ARC Review: Death at the Manor by Katharine Schellman

Death at the Manor
Author: Katharine Schellman
Series: A Lily Adler Mystery (Book 3)
Publication: Crooked Lane Books (August 9, 2022)

Description: The tortured spirits of the dead haunt a Regency-era English manor—but the true danger lies in the land of the living in the third installment in the Lily Adler mysteries, perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn.

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to spending the autumn away from the social whirl of London. When she arrives in Hampshire with her friends, the Carroways, she doesn’t expect much more than a quiet country visit and the chance to spend time with her charming new acquaintance, Matthew Spencer.

But something odd is afoot in the small country village. A ghost has taken up residence in the Belleford manor, a lady in grey who wanders the halls at night, weeping and wailing. Half the servants have left in terror, but the family seems delighted with the notoriety that their ghost provides. Intrigued by this spectral guest, Lily and her party immediately make plans to visit Belleford.

They arrive at the manor the next morning ready to be entertained—only to find that tragedy has struck. The matriarch of the family has just been found killed in her bed.

The dead woman’s family is convinced that the ghost is responsible. Lily is determined to learn the truth before another victim turns up—but could she be next in line for the Great Beyond?

My Thoughts: The Lily Adler series takes a turn to the Gothic for this episode. Lily Adler is stopping off to see her aunt on her way to a visit with friends in the country. She is travelling with the Carroways who are also on their way to their country home. 

Her aunt offers up a local ghost as a way of entertaining her guests. Unfortunately, the ghost is only the start of things. On a visit to see the ghost at Belleford manor, they find instead that the lady of the house has been killed inside her locked bedchamber. 

Unwilling to attribute the death to the grey lady supposedly haunting the place and unwilling to leave her aunt in the same location as a murderer, Lily decides to look into the case. She is assisted by her new friend Mr. Spencer whose home is in the area. She is also assisted by her friend Ofelia, Lady Carroway.

After having her confidence in her abilities as an investigator shaken by the revelation of her aunt's living situation which had slipped her notice, Lily interviews suspects from Mr. Wright who will finally inherit from his mother to the few remaining servants at the house. 

This was an engaging and entertaining historical mystery. I enjoyed the Gothic elements. I also enjoyed Lily's growth as she moves away from her grief as a widow.

Favorite Quote:

"It is not a comfortable task to take on. And there is something about that house..."

"It is an unhappy place," Mr. Spencer agreed. "And I would say it has been for a while. What?" he asked, seeing her staring at him. "Do you not agree?"

"I do," she said. "I just thought it was all in my head. I've never been one to assign the feelings of a person to inanimate things, but I can't seem to help it in this instance."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.