A Midwinter Murder — Verity Bright

Homemade baubles, reindeer-shaped cookies and snowy walks across the rolling moors... but Lady Swift's festive plans are ruined when a body turns up!Winter 1924. When Lady Eleanor Swift unexpectedly finds herself a guest of the reclusive Duke of Auldwyke, she's determined to enjoy Christmas with all the trimmings at his sprawling manor house. And that includes kisses under the mistletoe and cozying up by the fire with her fiancé, dashing detective Hugh Seldon.Instead, the season of goodwill turns frosty as she finds the Duke's studious secretary, Mr Porritt, dead in the storeroom. Clasped in his chilly hand is a golden pendant in the shape of a rose. The Duke denies ever having seen the necklace before. But Eleanor can see the lies in his eyes... Did it belong to his mysteriously absent wife?Hugh and Eleanor must ditch relaxing with hot cocoa in favour of interviewing the Duke's holiday guests. Every suspect has a secret they'd kill to keep: the socialite with the false name, the Sir with a questionable inheritance and the husband hiding a crack in his marriage.As the blizzard outside rages, Auldwyke Hall becomes cut off. Trapped by the snow, Eleanor and Hugh must skate around the increasingly secretive Duke to unwrap the identity of the killer. But does the answer to the secretary's murder lie with a ghost of Christmas past? And when an attempt is made on the Duke's life too, they realise the killer is closer than they think...A gripping and twisty Golden Age murder mystery set in a country house on the Yorkshire moors, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss!Readers adore Verity Bright: 'Unputdownable... Had me hooked immediately... Filled with suspense... Will have you laughing until you're crying... A page-turning and unputdownable success!' Bookworm 86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'I am hooked! This is the best book that I have read this year... An extremely witty, fast-paced mystery... I love the heroine, intrepid adventuress... A most enjoyable read!' Reviews by Carol in Tallahassee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️'OMG! What an incredible read!... When I devour a book this quickly it only means one thing: I was so enraptured that I couldn't put it down!' Celebrating Authors ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️'I was literally on the edge of my seat until the last page trying to figure out the mystery. It's an adorable, captivating book.' Washington Life Magazine'I absolutely LOVED this!... Had me hooked... and I kept flipping through the pages because I could not put it down!' bookishbri_, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'Oh my goodness... Amazing... Wow, what a phenomenal addition to this fantastic series... fabulous read... exactly what I needed. It made me laugh out loud... Captivating... So good I may have to go back and read it again.' Page Turners, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