Oh my goodness this book was fabulous!!  I simply adored it - the story was brilliant and the descriptive nature used brought the 1920s to life and I really felt as though I was living the story with the characters!

This was the first book that I had read in the series and even though it is book 4 it can most definitely be read as a stand alone!  I read a lot of darker crime books and psychological thrillers but I do like to go for lighter and more cosy crime/mystery reads when the and this really did meet that brief.  

I thought that this was brilliantly written and I absolutely loved it - 5 stars no hesitation and I am so glad that the author invited me on to the blog tour to allow me to discover Lady Alkmene - certainly not the last book I'll read from the series as I have added the rest to my wishlist ready!!

Lady Alkmene has been invited to a masked ball at the family home of best friend Denise Hargrove. With a houseful of suspects guests and more invited for the actual ball, the setting reminded me of other well known ‘Whodunnit’ style mysteries like Miss Marple or Johnathan Creek.

During the ball a murder occurs at the boat house; Lady Alkmene discovers the body and is first on the scene, or so it appears. The police are bumbling and incompetent, allowing Lady Alkmene and her partner, journalist Jake Dubois, to try solving the case themselves. Their search for the murderer reveals some interesting motifs for more than one character. Can Lady Alkmene be sure the police have arrested the wrong person?

This is the first book I have read in the series. The use of a partnership like the one between Lady Alkmene and Jake, and the style of their investigation has proved to be a winning formula in cosy mysteries. There were a few American terms used in the writing which, it could be argued, didn’t fit with the English location, but not every reader will notice.

I found the writing style and sentence structure easy to read, but simplistic at times, and felt with a little re-wording the story would flow more easily. This would lift this book, for me, from an okay read to one ready to compete in what has become a rather saturated genre.

A very different book to the norm from a mystery set in the 1920, and it did not quite hit the mark with me.
The story was not quite as cohesive as I would have liked and I felt that maybe I had missed something from a previous book. I did enjoyed it, although I really do not appreciate books that leave the ending hanging.

It's my pleasure to host the blog tour for Fatal Masquerade today, many thanks to Vivian Conroy for inviting me on to the tour and to the publishers for my advance copy, received through Netgalley in return for my honest review.
Fatal Masquerade is the fourth Lady Alkmene book but the first I have read and can be enjoyed as a standalone. Most of the crime books I read tend to be quite dark but now and again I like to mix it up with a cosy mystery and Fatal Masquerade certainly fits the bill. I love the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries TV series and this is very much in the same vein. The setting for the book will also invite comparisons with Downton Abbey. It's the sort of book where you just have to allow yourself to be swept away by the glamour of the Roaring Twenties.
Lady Alkmene has been invited to a lavish ball by her best friend, Denise Hargrove. As soon as she arrives it's apparent that this is a house of secrets. Denise and her young stepmother argue bitterly, the staff seem to be behaving oddly, and as the guests start to arrive it seems more than one of them is concealing something. A dinner party discussion about a recent murder case causes upset and is ended abruptly by Mrs Hargrove. Lady Alkmene is also confused by the appearance of her sometime crime-fighting partner, Jake Dubois. This isn't the sort of social circle he usually mixes in and she recognises immediately that his reason for being there is a cover story. She's infuriated when he refuses to tell her the truth behind his appearance but before long she has something much more important to occupy her, when she finds a body on the night of the party. Although the police suggest that the victim may have been the victim of a bodged break in, Lady Alkmene suspects it's far more likely the perpetrator is a guest at the party.
What follows is a deliciously fun closed circle mystery with all the expected ingredients in place - the wrong-footed police investigation meaning Lady Alkmene is forced to conduct her own enquiries, the innocent person wrongly accused, a list of suspects who all seem to have their dreadful secrets, blackmail, red herrings and an exciting denouement as the killer is finally unmasked.
To be honest, I'd worked out who the murderer was before the reveal but it didn't matter, I still enjoyed the cast of quirky characters, the relationship between Lady Alkmene and Jake Dubois and the escapism of this glitzy setting. Although the murder is solved, the book finishes on a bit of a cliffhanger and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next!

When Lady Alkmene Callender attends a masked ball thrown in the home of her best friend, Denise, the last thing she expects is to be thrown into a murder scene but that is exactly what happens. Surrounded by the trappings and beauty of wealth and privilege, a dark force writhes and slithers and it will be up to Alkmene with the help of the dashing Jake Dubois, to make sure an innocent person does not take the fall for the real murderer. But as they inch closer to the truth, they will find themselves in dangerous water and who knows what might happen...

