Death at the Manor

By Katharine Schellman. Crooked Lane Books

Lily Adler is back with a third mystery in the series and it’s another great story. Lily is visiting her aunt along with her friends, Ned and Ophelia. Captain Jack, who appeared in the first two books, is absent for this book but he does show up as a correspondent a couple of times. Instead, we have Matthew Spencer, who appeared in the previous story, to provide some assistance and male companionship for Lily. Matthew takes the visitors to see Belleford manor along with its famous ghost. Unfortunately, they don’t get to see much due to the sudden and suspicious death of the owner, supposedly at the hands of the ghost.

In this book, we have the added perspective of Ophelia to add to the story. I like how this expands the sleuthing to include the two women instead of just Lily. And the idea of romance is less a vague suggestion (as in the previous stories) as Lily starts to move on from her husband’s death. Another aspect of this book that appeals is the presentation of a sleuth who doesn’t solve everything perfectly but makes mistakes and has doubts.

Despite some of the grisliness, this book was a delight to read and I enjoyed getting to know new characters and being reacquainted with old ones. Overall, I give this book a solid 4 stars. Thank you to Netgalley and