Serena’s Review: “Murder at Midnight”

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Book: “Murder at Midnight” by Katharine Schellman

Publishing Info: Crooked Lane Books, September 2023

Where Did I Get this Book: ARC from the publisher!

Where Can You Get this Book: WorldCat.org | Amazon | IndieBound

Previously Reviewed: “The Body in the Garden” and “Silence in the Library” and “Death at the Manor”

Book Description: Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Ashley Weaver, when a body is found shot to death after an unexpected snowstorm, Lily Adler quickly realizes that some people will stop at nothing to bury their secrets this holiday season.

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to returning to Hertfordshire to spend time with the family of her late husband. She is also excited that Captain Jack Hartley, her friend and confidante, will be visiting his own family after a long voyage at sea. With winter quickly approaching, Lily is most excited at the prospect of a relaxing and enjoyable Christmastide season away from the schemes and secrets she witnessed daily in London.

At a neighborhood ball, she soon becomes reacquainted with a friend of her late husband, Peter Coleridge, a wealthy man who not only manages Irish investments, but also a fund that most of the locals of Hertfordshire take part in. There, she also learns Jack’s sister, Amelia, is the subject of much of the neighborhood gossip—although Amelia refuses to explain if there is any truth to it. For a brief moment, Lily wonders if she ever really left London.

When a snowstorm forces several guests, including both the Adlers and the Hartleys, to stay the night, Lily quickly deduces that all is not well this holiday season. In the morning, a maid discovers the body of a guest in the poultry yard, shot to death—and he is the same man that is scandalously linked to Amelia.

Lily accepts the offer to assist in the investigation, but will she find more than what she bargained for the more she digs? Or will she herself be buried deep within the snow?

Review: Time for another historical mystery review! At this point, I’m really only up-to-date with this series and Sherry Thomas’s “Charlotte Holmes” series. There’s just not enough time in the day to get to all of the books I want, and, unfortunately when push comes to shove, I’ll often prioritize SFF over historical fiction and mysteries. But I do seem to be able to manage to keep up with these two series. I was particularly interested in this latest Lily Adler book due to the fact that while I had enjoyed all of the books up to that point, I had real problems with the latest one. So in my mind, the quality of this latest book would be really telling for my continued enjoyment of the series! And I’m happy to report that while we may not have recaptured the highs of the first book or two, this one is a solid entry in the series and enough of a return to form to ensure my continued reading of these books.

There was a lot to like in this new Lily Adler book. For one thing, I really love this style of mystery, where a large group of suspects (and victims!) are trapped in a location together and must solve a murder. The format allows for a large cast of characters, tons of red herrings that are believable, and much emphasis placed on interpersonal relationships, something that I always focus on in my reading. I also enjoyed the exploration of the group dynamic, which we see done expertly here. As Lily and her companions go longer and longer trapped together in this house, we see the breakdown of conventions and norms, the reduction of individuals to their more basic instincts, and the tendency for people to circle the wagons and “other” anyone who doesn’t fit within strict definitions of right and wrong. For her part, Lily Adler sweeps through these tensions with grace and a practical eye for how these dynamics can relate to guilt and innocence, misplaced fear or rightfully felt concern to hide one’s involvement in a crime. I also really enjoyed the fact that while I was able to piece together some clues to the mystery, there were many other twists and turns that I didn’t spot coming!

I also really enjoyed the continued interpersonal and romantic dynamics. In the previous book, a new love interest was introduced, and while I didn’t have any issues with this character on his own, I was already firmly in the corner of Lily and Jack. So of course I was beyond pleased when Jack himself returned in this book and played a fairly central role. But I also was surprised by how much I enjoyed the continued exploration of Lily’s relationship with this other suitor. The relationship took a few surprising turns, and I was impressed by the way the author used this relationship to highlight the true choices that women faced in this time, even when partnered to a good man by every definition.

I also really enjoyed meeting some new characters, notably Jack’s younger sister Amelia who plays a central role in this story. We also get some POV chapters from her, which I very much enjoyed. Fans of the series are sure to enjoy this one!

Rating 8: All in all, this was an excellent entry in the series. I was glad to see the return of fan favorite characters, and was pleased to see an improvement in the mystery itself.

Reader’s Advisory:

“Murder at Midnight” can be found on this Goodreads list: Historical Mystery 2023