Murder in the Castle: A 1920s Cozy Mystery

Lady Felicity Quick #9

by Rosie Hunt

A remote English castle. A decades-old family rift. And a deadly apple crumble. Can a bold young sleuth uncover the truth to heal the past and protect her future with the man she loves?

England, 1922. Celebrated detective Lady Felicity Quick dreams of marrying gallant journalist Mr Alexander Cooper. But before they can make their courtship official, there’s a family tradition to fulfil — and a long-held grudge to unravel…



As a step towards upholding the ancient custom, Felicity must meet her Great-Aunt Winnifred for the first time. Rumoured to commune with spirits, the estranged aunt inhabits a foreboding fortress surrounded by peculiar pets and even odder people.



The welcome Felicity and Alex receive at the castle is surprisingly warm — until death arrives with dessert!



Racing against time, Felicity must investigate old grievances, expose murderous motives, and decode the testimony of an animal witness — before she and Alex are framed as the wrong-doers!



If you love smart, intrepid detectives like Miss Kitty Underhay and Miss Marple and the puzzling historical mysteries of Verity Bright and Rhys Bowen, then don’t miss Murder in the Castle!



Escape to 1920s England and start reading today!

Genres: Mystery

374 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 2, 2025

About the author

Rosie Hunt is a British author of cozy mysteries both puzzling and historical. Her books include the Lady Felicity Quick mystery series set in the green and pleasant countryside of southwest England in the 1920s.

A history addict and former journalist, Rosie grew up immersed in the worlds of Poirot and Miss Marple. This early exposure to baffling murder mysteries rather coloured her outlook on life, and it was only a matter of time before she wrote her own.

Rosie loves clotted cream, knitting, and Golden Age crime fiction and never misses an opportunity to visit a National Trust property. She lives with her husband and their fluffy, four-pawed overlord on a river in Northern Europe.

>> Join Rosie's mailing list and receive a FREE NOVELLA: https://BookHip.com/HLWHZZK

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Reviews

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder in the Castle by Rosie Hunt is a Lady Felicity Quick novel and takes us to North Devonshire to meet some long lost relatives. It seems, through a quirk in a will written by a long-dead relative, there is 500 acres of moorland that Felicity is schedule to inherit as she is marrying before her brother, Jasper. These folks were on her mother’s side and Jasper had been less than forthcoming about them, so Felicity and Alex set off to make contact. What they found there was certainly not what they had expected. Her great aunt, Winnifred, it turned out, was a medium of some fame and spent all the income from the property on that pursuit rather than on the castle, which was slowly deteriorating. They found cousins: Elfrida Brand and her daughter, Audrey; Tristan and his wife, Phillipa and son, Peregrin; as well as Mr. Kemp, the land manager; and Mr. Pope, Winnifred’s solicitor; plus several dogs. Felicity was whisked off to a séance moments after she arrived and so wasn’t able to speak to Alex until later. It was all rather odd. Then, at dinner, Winnifred became quite ill. Felicity expected poison.

Felicity is a good character: quick, talented, diplomatic, and interested in many things. Alex will make her perfect mate, as they are now engaged. The wedding date has not yet been set, but he is at her side in all things. Then there is a murder, everyone begins to unravel. It is somewhat a closed room murder as they are stuck out in the middle of nowhere. The local inspector is a pompous little man who prides himself on solving things with no outside help. He has heard of Felicity and is openly critical of her. Felicity eventually solves the crime, after the inspector has arrested the wrong man and things seem to right themselves. This was a thoroughly engaging novel as are all in this series. Good characters, an intriguing crime, and plenty of interesting situations and pertinent-to-the-story new people. Totally enjoyable.

