Just to be original, this is the first book in the Mitford Mysteries series I have read. I've had a couple of the books around for a while but I like to be contrary and start in the middle, so I did. And to be fair, although I'm sure I would know all of the characters a little better if I had read the books in order, as this series is based on the real life Mitford's if I want to know about them, I can find info elsewhere but the author has done a great job of drawing people into the story that I don't think it's really necessary. This is a standalone murder mystery, based, loosely, on real life events, and for that reason I would suggest that you don't read any of the author notes before reading the story, as it will give away a rather significant spoiler or two.

I really enjoyed this. I seem to be reading more historical fiction of late, and this is another prime example, the book being set in the years just before the start of World War II. For that reason, and some of the clear allegiances that developed in the book, I can't say that I particularly liked all of the characters, and some of the Mitford sisters' particular take on socialism and fascism leaves a touch of a bitter taste, but that is part of history that the author cannot doctor or rewrite to make them more acceptable. And, viewing events with the benefit of hindsight, it's very easy to have an altogether different take on Hitler that that formed by the young and impressionable Unity Mitford. But, in spite of that rather unpalatable political leaning, this is actually a clear cut murder mystery, and it's one we just can't blame on old Adolf.

The majority of the book is set on a cruise ship, a trip concocted by the Mitford clan to try and distract Diana Mitford from her completely unsuitable - and very married - lover, Sir Oswald Mosley. Former Mitford Nanny, Louisa, finds herself drawn back into their world, against her real wishes, but it's not just a case of helping to protect her former charges. This time it's a matter of National Security. And this is where the real intrigue begins. I love the way in which the author has blended this subterfuge with the complicated matters of the heart - and not just Diana's. Louisa is newly married by lying to her husband. A fellow passenger is murdered, but his wife has her own secrets to keep. And interspersed amongst the whole shebang is a court case being held back in London, in which Mitford brother, Tom has a key role to play.

This is the perfect murder mystery, so many delicate threads woven together, but in such a way that you cannot see the full picture until Jessica Fellowes is good and ready. There are a whole host of suspects in the murder, and more than the odd passenger keeping secrets. And the way in which the setting, and the period in history, has been developed meant that I felt as though I was right there in the heart of the action. And, although I have only just 'met' the Mitford's, I'm more than a little intrigued by their story. I love these kinds of books where the author plays a little with actual history. Not so much as to be unfaithful to her protagonists past, but with enough artistic licence to keep the story entertaining, and to replay a fictionalised, and occasionally renamed, version of history.

This is somewhere between an Agatha Christie style murder mystery and memoir, staying true to its origin stories, that of the Mitford's, but reimagined for a modern audience. I'll definitely be reading the other books in the series, and I'm more than a little engaged by the Mitford family's story, so I really want to know what the rest of them got up to now. Recommended for fans of historical fiction and good old fashioned murder mystery stories.

This is book 4 in the series
The book is based on true events.
The pacing was a bit off at times
I found it hard to connect with the characters

Having read the previous Mitford books I was delighted to see another released by Jessica Fellowes. These books never disappoint, the Mitford sisters are exactly as I imagine they would have been - Nancy is wonderfully depicted in particular. It was also lovely to see Louisa’s life developing away from the Mitford’s. I loved it.

Another delightful installment in the Mitford series, featuring amateur-sleuth Louisa, former chambermaid of Diana Mitford. This time Louisa goes on a cruise with the Mitford sisters and their mother. But when a man is murdered on board, Louisa gets involved and her quest to find the truth is a scintillating read. The fact that the story takes place against the backdrop of the tensions leading up to WW2 makes it even more interesting. </p>


Fellowes’ characters (both fictional and real) are engaging and well-drawn. The atmosphere and the historical setting is very compelling, although the actual murder mystery is a little bit on the thin side. Still, a very enjoyable read. Highly recommended.

The Mitford Trial by Jessica Fellowes

It is 1933 and, with the rise of Hitler in Germany, fascism is beginning to become fashionable among British high society. Sir Oswald Mosley’s British Union of Fascists is on the ascendancy and his most ardent admirer is Diana Guinness, formerly Diana Mitford, who is not going to let her marriage, or his own dalliances, get in the way of attaching herself to him permanently. Diana’s younger sister, Unity, on the other hand, has a schoolgirl’s obsession with Adolf Hitler.

As if to clear their heads, their despairing mother plans to take her daughters on a luxury cruise to Italy. She needs somebody reliable to keep an eye on them. Louisa Cannon, the Mitfords’ former maid and companion is the obvious choice. Even though she has just married DI Guy Sullivan, Louisa feels she has no choice, especially when a strange man approaches her and suggests it would be in the interests of her country if she should spy on the Mitfords and any Germans that they might have contact with onboard. It all sounds deeply mysterious and intriguing but, when one of the passengers is found dead in his cabin, it also becomes extremely dangerous.

