Publisher's Weekly Review
In 1925, London is plagued by a gang of female criminals, the Forty Thieves, in Fellowes's solid sequel to The Mitford Murders. Their activity provides an opportunity for advancement for Sgt. Guy Sullivan, whose position with the Metropolitan Police is less than he hoped for. Guy and another underutilized colleague, Constable Mary Moon, go undercover to get the goods on the gang. Guy crosses paths again with Louisa Cannon, a servant to the Mitford family, introduced in the previous book. Louisa has become friendly with Dulcie Long, a maid in another household, who used to belong to the Forty Thieves. That acquaintance proves problematic after Louisa agrees to help Dulcie gain access to the Mitford estate in Oxfordshire so Dulcie can meet privately with Adrian Curtis, the 22-year-old son of Dulcie's employer. The meeting turns heated and proves to be just the precursor to Adrian's murder, under circumstances implicating Dulcie. Fellowes, the author of several Downton Abbey companion books, excels at depicting the inherent tensions between the upper classes and their servants. Agent: Caroline Michel, Peters Fraser and Dunlop (U.K.). (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
Fellowes, niece of Julian Fellowes, the screenwriter for Downton Abbey, follows The Mitford Murders (2018) with this continuing story of the wealthy, sometimes infamous Mitford sisters during the jazz-age era of cocktails, drugs, and wild parties. Only Nancy and now Pamela are old enough to be seen with the Bright Young Things in London, and they hover over the action in this upstairs-downstairs puzzler. At Pam's eighteenth birthday party at Asthall Manor, one of the guests dies in a fall from a nearby church tower during an impromptu scavenger hunt. The sisters are determined to help the police find the killer, although they are, perhaps, less useful than their housemaid, Louisa, who knows more about the prime suspect another maid, Dulcie and Dulcie's connection to the brutal Forty Thieves gang. An engaging mystery, with plenty of shifty characters, hidden motives, and lots of rushing about from town to manor. Kerry Greenwood's Phryne Fisher would be very comfortable with the Mitfords, whether dancing or sleuthing. Readers looking for other period novels inspired by real events may also enjoy The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress (2014), by Ariel Lawhon.--Jen Baker Copyright 2019 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In Fellowes's second in her series (after The Mitford Murders), railroad detective Guy Sullivan has been hired by the London Metropolitan Police, and nursery maid/chaperone Louisa Cannon is ensconced in the Mitford household, safe from the criminal world of her uncle. A house party in the country for Pamela Mitford's 18th birthday ends with a robbery and murder of the handsome but cruel Adrian Curtis, which brings Guy and Louisa together again. Guy, Louisa, and Guy's policewoman partner Mary Moon move through the worlds of jazz in Soho nightclubs and of a female gang called "The 40 Elephants" as they try to solve the murder. While Guy and Louisa are the focus, both Pamela and Nancy Mitford get involved in the action, and the author presents views of life at Asthall, the Mitford family home. VERDICT Fellowes captures the style and frenetic energy or the "bright young things" of the upper class in the Roaring Twenties. The characters are engaging, and the story's historical basis makes it ring true. Fans of Downton Abbey and mysteries by Jacqueline Winspear will enjoy this classic mystery. [See Prepub Alert, 4/19/18.]-Terry Lucas, Shelter Island P.L., NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
