Favorite Quote:

Follow your heart, darling girl. That alone can steer your feet best.

My Review:

I adore Lady Swift, she is unconventional, lively, rich yet generous, and a feisty gal several generations before her time. Her latest adventure is a rather complicated mystery with almost everything Egypt has to offer: tomb robbers, murders, snakes, and a confounding and nearly impossible-to-solve mystery, all while cruising down the Nile. Too bad her fun-loving staff had but a small part of this installment but worse yet, no involvement of her favorite policeman and fiance, but thankfully Clifford was always there to provide his astute and clever wry observations as well as the necessary lock picks and the deft hand in using them.

I love this series of cozy mysteries featuring Lady Eleanor Swift. They remind me of Rhys Bowen’s Lady Georgie mysteries or Fliss Chester’s Cressida Fawcett historical cozies. I love the elements of 1920’s fashion and fun. This one was a true “murder on the Nile” locked room mystery. One thing I love about this series, though, is that while I’m working to figure out the clues and who the murderer is, I’m often laughing out loud at Lady Eleanor and her antics.

Thank you for my copy and for having me as part of the tour!

I really love this series and the side characters are so fun. I was really glad to see that the gang was back, especially Clifford.

It seems quite a trope to set murder mysteries in Egypt and I've seen quite a few cosy murder mysteries in this location recently.

Thank you for the arc.

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Thank you Bookouture for inviting me to be part of the Books on Tour for “Murder on the Nile” by Verity Bright.
I always get excited when a new Lady Eleanor book comes out. This time she is in Egypt riding down the Nile. I LOVE the Agatha Christie vibes!! I finished this book in one day- it’s that good! And once again, Ruby the pug saves the day.
I am looking forward to the next book in the series. Many thanks to the author, Bookouture and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.
#MurderOnTheNile #VerityBright #NetGalley #Bookouture #BooksOnTour #BookLove #Bookstagram #NewBook #ILoveBooks #BooksSetInEgypt

This was another brilliant instalment in this series. Ever since I watched Death on the Nile years ago I’ve dreamt of going on a cruise down the Nile, though preferably without the murders! Anyway, because of that and the fact that I love this series I was looking forward to this book and I was not disappointed. This book is set almost completely in Egypt, and we spend a lot of time with Eleanor and Clifford, without the Henley Hall team, Gladstone or Hugh. Much as I like seeing the others involved it was nice to spend more time with just Eleanor and Clifford.

The story doesn’t start off well, Eleanor finds that the boat she is travelling down the Nile on looks nothing like the brochure that she saw, and things only get worse from there. The other passengers on the ship range from grumpy to downright suspicious with one exception, and even he isn’t quite all he seems. There are a number of mysteries in this story, one of which relates to the passengers attitudes and lies. The atmosphere on the ship was described perfectly, as was the ship itself and all the little details, including Clifford’s fabulous fan setup to keep Eleanor cool in her room. I also loved the details about the places they stopped off and the attention to detail with the food and drinks. There’s a scene on the ship where all of the food items are named and I really liked having that detail in there.

This was an excellent mystery that kept me guessing, there are plenty of red herrings, misleading clues and, of course, a murder in a locked room. It was beautifully twisty and engaging and I really enjoyed it. Definitely worth reading if you like historical mysteries. It would be beneficial to have read the previous books in the series, as it’s good to see the characters and their relationships develop, but there’s enough detail in this book that it’s not essential if you’re wanting to try the series out now, and catch up with the rest of the books later.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read "Murder on the Nile" in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is book 19 of the wonderful Lady Eleanor Swift mystery series. Having read every book so far, I can honestly say that the stories get better and better. This story takes place in Egypt in June and July 1924. Lady Swift has picked a Nile Cruise from a brochure that she picked up in a previous book at the British Empire Exhibition. Clifford her trusted butler does not think this will be a good idea. There are several interesting ship mates on the S.S. Cleopatra. Ernzt Piltz who deals in modern art (but what is he doing in Egypt), Ludo de Groot and his "wife" Fredericka (Dutch archeologists who claim to have never been in Egypt before and seem to know very little about each other), Wesley Merrick (heading to Aswan but refuses to say what business he is in), Lieutenant Alton Baxter, Yakub Sharaf and Felix Trott (a herpetologist). Everyone seems to be onboard for reasons of their own. Ellie feels that there is something odd about all the passengers. There is a lot of eavesdropping and people following others. It feels like not everyone is who they say they are.

