Book Description:
Everyone in 1920s London knows the Honourable Cressida Fawcett: fiercely independent (though never apart from her little pug Ruby), lover of martinis and interior designer extraordinaire. She’s solved many crimes of fashion… so how about murder?
Cressida Fawcett is heading to the English countryside for a weekend of cocktails and partying at her friend’s glamorous mansion, the location of a recent diamond heist. But just hours after her arrival, Cressida is woken by an almighty scream. Rushing to the landing, she looks down into the great hall to find a trembling maid standing next to the body of Harry, the friendly young chandelier cleaner.
Everyone believes Harry’s death was an accident. But as Cressida examines the opulent hall and the beautiful grounds, she thinks something darker is afoot. Why clean a chandelier in the early hours of the morning? And who overheard Harry boasting about coming into unexpected wealth? A small piece of torn silk found near the body has Cressida looking at the guests’ elegant clothes with fresh eyes…
The short-tempered Detective insists that she keeps her curious nose out of the investigation, but it’s Cressida who realises the stolen diamonds were hidden in the sparkling chandelier. Convinced there is a connection between the theft and the murder, the case takes a sinister turn when a guest is killed in his sleep after a brandy-fuelled night of cards. With everyone unable to leave, can Cressida’s sharp eye for detail catch the killer before another life is taken?
An absolutely gripping and utterly charming 1920s murder mystery packed with wit, glamour and intrigue. The perfect whodunnit for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Downton Abbey!
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Death Among The Diamonds' by Fliss Chester.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Fliss Chester, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 21st September 2022.
This is the third book I have read by this author and it is also the first book in the 'Cressida Fawcett' series. I have also read 'A Dangerous Goodbye' (Book 1 in the 'Fen Churche Mystery' series) and 'The Moonlit Murders' (Book 3 in the 'Fen Churche Mystery' series) which I recommend!!
I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis. I enjoyed Fliss Chester's 'A Dangerous Goodbye' and 'The Moonlit Murders' and am hoping this will be just as good. It also stated in the synopsis that this book is 'The perfect whodunnit for fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Downton Abbey!', I am a fan of Agatha Christie so am looking forward to see if it loves up to this. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of 45 chapters and an epilogue. The chapters are short to medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Berkshire, England 🏴, UK 🇬🇧. The bonus for me of books that are partly or fully based in the UK is that I live in the UK and have sometimes visited places mentioned in the book which makes it easier to picture.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonist is Cressida Fawcett. The benefits of third person perspective are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything.
This book is very well written with vivid descriptions. The synopsis and cover suited the storyline perfectly. Although this book is part of a series it can be read as a standalone with no problems at all, any previous cases/information is described in just the right amount of detail, enough for those reading as a standalone to work out what happened but not too much so those who have read previous books in the series get fed up of repetitions.
I love the fact that the protagonist is female, being one myself, and that she has a strong personality and will not back down no matter what is thrown at her, including 2 Murders, a theft and so much more!!! I devoured it in one sitting.
The plot is intriguing and filled with mystery, thefts, lies, betrayal, secrets, murder and more!!! It has plenty to keep the reader interested and is rammed full of red herrings. I loved the fact that it was a historical cozy crime and Fliss did an absolutely fantastic job with both the era and the beautiful settings. Chatterton Court definitely had a Downton Abbey vibe to it so fans of the series will definitely enjoy this one! I must say I was absolutely shocked when the killer and thief was revealed so a huge WELL done Fliss!! I have read many crime books, hundreds in fact, and it is getting harder and harder to surprise me but you definitely managed it!! There were so many potential suspects that I completely guessed wrong several times!! There is nothing worse than working out the killer less than half way through a book. I thoroughly enjoyed all the clues that were left behind and along with a Downton Abbey vibe I would also say it felt very similar to the came Cluedo!! It was actually quite fun trying to solve the clues and guess who the criminal was!!! Although this book is primarily a cozy mystery I enjoyed the fact that there was several humorous moments which helped to lighten up the atmosphere on occasions and definitely had me giggling away!! The vivid descriptions throughout really helped to set the scene and it really placed me next to Cressida throughout.
This is one of the few books that I also listened to on Audiobook. I read about 50% of the book on kindle and listened to the other 50% on Audiobook. I must say a HUGE congratulations to the narrator Daphne Kouma who did a fantastic job bringing this story to life. She put alot of feeling into the reading and helped pass those emotions onto the reader with her fantastic expressions and voicing of the storyline. I would listen to it in the car and while walking at any opportunity and Daphne did a fantastic job on both male and female characters voices!!! I especially loved her portrayal of Detective Inspector Andrews. I'm not only looking forward to reading more books by Fliss but also to listening to more books narrated by Daphne!
The characters were all very intriguing with their own personalities, strengths and flaws. I wasn't sure what I thought of Cressida at first but I wasn't a massive fan and thought her to be a bit too posh for my liking. However I quickly warmed to her independence, love of sporty cars and her headstrong boldness. I became completely invested in her and am looking forward to seeing what she gets up to next. When it comes to DI Andrews I was again not an. Immediate fan but grew to like him when I discovered his link to Cressida and seen the other side of him. It will be interesting to see if anything happens between them in the future!! I am certainly looking forward to seeing what they get up to, we'll hopefully he will be in the next book too but if not I'm sure Cressida will keep us on our toes on her own!! I wont say how I felt about any of the other characters as now that I know who the culprit was I don't want to give anything away by accident. However, I will say that they all worked perfectly well together to make this an action packed cozy murder mystery! I'm looking forward to the next novel in this series and finding out what Cressida will get wrapped up in next and where she will be when she does.
Overall an action packed cozy murder mystery that will keep you turning the pages and guessing right up until the end!!
Genres covered in this novel include Mystery, Cozy Crafts & Hobbies Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, Cozy Culinary Mystery, Historical Mystery, Cozy Murder Mystery amongst others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey, Jacqueline Winspear, 'Downton Abbey' and anyone who enjoys a page turning who dunnit.
310 pages.
This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle or free on kindle unlimited (at time of review) and £7.99 in paperback via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews
@FlissChester @Bookouture @Bookworm1986 @bookworm86
Author Bio:
Fliss Chester lives in Surrey with her husband and writes historical cozy crime. When she is not killing people off in her 1940s whodunnits, she helps her husband, who is a wine merchant, run their business. Never far from a decent glass of something, Fliss also loves cooking (and writing up her favourite recipes on her blog), enjoying the beautiful Surrey and West Sussex countryside and having a good natter.
Sign up to be the first to hear about new releases from Fliss Chester here: https://www.bookouture.com/fliss-chester
Buy Link:
Amazon: https://geni.us/B0B5LNRLRYsocial
Audio Links:
Listen to a sample here:
https://soundcloud.com/bookouture/death-among-the-diamonds-by-fliss-chester-narrated-by-daphne-kouma
You can sign up for all the best Bookouture deals you'll love at: http://ow.ly/Fkiz30lnzdo
Comments