Bookish Thoughts: Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlen

On the morning of Lord and Lady Montforts' annual summer ball, their housekeeper, Edith Jackson, was up, washed, and almost dressed by six o' clock. ~ Opening of Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman (Lady Montfort Mystery #1) by Tessa Arlen

Minotaur Books; 2015

Crime Fiction (Historical); 320 pgs

Right from the start of Tessa Arlen's Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman, I was pulled into the past and across the ocean to England pre-World War I. Lady Montfort knows she must pull off the perfect summer costume ball, one that tops the ones before it. With Edith Jackson, her housekeeper, by her side, she's sure she will succeed. What she did not anticipate, however, was the murder of her nephew directly following the ball. There are plenty of people who could want him dead. He was not the most favored among her family and guests, and for good reason. When two women turn up missing from the house as well, it only adds fuel to the fire. One of the young women is a rebellious society girl while the other a fairly new servant in the house.

Mrs. Jackson knows the importance of sticking to her station and making sure those under her do as well.  She takes pride in her work and is loyal to the family she serves. When approached by her employer, Lady Montfort, to help investigate the murder, Mrs. Jackson isn't too comfortable with the idea. The countess is worried, however, about the direction the police inquiry may go and is determined to find out who the killer is on her own. Together the two women make a good team, Mrs. Jackson prying into the affairs of the servants in the house and Lady Monfort digging into the secrets of her upper class family and friends. 

The author does an excellent job of encapsulating the class differences between the servants and those of Lady Manfort, her family and the guests of the house through her characters. Everyone has their distinct roles and place in society. Even Mrs. Jackson and Lady Monfort, as they grow closer through their sleuthing, are ever aware of the differences in their stations. It leads to an awkward friendship--but a friendship nonetheless.

I enjoyed the flow of the novel. I could have raced through it to get to the end, but it felt more like the type of novel a reader wants to take his or her time reading, to take in the full experience of life in the English countryside. The historical references added a nice touch to the novel and really set up the sense of place and time. With women protesting for the right to vote, something both Mrs. Jackson and Lady Monfort aren't so sure about, the type of car Lady Monfort's son drives and a country on the cusp of war, it was easy to feel as if I was right there too.

The mystery itself was intriguing, with a few twists here and there, some predictable and others more surprising.  When I first began the novel, I would not have expected the author to take it where she did, but the more I read, the more confidence I had that the author would, in fact, allow some of the harsh realities of life back then to come to the forefront. 

I thoroughly enjoyed Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlen, and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical mysteries. I definitely will be keeping my eye out for future books in the series.

Rating:   (Very Good)

For more information please visit Tessa Arlen’s website. Read Tessa Arlen’s blog at Redoubtable Edwardians. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads.

I hope you will check out what others had to say about Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman on the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours route!

Many thanks to the Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the opportunity to be a part of this book tour. E-Copy of the book provided by the publisher.

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