As usual where Ellie is murder is sure to follow. One of the passengers has been shot. Yet how did it happen when his door was locked from the inside? The boat ends up docking in Bawaaba where they are detained at a hotel. Ellie has rented a house in Bawaaba where he staff: Mrs. Butters, the housekeeper, Mrs. Trotman, the cook and maids Lizzie and Polly are staying will the terrible twosome of Master Gladstone the bulldog and Tomkins the tomcat. While the police are happy to write off the murder as a suicide - Ellie is not. When another murder happens and she's convinced that it was the same person committing both murders - she and Clifford go to great lengths to prove this. As always they face great danger and excitement as they try to prove their theories. There is also the mystery of the locked/unlocked, empty cabin 5. What is going on in there?

Once Ellie and Clifford have all the pieces in place, they find that all their former suspects are more than happy to help them get justice and clear an innocent young man's name.

The book ends with one of my favourite features - Historical Notes where we the reader can learn more about topics brought up in the story. As always I eagerly await Ellie's next adventure in what is one of my all time favourite series. Again I wish there was the possibility to give more than 5 stars!!

Murder on the Nile is book 19 in Verity Bright's Lady Eleanor Swift series. But if you are just now discovering this British cozy mystery series, you can totally start with this one.

If you have read previous books in the series, you know that before Eleanor was Lady Swift she bicycled alone through various countries and then spent time as a bush guide in South Africa. So in a sense, she is getting back to her roots in this book.

Partly because they are in a foreign country, but I also think it is because Clifford is getting used to Eleanor's ways, but the comments about her unlady like behavior is more in jest with this book. Eleanor and Clifford come across more like brother and sister rather than titled lady and her butler. I like the more relaxed interactions.

The ladies, Tompkins, and Gladstone are also along for the venture but they are mostly in the background. Alas, Eleanor's fiance Hugh doesn't make an appearance.

This is a fun book if you are looking for something light to read.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Monday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/09/murder-on-nile-by-verity-bright-review.html

If you have not read all the books in this series, trust me, it is a must!! I have listened to the audible version up until the last few and the stories really come alive!

Lady Eleanor and her contingents always land themselves into the most entertaining murder cases and pull you into the story 100%.

Egypt is one of my favorite settings and this was exceptional! Can you tell I love this series?

Lady Eleanor and her butler Clifford’s Egyptian vacation takes a deadly turn aboard the SS Cleopatra when a fellow passenger is murdered. A hidden note to Eleanor hints at a treasure theft, forcing her to investigate the other passengers—an anxious archaeologist, a reptile expert, and a secretive art dealer—before the killer strikes again. Can Eleanor solve the mystery and escape a deadly fate amidst the ancient wonders of Egypt?

This is a clever mystery in a fun setting. It kept me guessing to the end.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

I just love the lighthearted Verity Bright mystery series about Lady Swift, her butler, Clifford, and her ladies. Warm-hearted relationships-all. The mysteries are well-thought-out and not too easy to solve. This book takes them all on a trip to Egypt where the ladies learn about the culture while Lady Swift and Clifford cruise on the Nile on a boat nothing like the one in her travel brochure. Ellie (Lady Swift) is perfectly happy even as Clifford bemoans the accommodations. Ellie and Clifford spend their time meeting the local gangsters, riding camels across the desert, and getting in and out of scrapes. This has to be one of my favorite denouements of the series. You don’t have to read the books in order, but you will miss out on the different locations, the light romance, and the cheerful banter.

Murder on the Nile is Verity Bright’s nineteenth novel in the Lady Eleanor Swift series. As you might guess, it’s set in Egypt! Eleanor has booked a Nile river cruise, accompanied as always by her butler, Clifford. We can tell on Page One that Clifford is not impressed – the boat looks nothing like the picture in the brochure. As one might expect, one of Eleanor’s fellow-passengers dies and the police are convinced it was suicide. However, Eleanor believes it was murder and sets out to prove it.

Eleanor’s foreign trips have been a mixed bag, with Manhattan not working for me as well as France did; and both Ireland and Venice fitting between the two. Surprisingly, we have Eleanor’s female staff joining her in Egypt, but not her fiancé, Detective Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon. However, the women don’t play a large part in the plot’s development, although it’s always good to hear the banter between Mrs Butters and Mrs Trotters.

I enjoyed the book. Some of the minor characters are very well depicted and the villain, once unmasked, is really evil. Arthur Barr, a British ex-con and local “fixer” counterpoints the tension with a touch of comedy. It was also good to see the Egyptian police – Chief Sharaf – depicted with respect as an intelligent man, rather than the stereotype often found in Golden Age detection novels. Ditto the boat’s crew: they are introduced in spotless robes rather than as dirty “natives”. Although Verity Bright’s novels are set in the 1920s, they aren’t written with the same values as existed then. I do recommend it, but starting with the first book in the series – a Very English Murder – and working through the books in sequence, will make it even more enjoyable.

