Many thanks to publisher Bookouture for my spot on this Blog Tour.

Whoa!! The stakes were raised in this book 3. Author Helena Dixon wrote another historic cozy where plain ole determination set about making inroads and solving a murder.

A young actress was murdered, and Matt was arrested. It was after all his bootlaces that strangled her. But how could Miss Kitty Underhay allow anyone to throw him in the slammer? On she went to find the killer and save Matt.

Set in the 1930s, the book was quaint yet a fast read. The author was clever in placing Kitty in quite a few precarious situations and raising the tension in the story. A second murder added to the pace. Now Kitty had to move fast. A secondary theme of finding her mother too continued in the background.

Characters were eclectic, with maid Alice making her presence felt with her observations. Motives and suspects were plentiful, the web of deceit soon enveloped the characters. It took all of Miss Underhay’s determination to cut through them and reveal the killer. Investigation had its twists, I could guess the murderer, but that didn’t deter me from the charm of the book.

I quite enjoyed this historical murder mystery, set in supposedly cozy times, where friendship was tinged with love, but nothing spoken out rightly, and where murders occurred at regular instances.

Overall, a fun read where I was transported to the good ole times when murder was solved with pure intelligence and grit.

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I received a ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, and this is my journey into its pages, straight from the heart!! STRICTLY HONEST AND UNBIASED.

All my reviews can be read here

Late summer 1933. After a quarrel with too-plucky-for-her-own-good amateur sleuth Kitty Underhay, dashing ex-army captain Matthew Bryant is nursing his wounds, and a tumbler of brandy, when there’s a heavy knock at the door and he finds himself arrested for murder. The body of aspiring actress Pearl Bright has been found, strangled with one of Matt’s own bootlaces, and the evidence seems to be stacked against him.

The local constabulary might have locked Matt up, but before they can throw away the key, Kitty hears the news and hies to his aid, determined to prove his innocence. And when her investigations lead her to the home of retired theatre impresario Stanley Davenport, and the local amateur dramatics society, Kitty uncovers a web of deceit that stretches far beyond the stage make-up. But Kitty’s digging is bringing her to the attention of the killer. Without her partner in crime-fighting, can Kitty expose them and clear Matt’s name? Or will it be curtains for them both?

Publication Date: June 2020