Murder in Black Tie

December 16, 2019
Rosett’s enchanting fourth High Society Lady Detective mystery (after The Egyptian Antiquities Murder) opens in November 1923 as Olive Belgrave, “a discreet problem solver for the High Society set,” is motoring down from London to Parkview Hall—the home of her aunt, Lady Caroline, and her cousins Peter and Gwen—for a house party. Among the guests are Vincent Payne, who possesses unusual antique maps; Insp. Lucas Longly of Scotland Yard, who’s smitten with Gwen; a wealthy heiress or two; and Mr. Quigley, a scripture-quoting parrot. When Payne is found dead in the conservatory, suspicion falls on Peter, a veteran of WWI, who is still suffering from shell shock. As always, the pacing is snappy, the plot is just complicated enough, and the period details are spot-on. In each successive book, Olive matures, becoming more confident and—slowly but surely—more financially independent. Eager readers will wonder what the next step in her evolution will be.