Well done classic English mystery with a hefty dose of history- suffragettes, the rise of the middle class, and the like. A bit rough beginning as there were a lot of characters at the house party, but the writing is excellent and the character development for both the lady of the house and the housekeeper was quite well done, ( )

Completely underwhelming. I love mysteries. I love stories about the gentry. This author could not bring them together. The book starts off okay, but then gets progressively worse. It seems to focus more on the society aspects than the mystery. Good for a generic book about the upper class - better for one not "first in a new series. Definitely fails on the mystery front. Most of the time, it didn't feel like I was reading a mystery. Too few clues, and then sudden explanations for character disappearances.

Overall, I would recommend that you avoid this book. I consider it a waste of time and shelf space. ( )

What a delight this book was! It's Downton Abbey meets Miss Marple, for lack of a better comparison. Clearly, Lady Montfort is no Miss Marple. However, the tone of the book and the mystery, plus the partnership of Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson, hearkens to Miss Marple's methods of solving a mystery, or perhaps Sherlock and Dr. Watson's. I like historical mysteries like this, where everyone is a suspect, and the reader is kept guessing until the end. I really did not suspect who the murderer turned out to be at all.

Mystery aside, I was impressed with the author's authenticity for the time period and the ins and outs of the upstairs/downstairs culture. While it was refreshing that Lady Montfort would co-conspire with her housekeeper to solve the murder, the discomfort Mrs. Jackson first felt from the overstepping of the boundary between servant and mistress was palpable. Fortunately, discomfort is soon swept aside for some top notch sleuthing, especially on Mrs. Jackson's part, and we have the makings of a first class mystery solving duo. I wonder what mystery they will solve in the next book? I can't wait to find out.

If you're a fan of mysteries along the lines of Agatha Christie, or perhaps P.D. James, and also a fan of Downton Abbey, you will especially like this book. Truly a great debut novel. I look forward to the continuation of the series. ( )

Set in the English countryside during the early 1900s, Tessa Arlen's Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman is a very intriguing mystery. This debut novel offers a unique pairing of detectives when Clementine Talbot (Lady Montford) asks her trusted housekeeper Mrs. Edith Jackson to help her investigate the troubling murder of her nephew, Teddy Mallory.

Clementine's annual house party coincides with Teddy's latest troubles at school and when his body is discovered the morning after the event, her guests and their servants fall under suspicion of the local constable. Clementine's concern over her son's altercation with Teddy the day before prompts her to ask Mrs. Jackson for her help in learning what the servants might have seen or heard during the party. Mrs. Jackson is uneasy about becoming too familiar with Lady Montford and she is equally appalled to report on her fellow servants' conversations. But when she learns that a new maid mysteriously vanished at some point during the festivities, she puts aside her dismay and begins her investigation. At the same time, Clementine is gently probing her guests for information and the two women regularly meet to compare notes. They uncover startling revelations about Teddy's rather nefarious activities and Mrs. Jackson follows very promising leads.

Despite the somber occasion, Clementine's guests enjoy lavish dinners and games while the overburdened servants continue their numerous chores. The pampered and privileged upper crust frequently argue about the politics of the day and the suffrage movement is hotly debated. The differences between the classes are also brought into sharp focus as Mrs. Jackson delicately balances the unexpected blurring of class lines during her meetings with Clementine. Mrs. Jackson also must respect the hierarchy that exists between the servants and she remains very uncomfortable listening in as they gossip about their employers.

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman is a brilliantly crafted mystery and Tess Arlen successfully conceals the perpetrator's identity right up until the novel's conclusion. All in all, it is a very entertaining novel with an interesting mystery and fascinating peek into life during the Edwardian era and I am very eager to read the next novel in the Lady Montford Mystery series. ( )

Loved it. Hope there are more to come. ( )

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman, Tessa Arlen

★ ★ ★ ★

This is the first in the Lady Monfort/Mrs. Jackson series and I really liked it, even if I did figure a part of it out!

