"The Mitford Scandal" is a mystery and suspense novel that offers an immersion in the glamorous and scandalous world of the Mitford sisters. The story centers on Diana Mitford and her personal maid Louisa Cannon, who travel through Europe in the 1920s as a plot of murder and mystery unfolds. The author, Jessica Fellowes, does an excellent job of intertwining historical facts with fiction, creating a rich and detailed reading experience. The scene is depicted in vivid colors, showing the luxurious lifestyle of the Mitford sisters and their friends, as well as the political context of the time. "The Mitford Scandal" is a well-defined mystery and suspense novel that will keep the reader stuck until the end. With its combination of historical details, complex characters and a captivating plot, it is a must-read for lovers of historic fiction and mystery novels.

Murder Most Foul…
Scandal, gossip and political unheaval aplenty, topped by murder, in this entry into the Mitford Murders series. From the glamour and glitz of the sisters parties to the darkness and despair of murder most foul. A combination of fact and fiction makes this whodunnit particularly enjoyable.

I normally love a murder mystery but found this book wasn't for me. Maybe if I'd read the previous 2 books that come before this one I might have enjoyed this more.

I found the pacing to be a bit off and dull though the writing was good. Might be enjoyed by others. Just not for me unfortunately

I didn’t know what to expect from this book - I often find it a bit clunky when real characters are shoehorned into fictional situations, although this seems to be a more and more common trope. This was quite fun though. Beautifully historically set, with great characters. Very enjoyable.

This is a lovely series. I love anything to do with the Mitford sisters and the author captures their voices perfectly. Read all of the books in this series. Highly recommended.

Such a great who dunnit set in a really beautiful era, the characters are funny and wry, and I didn’t guess the culprit until the reveal which was fantastic! So happy that this is one in a series, must go back and read the others now. I love reading about the Mitford sisters and I loved how researched this story was.

This is book three in 'The Mitford Murders', series and the first one I have read. I had no trouble accustoming myself to the era and the characters and found it an engaging read. An intelligent mix of historical characters with a believable fictional story, spiced up with historical facts, to make it read authentically.

The hedonist, volatile ethos of England between the two world wars is captured perfectly. The reverence of artists, in all forms, is evident. The mix of old and new money, alongside the bohemian stars of this historical period, provides the quintessential setting for crime, romance and scandal.

The story unfolds through Louisa's point of view, she knows the Mitford family well, and currently works as a lady's maid for Diana Mitford. An amateur sleuth, she soon realises that some of the incidents she witnesses are more sinister than they superficially appear.

As the story progresses over a realistic period, the suspense builds, and there are also menacing moments, where Louisa faces dangers head-on. Louisa is ambitious, but like many women of her class, finds fulfilling her full potential almost impossible, hampered by not only her gender but also her social standing.

The fallout of the 1929 Wall Street Crash and the subsequent economic depression, allows extreme political views to gain momentum both in England and Europe. The story reflects this well, and this adds another sinister element to the story.

The conclusion to the murder mystery ties up the clues in a satisfying way. Leaving, the reader waiting eagerly to see what will happen to the Mitfords next.

I received a copy of this book from Little Brown Books UK - Sphere via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This is the third in the Mitford series, although it’s not necessary to have read the previous titles in the series. The story is set in the 1930s. The main protagonist, Louisa, works as a maid for Diana Guinness (nee Mitford) and gets to travel around Europe with her glamorous mistress and her husband. But tragedy follows them around and there are unexplained deaths in their social circle. Louisa, with the help of romantic interest Guy, a member of the London police force, starts looking for the killer.

This is a lovely, charming story, well-written and suspenseful. The characters are believable and engaging, and it is clear that Fellowes has done her research into the era and the historical figures she portrays in the delight of a novel. Highly recommended.

