This was yet another awesome cozy mystery written by Helena Dixon. While it is number 5, it certainly can be read on its own.


5 out of 5 stars

3.5★

Another great addition to this historical murder mystery series!
Join Kitty and her maid Alice as they celebrate Christmas at Enderley Hall - interrupted by a murder, of course!

I absolutely love Kitty as a main character. She is totally different from your average, demure 1930s socialite. Clever and quick witted, she's joined in her amateur sleuthing by her dashing boyfriend, Matt Bryant - and the pair make quite a team.Day

An enjoyable cozy mystery, that can be read as a stand alone book, even though it is part of a series.

Unlike some cozy mysteries, this one had a well drawn plot and characters that could be believed. With no real gore, as you would expect in this type of book, the plot was mainly character driven, with a number of interesting side stories, that did not take away from the main narrative.

I would certainly read another book in this series f I was given the opportunity

Murder in the Bell Tower is fifth book in the Miss Underhay series and before reading this I backtracked and read the first book to give me an idea of the main characters and the underlying plotline of the series. Although I still have to read books 2, 3 and 4 I can say that reading book 1 gave me enough of an idea to follow the plotline of this book without any difficulty. I love the setting, the writing and the characters and I think I am going to enjoy this cosy mystery series very well indeed. I also find the cover illustration very eye catching. I am glad I have found another good series and hope to catch up soon!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author Helena Dixon for the e-Arc of the book.

A competently written cozy crime. The first in this series that I have read, but it stood well on its own.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

I love a great cozy mystery and this one was perfect for me. I absolutely love the way Helena Dixon writes. This captivating story will have you up, well into the night to finish….unputdownable.

Another great story is this series which entwines a mystery in one place at the time with the ongoing search of the heroine for the true story about what happened to her mother.
In this one its Christmas and the dodgy vicar and his female parishoners confuse our heroes who are trying to protect state secrets.
Keeps you guessing, great characters.

I need to track down the first four books in the series, this book intrigued me enough to add to Mt. TBR. good story with likable characters.

Another installment in this delightful cozy mystery series finds Kitty Underhay and her beau, Captain Matt Bryant, spending an English country Christmas at Enderley Hall outside of the village of Newton St. Cyres. Little does Kitty know that Matt is there on a secret mission that he can't discuss with her. The Hall is filled with family and invited guests gathered for the activities and celebration but this happy time is marred by murder. NO SPOILERS.

This was a fast read very similar to all the others in the series and it is the 5th one I have read. I love the details about the customs and manners of 1930s society, and those are abundant here. I'm glad that the romance between Kitty and Matt is progressing, albeit very slowly. The mystery and murder in this case does seem to take awhile to be solved but the villain was not a surprise as there were quite a few clues pointing the way. I look forward to the next book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookoutre for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

This is the fifth book in this series, and it is certainly a collection of books I have thoroughly enjoyed.
This book can be read as a standalone novel, however for a full understanding of the characters it is definitely worth starting this series from the start.

I really enjoyed this story! I loved re-acquainting myself with the characters that I have grown to know and love throughout this series, and this latest instalment took us on yet another fascinating, thrilling mystery as Miss Underhay is facing the task of solving - as the title rightly suggests - a murder in the bell tower.

The storyline was brilliantly structured and had so much drive and drama to really keep the reader engrossed until the very end. The characters are intriguing, each possessing their own unique personality. that in turn adds extra depths to this fascinating read. This is definitely a series I would recommend to others.

It is always a bit daunting coming into book series somewhere... not at the beginning. But it's been a while I wanted to read Helena Dixon. Thus, I gave it a go.

Murder in the Belltower is the 5th book in Miss Underhay Mysteries. And it is written as book 5. Author has tried to bring reader up to date, but she left quite a bit of backstory just there in the backstory. So, bookaholics like myself would have to go back to the beginning to find out the origins of the characters and relationships between them.

This cozy mystery is a bit unusual for mystery as the title murder happens a long way into the book. I was waiting to see why the book is called murder in the belltower... waiting and waiting...