Harking back to the mysteries of old, FATAL MASQUERADE by Vivian Conroy is a dynamic murder mystery that will have you playing detective alongside the esteemed Lady Alkene and Jake. With plenty of subterfuge, twists, and clues, I really got into this story and didn't notice the hours pass as I was transported back in time. The setting is amazing and really comes alive, and the cast of characters are hypnotic as always. While FATAL MASQUERADE is the fourth book in this series, it can easily be read as a standalone, but when you find a wonderful series like this you should spoil yourself and buy the lot!

FATAL MASQUERADE by Vivian Conroy is everything you want in a murder mystery and I highly recommend it!

Well-scripted .. a really fine mystery!

I looked forward, with expectation, to Fatal Masquerade and I was not disappointed. With each novel I read by Vivian Conroy, the feeling that she is a natural successor to Agatha Christie increases - she scripts a really fine mystery!

This time round Lady Alkmene finds herself as a guest at a house party which includes a masked ball, a dead body and no shortage of suspects and intrigue. This is a really fun read, as well as giving the brain a good workout. With Lady Alkmene, it's never who you first think who committed the dastardly deed and the events keep you on your toes and keeps your wits sharp. This author plots well, and it's all wrapped up despite the red herrings which are slipped in.

As always, I have no sooner began reading that I find myself at the concluding page and whilst this current case is solved in it's entirety there is a natural link to book five and I cannot wait to find out who has been behind the long running mystery threaded through all the books so far. This series is a cut above the usual cosy mystery and one which I'm more than happy to recommend to lovers of the genre.

I received an arc via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, original and unbiased review.

I got started with my love of mysteries when I read my mother's collection of Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. Cozies, especially ones set in England of the 1920's and 1930's, get my attention every time. I've read the previous three in this series and, while this entry can be read out of order, I would urge starting from the beginning so that you get the most out of the relationship between our sleuthing duo of Lady Alkmene and Jake DuBois. Be still my heart. But I digress....Lady Alkmene is invited to a masquerade ball at a country house. Of course a body is found, suspects abound and the team of Lady Alkmene and Jake are on the case. I love the descriptions, the setting, all of the elements are here for a very satisfying period mystery. Now to wait for the next installment.

Danger Lurks at Masked Ball....
...in the new adventure for Lady Alkmene, 'Fatal Masquerade', by Vivian Conroy. Along with Jake Dubois, Lady Alkmene has a mystery to solve following their attendance at a luxurious ball. Hoping for an enjoyable outing, it's soon clear that nothing ever runs smoothly for them and it isn't long before a body is found. A delightful read. This is the fourth book in the series, set in the roaring twenties, and although , in my opinion, more enjoyment can be had from reading them in sequence this can be read as a standalone. A very enjoyable, gentle read indeed.

Oh these are fun books! You don't need to have read the earlier ones- Conroy has a nice way of making you know her characters very quickly. Lady Alkmene and her friend Jake Dubois (sigh) have come to a ball, invited by her friend Denise. Since it's a cozy, you know there's going to be a murder, that Denise is going to be a suspect, and that Lady Alkmene and Jake will investigate. What makes it different is that it's set in the 1920s in a castle! There's an upstairs/downstairs issue, there are poseurs, there's just a neat little mystery here. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this one for a cozy with a twist.

Vivian Conroy's writing really is something else. I've never read a book where I'm as hooked onto the storyline as I was whilst reading her novels. There's something about the style of writing that just makes you not be able to put the book down and such was the case with Fatal Masquerade.

As you may well know, if you've read my blog before, I don't tend to read mystery novels. They just aren't usually my thing. That was until I reviewed Rubies in the Roses, another book by Vivian Conroy, and I was hooked. Now I really enjoy them. The thing is with Vivian's stories is that they're not just mystery's - they're cosy mysteries - and this makes all the difference.

Mysteries are usually ones that have no humour or romance but these are different, and the book reflects that. I just found this book so intriguing from the start. I hadn't read a Lady Alkmene book before this, but if you're worried that you won't get into the story or you'll get too easily lost, then don't worry - I was worried about this too but I easily understood who was who and what was going on!

The story follows Lady Alkmene as she attends her best friends fathers masked ball. But of course, with a mystery novel, drama occurs too soon and they are shortly trying to work out which of the party-goers was the killer. It's definitely treated as mysterious, and Lady Alkmene is trying hard to figure out who committed the crime before Denise or any of her family are accused.