#MurderontheNile #NetGalley

I received a copy of this book from the publisher; all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Murder on the Nile is the 19th title in the now long running Lady Eleanor series. This time, Eleanor, Clifford, and the ladies are visiting Egypt with Eleanor and Clifford on a river cruise down the Nile. The boat that Eleanor booked is nothing like the brochure and the rest of the passengers are a strange cast of characters. One of the passengers, a former member of the British military turns up dead a few days into the cruise; Ellie and Clifford must race the clock to figure out who the killer is before the police release the crew and passengers to continue on their way. I always enjoy the humor of this series, especially between Ellie and Clifford as they work to expose a murder and maybe even save someone's life. I definitely will continue to read this series as long as they are published.

It's fun and engaging. I really do enjoy the Ellie/ Clifford combination. With each book the relationship relaxes just a little and the banter continues. Sometimes its unclear whether its bravery or recklessness but while there are some close calls, they get there in the end,

They are a motley bunch onboard the SS Cleopatra. The boat was not what they expected at all and neither were the other passengers, The more Ellie and Clifford investigate the clearer it becomes that no-one is quite who they seem, And of course, there are a couple of red herrings.
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Unsure how credible it is, but Ellie's adopted family manages to go around the world with her, and that's an element I really enjoy. Could we really survive without Gladstone? I know others will miss her fiancé, but I am not sold. I'd prefer a younger version of Clifford. Somehow this very part time romance with a very old fashioned beau just doesnt resonate for me

I enjoyed the context of Egypt, the Nile and the 'nod' to Agatha Christie.

It's another good one. I wonder what we can look forward to in the next one?

It's 4 out of 5 for me!

With thanks to Bookouture, Netgalley and the author for my advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review

The Ellie and Clifford show continues….

I had read and enjoyed a couple of the early books in Verity Bright’s Lady Eleanor Swift series, set in 1920s England, but somehow I hadn’t kept track of the series since then. Until, that is, the title of the latest book, Murder on the Nile, caught my eye because I’m a big Egyptophile. And I was amazed to discover that this is now the nineteenth (!!!) book in the series. But luckily, the things I liked best about the early books – the humor; Ellie’s pep-talks to herself; her bulldog, Gladstone; the interplay between Ellie and her butler, Clifford – are all still going strong.

Four years (in book time) have passed, and it seems that Ellie is vacationing in Egypt in the style that only between-the-wars aristocratic Brits did, complete with butler, staff, and travel advice from the British Empire Exhibition in London. And now, having sent most of her staff ahead to their rental house in Bawaaba, she and Clifford are traveling up the Nile by boat to join them. Which sounds like a wonderfully relaxing thing to do, but that wouldn’t make a very good murder mystery – after all, to have a murder mystery, you need to have a murder! Sure enough, soon into their “cruise” on the grandly-named SS Cleopatra (which definitely doesn’t live up to its name), the body of a fellow passenger is found shot, in his locked cabin. And although Clifford urges Ellie not to get involved, it turns out that the dead man had left her a cryptic message...

Murder on the Nile is a light-hearted cozy that would make a perfect beach or airplane read, and I quite enjoyed it. But now I’m going to have to go read some of the earlier books, because I appear to have totally missed out on Ellie’s fiancé, the seemingly quite dashing Chief Inspector Seldon. And finally, my thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the review copy.

Oh - and I still think that Clifford should have equal billing with Ellie as co-detective!

Lady Eleanor and Clifford are back for another adventure. This time they are in Egypt. Lady Eleanor has rented a townhouse and brought her household ladies along for a vacation. She and Clifford are taking a cruise down the Nile and will meet them at the townhouse. The boat, passengers and crew are not what Eleanor & Clifford had in mind. A death takes place on the boat, and it is thought to be suicide. Lady Eleanor is not so sure. She & Clifford have a lot of questions about the suspicious activities of their fellow passengers, of which one is revealed to be the new local police chief who is impounded the boat for his own mysterious reason and moving the passengers to local hotel. Another murder takes their own suspicious activities going on and no one seems to be telling the truth. Suddenly, The Chief is ordered to let the boat leave and Lady Eleanor and Clifford need to figure this out before it does.

If you are a fan of Agatha Christie's Death on the Nile or the Amelia Peabody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters, this is a story right up your alley! There is a lot going on in this book. No one is who they seem to be, there is archaeological treasures, smuggling, gun running, theft and of course murder! This story will keep you on your toes. I was so happy that the "Ladies," Tompkins and Gladstone make appearances in this book even though briefly. They always bring the comedy and smiles. I did miss Chief Inspector Seldon in this one but it's probably best he does not know what kind of dangerous situations his fiancé got herself into. LOL


Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the chance to read this ARC.