Being set between wars in the country with a very complicated political standing, Murder in the Belltower is an interesting postcard into Britain of the 30s. It has everything you might want in cozy British mystery: country estate, white Christmas, upstairs/downstairs juxtaposition, new love and old love, a couple of murders and a few traditions thrown in.

I enjoyed this read due to all of the above and characters. Characters are very interesting and I do want to find the time to read the series from the beginning. I'd love to see where Kitty Underhay comes from, how she is related to the country aristocracy... and I definitely want to see how her relationship with Matthew Bryant develops. Will they have time before the war comes...

Murder in the Bell tower is a light cozy read. I quite enjoyed the characters and the mystery kept my attention. This book is one in a series and I do think I would have been a bit more invested if I had read the prior books and knew more about Kitty and her life story so far, I will have to check those out. This one definitely has Agatha Christie vibes and reminded me a bit of midsomer murders with its quirky feel and who dunnit mystery.

An engaging and entertaining little mystery. Kitty is becoming a favorite character of mine, especially as she finds confidence in her detecting. This story allows her to shine, and continues to develop the secondary, continuing mystery from the previous books. I enjoyed this one. My only gripe is the same as last time - the ending is SO rushed. There are 20 chapters. 18 are informational and plot building. The last two feature the reveal, resolution, and conclusion. It’s way too rushed, and could stand to be flushed out a little further.

Christmas 1933 and Kitty Underhay travels to Enderley Hall to spend the festive season with her family and in the company of the man she is walking out with. She has had a busy year solving murders and investigating her mother's death so is looking forward to a rest. But Christmas celebrations falter when a body is discovered...
Murder in the Belltower is a cosy murder mystery set amongst the upper class experience of the 1930s. The scene is set in a stately home and traditional English village. There are no graphic murder scenes or gruesome forensic detail, instead the focus is on the exploration of motives.
Kitty's personal life continues to take centre stage as her relationship with Matthew Bryant moves to become more intimate. However, he is secretly investigating the guests but cannot tell Kitty what he suspects. She is also concerned as he appears to have 'history' with a beautiful guest. This book moves along the plot for Kitty and Matthew' relationship but the murder is secondary.
The title feels like a slight misnomer as the murder in the belltower is the second murder and doesn't occur until the final third of the book. The first two thirds of the book are a little slow as we meet the new peripheral characters and Kitty attempts to understand their suspicious behaviours.  We have little knowledge of the murdered characters so I didn't really care about their demise which sounds a bit heartless!
I enjoyed being immersed into the 1930s world again which felt authentic. The focus is on Kitty and Matt's personal development, their investigations and the psychology of the situation and characters as Agatha Christie's Poirot was so fond of persuing.
Murder in the Belltower in the fifth book in the Kitty Underhay series, although each can be read as stand alone novels

This is the 5th book in the series and it’s good to see Kitty and Matt again.

I didn’t enjoy this as much as the previous books, it felt to lose direction at times.

As there is reference to characters in previous books and there is an ongoing storyline from them, I would say that you would need to read those to understand what is going on.

A minor gripe is Matt calling Kitty “old girl”, even if this is said in jest or affection, this is surely behaviour of a friend or relative than that of a beau? I know it would annoy me!

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book. This is my honest review.

This is the fifth book in the Miss Underhay Mysteries, but can easily be read as a standalone. I had no problem following the story or mystery. Helena Dixon gives enough information, embedded throughout the story, to give the reader a background to Kitty Underhay's story.

This story is set at Enderley, the home of Kitty's Aunt and Uncle, Lord and Lady Medford. It is Christmas and there are several visitors at the estate. Matt and Lord Medford are also working on the side to discover who is selling secrets and information from the UK to the highest bidder. When a guest at a party held at Enderley is found murdered the next morning, Matt and Kitty become involved in the investigation. There are plenty of suspects, including the guests at estate and the local Vicar. Investigation in the 1930s is very different from today. No cell phones, not much in the way of scientific and forensic techniques, it is up to good old fashioned sleuthing. Kitty is smart, has great observation skills and is able to put together clues and puzzle pieces. Matt is brave, loyal, observant and also able to sneak around, but not without Kitty finding out. I enjoyed the addition of the servants and maids. There was a Downton Abbey vibe with the staff knowing all the secrets and Alice, Kitty's maid and friend, was very generous sharing that information. This was an intriguing, cozy mystery, that was well paced, and kept me turning the pages. There were several clues, some red herrings and more than enough suspects. I kept guessing and drawing conclusions, only to be wrong several times. The final reveal had some danger and had me holding my breath. I enjoyed this story and will be looking for the previous books in the series to enjoy.

