Review - A Secret Never Told

This series has been described as Miss Fisher meets Downton Abbey.  If that gets your attention, read on.

I have read the first two books in this series, but somehow I never reviewed them (scratching my head).  I don't know how I managed that.  But it is beyond time to share this series with you.  

Author: Shelley Noble

Copyright: Nov 2021 (Forge Books) 330 pgs

Series: 4th Lady Dunbridge Mystery series

Sensuality: Innuendo, PTSD

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy mystery, Amateur Sleuth

Main Characters: Lady Dunbridge, recent widow relocated to US 

Setting: 1908, Mahattan, New York

Obtained Through: Library find

Book Blurb: "Philomena Amesbury, expatriate Countess of Dunbridge, is bored. Coney Island in the sweltering summer of 1908 offers no shortage of diversions for a young woman of means, but sea bathing, horse racing, and even amusement parks can’t hold a candle to uncovering dastardly plots and chasing villains. Lady Dunbridge hadn’t had a big challenge in months.

Fate obliges when Phil is called upon to host a dinner party in honor of a visiting Austrian psychologist whose revolutionary theories may be of interest to the War Department, not to mention various foreign powers, and who may have already survived one attempt on his life. The guest list includes a wealthy industrialist, various rival scientists and academics, a party hypnotist, a flamboyant party-crasher, and a damaged beauty whose cloudy psyche is lost in a world of its own. Before the night is out, one of the guests is dead with a bullet between the eyes and Phil finds herself with another mystery on her hands, even if it’s unclear who exactly the intended victim was meant to be.

Worse yet, the police’s prime suspect is a mystery man who Phil happens to be rather intimately acquainted with. Now it’s up to Lady Dunbridge, with the invaluable assistance of her intrepid butler and lady’s maid, to find the real culprit before the police nab the wrong one . . ."

I love the colorful cast of characters. Philomena Amesbury, known as Lady Dunbridge, or Phil to her friends, is widowed and relieved to be out of her controlling and miserable marriage.  She is enjoying life now living in Manhattan and really likes the thrill of investigating murders.  Her best friend, socialite Bev Reynolds, gets plenty of page time and is the kind of friend you want by your side.  

Phil has a mystery man she calls Mr. X who seems to work as a spy of some sort and filters scraps of information... and romantic attention her way.  Detective Sergeant John Atkins is an honest cop who finds Phil's interferance aggravating, but who may also be fond of Phil.  Preswick is her very proper 70-something butler who loves assisting in investigations. Lily is her lady's maid who carries a stiletto knife and picks locks.  Preswick and Lily are breakout characters who are best-supporting actors.  I adore them.

My Thoughts:  Coney Island is a location visited a few times in the investigation and it was handled quite well.  The characters are all vivid with a touch of humor here and there.  Lady Dunbridge is a sophisticated and worldly woman who is kicking up her heals a bit - thus the comparison to Miss Phryne Fisher.  The suspects all being involved in psychology and psycho-analysis or other mental theories makes the motives tangled. The story is twisty and the reader is along for the ride as information is uncovered until the reveal.  The killer confrontation has some exciting moments I enjoyed immensely. This series is great fun without sacrificing a good murder mystery.

Although I had read the first two books in the series, this book can easily be read out of order or alone without problems.  But the whole series is fun and recommended.  I love how this series is developing and I look forward to each book.  

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list 

Book Trailer: