Death Sits Down to Dinner

An Edwardian countess and her housekeeper look into a disastrous dinner party in “a neatly crafted whodunit that drips with diamonds, titles, and scandals” (Kirkus Reviews).

Lady Montfort is thrilled to receive an invitation to a dinner party to celebrate Winston Churchill’s thirty-ninth birthday, hosted by her close friend Hermione Kingsley, patroness of England’s largest charity. Some of the oldest families in the country have gathered to toast the dangerously ambitious and utterly charming First Lord of the Admiralty. But when dinner ends, one of the gentlemen remains seated at the table, head down among the walnut shells littering the cloth, a knife between his ribs.

Summoned from Iyntwood, Mrs. Jackson must help her mistress trace the steps of suspects both upstairs and downstairs as Hermione’s household prepares to host a highly anticipated charity event—before another murder scandalizes society . . .

“Arlen does a good job of depicting a period when class distinctions have become blurred by new money and more relaxed manners. The plot, which includes a slew of red herrings, builds to a startling denouement.” —Publishers Weekly

“[An] engaging series.” —Seattle Times

“Real-life Edwardian personalities abound in this period historical, and the upstairs/downstairs focus delivers a clash of temperaments . . . bound to appeal to fans of . . . such authors as Rhys Bowen and Ashley Weaver.” —Library Journal