I was invited to read Murder in the Castle by the author. All thoughts and opinions are mine. #RosieHunt #MurderInTheCastle

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The intricacies of family

With only the best of intentions after a very surprising revelation in the last story Felicity and Alex set off to the remote moors in Devon to visit her heretofore unknown family members. As we’ve seen in her adventures prior even with the best of intentions Felicity seems to wind up in the most unusual and in many cases deadly situations. Here she must use her wit, all of her intuition and a bit of luck to unravel a complex set of relationships and get to the bottom of this mystery. With a very unpleasant police Sergeant and more secrets than you can shake a stick at this will be her toughest and most personal case yet!
This one was so much. Not in a bad way just it was extra. I mean if I just found out I had long lost relatives and then show up to meet and hopefully build a relationship and then get confronted with seances and spirits, crumbling castles and biting sarcasm I probably would’ve run for the hills. Felicity is made of some stern stuff or perhaps just stubborn lol. There were plenty of colorful characters and a couple of very rude gentlemen and I use that term loosely. A family torn apart yet still together. And then there’s the murder. Definitely didn’t see that ending coming but it was a fabulous, if you’ll pardon the word in regard to murder, twist. Little slow to start but once the action does it’s a fast paced and most enjoyable read!

[Tg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ll start this with one word: Excellent! Murder in the Castle by Rosie Hunt is everything you want in a book, and so much more. I’m only sorry that it took me more time than usual to get through the book as I had various projects on the go. This is an extraordinarily mysterious cozy, with a perfect historical touch, as it is set in the 1920s. The usual cast of characters are as appealing as ever, and several other new characters are added to the mix — you just have to discover who is bad, good, or stuck somewhere in the middle. This book also delves into the beauty and the beast of family life — expertly weaving together small family roots with distant relatives, plus some that are seemingly even more distant in terms of their personalities. In fact, it’s this new mix combined with so much that is unknown about the “newer” relatives the make Murder in the Castle an excellent and entertaining read. Get started on your own copy as soon as you can.

[Karren Hodgkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an intriguing storyline! The backdrop of the castle and Felicity engaging with distant relatives allows for significant and interesting plot twists and a couple of surprises along the way! The characters and surrounds are vividly described so the reader can engage with the story on an emotional level. The various personalities and agendas definitely keep it interesting.

I have read all the books in this series by Rosie, so have got to know and enjoy the key characters. I look forward to the next one. I recommend both this episode and the series to those who enjoy this cozy murder mystery genre.

Just to be aware that spiritualism and seances do pop up within the overall storyline, which may be of a concern to some.

I received an advance copy, however I am choosing to post this review and the opinions are my own

[Mary Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another terrific instalment in a very enjoyable series. Felicity is visiting distant relatives for the first time due to some condition about land linked to her engagement. While there, she encounters weird spiritual activity during seances, an attempted murder and an actual murder so she has a lot to contend with. The local police are quick to dismiss her which makes her more determined to figure out what is going on.

I loved the various characters that we got to meet and there's plenty of twists and red herrings throughout. I was sure I knew who the killer was and I was so wrong. The ending has a nice buildup to what will come in the next book. I can't wait.

[Robin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Felicity Quick and her fiance Alex Cooper are off to Scotland to meet her distant relatives and resolve a long-ago family rift. She is unprepared for the supposed psychic abilities of her great-aunt and strange household members. With a poisoning and then a murder, Lady Felicity has her hands full trying to sort out suspects, motives, and alibis. Another entertaining mystery with lots of twists and turns and red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Well-drawn and realistic characters and a vivid setting make this a great addition to the series!
I received a free copy from the author, and this is my honest and voluntary review.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book finds Lady Felicity visiting family she didn't know she had. She travels, along with her handsome fiancé, Alex, to meet her Great Aunt Winnifred but knows almost nothing about this part of the family. From the start of the book, Lady Felicity is off kilter trying to figure things out.

Rosie Hunt has done it again with book 9 in the series. I was off kilter with Lady Felicity trying to determine what was going on in this castle. It is a real page turner and bonus! Longer than previous books in the series.

I highly recommend this book and this series for a fun and entertaining read. I received a free advance copy and this is my honest review.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lady Felicity and her fiancé Alex are off on another adventure! This time the setting is a creepy, slightly dilapidated, castle on what seems to be the equivalent of the moors. Whodunit ....well ~ more the question ~ are they this worldly or from the grave? I always enjoy the descriptions of surroundings, characters, and historical facts of the day. These are all strong well crafted and memorable folk embroiled in various intrigues! In particular, the details surrounding spiritualism are quite informative. All round excellent read! Though I'd be sending Pip to obedience training in the next mystery! Love all of Rosie Hunt's cozy mysteries!