I am a huge fan of this series, of Louisa, of the mysteries that she solves, and of the intrigue, glamour and danger that surrounds the Mitford sisters, all brought to life in these novels. I live very close to where the sisters grew up and have been to events in their home, eaten in their local pub and visited their graves. They are fascinating, not necessarily always in a good way, and they reveal so much about the nature of the times in which they lived – in society but also on its fringes, where scandal can be found. Louisa is a bridge between normality and these unusual women. She is the one who can get to the heart of the matter, with or without the help of her rather bumbling detective friend and now husband, Guy Sullivan.

The Mitford Trial is the fourth in the series and you can certainly read it without having read the others. I read the first novel, The Mitford Murders, not that long ago and, as a result, immediately devoured the following two books. The stories stand alone with each of the books generally focusing on a sister. In The Mitford Trial it’s now the time to learn more about Unity, possibly the most notorious of them all (which is saying something when you consider the story of Diana). And so, if you’ve read them all, you’ll have more of a feel for their relationships and also for that between Louisa and Guy. I must admit, though, that this is possibly of less interest to me. I have still to be convinced that Guy actually knows what he’s doing.

This latest novel is different in that it is mostly set away from London and Oxfordshire. Most of the drama is set aboard the Princess Alice, a ship that carries such a strange bunch of crew and passengers to Italy. There is intrigue of every kind just as there is also the shadow of something sinister – there are spies at work, on every side. And while Diana and Unity see only glamour and excitement in the appearance of Nazis on the ship, many others don’t.

The Mitford Trial is an entertaining tale of glamour, spies and murder. It has that Agatha Christie type feel to it as our murder suspects are few in number and confined within the ship. The historical detail is marvellous and so too is its mood as we enter that dark period of 20th century history. I can’t wait to see where Jessica Fellowes takes us next as Diana and Unity become even more deeply involved with fascism, Germany and with Hitler himself.

Other reviews
The Mitford Murders catch up (The Mitford Murders and Bright Young Dead, now renamed The Mitford Affair)
The Mitford Scandal

For Louisa Cannon her marriage to her beloved Guy Sullivan should have been the start of a new life. However as Guy is called away from their reception to tackle a potential riot involving the British Union of Fascists, Louisa realises that politics is getting very close to home. Although no longer employed by Diana Guinness she is close to the family and can see Diana's fascination with Oswald Mosley and Unity's obsession with Germany. When she is asked to accompany the sisters on a cruise and to spy on them little does Louisa know that she is walking into a more complex intrigue.
Fellowes' books are actually quite clever. She has used the well-known Miford family as a foil for the development of her independent sleuth Louisa Cannon. Here the politics of Diana and Unity are to the fore as Britain fights the fascist menance. However at its heart this is an old-fashioned murder mystery set on a ship (so very Agatha Christie), with a fun set of characters

Louisa Cannon who we have met in the previous three novels in this series is set to marry policeman Guy Sullivan. I feel you need to have read all three to get the real sense of Louisa's character development and how she has got to where she is now in this fourth book.

However the British Union of Fascists have other ideas about how Louisa and Guy are going to celebrate their wedding day.

This brings Louisa back in touch with The Mitford Sisters, who she thought she had left behind. Diana, now separated from her husband Bryan has started a love affair with Oswald Mosely and with her sister Unity obsessed with the beliefs and values of the Fascists, it seems that Louisa is goign to be plunged into the darker side of politics and ever growing problems in Europe.

After first off refusing to accompany Diana, Unity and their mother on a cruise, Louisa funds herself compelled by an outside source to take up the offer and without sharing the truth with Guy she finds herself all at sea.

Onboard everything is not calm, with arguments, love affairs and fights, the atmosphere turns to murder and Louisa finds herself tangled amongst all the lies and deceit. The confessions and lies seem to permeate everyone and when the ship docks in Rome the culprits are removed.

Two years later the case is at court and everyone that was onboard seems to be a witness to something.

But what Louisa saw that trip still remains a mystery.

This is an excellent golden age crime novel, with the use of the Mitford sisters as the landscape to fictionalise the story of historic crimes. The murder like the ones before is based on the truth, information provided in the book (read at the end!)  so you can get a sense of time and place. Yet the growing unrest in Europe, the rise of Fascists and Unity's compulsion to become close to Hitler is throughout the book and I am sure gives a great grounding into book five.

