A Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder
Cover via GoodreadsA Fiancée’s Guide to First Wives and Murder (Countess of Harleigh Mystery #4)by Dianne Freeman
Edition: ARC, 2021
Synopsis: For Frances Wynn, widow to the late Earl of Harleigh, life has a cosmopolitan flavor of late. No sooner has she sent her mother and daughter off on a shopping trip to Paris than she and her fiancé, George Hazleton, are socializing with visiting members of the Russian royal family. Yet amid this whirlwind, scandal also comes calling when Inspector Delaney turns up outside Frances’s house with a young French woman with a shocking claim: she is Mrs. George Hazelton.
As the future Mrs. George Hazelton, Frances assumes the woman is either lying or demented. Mrs. Hazelton, aka Irena, makes other outrageous statements. Among them, she insists that she is the illegitimate daughter of Russian royalty, that she has been abducted and held for ransom many times, and that someone is sending her threatening letters. When George arrives, he clarifies that he is certainly not married to Irena–though he can confirm her royal parentage. But even as he agrees to investigate whether Irena’s life is in danger, her claim proves tragically true. Irena is found strangled in Frances’ garden.
To uncover a killer–and clear their own names–Frances and George must determine which of Irena’s outlandish stories were based in fact, and who stood to benefit from her death. And as the search reaches a shocking conclusion, they may find that villainy lurks all too close to home…
For Frances, Countess of Harleigh, the future looks bright as she plans for her wedding to Mr. George Hazelton. Matters come to a halt when a young lady arrives, claiming to be Mrs. Hazelton. Before they can clear up that misunderstanding, the young lady is found strangled to death in Frances’ garden. Scandal erupts, and the race is on to clear all of their names.
It has been a delight to follow this series from book one until now. Frances and George are one of my favorite couples in the historical mystery genre. They trust each other and they have learned how to work together. Even when they face the disapproval of society and the unexpected, they rely on each other to find the solution.
The book is plotted and written very well. The mystery was enjoyable and kept me guessing. As always, the characters were the best part of the story. They were believable, and even the supporting cast was memorable.
For readers looking for a fun historical mystery series, I would definitely recommend this. I received a free copy through NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own.
