Murder at Archly Manor (High Society Lady Detective Series)
Historical Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Self Published (October 15, 2018)
Paperback: 252 pages
Synopsis
A high-society murder. A spirited lady detective. Can she out-class the killer before an innocent person takes the fall?
London, 1923. Olive Belgrave needs a job. Despite her aristocratic upbringing, she’s penniless. Determined to support herself, she jumps at an unconventional job—looking into the background of her cousin’s fiancé, Alfred. He burst into the upper crust world of London’s high society, but his answers to questions about his past are decidedly vague.
Before Olive can gather more than the basics, a murder occurs at a posh party. Suddenly, every Bright Young Person in attendance is a suspect, and Olive must race to find the culprit because a sly murderer is determined to make sure Olive’s first case is her last.
Murder at Archly Manor is the first in the High Society Lady Detective series of charming historical cozy mysteries. If you like witty banter, glamorous settings, and delightful plot twists, you’ll love USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett’s series for Anglophiles and mystery lovers alike. Travel back to the Golden Age of detective fiction with Murder at Archly Manor.
Guest Post
Party like is 1923!
by Sara Rosett
As I read up on the 1920s while researching Murder at Archly Manor, I learned that while we may think we “party hard,” we’ve got nothing on the Bright Young Things, the well-to-do group of young people who came of age between the wars in Britain. They knew how to throw a party, and they threw plenty of them!
What began as scavenger hunts across London evolved into fancy dress parties with specialized themes. They threw a Mozart party and wore wigs and oval-skirted dresses. At the Second Childhood party, they dressed like children with all the accessories, including prams and bottles. Other themes were a Wild West party, a Circus party, and a Bath and Bottle party, in which they rented a public pool, and guests swam and drank as a hired band played.
I knew I had to pull out all the stops for the party in Murder at Archly Manor since it’s a novel about the high society set. First, I needed a name. I decided on the Silver and Gold party. What could be more opulent than that? All the guests had to wear either silver or gold—dresses for the ladies and ties or waistcoats for the men.
A fancy dress in either silver or gold was a bit of a problem for my main character, Olive Belgrave, who has an impeccable pedigree, but is rather short on funds. She usually gets by wearing hand-me-down frocks from her cousin Gwen, but this time none of her recycled clothes suited. I have Olive improvise. She buys gold tulle and makes an over-dress for a plain white sheath. I did lots of research, examining party dresses from the early 1920s. Several auction houses have their inventory listed online and I searched authentic flapper dresses for inspiration. Another good source of inspiration was the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The collection is also searchable online and has great images and descriptions like this one for a Edward Molyneux evening gown: “Sequins in vertical stripes are overlaid with loose lengths of georgette picoted along the edges for a delicate shimmer on vertical filaments.” Who wouldn’t dream of wearing that dress?
Entertainment was also essential for my fictional party, so I included dancing along with fireworks over the estate’s lake. Shenanigans ensue—some innocent and some not so innocent—but all the fun comes to an end when a murder takes place.
Suspicion falls on every Bright Young Person and my sleuth, Olive, has to sift through the clues and sort out the silly party-goers from a cold-blooded murderer.
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Sara Rosett writes light-hearted escapes for readers who enjoy puzzling mysteries, interesting settings, and quirky characters.
She is the author of the Murder on Location series, the Ellie Avery series, the On the Run series, and the High Society Lady Detective series. Sara also teaches an online course, How to Outline A Cozy Mystery.
Publishers Weekly called Sara’s books, “satisfying,” “well-executed,” and “sparkling.” Sara loves to get new stamps in her passport and considers dark chocolate a daily requirement.
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Giveaway
Thanks so much for hosting me on your blog and for letting me write the blog post. It was a lot of fun!