A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder left me with a smile on my face when I finished reading it. A fun and enjoyable historical mystery, it’s Book 2 in the Countess of Harleigh Mystery Series by Dianne Freeman.
Title: A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder
Author: Dianne Freeman
Series: Countess of Harleigh Mystery Series #2
First Published: June 25, 2019
Publisher: Kensington Publishing
Categories: Historical Fiction, Mystery
Acquired: from blog tour organiser Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours
*** Thank you to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and the publisher, Kensington Publishing, for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. ***
How far will some go to safeguard a secret? In the latest novel in Dianne Freeman’s witty and delightful historical mystery series, the adventurous Countess Harleigh finds out…
Though American by birth, Frances Wynn, the now-widowed Countess of Harleigh, has adapted admirably to the quirks and traditions of the British aristocracy. On August twelfth each year, otherwise known as the Glorious Twelfth, most members of the upper class retire to their country estates for grouse-shooting season. Frances has little interest in hunting – for birds or a second husband – and is expecting to spend a quiet few months in London with her almost-engaged sister, Lily, until the throng returns.
Instead, she’s immersed in a shocking mystery when a friend, Mary Archer, is found murdered. Frances had hoped Mary might make a suitable bride for her cousin, Charles, but their courtship recently fizzled out. Unfortunately, this puts Charles in the spotlight – along with dozens of others. It seems Mary had countless notes hidden in her home, detailing the private indiscretions of society’s elite. Frances can hardly believe that the genteel and genial Mary was a blackmailer, yet why else would she horde such juicy tidbits?
Aided by her gallant friend and neighbor, George Hazelton, Frances begins assisting the police in this highly sensitive case, learning more about her peers than she ever wished to know. Too many suspects may be worse than none at all – but even more worrying is that the number of victims is increasing too. And unless Frances takes care, she’ll soon find herself among them…
AMAZON | BARNES AND NOBLE | INDIEBOUND
A DELIGHTFUL INTRODUCTION TO A FUN SERIES
When I was asked to take part in this book blog tour, I had no idea what to expect, but I do love historical mysteries. I’m so glad I took part because this book is absolutely delightful.
Frances Wynn, the Countess of Harleigh, is smart, independent, capable and caring. I easily fell under this character’s spell. Frances would have probably been able to carry the story herself, but the fact that she’s surrounded by other well-written characters makes this book so much more enjoyable. Alongside the above-mentioned Lily (probably by least favourite character) and Charles (a sweetheart), there’s also their aunt Hetty, a smart woman with a mind for business figures; Lily’s friend Lottie, who is incredibly smart but accident-prone; and of course, her dashing neighbour George Hazelton, who seems to be the perfect match for Frances. Each character has their own strengths, weaknesses and quirks, which makes the whole cast a lot of fun.
Along with the murder mystery, there is a look into British aristocracy and all of its rules. Frances is very adept at playing the high-society game, but she is also open-minded enough to think unconventionally and judge those of “lower status” by their own merits, not just the position they were born into.
I found myself enjoying the characters and story so much that I wasn’t doggedly trying to figure out who the murderer was (something I usually do whenever I read a mystery story). Perhaps it was because the reader never really gets to know either of the murder victims (as with most cozy mysteries, there’s a second murder partway through the story) very well, but it didn’t really diminish my enjoyment of the story.
I also appreciated the fact that I could read this book without having read the first book in the series. The relationships between the characters is well laid out and although there are a few references to events that must have happened in the first book, it’s not enough to make you feel like you’ve missed anything.
I’m definitely going to go back and read the first book in the series and I’m looking forward to more fun mysteries with the Countess of Harleigh.
Dianne Freeman is a life-long book lover who left the world of corporate finance to pursue her passion for writing. After co-authoring the non-fiction book, Haunted Highway, The Spirits of Route 66, she realized her true love was fiction, historical mystery in particular. She also realized she didnít like winter very much so now she and her husband pursue the endless summer by splitting their time between Michigan and Arizona. She’s been nominated for an Agatha and the prestigious Mary Higgins Clark Award, and won the 2019 Lefty Award for Best Debut Mystery.
You can follow Dianne online on the following:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | GOODREADS
Tuesday, June 25
Review at Book Frolic
Review at The Lit Bitch
Wednesday, June 26
Review at Macsbooks
Excerpt at To Read, Or Not to Read
Thursday, June 27
Review at A Chick Who Reads
Friday, June 28
Excerpt at The Book Junkie Reads
Saturday, June 29
Feature at Historical Fiction with Spirit
Sunday, June 30
Review at Oh, The Books She Will Read
Monday, July 1
Review at Mama’s Reading Corner
Tuesday, July 2
Interview at Maiden of the Pages
Wednesday, July 3
Review at Bibliophile Reviews
Thursday, July 4
Interview at Passages to the Past
Friday, July 5
Review at A Darn Good Read
Review & Excerpt at Locks, Hooks and Books
Saturday, July 6
Review & Interview at Jorie Loves A Story
During the Blog Tour, one winner will receive a paperback copy of A Lady’s Guide to Gossip and Murder and a $10 Amazon Gift Card! To enter, please use the Gleam form below.
Giveaway Rules
- Giveaway ends at 11:59 pm EST on July 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter.
- Giveaway is open to the US only.
- Only one entry per household.
- All giveaway entrants agree to be honest and not cheat the systems; any suspicion of fraud is decided upon by blog/site owner and the sponsor, and entrants may be disqualified at our discretion.
- The winner has 48 hours to claim prize or a new winner is chosen.
Hallo, Hallo, Stephanie!
*waves!* I can finally give a comment on this review! I’ve been itching to finish the novels for the blog tour – as I shared my own review of the series today! I look forward to your visit in case you spy we’ve shared a thought about the story, series or characters! We tend to have the same takeaways with these kinds of stories which charm us to read – and today, I must admit, it was lovely having a wicked lovely Cosy to feature! I love the comforting atmosphere the author gave us inside it, too! Fully fleshed out and composed – where you know she loves residing in this part of London as much as we do, as readers!
Isn’t he just?
I am pining my hat towards a match for Frances with Mr Hazelton! I made mention of this on my review, too! They are just two peas in a pod but I think she’s shy about new relationships because of how gutting her first marriage ended – similar to you, although I don’t mind Lily, she’s not at the top of my favourite list! I was too caught in the throes of the banterment between Hazelton and Frances; the curious affection Inspector Delaney has for Frances as he appreciates her strong opinions and sleuthing mind and the artfulness of how Aunt Hetty ought to be have been allowed to pursue the business world as she’s a natural at it!
I admit, I truly appreciated the chance to read both books together – the continuity and the dynamics of the characters I think I would have lost out on not knowing how they entwined together originally. I know a lot of the bloggers on the tour said it would work as a one-off but for me? I felt it was fully appreciated as a duo – but then, that’s my personal preference when it comes to serial fiction. I don’t oft find myself uncharmed by reading a series out of context of a sequence except of course with a recent review of “Rogue Most Wanted” which proved to be the exception to said rule! lol
Ooh boy! So thankful we’ve both found a new author we can’t wait to devour a third novel by!!