Lady Eleanor Swift, who has been a ‘lady’ for less than a year, is going on an elegant seaside holiday but is more used to travelling by bicycle in foreign climes. She doesn’t know what to pack. One thing is certain; Ellie will encounter another murder which simply must be solved. Mystery by the Sea by Verity Bright is fifth in this 1920s cosy historical mystery series. Eleanor, accompanied by her household staff, visits the seaside at Brighton [though the real thing has a pebble beach, not sandy]. Such a glamorous destination in the Twenties, the tourists visit The Royal Pavilion, the Grand and Metropole Hotels, drink cocktails, eat fish and chips and gourmet food, and generally let their hair down. But Eleanor, and butler Clifford, have kept a secret from their cook, housekeeper and maid. There has been a murder at their hotel, the Grand [the three staff and Gladstone the dog are staying nearby], and the victim is none other than Eleanor’s husband. Who died six years earlier.
The hunt for the truth is a race through clues and tangled suspicions, a disagreeable local policeman, dodgy suspects who all seem to have something to hide and a femme fatale who seems preoccupied with Eleanor, all wrapped up in Eleanor’s grief and confusion at the news about her husband. How did Hilary, shot dead by firing squad in South Africa, come to be in Brighton in 1921? Complicated by the presence of a certain Detective Chief Inspector, on holiday from his usual beat in Oxford and London. With Eleanor’s emotions in a spin, she tries to make connections between the Hilary she knew and loved, with the danger and threats surrounding her in such a glamorous place.
The best of the series so far, if a little edgier. It’s becoming addictive.

Read my reviews of other books in the Lady Eleanor Swift series:-
A VERY ENGLISH MURDER #1LADYELEANORSWIFT
DEATH AT THE DANCE #2LADYELEANORSWIFT
A WITNESS TO MURDER #3LADYELEANORSWIFT
MURDER IN THE SNOW #4LADYELEANORSWIFT
MURDER AT THE FAIR #6LADYELEANORSWIFT
A LESSON IN MURDER #7LADYELEANORSWIFT
DEATH ON A WINTER’S DAY #8LADYELEANORSWIFT

If you like this, try:-
‘The Cornish Wedding Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #1NoseyParker
‘Elizabeth is Missing’ by Emma Healey
‘The Killings at Kingfisher Hill’ by Sophie Hannah #4Poirot

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MYSTERY BY THE SEA by @BrightVerity https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-70r via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-