An Unmentionable Murder

Kate Kingsbury's books are a delight to read. They held my interest all the way through. I believe a key for their success as far as I'm concerned is that the author has passion which comes through in her books.

This delightful cozy mystery, set in World War II rural England, is the latest in the author's Manor House series. Elizabeth Compton, lady of the village manor house, has a heavy burden of responsibility. Not only does she have the duty of running the great house under trying wartime conditions, but the residents of Sitting Marsh depend on her for everything from a cheerful visit to solving crimes. If that wasn't enough, her elderly butler goes missing, her American pilot friend is on a dangerous mission, and there's that thief that makes off with women's knickers from the village's clotheslines. Soon, a body is discovered.... This is great entertainment: charming, at times amusing, but with a dose of reality that is just enough to emotionally involve the reader. It also stands as a marvelous look into the lives of ordinary English villagers, thrust into a new reality by the intrusion of the war. However, lest one grow too nostalgic for those days, the author reprints the actual wartime recipe for Lord Woolton Pie, a most abominable concoction even by the standards of English cuisine. Highly recommended for all mystery lovers.

The Manor House Mystery series was an entertaining romp through the life of a small English village during the Second World War. An Unmentionable Murder draws everything to a conclusion with the same typical, not so difficult to solve murder mystery that has made up the rest of the series. What really makes this series enjoyable is the detail with which it portrays life during that era. The mystery portion of this particular installment centers around the death of a not very likable man, Clyde Morgan, who, as usual, Lady Elizabeth finds reason to believe died of foul play rather than the suicide the local police are ready to write it off as. In addition, there's the sub-storyline of who's been stealing the ladies' underwear off the clotheslines around the village, Elizabeth's ongoing romance with an American Air Corp Major, and a mystery surrounding Martin, Elizabeth's sometimes senile butler. To sum it up, if you've been following the series you'll definitely want to pick this book up to see how things end for all the residents of the Manor House. It's still okay as a stand alone story, but you'll really be lost when it comes to references of characters and/or events from previous stories.