Review: The Last Mrs. Summers

The Last Mrs. Summers by Rhys Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 Stars - If you ask, I'll tell you to read it.

The Last Mrs. Summers (Royal Spyness #14) is yet another in a series of light-hearted mysteries set in the 1930s.  Lady Georgiana Rannoch O'Mara returns from her honeymoon and finds herself with little to do at her estate after her husband goes off to parts unknown for a secret mission.

Lady Georgie decides to go with her friend Belinda to visit a cottage that Belinda's grandmother has left her in her will.  Belinda and Georgie spend the night in the small, run down cottage, but they're unimpressed.  In the morning, they decide to find a local hotel to stay in while Belinda finds a local workman to fix up the cottage.  As they're in town, they meet up with Rose.  Rose is the daughter of Belinda's late-grandmother's cook, but now she's Mrs Summers, the second wife of Tony Summers.  Rose, Tony, and Belinda all were part of a group of friends in their childhood.

As Belinda and Georgie arrive at the estate on the cliffs, they begin to have an uneasy feeling (beyond just not really wanting to be there).  Mrs Mannering, the housekeeper, seems to always be around and hovering.  She has been with the household since the first Mrs Summers was a child.  Rose confides in Belinda and Georgie that she things her husband may have killed his first wife, and she is scared for her safety.

Tony and Belinda have a little history, but Belinda wants nothing to do with a married man.  When Tony tries to start something, Belinda immediately asks him to leave her room.  She then goes to take a bath and returns to a murdered body in her bed!

The solving of the mystery seemed a little far fetched in many ways, but it wrapped up nicely in the end.

The book ended quite abruptly, and I couldn't figure out why my Kindle wouldn't turn the page.  Then I realized I was at 100% and the book was over. 

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC

View all my reviews