A great cozy murder mystery, with a cracking country house setting. Very traditional, but that's not a criticism. Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

If you favour cozy-style mysteries set in present day England, A Dagger Before Me by Jeanne M. Dams is a must-read! I haven't read the earlier books in the series but I was happy to jump in here.

American-born Dorothy Martin loves the old English buildings, traditions and ceremonies of her new homeland. This engaging story involves her retired DCI husband Alan and enthralled me with a jewelled dagger, a non-transferable estate, a newborn baby and a murdered woman. But just how will Dorothy and Alan solve all the mysteries?

It took a while for this to murder-mystery to get going as the first part of the book involved them travelling to different English festivals and events and touring rural England.

The couple are invited to attend the christening of a friend’s son in an ancient manor house and the jewelled, historic dagger, used for generations in the christening of heirs, has vanished. When a stranger in the village is stabbed in the back with a dagger, their friend, Sir Edward Montcalm, becomes the chief suspect. Dorothy and Alan know that Sir Montcalm isn't a murderer and the identity of the woman is unknown, as is the reason why she was killed, especially since the stab wound wasn’t the cause of her death.

I loved this charming, quiet and traditional tale and the refinement of the older couple's adventures. I also adored the author’s overall style and the lovely, gentle plot in this puzzling, historical mystery. Another of my favourite aspects of this novel was the fluidity of the writing. The details of the plot were very well executed and I felt a compelling need to read on.

Overall, this was a very worthwhile read.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from Severn House via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Book 21 in the Dorothy Martin mystery series and Dorothy, together with husband Alan, are attending a Christening in rural Suffolk. An aristocratic family, a chaotic household, a missing dagger and ultimately murder combine for an entertaining and engaging read with likeable protagonists. Lovers of a more cosy murder mystery should enjoy.

A Dagger Before Me is the twenty-first book in the Dorothy Martin series.

The author points out in the Author Notes that if the reader is familiar with English history they can skip the first nine chapters and not miss much of the plot of the story. One, if the author went to the trouble of writing the mentioned nine chapters, this reader is going to read them and two, most of the information in the first nine chapters I was not familiar with and found them to be very interesting and well worth the time to read them.

After attending the Lord Mayor Show they run into Edwin Mountcalm. Edwin is the nephew and godson of Andrew Mountcalm. Alan and Andrew were partners in their early days on the police department. Edwin has a son who 6 months old and asks Dorothy and if they would consider being godparents for his son and they agree. When they had first met and gone their separate ways describes the elaborate christening. There is the ceremonial dagger that has been used for generations to pass on the family estate to the firstborn or lose same.

When Dorothy and Alan arrive at Edwin’s home they find it in turmoil as the dagger has gone missing. The local constabulary is called and Alan offers his assistance with the investigation. Before much of an investigation can be started there is a body of female found in her room at a local pub. She has been stabbed and there is a dagger found next to her body and Edwin begins the prime suspect of her murder. Dorothy and Alan need to take more of an interest in proving his innocence, rather than walking around thinking woe is me.

I love this series. The stories are well-plotted and told. There is always a beautiful description of the countryside and the villages and their residents. The book also has a cast of wonderful characters that I always think I would like to be friends with.

I am eagerly awaiting the next book of this interesting series.

I have enjoyed this series from its debut. Dorothy and her husband, Alan are people I would like to know, to have as nextdoor neighbors. Each mystery is am delightful blend of the sights and sounds of England and a well crafted puzzle. This entry outdoes itself - it's part travelogue, part lessons on British history and the main reason the reader is here, to delve into the crime. If history and travel don't appeal to your sense of pace, that the body should show up in the first chapter or two, then do take the authors advice and skip on to chapters 8 or 9, ready to meet the corpse.
When Dorothy and Alan arrive at Montcalm Manor, having been asked to be godparents of Alan's godson's new born son, the mystery begins to unfold. In order to inherit, the baby boy must be christened with a family dagger as part of the ceremony and it has gone missing. As the search begins, the body of an unknown woman is found,with a dagger in her back but not the missing one. On top of that she has been poisoned and has smoke inhalation. Dorothy and Alan are, as they say, on the case and the mystery is in full swing. As I have enjoyed all of the previous books in this series I knew my patience would be rewarded and all would be revealed. I can't recall having to wait so long for the action to begin but don't let those first 8 chapters turn you off. There is a lot of interesting historical information packed in them.
My thanks to the publisher Severn House and to NetGalley, for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

