Murder in Postscript

Lady of Letters Mystery, #1

by

Mary Winters

A charming new Victorian-era historical cozy mystery series debut, featuring Lady Amelia Amesbury!

Murder in Postscript is the debut novel in author Mary Winters’s new historical cozy series, A Lady of Letters Mysteries. The action begins quickly with a murder, but not the one mentioned in relation to THE postscript, which occurs by the end of the third chapter. The book has a charming tone and an equally delightful heroine, Lady Amelia Amesbury, the titular Lady of Letters. 

Lady Amelia is a refreshing character. Although a countess, her position was attained through a virtual marriage of convenience. The late Lord Edgar, aware that he was dying of a terminal illness, sought out and married Amelia as the perfect guardian and mentor for his beloved young niece, Winifred, after his death. Although sorrowful over his circumstances, Lady Amelia quickly came to love the young girl as if she were her own daughter. I loved that Amelia moonlighted as an ‘agony aunt,’ and that after this pastime was revealed to the reader, each chapter is headed with a letter to and a response from ‘Lady Agony.’ 

Amelia is joined in her investigation of the death of a lady’s maid and her mistress by her best friend, Kitty, and Simon Bainbridge, an old friend of the Amesbury family. Kitty is what we would categorize today as a “ride-or-die” friend. Simon had been a particularly close confidante of Amelia’s late husband, one of the few people aware of the illness that would take his life soon after his marriage to her. From the start, there was a spark between him and Amelia, although, at the time, she only wanted him to be on his way so she could make a secret rendezvous with a distraught letter writer in St. James Park. Together, Amelia and Simon make an excellent team as they work to unravel the book’s mysteries. I will anxiously anticipate their further adventures in future books in this series. 

As the investigation into the murders intensifies, it uncovers several possible suspects and reveals surprising plot twists. I didn’t figure out the answers beforehand, but I was satisfied with the resolution. 

I recommend MURDER IN POSTSCRIPT to readers of cozy historical mysteries, especially those that feature unusual (for the times) and progressive female sleuths or Victorian-era London. 

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.