her demise? It is certainly way more information that Frances' would ever like to know about her friends and acquaintances. However, the local constabulary has requested her assistance in the investigation and really, how could she say, "no"?

Ms. Freeman has again spun a wonderful tale, poking fun at the social mores of British aristocratic behavior. The suspects pile up quickly providing the reader with lots of red herrings. The character development is good throughout and the mise-en-scène effectively carries the reader to London's streets of a hundred years ago. Well done, Ms. Freeman! ( )

I absolutely loved this series from the first book I read – which happens to have been book 3. I was excited to find both a wonderful new-to-me author and a charmingly witty cozy mystery series with likable and interesting characters – and even a delicious romance. I finished reading the books following the third one and now finishing this one brings me up-to-date with the series. I can definitely tell you that each and every book has been a wonderful, funny, interesting, mystery with dialogue and prose that make you feel as if you are right there in the scene with the characters.

Several years ago, young American-born heiress, Frances Wynn, was married to the profligate Earl of Harleigh. Her parents wanted a title and the Earl wanted her plentiful dowry. It seems everyone got something out of the match except Frances. Now, Reggie is deceased and Frances has more freedom than she’s ever known. She and her daughter, Rose, have left the earl’s estate to live in London and she’s found life there very interesting. Her next-door neighbor, George Hazelton is proving to be quite interesting as well.

Frances has just learned that a friend, Mary, has died – actually, she was murdered – and Frances’s cousin, Charles, is under suspicion. Charles is the only one of her in-laws that she finds even remotely tolerable, so she surely doesn’t want to see him accused of murder. Her next-door neighbor, George, does work for the government on occasion and it seems he is involved in some aspects of this case – so – naturally – they team up to solve the murder and save Charles.

Goodness, what a tangled web they uncover. Blackmail? Maybe – or maybe not. Untangling all the threads in the web will be even harder with all of the intrigue and red herrings that are thrown into the mix.

While working hard to solve the mystery, Frances also has to deal with her younger sister’s betrothal. Frances worries that her sister is marrying too young and keeps comparing that situation to her own. She definitely doesn’t want her sister to be in the same situation Frances was in with Reggie. Then, there is also her budding romance with George.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sarah Zimmerman and she did a lovely job. She has a pleasant voice and delivers an excellently paced narrative. Her characters are distinct and the best thing is, you can hear the good-natured humor in her voice as you navigate through the book. Excellently done.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Frances and George navigate the societal strictures of the ton while managing to elicit the clues needed to solve the murder. The villain may surprise you – or not – but all the tangled webs will definitely keep your attention. I hope you’ll read the book to see just how engaging the characters are and how well-plotted and well-paced the mystery is. ( )

I enjoyed this follow up to A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder, but found certain plot points in the beginning irritatingly obvious, which, in turn, had me dragging my heels to finish it. Once the characters had the ‘ah-hah’ moment I’d had almost immediately, the story become more interesting. I liked the little twist at the end; it wasn’t totally surprising, as the story could have worked either way, but it added a bit of zing.

I look forward to the third book. ( )

Lady Frances is hoping to relax from the rigors of the season with her sister Lily but a friend, Mary Archer, is murdered and George Hazelton, her friend and neighbor and maybe something more?) is enlisted in the investigation into the possibility that the motive was blackmail. George thinks that Frances may be able to help and so he hands over numerous coded papers to see what she can figure out.

I enjoy this series because of the setting and the characters. The mystery was fun but the ending, not a surprise. ( )