It’s the Roaring Twenties (or Thirties!). It’s time for champagne! Excess! And… murder?
Former ladies’ maid Louisa Cannon thinks that she’s left the glamorous Mitford sisters far behind, but when Bryan Guinness proposes marriage to the beautiful Diana Mitford, she is once again swept up into a giddy whirlwind of hedonism. That is, until the murder happens…
The reason this book is so interesting is of course the Mitford sisters. Fellowes has definitely done her research on them and on the time period they lived in, weaving the story around what happened in their lives. The end result is engrossing: through Louisa’s eyes, we learn more about the sisters and explore the crowd that Diana and Bryan moved in: the Bright Young Things, who counted Evelyn Waugh among their number. Fellowes captures the atmosphere of the changing times perfectly, with its shifting attitude to gender roles, politics and class roles. After all, Louisa wants to be a policewoman, and over the course of this book it looks increasingly likely that she will be.
The characters themselves are interesting, too, but one of the main problems about writing a book about the Mitford sisters is that they will inevitably be more interesting than the fictional protagonists. However, Louisa Cannon and DS Guy Sullivan hold their own reasonably well: Fellowes gives them their own backstory and continues to develop the complicated relationship between them, even as they try to solve the murders together. Louisa is a likeable, strong-willed character who has a strong idea of right and wrong: a perfect foil to the icy Diana Mitford, whose own personality takes a turn for the darker as the book progresses and the bodies start to pile up.
Which takes us to the murders themselves. I loved the Agatha Christie element to it all: Fellowes takes us from Venice to Paris and back to London as our two protagonists try to piece together the clues connecting several suspicious disappearances, dropping just enough bread-crumbs to keep you guessing as to who’s really behind it. However, the ending was unexpected- if a tad melodramatic- and dovetails neatly with the Mitfords’ stories.
Though this book is the third in the series, it doesn’t really feel that way. Fellowes draws you easily and naturally into the world of the Mitford sisters with a murder that feels fresh and characters that it’s easy to like. A perfect winter read, especially if you like your murder mysteries with a touch of glamour!

Being an independent woman in London in the 1920s is not as easy as Louisa Cannon hoped and she supplements her income by working as a casual servant for society parties. At one of these there is a scandal as a maid falls through a skylight to her death but this brings Louisa back in the orbit of the Mitford family and she is offered a job as ladies maid to glamorous Diana as she embarks on married life with the ultra-rich Bryan Guinness. Travelling around Europe death seems to follow the party and this means Louisa is brought back into contact with Guy Sullivan, the policeman she loves.
I thoroughly enjoyed this romp through high society in the late 20s and early 30s. Again the Mitford family is used as a part of the historical setting and to ground what is actually a more than competent murder mystery. The 1920s detail is excellent and the awakening of political conscious offer a slightly different perspective. OK the plot is paper thin but that doesn't really matter.

I enjoyed reading this book and remembered hearing about the links previously to the far right groups that are mentioned in this story. Definitely recommended to those readers who enjoy reading this type of book.

I found the title of this book a little misleading, as the Mitfords were really the background to the story. Diana marries the Guinness heir and they embark on a European tour, with Louise Cannon as Diana's ladies maid. Louise has some background in mystery herself and is really the main protagonist. I enjoyed the book but found many of the ' coincidences ' to somewhat stretch belief. I would have liked a bit more of the Mitford sisters.

I’m undecided if I enjoyed this book. I certainly liked the characters but at times felt the story dragged and it was a poor attempt at Agatha Christie BUT every chapter something happened to make me keep reading........

Full of atmosphere and period detail, The Mitford Scandal is the third book to feature Louisa Cannon, domestic servant to various members of the (real life) Mitford family.

As always, there's murder and mystery, and Louisa teams up again with policeman friend Guy.

It's an interesting feature of these books that the events tend to take place over quite a long time scale. I can't decide whether I like that, or find it makes the pace a bit slow, but it is a nice change from non stop action crime thrillers.

This is the third in the Mitford series, I managed to read the first book before starting this one but still have book two to read. I believe these can be read as stand alone novels, but by reading them in order you get to see and learn about Louise Cannon who is maid/nursery maid companion, as well as DS Guy Sullivan. Who in book one was an officer working for the transport police.

In this book we see Diana Mitford the most beautiful of the Mitford sisters, who marries Bryan Guinness heir to a fortune. Despite having left the employ of the Mitford’s in the hope of becoming a policewoman, which just doesn’t happen, Louise is working as a seamstress and maid at a fashionable society party, when a maid falls to her death through a skylight, it looks to be a tragic accident. This is where Bryan Guinness proposes to Diana Mitford.