I have only previously read the 2nd book in this series which tied in nicely as it was set back in enderley Hall which is where the last book I had read was so the characters felt quite fresh in my mind. I hadn't read the others but even though this is the 5th book I really enjoyed it and you didnt need to know alot of the back story.

I liked the characters and red herrings. The snowy Christmas scene made it a nice cosy murder mystery which wasn't too taxing to read and i found myself reading it very quickly.

Thank you for the arc.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
It was great to catch up again with Kitty and Matt in this next instalment of this cozy mystery series. I won’t say too much about the plot in this one as it feel it may be too much of a spoiler for the other books in the series- I definitely think that this series is better read in order as there are ongoing plots and storylines that make better sense when read from the beginning.
If you enjoy golden age set mysteries that feature house parties, espionage, and dodgy goings on, with a good dash of romance thrown in for good measure, then I definitely recommend this series. I think there have been little nuggets of information set up in this book that could indicate what will happen in the next story- I will await it impatiently.

Favorite Quotes:

Hattie was insisting I get the piano in the music room retuned and having heard her practising her scales I rather think it may be Hattie who has the tuning problem.

I heard that Miss Merriweather a singing her head off coming up the stairs last night. She in’t no Billie Holiday. Some of them notes could fair fetch the wax out your earholes.

I was not hiding. I was merely ensuring that I wasn’t seen.

Not at all like a vicar, and there’s tales abroad of him not knowing the difference between mine and thine as me dad says.


My Review:

This was a light, pleasantly entertaining, and leisurely paced cozy mystery. There was a large cast of unique characters yet it was easy to keep them straight. They were an odd grouping of international guests turned suspects in the midst of a traditional English manor house Christmas which was interrupted by a few murders, oh my. I enjoyed the author’s wry humor and especially the amusing descriptions of the characters, but my favorites involved the attention-seeking antics of the sticky-fingered, hapless, tactless, and tone-deaf cousin Hattie who couldn’t pass up anything shiny and saw herself as a creative artiste seeking culture.

I sourced one new addition to my Brit Words and Phrases list with facer – a stunning surprise or obstacle. And this tale had a few facers in the mix.

Kitty Underhay is invited to spend Christmas with her cousin Lucy's family at Enderley Hall, little does she know that her uncle, Lord Medford has invited a motley crew of guests to try to uncover the source of leaked documents which have been sold to the highest bidder, each of the guests has been in the vicinity of previous thefts. So we have an Austrian count and his beautiful sister, a hearty American businessman and his wife, and a writer researching for a botany book as well as Kitty's beau, ex-army captain turned private detective Matt Bryant. Throw in an oily vicar, a retired actress and village rivalries are you surprised it ends in murder?

I've read quite a few cosy English mysteries set in the 1920s and 1930s recently and I have to say, sadly, this does not match up. First, there are constant allusions to what happened in previous books and an ongoing arc relating to Kitty's mother's death (apparently her body was found in the previous book). Everyone is a caricature and when Kitty uncovers the murderer it was, frankly, a flight of fantasy. There was not (as far as I can see) a single clue that would lead the reader to identify the murderer, save rampant xenophobia, and Kitty had no evidence, she just strung together a string of suppositions and got lucky. There seemed to be an inordinate amount of detail about everyone ate at each meal and what clothes Kitty was wearing for no apparent reason. Also, I loath mysteries where someone (in this case Kitty's maid) finds out loads of secrets that help to 'blow open the case' as they say.

Also, personal foible, if my boyfriend called me old thing not once, but six times in just a few days I would ditch him immediately, he clearly thinks of you as a chum and not a woman who makes his toes curl!

Not the series for me. And the moral of the story is, if it hasn't grabbed you at the 20% mark it isn't going to.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.