Dancing with Death

Nell Drury #1

by Amy Myers

Introducing chef-sleuth Nell Drury in the first of a delightful series of 1920’s traditional country house mysteries.

1925. The fashionable Bright Young Things from London have descended on Wychbourne Court, the Kentish stately home of Lord and Lady Ansley, for an extravagant fancy dress ball followed by a midnight Ghost Hunt – and Chef Nell Drury knows she’s in for a busy weekend. What she doesn’t expect to encounter is sudden, violent death.

When a body is discovered in the minstrels’ gallery during the Ghost Hunt, Nell finds herself caught up in the police investigation which follows. As the darker side of the Roaring Twenties emerges and it becomes increasingly clear that at least one person present that night has a sinister secret to hide, Nell determines to unmask the killer among them. Could the Wychbourne Ghosts hold the key to the mystery?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical, British Literature, Cozy, Fiction

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2017

About the author

aka Laura Daniels, Harriet Hudson

Amy Myers was born in Kent, where she still lives, although she has now ventured to the far side of the Medway. For many years a director of a London publishing company, she is now a full-time writer. Married to an American, she lived for some years in Paris, where, surrounded by food, she first dreamed up her Victorian chef detective Auguste Didier. Currently she is writing her contemporary crime series starring Jack Colby, car detective, and in between his adventures continuing her Marsh & Daughter series and her Victorian chimnney sweep Tom Wasp novels.

Series:
* Peter and Georgia March
* Auguste Didier
* Tom Wasp

Anthologies edited:
* After Midnight Stories

Reviews

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ein Herrenhaus in England, die 1920er Jahre und ein Mord, den es aufzuklären gilt. Genau der Stoff, den ich eigentlich liebe! Trotzdem habe ich mir mehr von diesem Buch erhofft. Die Story war nicht schlecht, aber alle Figuren blieben mir seltsam fremd, auch die Köchin Nell, die diesen Mord aufklären möchte für ihre Herrschaft. Ich war irgendwie nur ein "Zuschauer", war nicht dabei. Die Gefühle fehlten, es war mir zu sachlich. Die Geschichte und die Krimihandlung waren okay, aber das gewisse Etwas hat mir einfach gefehlt. Schade.

[Magdalena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Oh, I'm so disappointed. This book looked and seemed so good, but alas I couldn't find myself getting into the story and towards the end did I find myself pretty bored.

Now, the book did feel promising in the beginning, but somewhere along the way when Miss Marple ... Eh I mean Nell started to investigate the case because the lady of the house trusts her to be able to talk to the servants, the family, and guest and find out the truth about the murder. Yeah, because the chef is the obvious person to go to when someone has been murdered. Anyway, the book was OK, in the beginning, thanks to the list of characters, in the beginning, was it not so hard to know who was who. The story seemed interesting and I was curious to see who would get killed.

However, the book started to go downhill somewhere along the way as Nell was trying to find out where everyone was during the murder. And, the ghost thing? It was just ridiculous. It should perhaps have been seen as a funny thing with the Lord Ansley's sister being quite positive about the house being haunted by a legion of ghosts. It wasn't!

By the time the inspector at the end revealed the truth had I already abandoned this book mentally and was just reading to find out who the killer was. Would I read more books in this series? No, Nell was not an interesting person to read about, too dull for my taste and she felt not very substantial, which I felt is the big problem with most of the characters in the book. They just didn't come to life.

I want to thank the publisher for providing me with a free copy through NetGalley for an honest review!

[Ivonne Rovira · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply adored Amy Myers’ series featuring father and daughter Peter and Georgia Marsh, who solve cold cases that are decades old. I gobbled up all eight books in this series, and the final book in this series, Murder in Abbot's Folly, came five long years ago! How I’ve longed for another one!

I could never really warm to Myers’ classic car sleuth Jack Colby, so you can imagine how thrilled I was to see Myers embarking on a new series. Chef — not cook! — Nell Drury has managed to make her way in the world from a costermonger’s daughter in London’s East End to a French-trained chef working for a marquis, a definite rarity for a woman in 1925. I loved the sensible Nell, her determination and her inner goodness. Myers has always known how to weave a wonderful mystery, and she hasn’t lost her touch. I didn’t even guess at the perpetrator until Scotland Yard Inspector Alexander Melbray announced it at the novel’s end. I loved this novel so much, and I can’t wait for the sequels!