1924, Lady Eleanor Swift, her butler Clifford & The Aprons are touring the great, ancient sights of Egypt on a much-anticipated extended vacation. But when the pair arrive at the docks in Cairo expecting to board the luxurious paddle steamer advertised in their brochure, they are baffled by the crumbling old cruiser waiting for them. Two days into the trip one of their fellow passengers, Lieutenant Baxter, is found shot dead in his locked cabin. Eleanor discovers a half-finished note addressed to her hidden in Baxter’s travelling trunk.
Eleanor must uncover who among the other travellers wanted Baxter dead.
The nineteenth book in the series & another well written cosy mystery, the downside was there was no Hugh. Eleanor & Clifford have their work cut out to not only find the murderer but also what does the letter refer to. There’s a mix of suspects who all have secrets & are not what they seem. The intrepid pair find themselves riding camels & entering catacombs all under the hot desert sun. I love the relationship between Eleanor & Clifford it’s witty & unique. Once again I thoroughly enjoyed it & highly recommend it
I voluntarily read and reviewed a special copy of this book; all thoughts and opinions are my own

This series gets better and better.
Lady Eleanor Swift has transferred her many and varied staff to Egypt and she is heading to meet them along the Nile.
Her planning has led to a substandard journey (in Clifford's eyes) and there is definitely something not right. Smuggling, treachery and people who are not who they appear add to this tale and as usual it is not straightforward or easy to guess but always satisfying.

Book Review: Murder on the Nile by Verity Bright

Rating: 3.5 Stars

I just finished Murder on the Nile by Verity Bright, and it was another enjoyable ride! Picture this: it’s 1924, and our fearless heroine, Lady Eleanor Swift, and her ever-loyal butler, Clifford, are all set for an epic Egyptian vacation. I mean, we’re talking about a dreamy cruise down the Nile, camel rides around the pyramids, and lunch right there in the shadow of the Sphinx. Sounds idyllic, right? But hold up—things take a dark turn when they find one of their fellow passengers, Lieutenant Baxter, shot dead in his locked cabin. Yikes!

Eleanor is not one to sit back and let justice slide, so she dives headfirst into the mystery. She finds a half-written note from Baxter tucked away in his trunk, urging her to deliver an important letter about a stolen treasure. With a killer lurking on board the SS Cleopatra, she races against time to figure out who wanted Baxter dead. Was it the nervous archaeologist? The reptile-loving expert? Or maybe the art dealer hiding some serious secrets? The plot thickens, and it kept me guessing all the way through!

Now, let’s get into my thoughts. I have to say, I absolutely adore this series! I mean, who doesn’t love a good cozy mystery set in historical times? Plus, add Egypt to the mix? Count me in! But alas, while I was super excited for this installment, it didn’t quite hit the mark as one of my favorites.

On the bright side, the Egyptian backdrop was just fabulous. Bright really brought the sights and sounds of Egypt to life. And of course, I can’t get enough of Eleanor and Clifford’s witty banter—it’s always entertaining and adds that extra sparkle to the narrative. The mystery itself was well plotted, with plenty of red herrings to keep me on my toes.

However, I did find myself missing more interactions with “the ladies” from previous books. It felt a bit lonely without them! And honestly, where is Hugh?! He’s always been such a intriguing character to have around, and his absence was definitely felt.

But regardless of these niggles, I still consider Lady Eleanor Swift one of my favorite cozy historical series ever! I’m eagerly looking forward to Lady Swift’s next adventure. Where will she travel to next? I can’t wait to find out! Overall, I’m giving this book a solid 3.5 stars. Not perfect, but still a delightful read that left me craving more.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

This was a well written and well researched mystery.

It took me a chapter or two to understand the partnership between Eleanor and Clifford but after that the book was quite smooth sailing (just like the ship they were on). I actually liked the Lady and Butler duo, it was a refreshing take and both the characters seemed logical and used their minds to solve the crime instead of pure guesswork.

The setting of the book is great, Egypt and the dunes and the catacombs (who knew Egypt had catacombs too) really brought the book to life.

Looking forward to reading the previous books and the future books of the series.

This is an entertaining and thoroughly engaging murder mystery set in the age of travel and discovery of the 1920s. This is the 19th book in the Lady Eleanor Swift series and sees her embarking on an exciting cruise on the Nile. She is accompanied by her ever attentive butler and confidante, Clifford. The cruise on the SS Cleopatra is, however, not as she expected or as advertised. There is an eclectic mix of passengers and crew and the first dead body sets Eleanor off on an investigation into the murder despite the local chief of police treating it as suicide.

Eleanor has inherited her uncles fortune and has had to switch from her previous bohemian lifestyle to one that has many rules on etiquette and expected behaviours. There is lots of amusing dialogue around these expectations with her butler, as he tries to steer her away from situations of impropriety.

The setting on the Nile, the historical sites and local markets are carefully described along with some excellent historical detail. The narrative is rich in detail of the culture, history and life of this period.

Highly recommended for a light hearted read with fun characters, fantastic scenery and an interesting plot.