[MPOV] Murder at Midnight (A Lily Adler Mystery #4)

My rating: 3/5

Goodreads rating: 4.08/5
Publish: September 19th, 2023
Author: Katharine Schellman
Genre: mystery, historical fiction, general fiction

Perfect for fans of Deanna Raybourn and Ashley Weaver, when a body is found shot to death after an unexpected snowstorm, Lily Adler quickly realizes that some people will stop at nothing to bury their secrets.

Regency widow Lily Adler is looking forward to a quiet Christmastide away from the schemes and secrets she witnessed daily in London. Not only will she be visiting the family of her late husband; she will be reunited with Captain Jack Hartley, her friend and confidante, finally returned after a long voyage at sea.

But secrets aren’t only found in London. Jack’s younger sister, Amelia, is the center of neighborhood scandal and gossip. She refuses to tell anyone what really happened, even when an unexpected snowstorm strands the neighborhood families together after a Christmas ball. Stuck until the snow stops, the Adlers, Hartleys, and their neighbors settle in for the night, only to be awakened in the morning by the scream of a maid who has just discovered a dead body.

The victim was the well-to-do son of a local gentleman—the same man whose name has become so scandalously linked to Amelia’s.

With the snow still falling and no way to come or go, it’s clear that someone in the house was responsible for the young man’s death. When suspicion instantly falls on Jack’s sister, he and Lily must unmask the true culprit before Amelia is convicted of a crime she didn’t commit.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for this e-ARC in return for my honest review. This is my first Lily Adler and I had not realized this was part of a series. Thankfully it was well written that it can be read as a standalone.

Lily attended a Christmas ball together with the family of her late husband's, the Adlers. All the guests had to stay back as they were unexpectedly snowed in due to a snowstorm. Lily wakes up the next morning to someone screaming and ran out to check on the commotion to which a dead body has been discovered in the thicken snow. Putting her investigation skill to good use, Lily helped Magistrate John to solve this murder mystery before everyone leaves the vicinity once the snowstorm has cleared.

As the title suggests, this is a murder mystery series that I find it with a blend of Poirot and Marple and a tinge of Murder She Wrote and Sherlock Holmes. Although it is book 4, I was not left wondering nor hanging and I liked that it was referenced nicely without being overwhelmed with too much unnecessary fillers. The only setback for me was the many characters that I find it a little confusing at times. Not sure if it was me only a little slow in grasping the story and switching of characters to and from. With a slow start to building the gist and all, it was moderately exciting to try to figure out the killer. I have sort of guessed it midway LOL! Not forgetting there was another unsuccessful murder plot which thwart the investigation a little. A nice touch, actually.

If you liked lady detective mystery during historical regency era, I would recommend this. Be forewarned that it has a tiny bit LGBT, nothing overly portrayed.

"Dear God, brother, focus. If I can handle such a revelation with equanimity, surely your worldly self can manage?"