And Ms. Myers, please, please reconsider bringing back Peter and Georgia. We miss them!

In the interest of full disclosure, I received this book from NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for an honest review.

[Kris (My Novelesque Life)]

DNF @19%

Everything about this novel sounds like my kind of story. Dancing with Death is a cozy historical mystery set in the twenties with an amateur detective. I didn't make it very far, as I just didn't connect with Chef Nell, and the story did not engage me. I decided to not read any further and will not be reading book two, which I requested on NetGalley (thinking that was the first novel).

[Anna Catharina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Krimiserien, die in den Goldenen Zwanzigern und auf englischen Landsitzen spielen, sind gerade ziemlich in Mode. Die Serie um Chefköchin Nell Drury reiht sich da nahtlos ein. Das Setting in Wychbourne Court hat mir sehr gut gefallen, ich mag diesen Downton-Abbey-Charme. Nell Drury ist eine sympathische Heldin, auch wenn mir alle Personen im Buch noch etwas zu farblos waren. Da gibt es definitiv Ausbaupotenzial für die folgenden Bände. Auch waren einige Punkte nicht wirklich historisch glaubwürdig. Mir ist nicht klar geworden, warum Nell von den Herrschaften so bevorzugt behandelt wird und warum alle immer behaupten, sie sei besser als Scotland Yard. Der Kriminalfall und besonders die Auflösung fand ich sehr gelungen und der Geister-Anteil hat mich sehr begeistert. Etwas nervig waren die ständigen Alliterationen, immer, wenn Nell flucht oder staunt, fallen Ausrufe wie "flambierte Flunder" oder "Was zum blasierten Blumenkohl"?!? Das war am Anfang vielleicht lustig, irgendwann aber einfach etwas too much.

[Damaskcat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nell Drury - chef working at Wychbourne Court, a large stately home in Kent - is persuaded to lead a party round the house on a ghost hunt. The ghost hunt takes place after a party with many guests and to Nell, something of an onlooker, it seems like a recipe for disaster. There is already tension between a group of young people involved and when murder crashes into the middle of the ghost hunt it just seems to confirm Nell's premonitions.

Unwillingly Nell finds herself involved in the police investigation in more ways than one and she is torn between loyalty to her employers and the need to ensure the police arrest the right person. Set in 1925, this is an interesting start to a promising new series featuring Nell Drury. I did enjoy reading it and thought the author brought the characters vividly to life as well showing how uneasy the relationship had become between servants and masters and how the line between the two was gradually blurring.

My one criticism of this book was the rather too frequent food exclamations which Nell kept using - and I don't think she used the same one twice! I found them irritating after a while and cringed every time one was used. Fortunately they weren't so much in evidence during the exciting and very clever denouement in which the murder was revealed. Overall this is a good read if you enjoy historical crime novels and I look forward to the next book in the series.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dancing with Death by Amy Myers.
1925. The fashionable Bright Young Things from London have descended on Wychbourne Court, the Kentish stately home of Lord and Lady Ansley, for an extravagant fancy dress ball followed by a midnight Ghost Hunt – and Chef Nell Drury knows she’s in for a busy weekend. What she doesn’t expect to encounter is sudden, violent death.
When a body is discovered in the minstrels’ gallery during the Ghost Hunt, Nell finds herself caught up in the police investigation which follows. As the darker side of the Roaring Twenties emerges and it becomes increasingly clear that at least one person present that night has a sinister secret to hide, Nell determines to unmask the killer among them. Could the Wychbourne Ghosts hold the key to the mystery?
This was a good read with good characters. I liked Nell. Although slow it soon picked up. 4*.netgalley and severne house.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Nell Drury has only been chef at Lord Ansley's home for a short time, she's endeared herself to Lady Ansley and to the Lord's eccentric sister, who is obsessed with ghosts. When a guest at the ball in their country house is found murdered during a ghost tour, Scotland Yard arrives, but Lady Ansley asks Nell to investigate on her own, as she can win the confidence of the servants, who may know something. While Nell shares some of her ideas with handsome Detective Inspector Melbray, Scotland Yard sets the trap that captures the killer. The 1920's period doesn't come across as too convincing--would a servant, even a chef, be able to move that freely among the Upstairs guests?

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Severn House Publishers for an advance copy of Dancing With Death, a cosy country house murder mystery set in 1925, featuring chef Nell Drury.

