A Fashionable Fatality

November 21, 2022
Set in 1921, Maxwell’s engrossing eighth Lady and Lady’s Maid mystery (after 2021’s A Deadly Endowment) takes plucky Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her intrepid lady’s maid, Eva Huntford, to the Cotswolds, where Phoebe’s sister, Julia, the Marchioness of Allerton, is hosting a house party. The guests include up-and-coming French fashion designer Coco Chanel, but unfortunately Coco has decided that Julia’s estate would be the perfect place to stage a fashion shoot and has brought her entire entourage without consulting her hostess. Julia endures the imperious Coco and her battling crew—a caddish photographer, two miserable assistants, and two bitterly competitive models. When one of the models is found dead of smoke inhalation, Julia is quick to blame a servant for forgetting to open the flue in the woman’s bedroom, but Phoebe is convinced it was murder. Phoebe and Eva make a great team, seamlessly working together above stairs and below stairs to uncover the truth. An evocative setting, realistic relationships, and a nicely crafted plot more than make up for the unlikely murderer simply confessing at the end. Fans of lighter historicals should be satisfied. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency.

November 18, 2022

The latest in Maxwell's 1920s-set "A Lady and Lady's Maid Mystery" series (following A Deadly Endowment) has Phoebe Renshaw eager for a quiet getaway at her sister Julia's estate, Allerton Hall. She's dismayed to find that Coco Chanel and her large entourage are also guests of her sister and plan to use the estate in promotional photographs of the new Chanel collection. After Coco replaces her star model with a newcomer, tensions rise, and one member of the party turns up dead. Julia believes the death is accidental, but Phoebe and her lady's maid Eva are certain foul play was involved. Using their access to both the wealthy guests and their employees to solve the crime, Phoebe and Eva race to uncover the truth before the guests depart. Plenty of suspects, hidden clues, historical details, and glimpses into the lives of the well-to-do and those who work for them add interest to this mystery. VERDICT Readers with an eye for fashion will enjoy the detailed descriptions of 1920s clothing and accessories while fans of the series will be excited to return to Phoebe and Eva's world as they navigate a new mystery and ongoing relationships.--Tristan Draper

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December 15, 2022
In the 1920s, aristocrats meet the preeminent fashion designer of their day. Complications ensue. Accepting an invitation to visit her sister, Julia, the Marchioness of Allerton, in the Cotswolds, Phoebe Renshaw discovers that a fellow houseguest is the famous Coco Chanel, who has rudely invited her crew of models, seamstresses, and a photographer to join her. Another guest is the Earl of Chesterhaven, horse breeder and lady's man, whom Coco has marked as her own. Phoebe's maid, Eva Huntford, has joined her in several murder investigations, but neither expects problems at Allerton Place, though there's clearly tension among Chanel's crew--especially between longtime model Suzette Villiers and young newcomer India Vale, who's not as na�ve as she appears. Phoebe's delighted when her boyfriend, wealthy mill owner Lord Owen Seabright, appears but then becomes annoyed by his overprotectiveness. A morning ride almost brings disaster when the inexperienced Suzette tries to prove she's as good a rider as India, who takes a fall when Suzette crowds her at a jump. In the meantime, Coco presses Phoebe into service as a model for her new sportswear line and has many pictures taken of the stunning Julia in her designs, assuring them both that the photos will not be published. When a fire leaves Suzette dead of smoke inhalation, Phoebe and Eva find themselves once again in a murder hunt with a long list of suspects. The addition of the notorious Chanel adds interest to a solid golden age-style mystery.

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February 15, 2023
Lady Phoebe Renshaw and her maid, Eva, are visiting Atherton Place, the home of Phoebe's sister, Julia, when Coco Chanel and her entourage arrive, planning to photograph the designer's new collection on site. The group and their constant infighting are disruptive, to say the least, and when Suzette, one of the models who has fallen out of favor, dies of smoke inhalation, there is no shortage of theories. While Julia insists the footman is at fault for failing to open the flue, Phoebe believes Suzette was murdered. Phoebe and Eva begin questioning suspects--Phoebe above stairs, Eva below--and comparing notes. Unfortunately, everyone seems to be hiding something, but the two amateur sleuths persevere, leading to grave danger before the culprit is unmasked. Phoebe is a courageous, forward-thinking young woman in the 1920s, who insists her boyfriend respect her autonomy. Superbly framed by the life and times of the period, from both Phoebe's and Eva's points of view, this delightful historical cozy seamlessly weaves the details of couture fashion into the story.

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