The narrative of this story goes between Louisa's time on the cruise and the courtroom where the trial takes place, it also brings into play Tom Mitford, the brother of the infamous sisters who works as a lawyer and always appears in the background of their lives.

The concept works, as you hear evidence and the questions being asked of the witness you can go back and see what really happened. For me it felt like I was in the public gallery watching the trial unfold, a totally immersive experience.

A well written murder mystery perfect for fans of history and the gold age of crime. Long may they continue. Highly recommended.

Im still very undecided about this book, it is part of a series and maybe I need to have read some of the others to understand better, the storyline seem to go into 2 halves, with the cruise , wedding and murder being well written and enjoyable but the other was almost totally fan girdling the Mitford girls and huge amount of background than were applicable to the character but not always to the storyline.

Part of me was fed up by this and the other wants to read another book in the series to see if it is the same and maybe it was just because of those particular Mitford Girls that made me uncomfortable. ( hopefully my library will have a copy as I’m not sure I would spend money on it).

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.

Book 4 in the series (although new readers will enjoy this), and Louisa is preparing for her wedding to the dashing policeman Guy Sullivan. Their celebrations are interrupted when he and his colleagues have to dash off to police the first rally organised by Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists. Once again, Louisa finds herself drawn back into the world of the Mitford sisters as a mysterious government spy tasks her with spying on Unity and Diana on a cruise, their close links to Mosley raising some alarm in government circles. When a man is brutally attacked on board, the murder enquiry and the murky world of fascism interweave, leaving both Louisa and Guy struggling to cope with secrets from the very outset of their marriage.

As ever with this series, the historical details give the story a structure and depth that rewards the reader. The stories and themes are darker than some others with a similar setting (I'm thinking of the series by Helena Dixon or Verity Bright, for example), so they are not the pure escapism of a cozy mystery. The issues of fascism, of course, are central, but so too are the role of women and marriage in the 1930s. Definitely a series to recommend for the historical crime buffs, and for those seeking a touch of Golden Age murder mystery.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

Mitford Murders #4

It's former lady's maid, Louisa Cannon's wedding day, but the fantasy is shattered when she is approached by a secretive man asking her to spy on Diana Mitford. Diana is having an affair with the infamous Oswald Moseley and her similary fascist sister, Unity. Louisa finds herself accompanying the Mitfords on a cruise. But a man gets attacked and there's suspects everywhere.

This story was inspired by a real life murder. I have not read any of the previous books in this series, but I do like historical fiction with a bit of a murder mystery to solve. Louisa agrees to accompany three of the Mitford women on a cruise. The tory flips back and forth between their time on the ship and the court case. The pace is steady throughout. The plotline kept me guessing.

I would like to thank #NetGalley, #LittleBrownBookGroupUK and the author #JesssicaFellowes for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jessica Fellowes writes fiction that has a basis in true crime, weaving in details and people from this era who readers will recognize. It gives her books a depth that makes the stories that much better, although they are pretty darn good anyway.

The Mitford Trial is based upon a real murder and investigation. This is the 4th book in the series but it is a stand alone also. Each volume is based on a different sister and her drama/ life story. The time line is just before the 1930's just before war has been declared. The story unfolds through the eyes of Louisa, the sister's maid who has a very interesting story in this book herself. An ocean voyage is cut short when a murder is committed and our Mitford sister is accused. What follows next will make you add the first three books to your TBR list.

Atmospheric, Neatly Plotted....
The fourth in the Mitford Murders series and another atmospheric, neatly plotted historical whodunnit based upon a real life crime. 1933, a glamorous cruise, high society socialites, the Mitford sisters and a gruesome murder. Eminently readable and thoroughly enjoyable. A fitting and worthy addition to the series.

This is the fourth book in the series and I really enjoyed it. I think it wouldn't matter if you read the others or not. You can just read this and enjoy it.
I love this mystery series, very much fun, great characters and mystery to follow.
Thanks a lot to NG and the publisher for this copy.

Based on a real life murder this book is incredibly gripping mystery and I found I couldn't put it down. I didn't realise this was the fourth book in the Milford series but I didn't feel liked I'd missed out not having read the first three. Well worth a read.

Based on a real life murder set in the 1930’s. A time of the rise of Hitler and fascism in Britain. The Mitford sisters real life characters are woven into this story. A cruise that Louise is asked to be on looking after Unity Mitford. Her life becomes so much more complicated when MI5 ask her to spy for them but she cannot tell her husband DS Guy Sullivan. Newly married Louise will have to choose between truth and marriage. Set at a very fascinating time in history but l found the mystery took a while to get going and l found it a bit difficult to relate to the character of Louise and her choices in this book.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I read the first Mitford book by Fellowes without realising there were more until this one! It kept me on the edge of my seat, and the characters are distinctive and engaging. Excellent read. Now I'll have to go back and read the others!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK for an advance copy of The Mitford Trial, the fourth novel to feature former lady’s maid to the Mitfords, Louisa Cannon.