It is all go at Wychbourne Court in Kent as Lord and Lady Ansley prepare to host a weekend for neighbours and their children's friends, bright young people down from London. The ball will culminate in a ghost hunt through the house but it all goes wrong when chef and leader of one of the groups of ghost hunters, Nell Drury, finds one of the guests stabbed to death in the minstrels gallery. Lady Ansley asks Nell Drury, her chef, to investigate on behalf of the family in case Scotland Yard, in the form of Inspector Melbray, gets it wrong.

I thoroughly enjoyed Dancing With Death. It has a good plot to keep you turning the pages, plenty of secrets to keep you guessing and well drawn characters you can identify with.

The victim is not a nice man so much of the plot concentrates on who would want him dead but as his secrets and those of the other guests come to light the list of suspects grows longer by the day. It's very traditional but to ring the changes Inspector Melbray is a smart and dedicated detective so it is he, rather than Nell, who solves the case.

While not a humorous novel it has a running gag about the ghosts of Wychbourne Court. Lord Ansley's sister, Lady Clarice, is convinced the house is haunted by 19 ghosts (including a dog). So it is a ghost hunt that jump starts the investigation and a proposed meeting with them as a dénouement. It is cleverly done and quite funny in parts.

Nell Drury was Escoffier's first female apprentice which makes her a chef rather than a cook, a social nicety now lost in the mists of time but it gives her a much higher status than most employed women would have achieved at the time. Is it realistic? Probably not, but it allows Ms Myers to gently probe the social order of the day and expose the changes wrought by the Great War. She is, however, a great character - smart, organised, easy to get on with and career minded.

Dancing With Death is an easy read but it's well done so I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read.

[histeriker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein netter Anfang einer Reihe über eine Köchin in der 20er Jahren, die zufällig bei der Ermittlung eines Mordes helfen soll.
Ich wurde in bestimmter Weise an Downton Abbey erinnert, die Atmosphäre wird hier deutlich und auch die Charaktere sind, meiner Meinung nach, ähnlich. Ich sehe es nicht kritisch, für mich hat es Pluspunkte gebracht. Ich finde es sehr gut greifbar dadurch, dass ich schon irgendwelche passende Bilder in Kopf hatte und so dem Thema näher war.
Den Charakter von Nell finde ich sehr gut gezeichnet, die anderen Charaktere vor allem in der Dienerschaft waren mir noch nicht klar von einander abgegrenzt, da kam ich noch zu oft mit den verschiedenen Miss durcheinander. Die Herrenfamile war ganz gut dargestellt, vor allem die verschiedenen Sorgen der einzelnen Mitglieder wurden deutlich.
Der Kriminalfall war nett, aber ich habe ihn mehr als Hintergrund, als Hauptstory betrachtet.
Ich werde diese Reihe auf jeden Fall weiter verfolgen.

[M Eve · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book as I've enjoyed other books by Ms. Myers from the Marsh series. Initially I enjoyed the period details and the description of staff/guest interactions but then I started getting irritated by the heroine's cooking related expressions. By the time I was halfway through the book I was rolling my eyes when she came out with yet another one.....and by the time I finished the book and closed the cover I wished her condemned to the h*lls of a fast food joint. Allow me to give you some examples: "capering carrots", "jumping jellies", "what in the name of pickled pollocks", "hopping haddocks", "just a tottering turnip", "face felt redder than a radish", "tottering turbots", "suffering stockfish", "left simmering like a stew", "crackling cauliflowers", "tossed this theory around in her mind like a salad wondering whether the dressing would take to it", etc etc

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too many silly saying: "mulligatawny mussels" "dithering dumplings" "sizzling swordfish"! They are just annoying. We KNOW that she is a chef, no need for stupid exclamations. No a bad story but the ghost but was silly and the idea that a Scotland Yard detective would go along with it was also just silly

[S.J. Higbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This cosy mystery is a thoroughly enjoyable, engrossing read. Myers evokes the period well as steady, sensible and very ambitious Nell Drury, working at Wychbourne Hall as Chef, suddenly finds herself confronted with a violent murder of one of the guests. While it might have seemed unlikely that a young woman would land a prize post like this, due to the shortage of young men after the ravages of WWI, this was a time when a generation of women had an opportunity for a career – so long as they didn’t want to get married. Nell is one of those women. Fans of Downton Abbey will recognise the strict hierarchy of below stairs as she regularly locks horns with housekeeper, Mrs Fielding, who is thoroughly disapproving of a female chef.