While taking a break from the preparations for the Costume Ball of the Season, Lady Monfort witnesses her son, Lord Haversham, beating his cousin, Teddy, and overhears her son threatening to wring Teddy's neck....

The morning after the ball, Lord & Lady Monfort's disreputable nephew, Teddy Mallory, is found battered & hung from a secluded gibbet... and it is discovered that both an upstairs maid & a young society woman are missing

Fearing for her son, Lady Monfort confronts her son; as it turns out the beating was well deserved for Teddy had attempted to kill his cousin's dog by self-drowning due to over-exertion in the lake. After Lord Haversham rescued the dog, Teddy, made a hateful comment regarding the dog's age & physical being, thus receiving a beating in response.

In an attempt to protect her son from an over-zealous, rude & graceless London Inspector, Lady Monfort requests the help of her housekeeper Mrs. Jackson in looking into Teddy's murder as well as the disappearance of the two young women.

There is no lack of suspects, as it turns out that Teddy was a blackmailer, card cheat, as well as an odious reprobate and got his just desserts.

Although the alliance between Lady Monfort & Mrs. Jackson is an uneasy one as there is a crossing of the usual boundaries between Employer & Employee, which during the Edwardian era, would have been unthinkable; in this book & the rest of the series that strained alliance works and the two women eventually overcome their mutual uneasiness and settle into a formidable investigating pair. ( )

It's difficult for me to put my finger on one particular thing or another that made this book underwhelming for me. The cast of named characters was a bit too large for me, without sufficient time spent with any of them for me not to confuse some of the guests. I found myself much more interested in two side characters who were conspicuously absent than in seeing the murder solved. It's not a bad book, just never really seemed to grab me. ( )

Always happy to see a mystery series by a local author. I couldn't quite make it through this one. Read the first half and skimmed the rest. Just not quite believable; the dialogue, characters, and a touch didactic here and there. Didn't transport me. ( )

Early 20th Century; genteel country life; clandestine relationships, blackmail and murder most hideous - what more can you ask of a mystery?! Tessa Arlen's debut novel is well-crafted and exquisitely told. It should appeal greatly to fans of Downton Abbey. Frankly, I kept hearing the actor's voices for the roles in the book which correspond to the roles in Downton Abbey. Reading Lord Montfort's outburst, "Good God, man" sounded just like something you'd hear Hugh Bonneville say in his role as the Earl of Grantham. Excellent debut and I eagerly await Arlen's next installment in this series. ( )

Death Of a Dishonorable Gentleman is the debut novel by Tessa Arlen. It's a new mystery series in the style of Downton Abbey or Upstairs Downstairs. Lady Montfort is the star of this novel. After spending an inordinate amount of time planning her summer costume ball, her world comes to a screeching halt when one of the guests is found murdered the morning after the ball. She fears the murderer might be someone she is very close to, so she enlists the help of her housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson, to help her solve the mystery.

Mrs. Jackson, however, is not as keen. She feels by helping and confiding in her mistress, she is breaking the class barriers. But eager to solve the mystery of the murder, she accepts. Not to mention a house guest and a maid have gone missing which adds to the drama. Both women--one upstairs, one downstairs--begin to unravel the mystery and put together the pieces.

Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman will keep you guessing as to who the murderer is until the last page. Arlen has written fantastic characters in a fantastic setting. Lady Montfort and Mrs. Jackson work well together. They could be the next Sherlock and Watson. Although for the sake of justice the killer needed to be found, I thought the killer should have been rewarded. Mostly because every fact that came out about the victim--if you can call him a victim--was heinous. The murderer did the world a favor.

I think readers will enjoy this new mystery series, even if you're not a fan of Downton Abbey. This book will keep you on your toes looking for clues. I'm looking forward to the next book in 2016.

Read more at http://www.toreadornottoread.net/2015/01/review-and-giveaway-death-of.html#JUMe2... ( )

1900’s England – The story opens as preparations are being made for Lord and Lady Montfords’ annual summer ball. Clementine Talbot, Countess of Montford, always expected her summer ball to surpass the spectacle of luxury of previous years. But Lord Montford and Lady Clementine had no idea that this year’s ball would be one of the most talked-about events of the season.

