The Mitford Murders (2017)

The author's uncle is Julian Fellowes, the creator, writer and executive producer of Downtown Abbey and Jessica was the writer of the "official companion books". It's not surprising that her first novel is a mystery that involves upstairs and downstairs characters and takes place from 1920 - 1921.

The famous Mitford family is used for "upstairs" even though the plot doesn't need a famous family, it just needs one that is aristocratic. The crime is based on an actual murder, the unsolved murder of Florence Nightingale Shore, the goddaughter of the famous nurse. FNS is also a war nurse having served in the Boer War and in WWI.

A young woman is hired by the Mitford family as a nursery maid and she becomes involved in solving the mysterious murder along with a young man who is a railroad policeman. It's a good mystery and the writing is fine although I think it could have been shorter than it's 420 pages. ( )

With the haunting trenches of WWI in the backdrop, Fellowes mixes fact and fiction, and turns dreadful historical events and characters into a palpitating thriller. The tone is right: balancing cozy murder without diminishing the after-shock of the war and the people who fought it, nurses and soldiers alike.
I thoroughly enjoyed the read and would recommend it as a perfect vacation read. ( )

An English manor house in 1920, a famous British family, the mysterious murder of a nurse on a train, and a young woman of the lower class looking for a position, intersect to make for a very good read! ( )

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley to read in exchange for a fair review. The Mitford Murders By Jessica Fellowes is a murder mystery set in England just after the end of the First World War. The murder in the story actually happened and was unsolved and a number of the characters The Mitford Family among them were real people but the story and the main characters are fictional. Ms. Fellowes does a wonderful job of recreating the time and place as well as an engaging mystery with lots of twists and turns. I very much enjoyed this reading this novel and think it will appeal to fans of Downton Abbey. #TheMitfordMurders #NetGalley ( )

This is the first book I’ve read by this author; she's built quite a following over her "Downtown Abby" books. I love historical mysteries primarily set in post-war Britain. This book did not disappoint; the way Ms. Fellowes weaved the facts of the case with her own brand of fiction made this a terrific mystery. I must confess, I had no idea this book was based on a true story until I finished the book and read the author’s notes.
Florence Nightingale Shore was a war nurse whose God Mother you guessed it was the famous nurse Florence Nightingale. Ms. Shore was a kindly woman who dedicated her life to helping others, she had decided to retire after the war and enjoy the rest of her life. She was on a train headed to the coast to visit a dear friend of hers when she was murdered. Her murder caused quite a stir, it was shocking that someone could be murdered on a train during the mid-day without any one noticing anything.
Several other plots were going on throughout the book that kept the storyline from lagging. The Mitford family was introduced into the book when Lady Redesdale employed a young woman, Louisa Cannon to assist the loveable overworked Nanny Blor who needed more help caring for the ever-growing Mitford clan. Louisa was only 19 years old and running from her past and she was relieved to be hired to work for Lord and Lady Redesdale as a nanny. She had no experience and it was a dream come true when Lady Redesdale hired her. It gave Louisa a chance to start a new life for herself but one that she would have to take extra care that her past didn’t follow her to their home. The oldest child of the Mitford’s was the precocious Nancy Mitford who was 16 years old and was more than thrilled to have the young Louisa as a nanny. The two young girls became quite close, Louisa had her hands full trying to reel the headstrong Nancy in from getting them both into some serious trouble.
I liked the characters of this book; they were well developed and believable. David Mitford who inherited the title of Lord Redesdale after his oldest brother died during the war, David Mitford was an officer during the war that claimed his brother’s life.
The mysterious death of Florence Nightingale Shore was a constant during the entirety of this book. It was a major cause of contention and speculation between most of the main characters. I was glad to see that this is the first of a series and the second book is already in the works. I'll be purchasing that one for sure.
Disclosure: I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. The opinion I expressed above regarding this book is my own. ( )