But Nell has other things to worry about other than whether her soufflés will rise, when Lady Ansley appeals to her to ensure none of the servants are caught up in the bloody murder. I like Nell’s character. Her cool-headed steadiness and self-confidence comes from having to fight for her place and growing up in the war years, which still casts a long shadow over most of the characters – and quite right, too. Myers has very much caught the flavour of the age, it seems to me, having grown up with stories of the time from my grandmother, who was a flapper.

In order to make this sort of book really work, we need a good spread of likely suspects amongst the supporting cast and Myers certainly provides plenty of memorable, strong contenders. We have the eccentric aunt who is convinced the house is crowded with a posse of ghosts, all keen to make contact with their living counterparts; the gang of bright young things, including the three Ansley youngsters who are caught up in the frantic round of parties and nightclubbing; two school friends who seem far too attracted to each other rather than their supposed partners; the vamp; the terrifying elderly female relative (think Maggie Smith); and her arch-enemy a sprightly avuncular gentleman. In the middle of this, you have poor, bewildered Lord and Lady Ansley… There is also a strong cast of below stairs characters and a rather forbidding detective from Scotland Yard who travels down to investigate the murders as the local bobbies are completely out of their depth.

This is all as cosily familiar as a late-night cup of cocoa – but there is a good reason why Agatha Christie-type murder mysteries work, demonstrated here by Myers’ well-written homage. The pages simply turned themselves as I dived into this one while struggling with a heavy cold. The denouement was also well handled – I hadn’t guessed whodunit or why and was also pleased that some of the red herrings cast around during the investigation weren’t necessarily as herring-like as I’d thought. It always slightly annoys me when an author provides a parade of suspects and a trail of clues – only to suddenly provide a completely different set of motives with a flourish at the end. Myers isn’t guilty of such a sleight of hand. My only niggle is the very, very abrupt ending – unless for some reason my arc is missing a final paragraph. But this one is recommended for fans of a classic cosy mystery set in a country house.

While I obtained the arc of Dancing with Death from the publisher via NetGalley, this has in no way influenced my unbiased review.

8/10

[Crittermom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dancing with Death is an excellent period cozy that takes the form of a classic manor house murder mystery.  During a house party Ghost Hunt, a guest is found murdered.  As the suspects number among the fashionable elite, scandal must be minimized.  Naturally, Lord and Lady Ansley have their doubts about the competency of the police.  As a result, Chef Nell Drury whose skill in the kitchen hides a sharp intellect and understanding of psychology, is asked by the family to look into matters.   Assisted by the Dowager Lady’s rival, Arthur Fontenoy, Nell starts her own investigation to the dismay of Inspector Melbray. 

I enjoyed Dancing with Death greatly.  It pleasantly reminded me of Julie Hyzy’s White House Chef mystery series.  Despite some similarities, Dancing with Death is admirable in its own right.  The central characters were appealing, and there was a nice touch of chemistry between Inspector Melbray and Nell.  There were minor flaws - it took forever for Nell to figure out drugs and blackmail were involved, but on the whole the novel was well done.  The series definitely has potential.  

Dancing with Death will appeal to those who enjoy period mysteries with a light touch of romance, eg. the Phryne Fisher mysteries, or cozies such as the White House Chef mystery series.

4/5

I received a copy of Dancing with Death from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

—Crittermom

[Diana Fleischhauer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nell Drury findet sich plötzlich als Detektivin im England des Jazz-Zeitalters wieder.

