Tuesday, 17 September 2024

Review of Death in the Mayfair Hotel - Fliss Chester

In a candlelit ballroom, London’s most fashionable amateur sleuth, Cressida Fawcett, is dancing the night away in her sparkling silk dress. It’s a night Cressida will never forget. Because outside the window, there’s a body under the falling snow…

Christmas Eve, 1925. The Honourable Cressida Fawcett is delighted to attend an exclusive ball at London’s glamorous Mayfair Hotel. When she steps out into the moonlit courtyard with her little pug Ruby wrapped in her furs, she is thrilled to see a dashing man propose to her best pal under the swirling snowflakes. But instead of squealing ‘yes’, Dotty lets out a terrified scream…

Because floating in the fountain, with her long blonde hair rippling in the ice-cold water, is the body of their dear friend 
Lady Victoria Beaumont.

It’s clear the wealthy young beauty was murdered, whacked over the head with a bottle of champagne. Would Victoria’s elderly husband Lord Beaumont kill his wife over rumours of her younger beau? Or did someone clobber Victoria to prevent her producing an heir for the Beaumont fortune?

A snowstorm prevents the authorities from arriving, and just as Cressida searches for clues, she finds herself locked inside a large wicker hamper. Why does the scent of the hamper’s smoky luxury tea remind her of the crime scene? And will a suspiciously rotund Ruby follow her snuffly nose and find Cressida in the nick of time?

Trapped in the hotel with a killer lurking among the guests, will Cressida lose someone dear to her heart? And when she finds a clue among the Christmas crackers, can Cressida solve her most mysterious case yet?

The perfect cozy whodunnit for a cold winter’s night. Fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss won’t be able to put this down!

My Review

Over the last day or so the weather here has taken a turn for the worst. You may be wondering what that has to do with this book review. Death in the Mayfair Hotel is set on Christmas Eve and the colder temperatures have suited that perfectly. It wouldn't really matter though, I'm happy to join Cressida, Alfred, Dotty and of course Ruby the pug at a moment's notice. I do enjoy these books so much. 

This time, I hadn't a clue who was behind it all, but that didn't matter, I was swept up in the glitz and glamour of Cressida's life. She really is such a fun character and one that does seem to care too. It would be so easy for someone with the privilege of the world that she lives in to not care about anyone else, but she does seem to.

After the death of someone that Cressida and Dotty made their debut with, they can't help but try and find out who could be behind the murder. Alfred is there to help and support Cressida, in even more ways than he usually does. As for a certain little dog, I honestly think that Ruby might be the brains behind the whole operation.

I love these stories, the setting and characters are so vivid and alive in my mind as I read. I hope that I get to return to Cressida and the rest of the gang again before much longer!

Author Bio:


Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.


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