I’ll be at book group this afternoon, having afternoon tea and discussing The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes. It’s a pleasure to share my review of The Mitford Murders too today.

The Mitford Murders was published by Little Brown imprint Sphere in paperback on 5th April 2017 and is available for purchase through the links here.

The Mitford Murders

Lose yourself in the sumptuous first novel in a new series of Golden Age mysteries set amid the lives of the glamorous Mitford sisters.

It’s 1919, and Louisa Cannon dreams of escaping her life of poverty in London, and most of all her oppressive and dangerous uncle.

Louisa’s salvation is a position within the Mitford household at Asthall Manor, in the Oxfordshire countryside. There she will become nurserymaid, chaperone and confidante to the Mitford sisters, especially sixteen-year-old Nancy – an acerbic, bright young woman in love with stories.

But when a nurse – Florence Nightingale Shore, goddaughter of her famous namesake – is killed on a train in broad daylight, Nancy and amateur sleuth Louisa find that in postwar England, everyone has something to hide . . . 

My Review of The Mitford Murders

Nurse Florence Nightingale Shore has been murdered.

The Mitford Murders is written with a lively style that means the story moves along satisfyingly, keeping the reader entertained. There’s an underlying wit, especially with regard to Gus’s superiors that I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought the style suited the context of the story very aptly.

I also thought the historical era was very well depicted, with both social class and conventions realistically conveyed so that there was an authentic feel to the story. Reading The Mitford Murders made me quite glad not to have been a woman of Louisa’s standing born in the times we have here. The underlying snobbery of society, the constraints on women Fellowes has researched far more than she has included in The Mitford Murders which makes the story realistic. More so, is the underlying trauma of World War One that acts as a profound backdrop to a story that initially feels more of a diverting caper than a crime, despite the murder of Nurse Shore, giving it a depth I hadn’t expected. 

There were occasions early in the story where I wondered where the plot was headed, but as the threads come together, the connections between characters are made and the narrative reaches its conclusion I realised that this is a thoroughly well-plotted narrative and that the clues are there all along. 

There’s a cracking cast of characters here with a super balance between getting to know the clearly developed Louisa, Gus and Nancy thoroughly, setting up future books enticingly, whilst having an interesting range of supporting people to add colour and interest. The imperiousness of Lady Redesdale, for example, is the perfect foil to the bluster of her hard pressed husband.

There’s a little bit of everything in The Mitford Murders so that it appeals to readers of historical fiction, mystery, romance and murder, all woven together competently and engagingly. I feel this story would make an excellent television drama series too and it comes as no surprise to discover Jessica Fellowes is the niece of Julian Fellowes and has written companion books to Downton Abbey. I enjoyed it a great deal. 

About Jessica Fellowes

Jessica Fellowes is the author of The Mitford Murders, niece of Julian Fellowes and a public speaker on Downton Abbey in the UK and USA. She has been a celebrity interviewer and lifestyle writer and was Deputy Editor of Country Life.

For further information, visit Jessica’s website,  follow her on Twitter @jessicafellowes and find her on Facebook and Instagram.