Judith Butler continues her Matthew Rowsley historical mysteries with Legacy of Death. Matthew, estate manager with a disabled landlord, has to satisfy his board of trustees and a possible heir from Australia. A dead body turns up, people are attacked and board members try to interfere with management of the estate. Twisty plot and interesting characters. Read on.

A lovely mix of comedy of manners and mystery that kept me hooked and entertained.
The character development is excellent, the plot tightly knitted and the mystery kept me guessing.
I loved the well researched historical background and the descriptions of everyday life.
The long lost heir is not one of my favorite tropes but it's enjoyable.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I reviewed this book for Historical Novels Review, the magazine of the Historical Novel Society. Per their policy, I cannot post the review until it is published in May 2021. I will update the review after that date.

Matthew Rowsley serves as the estate agent for Lord Croft while his wife Harriet serves as the housekeeper of Thorncroft Hall. The previous land agent had allowed conditions on the estate to deteriorate and Matthew has developed a plan for the construction of a new village for the estate’s workers. While digging the foundations, a skeleton and relics dating back to a Roman settlement are found, halting the work. When Samuel the butler is found badly beaten in the trench it is a shock to everyone. Samuel was a member of the trust that was formed to run the estate after Lord Croft took seriously ill . Taken to the wing of the manor wing that has been set up for the lord’s care, he is tended by Nurse Pegg.

Mr. Wilson, the estate’s lawyer, has been searching for the heir to the estate, should the current lord die. Julius Trescothick arrives from Australia as the presumptive heir and promptly alienates the manor’s staff, There are questions regarding his background and his main interest only seems to be the value estate’s value. Matthew and Harriet continue to oversee the manor and the estate. The poor conditions of the workers’ homes must be seen to before winter sets in, the education of the village’s children must be considered and workers’ dissatisfaction must be addressed. The wants of the workers were rarely addressed in Victorian England, but Matthew calls for their input to make the village a success. He and Harriet are well-suited. They are compassionate and concerned for the well-being of the estate’s employees. Judith Cutler paints a clear picture of life on a working estate and fans of Downton Abbey will love life at Thorncroft Manor. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House for providing this book for my review.

You can always count on author Judith Cutler for a strong mystery and engaging characters, and her second Matthew Rowsley mystery, Legacy of Death, is no exception. The discovery of DNA nailed the coffin lid down on one of my favorite mystery conventions (is the long-lost heir of a wealthy estate really who he says he is), but with this set in Victorian England, I can enjoy it once more. Trescothick is a piece of work, and it takes time for Matthew and Harriet to find the truth behind his claim to the Croft estate.

As intriguing as the mystery is, for me, the strongest part of the book is its Victorian setting. The finding of Roman ruins and how Rowsley deals with the discovery. How a large estate is run when its owner is ill and the heir has yet to be found. And, most important of all, how the trustees set about improving the lives of the estate workers when they'd been neglected by previous owners. One of the scenes I enjoyed the most is when a few of the more vocal workers tell Rowsley and another trustee that they want a say in these improvements to their lives instead of the trustees just stomping in and assuming they know what is best.

The point of view in Legacy of Death shifts between Matthew and Harriet, and sometimes the transitions are a bit confusing, but this is still an absorbing mystery set in Victorian England. Now I'm left wondering what Matthew and Harriet will be facing next.

Thorncroft in Shropshire is one of the great houses of the county but sadly the new lord and his mother are ailing. The estate is run by trustees, a new heir on the way from Australia. Then murder and mayhem come knocking.
Judith Cutler takes one to a time and place that is immediately compelling and engrossing. There's real moral complexity in her characters and a plot that is both clever and intriguing.

Thorncroft Estate in Shropshire, England has suffered in recent years, first from an unscrupulous land agent, and now because Lord Croft suffers from mental illness. The trustees gather to ensure that the long-term needs of the estate are met. One of the trustees, Matthew Rowsley, is now land agent, and his wife, Harriet, also a trustee, has been housekeeper for years. The estate is in an uproar even before the “putative” heir arrives from Australia. Men breaking ground for new tenant cottages uncover what could be Roman ruins on the estate, and, the butler is beaten almost to death. Matthew and Harriet step in to guide the estate, and to investigate. Is the man who arrives actually the heir? The tenants wonder about their future, as all progress ceases due to the ruins. Then, the second butler is attacked when he’s away from the estate. Harriet and Matthew must match wits with an unscrupulous, violent criminal.



VERDICT: The second in the series featuring Matthew and Harriet is a slow-paced, old-fashioned account of estate life in Victorian England. The mystery takes second place to the social commentary about education, social conditions and class. Only for those interested in the living conditions in the late 1800s. - Appears Feb. 2, 2021 in Library Journal.

More like a comedy of manners straight out of Julian Fellowes'world than a serious Victorian murder mystery. Nothing really scary here but a delightful cast of wonderful characters, and a story deliciously set up on an English estate in Shropshire around 1850 full of great Victorian social details and lots of great English fun. Perfect read for a rainy Sunday afternoon but don't expect to be scared

Because of the of illness of Lord Croft, his estate is now managed by a group of trustees including the Rowsley. While digging the foundations for the new estate village at Stammerton skelton is found among the newly discovered ruins. But problems arise when the heir presumptive arrives and one of the staff is attacked.
Though there didn't seem to be an investigation taking place it was an enjoyable Victorian historical story with a hint of mystery.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was certain I would love Legacy of Death — an upstairs-downstairs whodunnit set in some indeterminate period of the Victorian era or the turn of the century. It turned into ‘like’ rather than love. It was a good read but did not quite live up to my [admittedly high] expectations.

