In vibrant 1860s London, the ton are gathered and eager for the Season in Winters’ third Lady of Letters mystery—a whodunnit featuring Agony Aunt turned amateur investigator Lady Amelia Amesbury, and introducing her rambunctious younger sister, Madge (Margaret), who arrives unexpectedly just before Amelia’s first hosted ball. Married into gentry and sadly widowed two months later, Amelia is tired of years of mourning black and delighted to have her bright, bull-headed sister with her for the season, even if it means some surreptitious chaperoning. A murder at the ball, for which Madge finds herself in a vindictive detective’s sights, and some thefts of priceless heirloom jewellery are the conundrums Amelia must unravel, whilst clearing her sister’s good name.

Settings, clothing, décor, social mores and faux pas of the ton are intricately presented, as are Petticoat Lane’s dark and dangerous nighttime environs, where thieves and fences abound. Red herrings and multiple suspects drive the plot through a series of twists with details that are enlightening without ever being didactic. Amelia and fellow sleuth, Simon Bainbridge, negotiate carefully around their growing attachment (heaven forfend the formidable matriarch, Aunt Tabitha Amesbury should catch them unawares!), whilst Madge might find love of her own. The murder scene is enacted at the start of the novel, allowing the storyline to work through nefarious motives and the victim’s possible culpability for his own demise. The names Madge and Margaret are used interchangeably, a narrative device which keeps Madge’s child-like naughtiness and her role as a countess’s respectable sister evenly balanced, but some readers may find this mildly annoying. Readers will, however, get a kick out of the chapter heading ‘Agony Aunt’ letters culled from history, including a cure for concussion should a physician be unavailable! Keep a sharp eye out for this first-rate cosy series.

This series continues to be delightful. This time around we get introduced to more of Amelia's family, her very headstrong sister Margaret who comes to town for the season after having an unfortunate incident happen at home. Immediately, a murder occurs and Margaret is suspect number 1 to the Yard so Amelia heads out to prove her sister's innocence while also figuring out who the thief of Mayfair is AND attempts to figure out what the frustrating Simon Bainbridge actually feels about her and their relationship. I continue to love the use of agony aunt letters to start each chapter - you get a sense of the social world that Amelia is moving through and also trying to influence.

*I received an e-ARC from Netgalley to provide this review.

Another twisty tale by Mary Winters! If you love historical cozy mysteries then this one is for you. The main character is intelligent and bold yet elegant and refined. She knows how to get results in her professional life and also personal life when murder comes knocking at her door. I loved the setting and time period and can't wait to read more in this series.

In public, Amelia Amesbury is the proper English Lady of 1860 England. She has a secret, however. Well, perhaps more than one. The biggest secret is her identity as columnist Lady Agony. As such, she offers some frequently not-so-discreet advice to those who write in for advice. You know, hardly the thing a Lady of that time would think, let alone vocalize. She could use some advice herself this go-round, however. First, advice on how to handle her beautiful, unpredictable sister who arrives unannounced to be sponsored for the season. Seems Madge has run into a few problems back home, one of which involved leaving a not-so gentlemanly wannabe suitor with a broken arm. I'd say Madge is not to be trifled with. For that matter, Amelia could use some sage advice on her own romantic yearnings. Seems she just can't quite budge Simon from the friend zone into suitor material. Then there's the little matter of a male guest that becomes ill at the ball given for Madge and later dies. Toss in a jewel thief absconding with some valuable family jewels from various residences and Amelia's amateur sleuth persona is about to be very busy. And, oh, did I mention that the man that died had words with Madge just before coming ill? That only adds to the problems Amelia is trying to juggle.

I won't detail the plot further other than to say there are other, actually far more viable suspects than Madge. But, well, seems to Detective in charge has it in for the Amesbury family. Toss in what we'd consider quaint standards of behavior, what society members find proper and improper, and family pressures and Amelia can't seem to catch a break. Those used to somethings happening every second plot speed may find this one quite slow but it's actually quite nice to relax into the pace of the 1860s. I liked the characters, even stern, rigid Aunt Tabitha, who is a force to be reckoned with when she assumes her mantle as Lady Tabitha, that's for sure. Simon is solid, albeit could be the poster boy for slow burn romances. Madge, oh, boy, she is personality plus. Outgoing, far more physically able than the typical female of that era, and can't always seem to rein in her impetuous mouth. There are more, actually lots more, which does always seem to take me a bit to sort through them given the use of both titles and names. What can I say, I felt like I needed a cast of characters at times.

Bottom line, an enjoyable if slow read. The setting was well done and I felt like I was strolling the park with characters more than once, and the descriptions of both the clothing and physical appearances were well done. And, oh, some of the clothing. I'm the sort that doesn't much like dressing up but it'd sure be fun to see, wouldn't it? As to whodunit, I didn't really sort it out until the reveal for sure, so it kept me guessing. And, oh, do be sure to read the epilogue. Thanks #SevernHouse for letting me take an early time-travel trip back to 1860 London. It was fun and I found myself enjoying the characters and their lives/adventures, both of which gave me an idea of the difference between the haves and have not groups. The traces of humanity from all were well done and heartwarming at times.

