The Golden Hour

A good book, entertaining and engaging.
I loved the plot, the well written cast of characters and the setting.
The plot is somehow darker than the usual cozy mystery but this makes the book more interesting.
Even if its the 4th in a series I had no problems in understanding the plot and the characters.
I will surely look for other books in this series.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The Golden Hour (Lady Evelyn Mystery #4)
by Malia Zaidi (Goodreads Author)

Paperback, 398 pages
Published March 26th 2019 by BookBaby


Goodreads synopsis:
Lady Evelyn Carlisle has barely arrived in London when familial duty calls her away again. Her cousin Gemma is desperate for help with her ailing mother before her imminent wedding, which Evelyn knew nothing about! Aunt Agnes in tow, she journeys to Scotland, expecting to find Malmo Manor in turmoil. To her surprise, her Scottish family has been keeping far more secrets than the troubled state of their matriarch. Adding to the tension in the house a neighbor has opened his home, Elderbrooke Park, as a retreat for artistic veterans of the Great War. This development does not sit well with everyone in the community. Is the suspicion towards the residents a catalyst for murder? A tragedy at Elderbrooke Park's May Day celebration awakens Evelyn's sleuthing instinct, which is strengthened when the story of another unsolved death emerges, connected to her own family. What she uncovers on her quest to expose the truth will change several lives forever, including her own. With the shadow of history looming over her, Evelyn must trust in her instinct and ability to comb through the past to understand the present, before the murderer can stop her and tragedy strikes again.

***

4 Stars

This is the fourth book in the Lady Evelyn mystery series set in 1927. This is my first foray into this breathtaking series and I was not disappointed. Loved the lushness of the scenery and how detailed it all was to behold. Just great.

The backdrop waffles between the UK and Scotland and relies on a lot of narrative and description. So, if you don’t like an overly wordy book, this one might not be for you. But the complex detailed mystery surely makes up for the nearly 400 pages of text.

All the characters are fully crafted probably due to the fact this is book 4 in a series. Lady Evelyn was a compelling main character that held the plot together. There were a couple of stretches in logic when connecting points of the mystery near the end but overall a wonderful new author for me. Looking forward to reading other titles from her.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

A great cozy with a very independent women protagonist in the 1920's. It is set in that time period where women are just gaining some independence but the social manners are still being observed. there are a lot of suspects in this small village and rural area of Scotland after a your servant girl is murdered at a Mayday celebration. Lots of twists and false clues that really keep you guessing for a surprise ending.

April 1927 and Lady Evelyn Carlisle receives a call to urgently travel to Malma Manor, near Falkland as her cousin Gemma is concerned about her own mother. But things are not what they seem, and which are made worse by one of their neighbours at Elderbrooke Park making his home into a retreat for artistic veterans of the Great War. At an opening day, a body is discovered by Lady Evelyn and she is determined to help catch the guilty party.
Another slow placed, well-written mystery. An entertaining read with its varied and well-developed characters..

3.5 stars
This is a darker mystery than the cozy read that I expected. This is my first Lady Evelyn mystery but I had no problems keeping up with it. It's set in Scotland with Evelyn's aunt and cousins so it makes a nice setting. It started slowly for me but once it got going, the action moved right along. A nice mystery that kept me guessing.

Thanks to Net Galley and the author, Malia Zaidi, for a copy of this enjoyable read.