The overall settings and the descriptions of said settings were described beautifully and you really felt as though you were there at the party with everyone. The characters all flowed easily together and I did find myself really enjoying this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for a chance to read this novel, which I have reviewed honestly.

I'm so glad Vivian Conroy came out with the fourth book featuring Lady Alkmene. I was highly anticipating this one. In this book we are invited to a masquerade ball with Alkmene and her best friend, Denise. However, once at Denise's home we find that it's not quite a happy atmosphere. Tensions run high as Denise and her stepmother argue, servants act above their station, psychologists probe where they shouldn't, and talk of murder at dinner sets guests on edge. Once the ball is underway, murder is afoot. To clear an innocent servant of the crime, Alkmene and the dashing, Jake Dubois, set to investigate the crime.

Really enjoyed this latest installment. I'm still loving Alkmene and Jake. And still hoping, that those two kids will explore feelings for each other:)

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

n this 1920's set cozy mystery, Lady Alkmene Callender has been invited to a masked ball, held by the family of her new best friend, Denise. But the discovery of a body is not the only suspicious activity that is occuring. Why is her partner, Jake Dubois, at the house under false pretenses. Can they together find the guilty party.
An enjoyable easy to read mystery, with some likeable characters, and some quite awful ones.

Fans of Rhys Bowen's Royal Spyness series will love Vivian Conroy's Lady Alkmene Callendar Mysteries. While Fatal Masquerade is the 4th book in the series, it is the first book I've read from Conroy, but it won't be my last.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Earlier this summer I discovered Bowen's Royal Spyness series and when I saw Fatal Masquerade at NetGalley I knew I had to try it. And again I came up with a winner. Though there isn't really a reference in this book as to the era, looking at the description of the first book, A Proposal to Die For, it is the Roaring 20s.

Fatal Masquerade is kind of like Downton Abbey meets Clue. There are definitely enough suspicious characters to keep you guessing at the who and why. The only thing we know for sure is that it is in the boathouse with the steak knife.

Main character Lady Alkmeme, who is a bit more than an amateur detective at this point, accompanies her best friend Denise to her family's country estate for a masquerade ball. However, if Lady Alkmeme thought this would be a quiet vacation in the country, she soon realizes it will be anything but when friend and detective partner Jack Dubois shows up as an "old friend" of Denise's father.

Since this is my first book in the series, I would like to have had a little more character development. Instead, we are thrust into the mystery of who murdered the manservant pretty quickly. We do get to know the characters a bit more as the investigation progresses, yet I never really felt much of a connection to any of them.

Conroy created an intriguing cast of secondary characters. I feel like I know them more than I do the two main characters. Perhaps that is because the character arc has been building over the course of 4 books, but there are references that Lady Alkmeme doesn't really know Jack so perhaps the backstories for these two characters haven't been fully revealed.

There is indication that the murder is tied to a mystery that is ongoing for the series. Even so, I didn't have any trouble following the story without having read the previous books. I liked it enough and want to get to know more about Lady Alkmene and Jake that I will be looking for the earlier books.

This is the fourth in the "Lady Alkmene Mystery" series of books.  I have read the first one "A Proposal to Die For", so was interested to see what, if anything had changed or been carried through from the first one, as well as the more important on going character developments.

Alkmene is on her first visit to Hargrove Eastate with her relatively new friend, Denise Hargrove.  She is the daughter of the landowner but does not get on with his second wife, her step mother, Cecily.  Not getting on is an understatement, at times their relationship boarders on vicious. There is to be a masked ball at the estate, a large elaborate and lavish event that Alkmene is looking forward to.  The chance to get away from London and the investigations she is spending more time on.  She is surprised to see that Jake is also there, this is not the sort of event he would be socially invited to, so why was he there ? Then the inevitable happens, a murder!

As events come to pass Alkemene and her social status comes into play as she can talk more freely to guests, or should I say potential suspects.  Jake Dubois sudden appearance is ideal for Alkmene to bounce ideas and thoughts off as the duo are once again in the thick of it.  In this book, Lady Alkmene takes more a front seat, leading lady role as far as the investigative side of the plot is concerned.

