Dancing with Death

DNF @19%

Everything about this novel sounds like my kind of story. Dancing with Death is a cozy historical mystery set in the twenties with an amateur detective. I didn't make it very far, as I just didn't connect with Chef Nell, and the story did not engage me. I decided to not read any further and will not be reading book two, which I requested on NetGalley (thinking that was the first novel).

Amy Myers entangles Chef Nell Drury in the fatal goings on of house party at the home and village of the Marhioness of Ansley. Milady was a former Gaiety Girl until she married the Marquess and her fellow thespians are recreating some performances at the get together. Who murdered a former showgirl, Mary Darling, who vanished just before milady got married? Dive into the intrigue at this unusual house party.

Book two in the Nell Drury mysteries. A reunion at Wychbourne Court turns to discomfort for the guests and ultimately murder as tensions mount. A solid historical country house murder mystery. Characters are aplenty - although not described in much detail which I would have enjoyed. An entertaining plot, however, swiftly moving and mounting to a satisfying reveal. Enjoyable.

The return of Lady Ansley’s old Gaiety theater group to Wychbourne court is intended to be a happy occasion, a chance to relive memories of triumphs.  But a spanner is thrown into the works by Lord Richard, Lady Sophy and Lady Helen’s plans for a show. Not everyone amongst the aging actors and actresses are thrilled with the idea, particularly when it is determined the play will be at the public house.  But that doesn’t match the brouhaha that comes when Lady Ansley asks whatever happened to Mary Ann. She disappeared but was she murdered?


Little does Lady Ansley or Nell Drury expect that this question will lead to murder, and long hidden secrets coming into view.  In the world of the Gaiety, not all is what it seemed.


Death at the Wychbourne Follies is good, but it takes a long while to get into the meat of the story.  I liked the previous Nell Drury novel far more. Once it takes off, the story becomes compelling, but you have to be patient.  


4 / 5


I received a copy of Death at the Wychbourne Follies from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

A historical mystery set in 1926, but written in 2018, describes a Death at the Wychbourne Follies.

Lady Gertrude Ansley was an actress before landing her Marquess husband and retiring. Wishing to relive her youthful adventures she invites her fellow actors to her country house, Wychbourne Court. She hopes to put on the Wychbourne Follies at the local pub with her former friends.

Things turn uncomfortable when the topic turns to Mary Ann Darling whose disappearance allowed Gertrude her star turn in the play, The Flower Shop Girl. After hinting at having incriminating evidence about Mary Ann’s disappearance, one guest is found bludgeoned to death.

Death at the Wychbourne Follies is a fine Agatha Christie’sque mystery that includes the usual rounding up of all the suspects by the Inspector at the denouement. Chef Nell is an unusual amateur assistant to Chief Inspector Melbray. Nell acts as a younger Miss Marple with her observant eye and knowledge of human nature.

If you like golden age mysteries, you will enjoy this book. The mystery is challenging because everyone seems to have secrets they are protecting. Even though this is the second in the Chef Nell series, I had no problems reading it as a standalone. 4 stars!

Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I love historical mysteries set in the 20s, love mysteries set in a country house.
Unfortunately this was not my cup of tea, I found it slow paced and sometimes confusing.
I think there's potential but I didn't liked this book very much.
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC

Think historic cozy. Set in a country house in Kent in 1926, this features intrepid chef Nell Drury as the one who solves the mystery of who murdered among the group of actors who have come for a reunion. I'm not generally a fan of theater mysteries (somehow they just have TOO much drama) but this is tempered by the period and, well Nell. I liked Nell. I did babe trouble sorting everyone else out at times and honestly, found myself less engaged than I hoped to be. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Those who enjoy 1920s mysteries will enjoy this.

In 1926, Kent former Gaity girl Lady Ansley hosts a reunion of the actors. Does a murder of one of the house guestshave any connection to a disppearance nearly 30 years ago.
Overall an enjoyable enough mystery though there were too many food references for me, with seemingly all the cast of characters being introduced within a few pages, which did slow the opening of the story, and lead to some lack of interest.

Sort of cosy mystery meets Agatha Christie...I like it..

This book begins with a mysterious event that happened some years before, and the characters come together in order to solve the mystery. I got a kick out of the appropriateness of the archaic language and the subtle nuances the author gave each of her characters. I liked the cooking and the mentions of the food throughout the book as well, often feeling a rumble in my stomach as the main character narrated her kitchen adventures.

This book moves along at a nice even clip, it isn't terribly overdramatic or descriptive in a bad way, but has plenty of interesting moments to keep the reader satisfied. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and look forward to reading more of these books. It, in some ways, reminded me a little of the Agatha Raisin series, with the small village atmosphere and the sassy main character.

Overall, I liked this book and encourage others to check it out.

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I am a great fan of period mysteries and rarely meet a country house weekend that doesn't interest me. But, I struggled with this book from beginning to end.

I loved the premise of a group of "players" reuniting after many years, but the elaborate cast of characters was never developed. The reader faced an extensive group of folks to sort through and keep track of, but their personalities never emerged enough for me to have any idea of "who was who" or what was making them tick.

The stately home never came to life and the glamorous guests were never described. Ms. Myers described the "action" in great detail, but not the people. This made the novel feel rote and somewhat plodding for me. I was also flummoxed by the chef's relationship to the rather elegant owners of the estate---it just seemed preposterous that they would engage their Escoffier-trainined chef in errands related to family business when she had professional duties to uphold.

I can easily suspend my disbelief for the fun of a mystery--or, for any kind of novel--but this book taxed my patience unnecessarily. I really looked forward to spending some cozy time with this novel, but it didn't live up to its potential.

Excellent book! Loved the characters and it was a great storyline. I would highly recommend this book.

Thanks to Severn House for the review copy in exchange for honest review.

The high drama of the Follies with all the old cast members of Lady Ansley’s old Gaiety Theatre group makes this one great from the start. Chef Nell always has a no nonsense approach to mysteries that make them fun to read. Love this series and hope to read more in the future.

This was a good novel. It was well written and the storyline was both interesting and entertaining. I look forward to reading more from this author.