Rating: ★★★☆☆
Genre: Cosy Mystery
Available On: Amazon
A Very English Murder by Verity Bright, the first instalment in the Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series, is a problematic book for me to review. It’s one of those novels that was simultaneously delightful and infuriating. All that being said, it did get me completely hooked on the series and I’ve been devouring them ever since. So clearly it did something right! A Very English Murder (which, I have to say, is a title I can appreciate), delivers a delightful journey into 1920s England through the eyes of the adventurous and untraditional Lady Eleanor Swift.
Having travelled the world as a lone woman on a bicycle, Eleanor returns to her late uncle’s estate after learning of his death and inheriting Henley Hall. She has not even been there one evening when she inadvertently witnesses a murder while caught out in a torrential rainstorm with Gladstone, her uncle’s trusty bulldog. Reporting the incident to the police does her little good, as she is dismissed as a fantasist, not helped by the fact the boy had vanished and any evidence there had ever been a murder has been removed.
A Very English Murder Indeed!
What follows can only be described as a delightful lark about the countryside as Eleanor (or Ellie, as she calls herself in well-done internal narrative) cavorts about speaking to (and generally annoying) anyone and everyone who might be able to clue her in on who died, why, and who killed him. She’s aided in her exploits by Clifford, Henley Hall’s long suffering butler, and Gladstone who, arguably, spends more time stealing sausages and leather slippers than much else. I will confess, I spent half the book sarcastically expecting Gladstone to be the one who solved the whole case when he mysteriously failed to bark at a key suspect, indicating that he actually knew the man which meant he must have been to the grounds of Henley Hall previously, despite his protestations to the contrary, and therefore must be the killer.
Thankfully we were not faced with anything so trite, however, the ageing bulldog does provide a pivotal plot point (which I won’t specify to avoid spoilers). I appreciated that. The fact he actually was instrumental in solving the case in his own way, but not in a ridiculous fashion.
Overall the the setting of the novel in the sleepy village of Chipstone, nestled in the hear of the Chilterns in the 1920s is very well done and very, well, English. As an English lass myself I really appreciate this. It’s also something of a staple of cosy mysteries as the originals (think Agatha Christie’s Miss Marple) were all set in a sleepy village in England. My own obsession with Midsomer Murders is testament to the abiding love I have for the notion of a seemingly sleepy English country setting that is, somewhat inexplicably, rife with murder and crimes most foul. Between the setting and the fact Eleanor is a Lady, complete with her own Hall, butler, cook, housekeeper, maid, gardener, groundskeeper, and bulldog, makes A Very English Murder very English indeed—and I’m so here for it!
Funny, Fast-Paced And Quirky
The novel delivers a briskly paced narrative that seamlessly blends humour and mystery effectively. I found large chunks of it to be thoroughly enjoyable, with a cast of lively and very well developed characters driving things along nicely. In particular, the dynamic between Ellie and Clifford is very well drawn. Initially sceptical at the notion of remaining at Henley Hall and even having a butler, Ellie rapidly realises Clifford is an indispensable ally and the two form a wary friendship of sorts.
As a sidekick, Clifford is quite enjoyable, though at times his butlering gets a little over-the-top. In general that can arguably be said of all the characters at some point. Ellie herself is exuberantly enthusiastic about pretty much everything, despite the fact she doesn’t have a great deal to be happy about. It’s simultaneously infectious and almost inspirational—remaining so Polly-Anne-positive in the face of everything life has thrown at her—and annoying.
And that is this novel in a nutshell.
Why This Novel Irritated TF Out Of Me
There is so much to love about it, but also a lot that’s frustrating. The police, and the Detective Chief Inspector who eventually gets involved, for example, are depicted as buffooning simpletons unwilling to consider the possibility that Ellie is telling the truth, for the most part, and being flagrantly rude and insulting much of the time also. Given Ellie’s status as a Lady and the time period in question, this does seem a little unlikely. Not that they wouldn’t believe her in the absence of any evidence, but that they’d be so blatantly rude about it.
Ellie and Clifford’s manner of investigating is also, I have to say, utterly infuriating for most of the novel. Ellie gads about questioning all and sundry, and this part is well done and enjoyable to read. But then she persists in repeating everything she learned (which we just read) to Clifford, before writing it all down in a notebook that she narrates as she’s reading. This process is repeated again and again throughout the novel, meaning we end up seeing her discover, hearing her explain, listening to her write down, and then later reviewing as she adds new information.
It gets incredibly repetitive and very annoying.
In all honesty, that is my main complaint from this book. There are some questionable historical representations but in the name of escapism and artistic licence I’m quite happy to not notice those or allow them to annoy me. But the incessant repetition of information gets really grating.
The Love Interests
Being as this novel is set in the 1920s and is a cosy mystery, it’s completely devoid of any spice whatsoever. That being said, we are presented with no less than two interesting men that Ellie finds attractive. The dashing and quite hilarious Lancelot (yes, the name is ridiculous but oddly suits him), a Bright Young Thing and the son of a local Lord and Lady Ellie befriends during her investigations. He flies a plane and calls her Darling Fruit and generally gads about doing whatever flight of fancy pops into his head on the spur of the moment. He’s a delightful breath of fresh air, and I’d have far rather seen more of him than listened to Ellie endless writing in her infernal notebook.
Second to Lancelot is the handsome DCI Seldon who, being as he is a member of the police force, spends most of the novel being a arse. Again, a little more time with him and a little more nuance to his character would have been a better way to spend all those words. But, I suppose, one of the key points of the novel is Ellie’s mistrust and wariness of law enforcement. And, of course, if they had believed her and done a good job there would have been no story as she’d have had nothing to investigate herself.
Despite Everything A Very English Murder Is An Addictive Read
While I may sound critical I actually really loved the novel. I simply found it frustrating that all the good parts were frequently interrupted by annoying parts. I’ve been in quite a reading slump of late as I’ve been so busy working on my new novella, so when I finally got a break and some time off from writing I had a ton of stuff to do around the house, and also needed some time doing nothing at all. I downloaded this on audiobook to listen to while cleaning, tidying, and sitting about drinking iced lattes and knitting. It was perfect for this. A great little cosy mystery that allowed me to completely escape the world for a while without requiring too much thought.
I actually did NOT guess Who Done It until the point Ellie herself figured it out, which was also refreshing. And the writing style of the novel is such that you become rapidly addicted to it. As soon as this one ended, I downloaded and started the next!
If you’re looking for a new cosy mysteries series with a charismatic protagonist and a vividly painted historical setting, this is definitely for you. And with so many books in the series (nineteen at current count!) it’s one you can invest in with the knowledge that it will keep you going for a good long while!