Nell Drury ist ein seltener Vogel, eine weibliche Köchin. Sie wurde in London von Escoffier ausgebildet und arbeitet in Kent auf dem stattlichen Wychbourne Court, dem Haus von Lord und Lady Ansley und drei ihrer Kinder, Lord Richard, Lady Helen und der bücherscheuen Lady Sophy. Außerdem wohnen dort die Witwe Lady Ansley, Lord Ansleys Schwester Lady Clarice und natürlich eine ganze Reihe von Bediensteten. Während sie ein Abendessen für die Gäste der Ansleys vorbereitet, gefolgt von einem Kostümball und einer Geisterjagd unter der Leitung von Lady Clarice, die sich den Geistern der Familie verschrieben hat, ist Nell freudig überrascht, als sie erfährt, dass ihr ehemaliger Verehrer Guy Ellimore der Bandleader für den Tanz ist. Weniger erfreut ist sie jedoch, als Lady Clarice sie bittet, die zweite Gruppe von Geisterjägern anzuführen. Ihre Abneigung schlägt in Entsetzen um, als sie die Leiche von Charles Parkyn-Wright entdeckt, einem Freund von Richard, der ihn in Aufruhr versetzte, weil er die meiste Zeit des Abends mit Richards Geliebter, der schönen, aber unangenehmen Honourable Elise Harlington, tanzte. Nell ist selbst verärgert, dass DI Alexander Melbray von Scotland Yard ihre Ideen meist ignoriert, und tut sich mit dem Gast und Nachbarn Arthur Fontenoy zusammen, der ihr anbietet, den Watson für ihren Holmes zu spielen. Da auch Lady Ansley möchte, dass sie den Mörder entlarvt, willigt sie ein. Charlie hat sich nicht nur wegen seines Umgangs mit Frauen Feinde gemacht, sondern auch, wie sich herausstellt, seine Verbindungen zum Drogenhandel genutzt. Ein zweiter Todesfall veranlasst Nell und Melbray, ihre Bemühungen zu verdoppeln, um den Mörder zu finden.

Ein tolles Cover, gefällt mir sehr. Der Schreibstil ist schön flüssig und es greift alles ineinander. Besonders gut gefällt mir, dass die Charaktere vorher Vorgestellt werden, was man nicht sehr oft bei Cosy Crime Romanen hat. Man kann wie immer selber Detektiv spielen und für Spannung bis zum Schluss ist auch gesorgt. Ein Buch für alle Cosy Crime Fans und die es noch werden wollen. Ich freu mich schon auf den nächsten Teil.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
A 1920's setting, cooking, old family houses, and ghosts? What's not to like.? Nell Drury is working as the Chef in a stately country home, but can't help being drawn into a murder investigation. After all she did actually trip over the body.
As with all cozies, the setting and characters will make or break the story. This book has both covered with brilliant detail. The details about the running of a kitchen and household of the time were very interesting. And the post-WWI setting has the characters dealing with the remnants of the war. I really found myself absorbed. The mystery is solid. But it is the characters and the historical detail that makes this book a winner.

[Cindy Ladensack · Rating 4 out of 5]

An English country house mystery with the chef-as-detective is a new twist, though echoes of Downton Abbey abound (the dowager, a slightly rebellious and egalitarian youngest daughter, etc), and one wonders just why & how a busy chef would have time to investigate these things.
The mystery was briskly plotted; the denouement, while truly entertaining in its presentation, was a bit lacking/ confusing in explanation (and I think had a mix-up in names at one point). Some of the characterization--particularly of Nell--seemed a bit off as well (the 'irritating attraction' bit with the inspector was perhaps too forced, her 'quirky' food interjections got old). But an enjoyable read with a nice little spooky theme.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been too long since the last mystery from Amy Myers and this is a great start to what I hope will be a long series. Set in 1925, Nell Drury is the daughter of a costermonger who is now a French trained chef in a stately home. During a fancy dress ball and ghost hunt, a murder occurs and Nell is drawn into the investigation. Full of dark series, all of the feel of the Roaring 20's and maybe a ghost? What more could you want. I want another in this series, please.
My thanks to the publisher Severn House and NetGalley for giving me an advance copy to review in exchange for my honest review.

[Louise Culmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nell Drury is chef at Wychbourne Court in Kent, where a fancy dress party is to take place, followed by a ghost hunt. Nell reluctantly agrees to lead one of the parties of ghost hunters, but instead of a ghost, she finds a dead body. Set in 1925, this is a fairly entertaining murder mystery, though Nell Drury is not such an interesting character as Amy Myers’s other chef detective, Auguste Didier, and she does not bring the 1920s to life as vividly as she did the late Victorian and Edwardian eras in the earlier series.

[Abbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun mystery. I enjoyed this, and I actually liked that the Inspector was the one to solve the mystery. Too often in cozy mysteries it's the amateur detective who one-ups the police. I liked that that wasn't the case with this.

As a side-note, Nell Drury and Inspector Melbray belong together!!!!!!!!

I'll look forward to more in this series!

