Death Among the Diamonds is the first Cressida Fawcett historical cozy by Fliss Chester. Released 21st Sept 2022, it's 300 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The second book in the series is also currently available on KU, and a third book is due out in late second quarter 2023.
This is a beautifully rendered historical cozy featuring flapper Cressy Fawcett and her sidekick (a pug) named Ruby. It's set in interwar (1920's) England and protagonist Cressida is a lot more enamored of her independence and her motorcar than in finding a husband and settling down (egads!). She's drawn into mayhem and danger when she agrees to help her friend Dorothy investigate her mother's stolen diamonds. Country house murder, civilized repartee, missing diamonds, genteel cast of characters, secrets and skullduggery.
It's sure to appeal to fans of the original Golden Age authors (Christie, Marsh, Sayers, Allingham, and the others sadly departed). It's not an absolute dead ringer for their work (how could it be?), but it's satisfying and diverting nevertheless.
Four stars. The language is squeaky clean and the violence is off page. It's civilized and fun (and Ruby is the absolute bees' knees).
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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