It's got quite an unusual plot, part description and part mystery, but I found it enjoyable and entertaining.
I learned some new things and I appreciated the descriptions and the travel.
The mystery was fun to read even if it was not hard to guess who the culprit was.
I look forward to reading the next installment in this series.
Recommended!
Many thanks to Severn House and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

This is the 21st book in the terrific Dorothy Martin traditional village cozy series. As with any Jeanne Dams book, there are some elements of travelogue, some British pageantry, food talk, and other customary Jeanne Dams trademarks. Dorothy, an American expat, lives in England and is married to a retired Chief Constable, Alan Nesbitt.

As is typical with Dams books, the pace is slow and leisurely but I find them interesting, though I realize that not everyone might feel the same.

In this book, Dorothy and Alan are asked, by, Edwin, the nephew of one of Alan's old colleagues, to be godparents for the nephew's new son. To keep the family property in the family, a dagger must be used during the Christening ceremony. Alas, the dagger is missing and, without it, the family could lose their property. Needless to say, Dorothy and Alan try to help the family find the dagger and then, to solve a murder.

Unlike others, the story mostly takes place in the home of Edwin, his wife, and 3 children. Once things get going, it becomes a "stay at home" sort of book.

I would recommend this book to people who like traditional village cozies.

It takes a bit for this to get to the murder and mystery so be patient and enjoy the tour of rural England. If you aren't familiar with the concept of entailment, you'll learn about it because Dorothy and Alan find themselves wrapped up in a case where a ceremonial dagger critical to inheritance first goes missing and then is found in a woman's back! They know Sir Montcalm isn't a murderer but no one knows who the woman is and why she was killed (especially since she didn't die from the stab wound.). This is is essentially a cozy and if you like me haven't read the earlier books, you'll be ok with stepping in here. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Dorothy and Alan are back again. Dorothy is getting cabin fever and wants to do some traveling. Alan has been reading an old history book and suggests she might want to go see some of the buildings mentioned in there. She's amenable to that suggestion and they do that for a while. Then they get an invitation to come and stay for the baptizing of a young son and become his godparents. That sounds good to them, the father of the child was someone Alan knew long ago, and Dorothy has never seen that part of the country. No one expected what came next...

Severn House and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published June 1st.

The first disaster they find is that the dagger that is supposed to be part of the ceremony is missing. It's a family heirloom and it's always used when baptizing the next male heir to the house and grounds. Without it, they can't baptize the baby or they'll lose that inheritance. Who would have taken it from the cupboards? Where did it go?

If that wasn't bad enough, a woman is found dead in the hotel. She's been stabbed by a dagger but not the missing one; she's been exposed to smoke inhalation; and, she's been poisoned. She had just informed the father of the baby that she was his mother. Which probably means he can't inherit that property.

What a mess Dorothy and Alan have found. They try to help the young father because the police like the father as a suspect. Dorothy finds the dagger outside in the snow. Alan discovers the lawyer he's been using has been embezzling. How does this all add up?

The killer is a shock. Ms. Dams always writes a good mystery and this is another of them. I really enjoy the team of Dorothy and Alan. They make good investigators.

I have generally enjoyed this series by Jeanne M. Dams until this latest entry. There is not much incentive to keep reading when the author indicates you can safely skip to Chapter 9 without missing too much of the plot. That's nearly one third of the book, which begs the question, why would you even include that much detail?
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Spring has arrived in England and Dorothy Martin has an urge to get out and travel. Her husband, Alan Nesbit, has the perfect solution. While Dorothy is an American, she admires English tradition and history. Through spring and summer Alan arranges a number of trips, including the manor where the voyage that established Jamestown was planned. They also witness a celebration to commemorate the death of Henry VI and a swan upping, once an activity once done to identify swans belonging to the Crown and those ceded to others and now used to educate the public on environmental impacts.