The pros — Plot, characters and setting
This novel has all the ingredients of a gripping 19th century mystery or sensational novel, à la Mary Elizabeth Braddon. Ailing aristocrats hidden away in the private wing of a great estate, a stranger claiming to be heir to the Lord, mysterious ruins, assaults that leave the victims unable to identify their attacker, valuable possessions going missing, and a plucky couple ready to loyally defend the household.

It’s all you need for a cracking good plot, and it largely delivers. With strong characters that pull you into the day-to-day investigation and a setting that comes alive through ample domestic detail.

The cons — Democratic to a fault!
Unfortunately, Legacy of Death was NOT written in the 19th century and, for me, its 21st century credentials really got in the way of the story. It is insanely unrealistic, packed with details of behavior that is at best unlikely, at worst bizarrely anachronistic in light of values at that time. If you haven’t read a lot of 19th century novels, this might not bother you, but I have and it did.

The author appears keen to demonstrate how democratic, modern, kind and forward-thinking are the main characters, Matthew and Harriet Rowsley. Indeed, I’m not sure exactly why this is such a big part of the story. Perhaps it’s just to prove that they are not ‘snobs’ so that they will be more appealing to a modern reader? But it’s emphasized so much that the story gets bogged down in side stories about all the Rowsleys are doing to improve the domestic lives of the servants and estate workers, and to protect them from abuse.

I’m not talking about the typical acts of charity/patronage that you’d find in a 19th century novel, where the aristocrats or the higher ranks of servants show their humanity by bringing a bowl of soup to a poor worker. Rather, there’s a wealth of detail about a project to rebuild the estate workers’ cottages. With privies! And kitchens! Interesting, sure, but relevant to the mystery? No!

Again and again, we’re presented with proof of the Rowsleys’ equitability, and indeed their condescension — in both the 19th century meaning of the word (kindness to one’s social inferiors) and its later connotation. It’s all too much. From dining with the under-butler to proposing to allow servants to look in the attics to pick out furnishings to redecorate their rooms. At one point, they propose a reward of £20 pounds for information about the assault on Bowman, who is not even a member of the family! He is ‘merely’ a servant, albeit a valued one. It’s a ridiculous amount, comparable to the annual salary of a housemaid or a reward of roughly £40,000 today. The man isn’t even dead.

As I said, unlikely.

(I think someone else might have been killed, but I was confused at the start of the story so I’m not sure and it wasn’t mentioned again.)

Ideally, read book 1 first
If this book appeals to you because of the sensational plot elements, I strongly recommend you also take a look at the real thing: the books of the 19th century sensational novelist Mary Elizabeth Braddon.

If it appeals to you because you like a series with a 19th century setting but a 21st century ethos and style, then this series might be just what you’re looking for.

Which brings me to my final comment about Legacy of Death: the fact that it is book 2 of a series. While book 2 can be read as a standalone novel, I had not read the first book in the series (The Wages of Sin) and I was deeply confused to start with. It took me quite some time to get the characters straight in my head. I even found myself going online to check the blurb and reviews of book 1 to understand the background. This wasn’t helped by the fact that alternating chapters are narrated by Matthew and Harriet in turn, adding to my confusion before I figured that out. Yet while all that was a bit irritating, don’t let it put you off. Instead, I suggest you read book 1 first.

My thanks to the publisher, the author and Netgalley for giving me a free copy of this book. All my reviews are 100% honest and unbiased, regardless of how I acquire the book.

The second book in this series as estate agent Matthew Rowsley and his wife Harriet must deal with an attack on the head butler and a presumed new heir showing up. Is he the real deal or an imposter and is stealing the art work in the attic? This series is a joy and I can’t wait for the next one.

Brutal Attack And Search For Clues...
The second Matthew Rowsley mystery. A brutal attack leaves land agent Matthew and wife Harriet searching for clues. Cleverly constructed historical mystery with several intertwined threads and a solid plot. Characters are engaging and well rounded. A satisfying read and a worthy addition to the series.

"Legacy of Death" is a mystery set around 1860 in England. It's the second book in a series, but it works as a standalone and didn't spoil the mystery in the first book. It reads like a historical fiction since Matthew and Harriet didn't actively investigate the mysteries. The various servants and trustees noticed different clues and brought them up with the others, so all of them were watching for unusual things. This information was passed on to the police and the lawyer to further investigate. Both Matthew and Harriet ended up putting the clues altogether to solve the mystery at the end, but it was more of a 'suddenly everything makes sense' moment that a careful sorting through the clues.

The difficulties and uncertainties faced by the servants drew me in and kept me reading. The historical details were woven into the story and brought the setting and time period alive in my imagination. The characters were varied, engaging, and reacted realistically to events. There were no sex scenes. There was occasional use of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting historical novel with a mystery.