[Katharine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murder in the Castle is my favorite so far of the Lady Felicity Quick series. I very much enjoyed Felicity and Alex in their equivalent of a Locked Room mystery, away from the comfort of family, friends and doggies. The characters were incredibly varied, and a few of them were kooky enough to steal the show from Felicity at times. Winifred was my favorite here, through all of her changes in mood and motivation. There were also all sorts of hidden family tragedies and secrets from long ago that directly affected the actions of the present. And, as usual, people ( and animals ) are not always what they seem to be.........
High recommend

[Maria Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Felicity solves it again. I enjoy this series of cozy mysteries and love Lady Felicity even as she fights against sexism to help solve crimes. This one had a number of potential guilty parties and I did actually figure out who dunnit, at least in part. There were some twists and turns along the way and I enjoyed following the path to solving the mystery. And it was lovely to see Felicity and Alex moving along their path to a happily ever after as well. I love how supportive he is in her endeavours.

Enjoyable cozy mystery

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unknown family, a remote castle, a séance, and an ancient custom – What has Felicity become involved in? Felicity and Alex travel to meet Great-Aunt Winnifred and are greeted by an interesting group of characters. I loved visiting the castle through Rosie Hunt’s descriptions of the rooms and the gardens. Felicity and Alex’s marriage plans are developing, but can they solve a poisoning and a murder? As always, a very enjoyable cozy mystery with no sex or foul language! I look forward to Murder at the Winter Gala.

[Sylvia Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic whodunit
Meeting new relations is tricky, but for Rosie, visiting a castle in Exmoor is murder. With Alex by her side, Rosie reluctantly investigates the unusual family dynamics while planning her own wedding. Is her great-aunt's enthusiasm for the spirits responsible for murder? Can she restore family harmony, or is it too late? Rosie weaves Exmoor, a place I know and love, into the story with realistic and atmospheric storytelling. A rugged and mysterious backdrop to the castle and drama. I recommended read for those that love rich cozy mysteries.

[Doreen Farrar · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a parcel of land is called "The Wastes," one would be excused for thinking that it's not valuable land. What if they're wrong? Felicity is offered control of The Wastes, currently managed by members of her mother's family that she doesn't remember meeting. Naturally, when she and Alex investigate, both good and bad things happen, and it's but to Felicity to figure the situation out. Since Rosie Hunt is an excellent writer, the story is beautifully paced and thoroughly entertaining. I can't wait for the next book!

[Antonia Jennings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a touching story about family. How the hurts, fears and desires can lead to misunderstandings and disaster. The skill with which this author portrays the character and motivations of each family member is masterful. I felt as if I knew them and understood them. This was an incredibly moving and evocative story that was an absolute delight to read!!!!!

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meeting long lost relatives is often daunting but poor Felicity had much more on her plate than the usual awkwardness with the Cullingslock family. And when a murder is thrown into the mix, it makes it even harder to walk away from it all.

Another intriguing read from Rosie Hunt. Love the close relationship between Alex and Felicity. Looking forward to more please!

[peg craddock · Rating 5 out of 5]

HOW IS IT POSSIBLE TO DISCOVER THE TRUTH?

Pernickety followed every twist and turn in the narrative, but is it truly possible ? So many fascinating characters furnish the narrative and yet we cannot find an answer. Do buy it and give yourself a treat! You will certainly want more. You won’t be able to resist!

[Avril Hemingway · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book 9 in the series and another good one. There are a lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing and this story has a gothic feel to it. It is also nice to see more of Felicity's family and Felicity and Alex's romance make some progression finally. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Sharmani Jayaram · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lady Felicity Quick and Alex go to Cullingslock Castle and a lot going on around the family. Lots of suspense, murder ,secrets, adds intrigue to this captivating read which is unputdownable. I received this ARC copy and recommend this book to other readers.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Yes, Reverend One"

Wild land and a deteriorating castle full of spiritualism, poison, greed, con artists, family honor, and everyone present is a suspect. "Felicity, Alex, quickly get back in the car and go home!"

[Kimberley O’Malley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really sure why, but this book didn’t seem to gather my interest and I struggled to finish it. I didn’t seem to warm to the characters or the plot.