I have followed Mary Winters’ Lady of Letters Mysteries since its debut two years ago, drawn to the unique premise of a countess-turned-agony-aunt secretly solving crimes. Murder in Season continues to deliver with its blend of historical mystery and a strong, independent heroine.

In Murder in Season, Amelia finds herself in the middle of not only the murder investigation but also an intriguing side plot involving a jewel thief who’s been targeting Mayfair. And to add complexity to her personal life, there’s Simon - her late husband’s friend - who is becoming an unexpected romantic interest.

Overall, I enjoyed the story, though I felt the emphasis leaned more toward the jewel thief subplot than the murder itself. While Amelia is dedicated to uncovering details about the victim and those connected to him, the split focus between the two mysteries slightly diluted the murder’s intrigue for me.

That said, Mary Winters’ exceptional storytelling and character depth shine through, and the surprising turn in Aunt Tabitha’s behavior left me eager to see what’s next. The pacing felt a touch slower compared to earlier installments, but this didn’t detract from my enjoyment.

I can tell that Ms. Winters was conscientious about Victorian material culture; however, the anachronisms in other areas were very distracting. This would have been a better book if she just made it U.S. Millennial/Gen-Zers cosplaying as people from the Victorian era, because honestly that's what's already happening here.

I found Murder in Season to be a fun, quick read. This is the first book I’ve read from this author and I’d keep a look out for their future work. This is the third book in the series, but I didn’t find it a challenge to situate myself in the story.
Amelia, a widowed Countess, lives with her deceased husband’s Aunt and niece. Amelia’s sister-Madge-comes to visit for the season.
After rising tensions at a ball Madge becomes a suspect of a murder investigation. It’s up to Amelia and possible love interest Simon to clear things up!

Not my cup of tea.

The characters are flat. Their emotions are written but not with any degree of feeling if that makes sense.

Not historically accurate. An Inn Keepers daughter would not be accepted in society, even if she did marry above her station. Especially if she did. The class system was very insular during that period. She may have been tolerated but only to a minimal degree. And, once her husband passed, any acceptance she gained would have vanished.

Madge would not be presented for a season. Not ever. Tabitha would never have allowed her presentation either. Rhe risk of embarrassment and scandal was way too high. These people would literally kill their own relatives to maintain their good reputation.

Someone like Madge, boisterous and violent with no self control, wouldn't have been tolerated. Not even by the lower class.

I couldn't get past the flat writing or the inaccuracy. DNF at 40%.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Mary Winters for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Murder in Season coming out December 3, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

This is the first book I’ve read by this author. I need to read the other two books in the series. I really love regency mysteries so this book was perfect! I think it’s really fun that Amelia is a Countess and also writes. There was definitely a lot of drama going on with Madge, but I really enjoyed the writing. The plot was a lot of fun. I would definitely read more books by this author.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys regency era mysteries!

A light easy read set in Victorian London. Amelia is a country inn keepers daughter suddenly thrust into London society when she married a guest of the inn. Edger kept his wealth and title secret from her until after the wedding. Book Three finds her widowed and settling in to hold her own with poise and confidence. To stave off boredom she has two hobbies: she writes an advice column as "Lady Agony" and she solves crimes, including murders. In this one, Madge, her plain spoken younger sister comes to visit for her debut "season" and is promptly accused of murdering a guest at her coming out ball. Amelia knows she's innocent, even though her sister was seen arguing angrily with the victim a few hours earlier. Even though Madge did break another mans arm last week. Fun!

Hello! Many thanks, indeed, to Netgalley for having provided me with an ARC of Murder in Season. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I also quite enjoy Mary Winters's writing. It is fun and offers a delightful take on a combination of an historical, Regency romance/mystery. Amelia Amesbury, (a.k.a. Lady Agony in her advice column'), is a perfect complement and alter-ego to Amelia in 'everyday life,' as she fluctuates amongst romance and crime-solving and navigates the culture and social mores of the times. Amelia's and Simon's romance adds an extra dash of spice and chemistry to this sleuthing romp. I definitely recommend Murder in Season and can certainly see all of these books in this series turned into a mini-series! :)

It's always nice to return to Amelia Amssbury's London! The format for these books is wonderful - each chapter starts with a letter to Lady Agony and Amelia's response. Her secret job helps her childhood friend who runs a paper and gives her something to do now that she's a widow with a title and fortune. This installment in the series introduces some family members, with Amelia's sister being a wonderful addition to the cast. We know about Amelia's childhood at the family inn in Somerset, but we haven't met any family members up until now.