I do think that Alkmene has grown a little stronger and more confident, she has lost some of her naivety but still manages to rush headlong into situations without thinking things through.  This is a book I really enjoyed reading, the thing that makes it work for me is the 1920's  old style mystery feel it has.  There are quite a lot of different events that have been cleverly twisted together to make for some really good mystery.  Once again Vivian has created some very interesting characters who you will love, like and loathe.  Again touching on the social class differences of the time, she has managed to find the right balance that was still a prominent aspect of the time.

I would recommend this book to readers who like a slower, gentler paced mystery, that is well written, with good plots and several twists. A cosy, deductive mystery with a female sleuth.

This was my first book in this murder mystery series and it wasn't that hard to figure out the relationships. The main characters were interesting and I might read the next book in the series because of them. My big problems were with the mystery itself. It was so not subtle that by the time the book gets to the big reveal of the murderer I wasn't surprised in the least. Usually, the murderer is the one that isn't brought up as suspect or is too easily discounted. Instead the murderer is the one of the people the main character can't stop saying is suspicious. Is this how the mysteries in this series usually end up?

When Lady Alkmene Callender and Jake Dubois attend a glamourous masked ball, the last thing they expect is to end up involved in the murder of a servant. As the one who finds the body, Lady Alkmene herself is under suspicion and, following the arrest of an innocent young maid, Alkmene and Dubois are determined to do everything in their power to catch the real murderer and save an innocent life.

I already loved the Lady Alkmene mysteries since reading Book #1, and Fatal Masquerade does not disappoint. The glitz and glamour of the 1920’s upper class, combined with the Agatha Christie style cosy mystery is a winning combination.

I absolutely adore the fashion and glamour, and what better way to showcase it than a ball? The descriptions of Alkmene’s (and others’) outfits are beautiful and easy to picture, but aren’t too long or boring to read. The general atmosphere is also brilliant for a cosy detective novel: mysterious and a little bit dark, but not gloomy or distressing at all.

Alkmene and Dubois are both likeable leads (I’m becoming quite desperate for a romance to happen there too). The rest of the characters range from sweet and helpless, to smarmy and detestable, but that doesn’t make it easy to guess who the real culprit is.

The one and only thing I didn’t like about this book was the relationship between Alkmene and Denise. Alkmene refers to Denise as her best friend, and seems to really value the friendship, but Denise is awful to her. She makes snide remarks about Alkmene’s friendship with Dubois and doesn’t seem to appreciate her presence at all. This was a little bit confusing because why are they such great friends if they don’t get on? (It was very easy to get past this, though).

Full of secrets and red-herrings, Fatal Masquerade is a fun, light and yet brilliantly detailed murder mystery. Perfect for snuggling up under a blanket in front of a fire.

I love all Vivian Conroy's writing, but Fatal Masquerade was hard to get into and the plot wasn't as compelling as previous Lady Alkmene books. I finished it, and enjoyed it, because it improved at the end as the story line wrapped up.

Lady Alkmene is going to a masked ball with her friend Denise Hargrove. The ball will be held at palatial Hargrove estate. The family and guests are wealthy and prestigious, and the ball should be an extravagant affair. Sometime during the festivities, Lady Alkene steps out and finds one of the servants dead under mysterious circumstances. One of the maids is arrested, but Lady Alkmene is sure she's innocent.

Who killed Cobb and why? Was it the housekeeper? The psychiatrist from London who seems to study everyone very carefully? Lady Alkmene doesn't know, but with the help of her friend and partner Jake, she'll find out.

The setting and descriptions were lovely, but the plot didn't come together for me until the end. I recommend this book if you're already a Lady Alkmene fan.

Thanks to HQ Digital and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I have read scores of country house mysteries and as many "series" mysteries, so I think I am schooled in the genre. I was completely flummoxed when I arrived at the last page of this book---there was so much unresolved "business" that I thought I missed a chapter, or my book was incomplete.

Nope. The author just chose to leave a few cliff-hangers. . . . which I found a totally unsatisfactory manner to end a light mystery novel. That might have been overlooked if I had been smitten with the book in other ways, but the writing was pedestrian and the characters lifeless. I love a period mystery with a sassy, well-bred heroine (and her upstart companion who is not quite a gentleman), but this book left me with nothing but disappointment.

Net galley provided me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks HQ Digital and netgalley for this ARC.,

Out of her comfort zone but still as intrepid and wise as ever. This is adventure, romance, and mystery all rolled into one.

This is the first I've read in the series and I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the previous books.
Nonetheless, it was a good solid whodunit.