The Mitford Murders

 The Mitford Murders by Jessica Fellowes

The author, Jessica Fellowes, is the niece of Julian Fellowes, creator and writer of Downton Abbey. Jessica wrote the popular series of Downton Abbey companion books and is a well known public speaker on the subject. This is her first fiction book and she's followed it up with four more in The Mitford Murder Series.

In this one Louise Cannon, eighteen and living in poverty in London with her loving mother and a degenerate uncle, dreams of living a better life. Her dream seems to be realized when she lands a job as nursery assistant at the estate of Lord and Lady Redesdale. There she finds a friend in Nancy, the oldest daughter of the family, but remains fearful her uncle will come and cause trouble for her.

When Florence Shore, a woman known to the family's Nanny, is murdered on a local train, Nancy and Louise look for clues as to who the murderer could be. They enlist the help of Guy Sullivan, a railway policeman who helped Louise when she first arrived and is grateful for any chance to see her again. 

Switched identities, a will conveniently changed just before the murder, and lots of secrets and lies all come together to create a mystery that involves both the the upstairs and downstairs cast of characters. It probably falls into the "cozy mystery" category, which I think I understand to mean lighter reading fare with happy endings for all but the guilty, who are rightfully hauled off by police to answer for their crimes. If I've got that wrong please let me know because I'm still not sure about the meaning of "cozy" when it's paired with "mystery".  

The Mitford Murders provided an enjoyable few hours of diversion with a good story, nice writing, and likeable characters. And it's always fun seeing how the other half lives - the upper class lifestyle, beautiful houses, elegant fashion, the lovely richness of it all. I did enjoy it but I probably won't continue with the series. Then again, one never knows; a good sale or another day's need for a pleasant bit of escapism might easily change my mind.