Death Sits Down to Dinner: A Mystery (Lady Montfort Mystery Series, 2)

I loved Tessa Arlen’s ‘Death of Dishonorable Gentleman’, the first novel in her Edwardian Murder Mystery series. And so, I was eagerly anticipating her second: ‘Death Sits Down for Dinner.’ I was not disappointed! Like its predecessor, Arlen’s new novel has a tightly-knit compelling plot that keeps you turning pages. When a party to celebrate Sir Winston Churchill’s birthday ends in the murder of one of the guests, the unusual detective pairing of Lady Montfort and her housekeeper, Mrs Jackson, reunites to solve it. The writing is gorgeous and Arlen’s evocation of the Edwardian era is perfectly wrought. She had obviously done a lot of research - there is much lovely period detail and a thorough knowledge of the many rules and snobberies of Edwardian England - but she wears it lightly, weaving it seamlessly into the story. She evokes the atmosphere of early 1900s London well: the rain, the mist rolling off the Thames, the joy of buying hot chestnuts from a street vendor on a bitterly cold day. I loved the way she incorporates some of the fascinating real-life characters of the era into her fictional narrative: Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Thomas Beecham, Vaslav Nijinsky. The story is told from the dual perspectives of Lady Montfort and Mrs Jackson: the knowledge each one gleans adds a missing piece of the puzzle, as well as giving the reader insight into the segregated worlds of upstairs and downstairs. I particularly loved the strong, sympathetic characters of Lady Montfort and Jackson: they are intelligent and observant, and good listeners. Arlen highlights an interesting challenge faced by Edwardian female amateur detectives: they must search for the murderer without breaching the rigid decorum of the period! Both women rise to it admirably. Arlen is a talented writer with an immensely generous and insightful vision. I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

I thoroughly enjoyed this Lady Montfort mystery! Lady Caroline Montfort and her housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson, are a terrific team. Mrs. Jackson is calm, organized, and clear-headed while Lady Montfort is inquisitive and quick-thinking. Hermione, a friend of Lady Montfort's mother, is the one giving the dinner party, and they are celebrating Winston Churchill's 39th birthday. After dinner while the women are upstairs and the men have just finished their drinks and cigars, a retired officer named Sir Reginald, is murdered. Lady Montfort is actually the one who discovers Sir Reginald with a knife stuck in him.The novel shows the strict class lines prevalent in England in the early 1900's, and every person at the dinner party is a suspect: Miss Gaskell, who took to her bed after the night of the murder; Aaron Greenberg, a very rich banker; Trevor Tricklebank, Hermione's nephew, who lied about leaving with Jennifer Wells-Thornton; Lady Cunard, a cold, imperious woman; Jenkins, the elderly, forgetful butler; and many others. I had no idea who the murderer was because there were so many suspects!The plotting was excellent, and the dialogue both witty and delightful!

This is an extremely interesting book - a fiction, but so interwoven with fact that it is difficult to sort one out from the other. It races along like a thriller, but the most overwhelming effect that one takes away from this story is the stultifying rigidity of Edwardian society. It is almost unbelieveable that people could live under these repressive and arbitrary societal strictures. I felt quite breathless while reading this story! That aside, it is an enjoyable read, with well-rounded characters. I look forward to more work from Tessa Arlen.

Four and a half stars. I really enjoyed this second in the series. I love the upstairs/downstairs pairing of Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson. This book was set in London, amidst all of the pre-WWI happenings, changing social mores, political tensions, etc. It featured a couple of real historical characters, including Winston Churchill, who at the time was First Lord of the Admiralty. I love how Ms. Arlen weaves fact and fiction, and does such a wonderful job incorporating political history, social structure and issues, fashion, and culture into her novels. I can't wait to read the next in the series. Write quickly, please, Ms. Arlen!!

The second book in Tessa Arlen's Lady Montfort series really delivers! The first, "Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman" was terrific and I wondered how the second book would live up to such a high standard. Tessa Arlen is a born story-teller, and a wonderful writer.I particularly loved the new, nuanced, and delightful layers added to the character of Mrs. Jackson. And I was just tickled to have real-life personalities like---but not limited to---Winston Churchill and Emerald (or Maud, depending on your level of U- or non-U) Cunard and Sir Thomas Beecham included.The attention to period detail in clothes, food (I had to look up Queen of Pudding: I'm American), and social custom is just wonderful.I can't wait for Book 3!

Seems odd to describe a murder mystery as a lovely and fun read -but this one is!It’s the inviting and intelligent writing that brings together a well-developed cast of characters (the handy list of who’s who at the book’s beginning is wonderful to have), an informative and thoroughly researched historical knowledge of this period, plus clever insights and depictions of human nature and folly; all into a multi-layered murder plot that’s an enchanting read.Clues and distractors mix seamlessly with the political and social discourse of the time. There’s serious discussion of contemporary issues, there’s gossip, food and fashion. There’s the servant’s hall and the ballroom. And a dead dinner guest. This is a well rounded and intriguing novel that I highly recommend!

The second of this delightful series begins as Lady Montfort attends an elegant dinner at which one of the guests is no less than Sir Winston Churchill. It is just before Christmas 1914 in snowy London; and the sense of time and place is immediate and convincing. In the tradition of an Agatha Christie mystery, a murder takes place and all the guests are ordered to remain silent about the unfortunate event. Yet as we know, Lady Montfort has an insatiable curiosity about such matters and a mind to do some sleuthing. With great pleasure the readers sees her summon the redoubtable housekeeper Mrs Jackson to assist her, and so the investigation begins. Arlen cleverly splits the inquiry between rather buttoned-up Mrs Jackson who snoops below stairs and at the charity at the heart of the story, while her more impulsive mistress gathers gossip at the opera and around Town. There are some lovely tongue-in-cheek moments in which the manners of the day are gently sent up, and a number of the era’s celebrities make vignette appearances (with interesting character notes in the Afterword.) I thoroughly enjoyed this indulgent treat, which to my mind is even better than Death of a Dishonourable Gentleman. Recommended.

Totally enjoyable and can't wait for the next one in the series!