In A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder by Dianne Freeman, set in Victorian England, Frances Wynn, the American heiress, now the elder Countess of Harleigh, is relieved to have finished the obligatory year of mourning over the death of her late husband, Reggie, Earl of Harleigh. Only she and two others know that his death actually occurred in the bed of his mistress and that Frances and George Hazelton, the brother of Frances’s best friend, moved Reggie back to his bedroom and dressed the naked corpse. Then Frances overhears Reggie’s brother, the new earl, making plans to use her personal money to repair the family manor. So Frances arranges to move with her young daughter, Rose, to her own home in Belgravia, taking over 80 years on its lease. However, to Frances’s consternation, she discovers that her new next door neighbor is the very George Hazelton who knows the shameful secret of her husband’s death. But she finds that he is eager to be a friend and not a critic.
Then, just as Frances moves into her new home, she gets a letter from her mother in America saying that she is sending Frances’s little sister, 18-year-old Lily, accompanied by their Aunt Hetty, for Frances to bring Lily out into society. In the midst of attending balls, the women keep hearing about small thefts that happen during the balls. What is worse, Frances gets several visits from Inspector Delaney because of suspicion that Reggie was murdered. Then, to add to all this drama, Frances discovers a footman murdered in her yard before he could come to visit her with information. And Frances’s brother-in-law, Graham, is stirring up trouble for her as well in an attempt to get her money.
A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder is the first novel by Dianne Freeman, and she has made a success of her first book. The historical setting proves to be interesting, with fascinating details about high society and the issues faced by both young ladies and their chaperones as they navigate the challenges of trying to find the best husband. The book deals with the different classes in society as well as the common practice in the late Victorian era for rich Americans to send their daughters to find husbands with important titles, many of whom needed the infusion of cash by the Americans to keep their estates running. This is hope Frances found her husband and how Lily expects to find her own spouse.
Sarah Zimmerman performs the audio edition of this book, creating an effective shift between the accents of the various characters. The American Frances narrates the book, but she has a slight influence from having lived in England for close to 10 years. Other characters are fully British, while Lily and Aunt Hetty have stronger American accents. The strong intonations and timing, without over-emoting, further add to the interest in the content of the book. Zimmerman certainly makes this book effective as an audiobook, and I will look for more books narrated by her.
I really enjoyed my experience listening to A Lady’s Guide to Etiquette and Murder. The book was creative and depicts Victorian society in an interesting and effective manner. I look forward to the second book’s being released in audio and certainly intend to get that next. I give the book five stars!
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