This story's murder happens at a ball Amelia throws to introduce her sister to society. All of the regular characters attend, but there's a long list of guests who serve as suspects in the crime. At the same time, there's a jewel thief targeting homes in Mayfair and Amelia's house is one of the ones hit. Amelia and her sister do most of the sleuthing in this one with the Simon Bainbridge, the potential love interest, falling back to secondary character status. Amelia and Simon have some nice moments together, but Amelia is frustrated by his reluctance to move forward. A second love interest was introduced and that made things interesting for a bit!

These books are wonderfully cozy despite the body count! Amelia is a heroine you can root for!

This book was just an average read for me. The mystery part of the book was interesting to the point that it is the only thing keeping me reading. The characters were uninteresting, a problem I have found with this whole series. I was hoping to at some point to start enjoying the main character but I just can't.

Murder in Season is the 3rd charming installment in the Lady of Letters Mystery Series by author Mary Winters, and it was a delight to read! Ms. Winters has a wonderful gift for telling a tale - bringing together characters that we care about, and keeping the readers on their toes - the addition of Amelia's sister, Madge, into the household for this particular cozy was a nice addition. I absolutely did not guess the culprit, but I enjoyed reading and guessing (and guessing again!) all the way through! A+++

Murder and theft? In the same house? At the start of the season? Yup, I'm in. Lady Amelia continues to write her advice column, but must help her sister navigate scandal during the season. A great series gets even better. I love the way the author intersperses the advice column with the action. I love the series.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Murder in Season by Mary Winters is a third person-POV Regency mystery. Widowed countess turned advice columnist Amelia is pushed to finish her mourning period when her sister, Madge, comes to her London home for the season. The Season doesn’t go off without a hitch as a man that Madge was interested in ends up dead and there’s a jewelry thief on the loose.

One of the things I liked was how each chapter opens with a letter to Amelia’s columnist alter ego, Lady Agony. Many of the letters are tied to the contents of each individual chapter but a few seem to be more general column advice, such as people minding their business when it comes to other people’s children. There’s a bit of snarkiness to some of Amelia’s responses while others are more compassionate.

Amelia has a lot of options for a romantic relationship, but the main one is Simon, an old friend of hers. A lot of their moments are more akin to a first love but more mature as Amelia’s deceased husband was more her friend and passed away two months into their marriage. She could choose to take a lover, women of the Ton who already were married had more freedom to do so, but she’s also not considering it seriously. It’s interesting because love is kind of brushed to the side until Simon is on the page, but Amelia is aware that she could start something with someone else if she really wanted to.

Amelia’s world is split between Madge and Tabitha, the aunt of Amelia’s husband. Tabitha is pretty firm that Amelia still needs to mourn and isn’t quite ready to see Amelia move on whereas Madge is pushing Amelia to start something with Simon. I can appreciate both sides of this as Madge and Tabitha, ultimately, do not want Amelia to be miserable, but Tabitha is grieving her nephew and is a bit more beholden to older customs.

I would recommend this to fans of Regency era fiction wanting a mystery and those looking for an advice columnist lead in a historical fiction.

I am so happy to see another one in this series. I loved it. I will say, there is a lot of modern sensibility in this book it almost felt distracting in a certain way. Regardless, I like the mysteries and the interpersonal relationships of Amelia and folks. I am so happy that Simon and Amelia didn't let the momentum from the previous book die and stop their lives from moving forward. I guessed one of the two mysteries, but the murder really kept me guessing all the way to the end of the story. Thank you NetGalley and to the Publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

"Murder in Season" is a mystery set in 1860 in England. Amelia's role as a advice column writer provided the reader with a sense of the historical period and showed Amelia's attitude toward social norms. The main characters were likable. Amelia asked questions to discover who had a motive and was present when the murder or thefts happened. She wanted to solve who was stealing heirloom jewelry at rich people's homes during social gatherings. She felt she had to solve the murder because the detective on the case had a grudge against the Amesbury family and was determined to pin the murder on Madge. There were clues, and Amelia connected the clues to the culprit as quickly as the reader can.

There was no sex. There were a couple uses of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this interesting mystery.

DNF’ed at 42%. I really tried to get into this book. It may be my fault as I did not realize that this was part of series until I researched it. There were too many characters introduced at the same time. I began to confuse who is who. At 42% complete, I felt like the book hadn’t really started yet. The concept is interesting. I enjoyed the writing style. I’m going to keep trying but I am having difficulty finding the motivation to keep going. I love a slow burn but this is book three and there’s no dual POV so I’m just annoyed with the love interest.

I am such a fan of this series and just adored this installment. Amelia is such a unique character, and I love her strength and vulnerability. I was so pleased with the progression of her and Simon's relationship - I really love them together! The plot was interesting (as it always is!) and I couldn't put it down. I can't wait for #4!