[EmmyT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Holy guacamole Batman! Or "Thsuffering Succatash!" ( Sylvester the cat) I'm 30% into book. Not sure I can take much more of the idioms, exclamations, curses from Nell. One or two might have been cute. Now it's how many can author come up with? They are cringe worthy. Would a 1925 French trained Chef treat any reference to food as replacements to curse words?

[Wendy Hearder-moan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had some trouble getting into this book but eventually I got interested, mainly in the quasi-collaboration between Nell and the inspector, which I assume will form the basis for future books in the series. The ghost tour aspect was a bit silly, I thought.

[Mary Rankin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This author has written several other series which I haven't read, but now I'm a fan. Good writing, good mystery

[Sabine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beschreibung :
Ein Mörder auf Geisterjagd – Nell Drury ermittelt in den Goldenen Zwanzigern
Der historische Cosy Crime für Fans von Rhys Bowen

Kent, 1925: Nell Drury steht vor ihrer ersten großen Herausforderung als Chefköchin auf dem Herrenhaus Wychbourne Court. Lord und Lady Ansley planen einen extravaganten Kostümball mit Geisterjagd um Mitternacht. Als dabei jedoch eine Leiche entdeckt wird, wird Nell ungewollt in die darauf folgende polizeiliche Untersuchung verwickelt. Plötzlich scheinen die Goldenen Zwanziger nicht mehr so strahlend, denn mehr als eine Person der illustren Gesellschaft hütet dunkle Geheimnisse. Als ein weiterer Mord geschieht, spitzt sich die Lage zu und Nell ist sich sicher, dass der Mörder viel eher hier als in der Geisterwelt zu finden ist. Obwohl sie Hilfe von Inspektor Melbray bekommt, begibt sie sich bei ihren Nachforschungen in große Gefahr …

Dies ist eine überarbeitete Neuausgabe des bereits erschienen Titels Der Tanz mit dem Tod.

Fazit:
Schon das Cover hat mich wieder an die Bücher von Rhys Bowen erinnert. Da ich schon Bücher von Amy Myers kannte, war ich neugierig auf dieses Werk.
Zu Beginn bekommt man eine Übersicht der Protagonisten. Da ich das E-Book gelesen habe und es mit dem Zurückblättern ein wenig umständlich ist, habe ich mir diese ausgedruckt. Dies hat sich als große Hilfe herausgestellt. Habe des öfteren nachgeschaut.
Insgesamt hat mir das Buch gefallen. Aber manchmal hätte ich mir kürze Sätze gewünscht. Auch die Protagonisten hätten ein wenig mehr “Farbe“ vertragen. Ansonsten hat mir der Schreibstil gefallen. Insgesamt ein guter Ansatz, aber definitiv ausbaufähig.

[Leith Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a classic English country house mystery set between the wars in the 1920s. If you enjoyed watching Downton Abbey as much as I did, you will love this book. It features Nell Drury, the chef of Wychbourne Court, home of the eighth Lord Ansley and family. Nell trained under Escoffier and creates all kinds of wonderful dishes for family and for the many parties held at the house.
All is well until the latest party where a glamorous guest is murdered during a ghost hunt put on by Lady Clarice, Lord Ansley's sister. She is sure the ghosts roam the house and might speak to her. Scotland Yard is called in and Nell is pressed into service to help because she is trusted both upstairs and downstairs. There are love triangles, possible blackmail and old scandals to sort out before the case can be solved.
I really enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. The descriptions of life both above and below stairs were vividly described and the characters were well drawn and fun to read about. The plot was interesting and took some unexpected turns. I'm looking forward to more Country House Mysteries from Amy Myers.
Many thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

[Sandra Fritz · Rating 5 out of 5]

20er Jahre in England:Nell Drury wird als Chefköchinim Wychbourne Court angestellt.Doch jetzt planen Lord und Lady Ansley einen Kostümball mit Geisterjagd.Doch Nell entdeckt dabei eine Leiche, die mit einem Dolch erstochen wurde.Wird Nell herausfinden, was dahintersteckt!Ein sehr spannendes Hörbuch der Nell Drury-Reihe.Man ist sofort in der Situation und möchte gar nicht aufhören!Eine talentierte Sprecherin ist am Werk, nur manche englischen Worte sollten noch anders ausgesprochen werden!Ansonsten gefällt mir die Stimmlage und die beruhigende Sprechweise!Absolute Hörempfehlung!

[Puzzle Doctor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review at classicmystery.wordpress.com.