On one of their later excursions in the fall they encounter Edwin Montcalm, a baronet and Alan’s godson. At his invitation they agree to become godparents to Edwin’s own newborn son. When they arrive for the celebration they find the house in turmoil and Edwin in despair. Tradition demands that the Montfort dagger be present at the christening of the first-born son. Without the dagger, the title and estate can not be passed on. Now that the celebration is scheduled, the dagger is missing.

As a retired police investigator, Alan offers his help, but the dagger was rarely used and anyone who had access to the home could have stolen it. When the body of an older woman is found in the village with an ornate dagger in her back, Edwin falls under suspicion.

Jeanne Dams offers several suspectsfor consideration and while each has a motive, they are all tied into the estate property. It is Dorothy’s personality and the way she relates to Alan and the Montcalm family that enchants the readers. She has an ability to display compassion and resourcefulness as she questions the situation. Her excursions give the reader an interesting look at some British history and tradition and segues into the mystery with an explanation of the dagger’s history. While fascinating, it consumes the first half of the book before getting to the Montcalms and their predicament. Still, this is an enjoyable read and I look forward to further mysteries with Dorothy Martin.

I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for providing a copy of this book for my review..

I had expressed my disappointment with the previous entry in this series here, and am happy to report that the newest entry in Dorothy Martin's adventures seems to return to form, though I would recommend that you take the author's suggestion and skip to chapter 9.
The first 8 chapters are about Dorothy being bored and Alan taking her to experience some quintessential British ceremonies; they don't contribute the mystery at all.

Like Miss Marple and Jessica Fletcher, Alan and Dorothy seem to have friends and relatives everywhere who get into scrapes.  Here, Alan runs into the nephew of an old friend, and is asked to stand as godfather to the nephew's infant son (I did wonder that the nephew didn't have any one else to ask other than a man he hadn't seen in decades).

Upon arriving for the christening, the ceremonial dagger that must be present at all baptisms in the family is missing.  Throw in a suspicious death, a snowstorm, and two inquisitive little girls, and you have Dorothy Martin mystery.

The story dragged in a few places, and the set-up seemed overly contrived, but not a bad read if you're willing to suspend disbelief at times.

A digital review copy was provided by NetGalley.

I have read all the books in this series. The last five were disappointing as I did not find them interesting. This one is a little better, but I liked the earlier books better.

I received this book via Netgalley and the publisher, in return for an honest review. It is always a pleasure to read a new story by Jeanne M. Dams and return to transplanted American, Dorothy Martin, and her retired DCI husband, Alan. This book’s format is different as the first part of the book involves them traveling to different English festivals and events. This sets the stage when they are invited to attend the christening of a friend’s son and the historic dagger that ‘must’ be present is missing. When a stranger in the village is stabbed in the back by a dagger, even though it’s not ‘the’ dagger, their friend, Sr. Edward Montcalm, becomes the chief suspect. Ms. Dams always write a good cozy and this is no exception. The disclaimer about the first part of the book being more of a travelogue than mystery set up is appreciated so I knew what to expect and could ‘enjoy the ride’.

The first half of the book more or less is nothing but a story of village life and traveling about England and a collection of odd British facts. About halfway into the book, Dorothy and Alan visit one of Alan's former colleague's sons to be godparents at the christening of a newborn son. A rite involving a dagger must be performed at the christening so the boy can inherit according to the estate's entail. Unfortunately the dagger is missing. Then a woman claiming to be mother of the current estate holder is found with a dagger in her back although she died of smoke inhalation. Alan and Dorothy assist a bit but most of the investigation is handled by the police. The ending seemed a bit abrupt. A better editor would have told the author to cut the first half of the book and expand the rest. Waiting until halfway through a book for a stolen dagger and corpse is too long in a mystery. I used to love the Dorothy Martin series but the last few I read contain major problems. Dams needs to decide whether she wants to write about village life or mysteries and stick with the genre. I received an advance electronic review copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. (2.5 stars)

The long running Dorothy Martin series by Jeanne Dams keeps fans happy with this new entry. The story is a more traditional one, and that will suit readers who adore the quiet charm and sensibility of the beloved older couple's adventures. In this story, Dorothy and husband find themselves in an historic manor house with a puzzling mystery of a jeweled dagger used for generations in the christening of heirs.