Read in two sittings over a rainy weekend, I devoured Murder at Enderley Hall by Helena Dixon, second in the Miss Underhay cosy historical murder mysteries. Picking up a matter of weeks after the events at the end of the first book, Murder at the Dolphin Hotel, the plotting is tight and the clues keep coming. I changed my mind three times about the guilty party. Now she’s had a taste of detecting, Kitty Underhay is finding life at her grandmother’s hotel in Dartmouth a quiet affair. She agrees to visit her previously-underheard-of aunt, Lady Medford, in the hope this will bring both a diversion and a clue to the truth of her mother’s disappearance. Elowed Underhay went missing when Kitty was a child and has never been found. Lady Medford is the sister of Kitty’s disreputable father Edgar. Arriving at Enderley Hall, Kitty finds a house party including cousin Lucy and dog Muffy, the family’s elderly nanny, a garden designer, an art conservator, two of Lucy’s friends from London, plus Lord Medford and his secretary Aubrey.
Lord Medford is an inventor of military munitions and materials and his work is conducted at Enderley in a secret laboratory. The setting is summer 1933 as Europe has become an uncertain, threatening place. So when important papers are stolen that may endanger the country, Sir Horace Blunt arrives from the government, followed by Inspector Greville and Kitty’s co-detective from the first book, Captain Matthew Bryant of Torbay Private Investigation Services.
Clues are collected and rumours abound. As the papers remain lost and one murder is followed by another, Kitty becomes irritated at being left out of the investigating. Alice, the Dolphin’s house maid who has been recruited as lady’s maid for the duration of Kitty’s stay at Enderley Hall, proves to be an able spy. Keeping watch, gathering gossip amongst the domestic staff, and acting as companion to Kitty when danger threatens.
This is only the second book of the series but I slipped easily into reading about these familiar characters. The story unfolds at a good pace as Kitty treads the delicate line of being a polite house guest with being a nosey, intrepid detective. I was cheering her on.
Thoroughly enjoyable. Next up is Murder at the Playhouse.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY

And my review of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘The Vanished Bride’ by Bella Ellis #1BronteMysteries
‘The Killings at Kingfisher Hill’ by Sophie Hannah #4Poirot
‘Moonflower Murders’ by Anthony Horowitz #2SusanRyeland

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7zK via @SandraDanby

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