Louisa finds herself as ladies maid to Diana, after the couple are married. They travel around, taking in Paris, Venice and London, and it’s through the eyes of Louisa that we get to know the fashion, the music and the culture of the time, along with characters from the time such as Evelyn Waugh.

The crowd that Diana and Bryan mingle with are all rich, with a social whirl of parties, where drugs are easily available. When in Paris, a rich young man dies of what is believed to be a sesame seed allergy, ruled as an unforeseen tragic death.

Guy Sullivan is the young transport police officer that Louisa met in the first book in the series, who she seemed so keen on, and vice versa, is now a DS and is in Paris to see Louisa, they haven’t seen each other for some time and he still misses her, although he is now engaged. With Guy, is his best friend Harry who is now married to PC Mary Moon, they are there looking for a woman missing from London, Rose Morgan, she is believed to be in Paris.

The longer Louise works for Diana the less and less she likes her, when they are in Venice yet another death happens, Louise starts to wonder if these deaths are actually murders.

I really enjoy these books they are well researched into the Mitford sisters who attracted a lot of attention, especially with the scandals that followed them. I love Louisa and Guy as well they just make the story work. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.

I would like to thank netgalley and Sphere for giving me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, fair and unbiased review.

Louisa Cannon is wasted as a ladies' maid in Jessica Fellowes latest tale of the Mitford sisters in their heyday. This time, Louisa turns detective for a series of suspicious deaths surrounding her employers Bryan Guinness and Diana Mitford. Guinness and Mitford were indeed married when Diana was just 18, and her brittleness and lack of maturity shines through The Mitford Scandal. The way Louisa is treated often makes you wince, considering she is usually the smartest person in the room. It is odd to read this book, knowing that Diana will soon leave lovely Bryan to take up with the evil fascist Oswald Mosley. Fellowes also shows how Nazi sympathisers were common amongst the ruling classes. I am interested to see how this will be covered in future instalments.
The central mystery is enjoyably twisty, and not too predictable. The most satisfying thing about these stories is the evocation of the era in all its' glory.

I'm a huge fan of the Mitford Sisters so I'm always a bit wary when I read fiction about them.
This one was a lovely historical mystery, well written and engrossing.
The historical background is well research and the historical characters are well written and realistic.
I appreciated how Diana Mitford was written and I like her character even if she's my less favorite of the sisters.
The pace was a bit uneven and it took a bit before the mystery part started.
It's a gripping and entertaining read, I look forward to reading a book featuring Jessica Mitford and I'm curious about one featuring Unity.
It was an entertaining read, it's recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

I love the covers of this series of novels by Jessica Fellowes! The blue here is gorgeous! All art deco, beautiful, vibrant. Not unlike the eponymous Mitford sisters around whom the novels revolve.


This is the third outing for Louisa Cannon, previously nursery nurse to the younger Mitford sisters and friend to Nancy Mitford in The Mitford Murders and Bright, Young Dead. In this episode, she is lady’s maid to the middle sister Diana. And I really wanted to love it, I did want to love it… but I couldn’t.

I have to say, I don’t know why the family continue to employ Louisa. Everywhere she goes in this novel, death follows. It is the Jessica Fletcher effect!


In 1928, she – Louisa Cannon, not Jessica Fletcher – is employed by the Guinness family as a maid for a party where Diana’s relationship with Bryan Guinness blossoms, and a fellow maid dies; she is employed by Diana as a lady’s maid and accompanies her to Paris on her honeymoon in 1929 and, whilst there, their friend Shaun Mulloney dies; they holiday in Venice in 1930 and another friend, Clara Fischer dies, in Louisa’s room; back in London, Louisa discover the body of yet another friend, Kate Mulloney, Shaun’s wife. Tragic accidents, drug withdrawals, overdoses, allergic reactions, suicides. Nothing more than coincidence, surely? Surely? Are we dropping into Midsomer en route?


The relationship between the Mitfords and Louisa is a problem for me: distant and professional, friendly and on the same terms. It felt terribly forced at times. If I am being generous, perhaps that reflects the breaking down of social barriers in the interbellum period as characters strive to break out of conventional roles. Perhaps. And there are other touches of that sort of contextual detail: Louisa had applied unsuccessfully to become a police officer, but had felt empowered enough to apply; Mary Conlon, nee Moon, was a police constable who nearly had to relinquish her job on becoming married and had little to no chance of escaping the uniform and into CID; Louisa’s right to vote was touched upon, albeit somewhat pressured by the Mitfords on how to vote.

