Murder in an Irish Castle by Verity Bright is another Christmas instalment in the 1920s Lady Eleanor Swift mystery series, but with a big difference. The setting is in the west of Ireland at the remote estate inherited by Eleanor from her late Uncle Byron and never before visited. Arriving in December 1922 in the aftermath of the Irish War of Independence, snow is on the ground and the welcome is just as cold. 
After a long journey in the Rolls Royce, Eleanor and faithful butler Clifford find an unconscious man in an isolated lane near the estate. They seek help at the nearest building, an abbey, which is the first of many unexpected things they encounter. The behaviour of the abbess and doctor is distinctly odd. The poor man’s death, however, seems predictable.
Invited by the committee of Derrydee, the village closest to Hennelly Towers, Eleanor anticipates a warm welcome. But the house is empty, there is no staff, no food, no welcome and Miss Breen, whose name is on the invitation received by Eleanor, says she didn’t send it. This is the first in a series of denials, objections, obfuscations and lies that Eleanor and Clifford face.
I think this is the slowest start of all the titles I’ve read so far, and this is twelfth book. Perhaps the chill I feel reflects the cool welcome Ellie and Clifford receive from the locals. But ever the troupers, they make the best of it. With Gladstone and a newly adopted kitten, they settle into Hennelly Towers, make Christmas decorations, find a local hostelry for sustenance and then set about confirming the identity of the poor man and establishing the cause of his death. From day one it feels as if people are either lying to them, avoiding the truth or attempting to stop their investigations. As the story progresses, this feeling deepens. And then at 50% there’s a bombshell, and the story takes off.
The plotting is complicated and there are so many guilty-looking suspects. I guessed wrong again but was nearly right, so much so that I wanted to start reading from the beginning again to see what I missed. This is a clever, unusual storyline, deeply based in 1920s Ireland. Eleanor and Clifford are on their own. There is no help from Detective Chief Inspector Seldon, they are snowed in, without transport or telephone. And even murderers can appear friendly and smiling.
At one point Eleanor says, ‘this is definitely the most difficult of all the unpleasant matters we’ve tried to solve.’ For me this is a book of two halves, a slower beginning and a sprint to the end. Darker and creepier than the earlier books.
Read my review 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
MYSTERY BY THE SEA #5LADYELEANORSWIFT
MURDER AT THE FAIR #6LADYELEANORSWIFT
A LESSON IN MURDER #7LADYELEANORSWIFT
DEATH ON A WINTER’S DAY #8LADYELEANORSWIFT
A ROYAL MURDER #9LADYELEANORSWIFT
THE FRENCH FOR MURDER #10LADYELEANORSWIFT
DEATH DOWN THE AISLE #11LADYELEANORSWIFT
DEATH ON DECK #13LADYELEANORSWIFT
If you like this, try:-
‘Agatha Raisin and the Vicious Vet’ by MC Beaton #2AGATHARAISIN
‘A Death in the Dales’ by Frances Brody #7KATESHACKLETON
‘Murder at the Playhouse’ by Helena Dixon #3MISSUNDERHAY
And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER IN AN IRISH CASTLE by Verity Bright @BrightVerity https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8r5 via @SandraDanby
COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- 
SANDRA DANBY'S BOOK REVIEWS 