Really enjoyed this book. Lily’s been invited to attend a house party with her in-laws just before Christmas. During the party the snow starts falling heavily and wind is howling. Roads are treacherous and everyone must stay overnight. There’s a loud bang and everyone assumes it’s a tree falling but the next morning one of the guests has been murdered. For two days, everyone is snowed in with a murderer and Lily and her brother-in-law, who’s a magistrate, question, and search everyone looking for cluses not only to the murder but to missing jewelry too. ( )

First, the narration. I thoroughly enjoyed this narrator’s mellow, pleasant voice and delivery. There was enough emotion in the delivery to give you all of the ‘feels’ – happiness, fear, tension, etc. It was nicely paced and the narrator was successful in delivering a unique voice for each character most of the time. However, when there were several characters in a scene with each taking a speaking part, there were times when I couldn’t tell who was speaking. Still, it was an excellent delivery and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Widowed Lily Adler has left the cold and damp of London for a Christmas visit with her husband’s family in Hertfordshire. Yes, they are still very close because they all grew up together and they all loved her husband. As part of the festivities, they are all attending a ball hosted at a nearby estate. Everyone in the area – all the people Lily grew up with – is in attendance and it is nice to see everyone. At least until she catches hints of undercurrents in the air. Hints of gossip – scandal – and she learns that Amelia Hartley, Jack Hartley’s sister, is the subject of the gossip. Oh! My! Goodness! Amelia has just let the gossip run amok because she will not speak about it – to anyone. The man who is also the subject of the gossip, Gregory Edison, isn’t speaking about it either.

With the ball in full swing, the snow begins – and it snows, and snows, and snows until there is no way the guests who live further away can get home before the roads are impassable. The only option is for those guests to spend the night and hope they can travel the next day – or the next – or the next.

So many things happen at the ball – and lots of red herrings are put in place – so you’ll have fun sorting them all out. When the attendees retire for the evening in their borrowed night clothing, the house becomes quiet and settled. Of course, there is the usual bed swapping that happens at house parties, but it is quiet – for a while. At first light, a body is discovered – outside – frozen in the cold. Of course, it wasn’t the temperature that did the victim in – it was the bullet hole that did it. The victim? Gregory Edison! The immediate suspect? Amelia Hartley! OMG – the race is off and running.

Lily, Jack, and Matthew Spencer (a sometimes love interest) are on the hunt for the real murderer because Lily and Jack are sure it isn’t Amelia. With no evidence – none at all – they have their job cut out for them. John Adler, Lily’s brother-in-law, the local magistrate, is totally without experience in investigating the murder and he immediately puts Amelia under lock and key. Luckily, John has a somewhat open mind and allows Lily to help him investigate since she has experience.

With witnesses being evasive and no physical evidence it is going to be difficult to prove Amelia is innocent or someone else guilty. Then, there are the jewelry thefts from various entertainments in the area – are they related? Or, is there another motive? You’ll just have to read the book to find out!

This was an interesting, fast-paced, well-plotted, and well-delivered mystery with lots of red herrings and many possible motives. You’ll be solving the case right along with Lily and her helpers, and you’ll feel the tension as the weather begins to improve to the point of allowing the suspects to return to their homes.

Another great part of the story – for me – is the romance. Where will Lily’s attentions land? She has choices – will she make the right one? I’m ready for this part of the series to be defined, and I’m hoping the events in this book will see that happening.

If you are looking for compelling characters, a complex mystery, and a tad of romance, then you will find all of that right here in this book. I recommend it. It was interesting and intriguing enough that I completed it in one session!

I voluntarily listened and reviewed an Advanced Audio Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. ( )

The clock strikes 12!

A Christmas dinner and dance in the local neighbourhood. Not too grand but grand enough!
Too bad a murder happens! Lily Adler finds herself knee deep in investigating the affair, particularly the supposed killer.
None other than Amelie, Captain John’s younger sister!
What!?
Added to this is that the guests haven’t been able to leave due to a snow storm.
They’re all trapped, and Oh! Yes! Jewellery has gone missing!
Adding to the drama, Matthew Spencer is a guest, but Captain Jack Hartley has news of his own.
A pleasing Regency mystery with just a sprinkling of romance.

A Crooked Lane ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher. ( )

An unexpected snowstorm strands Lily Adler and others after a Christmas Ball. Among the stranded is a murderer and Lily's friend Jack's youngest sister Amelia is the prime suspect. Amelia is the focus of a local scandal which also concerned the victim. She won't share her secrets which makes it hard to clear her name.

Lily and her brother-in-law John who is the local magistrate need to solve the crime before the weather clears and the houseguests depart for their own homes. Amelia's are not the only secrets and Lily and John and Matthew Spencer, the man who wants to marry Lily, need to uncover them all if they are to find the killer.

It doesn't help that Jack "confesses" to the murder in order to clear his sister's name. Nor does it help that there is a second victim whose death is supposed to look like a suicide. Missing jewels, a cunning financial scam, and Lily's own indecision about whether or not to accept Matthew's offer add layers to this story which was engaging and entertaining.

This was an excellent addition to an entertaining series. ( )

1816. Mrs Grantham's Christmas ball has turned for some into a longer stay for the guests because of a snow storm. But the next morning the body of Gregory Edison is found in the snow covered yard. The magistrate Sir John Adler investigates ably partnered by his sister-in-law Lily.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with a touch of romance, with its cast of diverse characters. Another good addition to this enjoyable series. ( )