In Murder at Archly Manor by Sara Rosett, Olive Belgrave is busy trying to find a job in London, but in 1923, there are few jobs available for beautiful upper class young ladies. Just as she runs out of ideas, her aunt decides to hire her to investigate the new fiancé of Olive’s cousin, Violet Stone. Alfred Eton, recently arrived from India, where his father had been a nabob, seems suspicious to the Stone family. However, Violet is so taken with him that the family’s only hope to break the engagement seems to be to do a full background check on Alfred. Olive gets herself invited, along with Violet and Alfred, to a weekend party of Bright Young Things at the home of Sebastian, the famous photographer who is Alfred’s godfather.
The night of the party, as the fireworks are being displayed, many of the guests witness a struggle between a man and a woman on a balcony, and Alfred falls to his death. When the police turn their focus on Violet as the potential murderer, Gwen extends Olive’s contract to include investigating Alfred’s death. Her investigation takes her into the party world of the 1920s, with its styles of dancing, dress, and choice of drugs.
This was the first book I’d read by Rosett, and I highly enjoyed Murder at Archly Manor. It seemed to portray the world of the Roaring Twenties with accuracy and fascination. I felt invested in the characters and the plot, which was well planned. There were some great twists to the story as well, keeping me eagerly wanting more.
I enjoyed the audio performance of Elizabeth Klett, who takes us to the era of the 1920s through her use of inflection and pacing, speeding up and slowing down at just the right times to add drama to the book.
Murder at Archly Manor proved to be a fascinating audiobook that I enjoyed plenty. I appreciate historical mysteries, and this is one of the better ones I’ve listened to. I give this five stars.
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