Shortly after Louisa’s marriage to DS Guy Sullivan she is approached by the mysterious Iain and asked to spy on Diana Mitford, lover of Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Fascists, and her sister Unity who is similarly fascinated by fascism. Soon she is on a luxury Mediterranean cruise with them and finds herself out of her depth when a man is brutally murdered.

I enjoyed The Mitford Trial which has an interesting plot and a decidedly glamorous setting with the exotic Mitford sisters, a cruise with the cream of society and a dangerous undercurrent of danger in the national manoeuvrings before war. Despite these trappings the novel is essentially a murder investigation, loosely based on a real life case that the author explains in the afterword.

I found the novel very readable. The perpetrators confess quickly but is there more to it? This unfolds over the course of the novel, which has a dual timeline. Most of it takes place in 1933 on the cruise but there are occasional, brief forward flashes to the trial in 1935, which, I think, are intended to add more context to the events surrounding the murder. I didn’t think they added much to the narrative, except to reinforce the notion of justice. I was disappointed by the way some of the events were explained at the end as they were superficial and seemed rushed. More time and a deeper dive would have been more satisfying.

The Mitford sisters are a fecund source for both novelists and historians as their unconventionality arouses endless speculation and interest. I like that the author has chosen to use Louisa as the main narrator for the novel as it adds a level of distance and objectivity to their antics. She is smart and the voice of reason in the selfish madness. I also like that she is a “modern” woman, intent on bettering herself.

The Mitford Trial is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Based on a real life murder case, the 1930's finds Louisa Cannon (finally!) marrying Guy Sullivan and returning to her role as the Mitford sisters' maid, but this time it's all in the line of duty as she is working undercover on the Princess Alice, joining a European cruise at the behest of MI5. Jessica Fellowes has triumphed again with a riveting, meticulously researching historical murder mystery brimming with authentic period detail and as with the previous three novels, interweaving the real life stories of the Mitfords. 'The Mitford Trial' is set against the backdrop of Diana Guinness (nee Mitford)'s burgeoning relationship with British Union of Fascists leader, Oswald Mosley and her sister, Unity's growing fascist/Nazi sympathies.

Louisa Sullivan is a principled, gutsy and resourceful working class heroine who is thoroughly engaging. It's easy to see her making the leap from the page onto the small screen (fingers crossed) and in the meantime I really hope Jessica Fellowes continues Louisa and Guy's story arc into the war years. This would be fascinating as it's an era when class divides began to break down and women like Louisa gained new freedoms so I'd love to continue her journey with her to see how she evolves. Although this is the fourth book in the series, Louisa's narrative also recaps her backstory so this book can just as easily be enjoyed as a standalone read. Thank you to Netgalley and Little Brown UK for the advance review copy in exchange for an honest review.

“The Mitford Trial” is the fourth installment in the Mitford Murders series. This time the story is inspired by a real life murder, and Louisa and her new husband Guy are back to try and solve the case, but in a Europe going trough the rise of fascism, the dangers they must face are that much harder.

It’s always a joy coming back to this series. Louisa is such a lovable character. We’ve seen her truly grow throughout the years. In her new life as Mrs. Sullivan she just juggle what others expect of her as a married woman and her desires as a modern working gal.

One thing I truly like about this series is that each book is centered around one of the Mitford sisters. After finishing each volume, I always have the need to learn more about them and, although I found Unity’s ideas revolting, I wanna know more about her and her story. All the sisters are fascinating characters and I find very interesting how different they all were despite their same upbringing.

The murder mystery itself looked quite straight forward at first, but it was soon revealed that much more darker interests were behind that death. The actual resolution felt a bit rushed and, though in logic with the political situation at the time, it was a bit disheartening. I’m so curious to see what Louisa does with the info she has and if that will mean a new chapter in her career.

Ms. Fellowes writes a terrific historical murder mystery that blends fact and fiction of a period where the threat of fascism was on the horizon, what adds a dark and convulse background to the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group UK/Sphere for providing and eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Louisa is a newly wed bride here who leaves her husband to join her old employers again due to circumstances. They travel together to Europe and we see how once again a murder forces Lousia to don the hat of a detective. The book is set in the background of rising political tensions in Europe and was an okay read for me. While the suspense wasn't nail biting, it kept me reading. I wish Louisa would appear in the next book on her own though!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the review copy!