The morning after the ball, Teddy Mallory is found murdered, swinging from a gibbet in Crow wood. Teddy was the nephew of Lord Montford, the son of his sister. Lord Montford had been Teddy’s legal guardian and he felt grief stricken and anguish for a young man who’d been part of his family since he was a child, and a child who’d been terribly spoiled all his life. Teddy had always been a difficult boy, always at odds with his surroundings.

Someone had done the unimaginable, a murder had been committed, and probably by someone they all knew. And there was more – there were two unaccountable disappearances from the house. Violet, a housemaid, had mysteriously disappeared, and Lucinda, a houseguest, was missing. Both women were missing at a critical time and took on a darker significance because of Teddy’s horrible death. Could they also be victims?

And the story unfolds as the mystery takes on a myriad of obstacles, and ends with a surprising, but satisfying conclusion.

I loved the setting of the book, feeling there was a strong similarity to Downton Abbey, and I was immediately submerged into the era. The descriptive writing, with many vivid details, was absolutely beautiful, making me feel like I was right there.

Unfortunately, the middle of the story seemed to stall a bit, and my interest declined. The last part of the book did pick up and I became somewhat engaged again, but it felt like a long read to me. I also had problems keeping up with all the characters – so many – I was confused at times. It might have been helpful to have a list of characters at the beginning of the book. My rating is 3.5 stars.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

http://www.girllostinabook.com/2015/01/blog-tour-post-review-death-of.html ( )

I just finished reading Death of a Dishonorable Gentleman by Tessa Arlen. I thought this would be a great book. It is set in England before 1920. Mrs. Pankhurst and her cohorts are causing trouble in England trying to get women the right to vote. The Earl and Countess of Montfort are throwing a house party. The Countess throws a big costume ball every year that is the talk of the season. Her housekeeper, Mrs. Jackson is very busy handling the staff and getting everything ready for the ball. The morning after the ball Teddy Mallory, ward and nephew of the Earl, is found dead. Lady Lucinda Lambert-Lambert and Violet, a kitchen maid, are also missing. The Countess, Clementine, works with Mrs. Jackson to solve the murder and the girl’s disappearance. It sounds like a great book, but the more I read the longer the book seemed to get. It just seemed to drag on and on. It is a good story line with some decent writing, but the story just became tiresome. The details that you love when watching Downton Abbey do not translate as well into writing. The book did get better toward the latter half of the book (or I could have just been happy I was almost done reading it). It is a good mystery. I can usually solve a mystery within the first hundred pages, but this time it took me a while longer to solve both mysteries. Happy Reading!



I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. ( )

A joy to read such a well constructed mystery. Arlen seems to have found her forte in the historical mystery genre.

Truly a delightful mystery set in early 1900’s England, prior to The Great War. The myriad of twists will keep your attention until the end. Stellar writing with wonderful detail.

Arlen certainly performed due diligence in research, plenty of references scattered throughout the narrative regarding popular literature and authors of the time, suffragettes King Edward’s consorts, Ballet Russes, class division and much more. The cultural and historical innuendo adds dimension. The reader will feel submerged in the Edwardian era.

The stodgy and stuffy privileged characters are colorful and full of secrets. Each character adding their own flavor to the already rich narrative. Clementine and Jackson merge their imagination and intellect to create a marvelous sleuthing duo. Class separates them, team work unites them, sharing a keen sense of people, these two ladies are a sheer pleasure. Arlen deftly and skillfully inserts dry sarcastic humor, and you’ll find yourself chuckling more than once.

A well crafted elegant mystery among the social gentry, enthralling, you’ll be on your toes until the very end. Notable debut from Arlen, I anxiously await her next installment in this sophisticated series. Mystery lovers take note, you’ll want to add to your TBR. ( )