But this is, perhaps too generous: that relationship – those relationships with the different Mitfords – just felt awkward.

There are three more sisters to go in the family and I would like to see the series progress further because we are creeping inevitably and inexorably closer to World War Two: in this novel, the Mitford brother Tom is in Germany sympathising with Nazis; Diana has met Oswald Mosley – whom, historically she goes on to have and affair with and marry; and looking further ahead, Unity’s obsession with Hitler should be on the horizon. Watching the family – which thus far have been very close – disintegrate and split over the politics could be fascinating. Potentially.

Nor has Fellowes lost her secondary protagonist, the lovely and earnest and self-effacing too-cautious-for-his-own-good Guy Sullivan. His feelings for Louisa has survived the years despite her physical distance and silence and lack of reciprocation, despite the protestations of love in her point-of-view chapters which she never voices. Despite his meeting and getting engaged to another woman. Without spoilers, their feelings do take a step forward in this book. We have a kiss. And it is quite tender. But ends terribly awkwardly.

The pace of this book is slow – almost glacial – covering 1928 to 1932 and, consequently, there’s very little tension within the novel. It is, like Murder, She Wrote or Midsomer Murders, very cosy and unthreatening. And there is nothing wrong with that! At times, it hits the spot perfectly!

My biggest gripe was actually some of the writing came across as rather clumsy and clunky when it came to ending chapters on cliffhangers. If we take a couple of examples, perhaps

“Oh Lord,” said Diana, pulling a face, “I do hope she’s not a bad omen.”

“I’m sure she’s not,” said Louisa.

But she was wrong.

So that was the first time that Louisa – and Diana – heard the term Nazi. It would not, of course, be the last.

In the hands of a different – a better – writer, that sort of obtrusive narrative comment could be stylish and effective. Dickens does it wonderfully; Fellowes doesn’t.

Will I keep an eye out for the other books in the series? Yes, I probably will pick them up, and probably fill in the gaps with Bright Young Dead when time permits. Because they are light and comfortable and cosy. As winter closes in and we light fires and close the curtains, these novels fit. But I’ll not be attaching any urgency to them.

Ratings:
Overall: ⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐
Plot / Pace: ⭐⭐⭐
Language: ⭐⭐⭐
Publisher: Sphere
Date: 26th September 2019
Available: Amazon

This is the third book in the Mitford murders series and is very much in keeping with the others. Louisa Cannon, previously a nursery maid to the famous Mitford family, once again finds herself caught up in a murder mystery within their glittering world.

This time, Louisa moves within the Mitford's social circle by virtue of her position as Diana's maid. As she travels with Diana and her new husband in Europe, she finds herself close to a number of suspicious deaths. In order to find out the truth, she teams up with Guy her partner in detection from the previous books. Their unspoken love for one another continues, although the path of true love is never smooth.

I really loved the historical detail in the book and the references to real-life people, although Fellowes is quick to point out that this is a fictional book. Still, the Mitfords, Lytton Strachey, Dora Carrington, Oswald Mosley and many others fill the pages of this book and blur the line between fiction and biography in a really engaging way. The mystery itself is well plotted although takes a while to really get going.

I'd recommend this if you enjoy historical crime, even more so if you are interested in the Mitfords. They were a very unconventional family and at the forefront of world events (not always good ones...) and so - I think - are always worth reading about!

Another thoroughly enjoyable whodunnit from Jessica Fellowes. Once again, the story centres around the Mitford family. I was besotted by the Mitfords when I was younger. I read everything about and by them so reading about familiar events in their lives, their unique way of speaking and behaving, and the assorted eccentricities of family members was a real pleasure.

Just enough of the storyline is based on fact for it to feel authentic. There are several murders and I didn’t guess whodunnit until the murderer was revealed. The ending is a little bit melodramatic but that’s forgiven because the book asa whole is very well written, very well researched and kept me interested throughout. This is No. 3 in the series and I’m looking forward to more.