A Promising Series Set in Roaring 20's England

NOBODY'S SWEETHEART NOW
A Lady Adelaide Mystery
Maggie Robinson
Poisoned Pen Press
November 13, 2018


Lady Adelaide Compton buried her philandering cad of a husband six months earlier in the village churchyard. The husband, Rupert, crashed his car into a stone wall, losing his life and that of his French mistress as well. Luckily, the house and estate were not entailed, and Lady Adelaide inherited. It can't be said that Addie was mourning him, but she was observing the conventions. After six months in the country wearing black and making much-needed improvements to the property, she is ready to have a few friends down for the weekend. Little did she know that murder would be committed among her guests, and the ghost of Rupert would appear. It seems that Rupert can't go on to his eternal reward without some good deeds, namely protecting her. Adelaide reluctantly comes to realize that Rupert is real, and she is not losing her mind. The local constabulary makes a mess of questioning the guests leading to the arrival of Anglo-Indian Scotland Yard Inspector, Devenand Hunter. Since the year is 1924, an Anglo-Indian policeman, never mind one who has risen to the level of Inspector is highly unusual.

Lady Adelaide is a charming character if a little naive about the people she considers as friends. She also seems to be devoid of the built-in prejudices of her era and class and unfailingly kind.  The banter between Rupert and Addie is highly entertaining, especially before she accepts that his ghost is a reality. Before the murderer is cornered, an attraction develops between the handsome Inspector and Addie that I hope to see more of in the next book in the series. However, the murderer was more revealed than solved and found that a bit disappointing. 

I was looking for something purely entertaining; something to transport me to another era not so fraught with division and discord, and lacking civility. Nobody's Sweetheart Now fills the bill admirably, and I am looking forward to the next in the series.


3.5  Stars rounded up to 4