I admit that I have been going through a low grade Downton Abbey withdrawal. I have tried to fill this void with other period dramas but somehow they just don’t get at that little knot of longing for haughty Mary and her grandmother, Lady Violet or for the lovely understated romance between Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes. But then I came across this book by Rhys Bowen and suddenly I was back in that world and it was good!

World War II is forcing sacrifices of everyone, including Farleigh Place, the ancestral home of  the Earl of Westerham. Lord Roderick and Lady Esme and their daughters have been doing their part by having military personnel live on their estate while working at a nearby airfield. Only the youngest of their five daughters, Lady Diana (nineteen) and Lady Phoebe (twelve) are at home now and both are finding this major change in their life quite exhilarating.

However, when a man parachutes to his death on the estate, and his uniform and possessions aren’t quite what they should be, suspicions that he might be a German spy ensue. Ben Cresswell, an MI5 operative and a friend of the family is asked to go and assess the situation and if the man was a German spy, to find out who his contact was in Farleigh Place. Unbeknownst to Ben, Lady Pamela, the middle daughter of the Earl of Westerham who is secretly working at Bletchley Park, is trying to track down the source of some strange signals that the code breakers have found that seem to be connected to Farleigh Place. Since it is her home, she is also dispatched to investigate Farleigh Place.  As the mystery deepens and new clues  as well as many inconsistencies are exposed, Ben and Pamela must join forces to expose the traitor in their midst.

This was a lovely book to read. Good character delineation, good development of suspense and tension, and wonderful descriptions of life on the estate and in the nearby small town with all the requisite supporting characters that you expect from books set in this time and place. There is something so comforting and bracing about the British penchant for the “stiff upper lip” and their “carry on” attitude.  Maybe it is because of all the chaos that we are experiencing now, that this characteristic of the British, in the face of the chaos and fear they experienced in WWII, is so appealing to me. Surely if they faced down fascism with courage and strength, we too can face the forces of misogyny, racism and inequality with similar courage and strength. Let it be so!

Brenda’s Rating: ***1/2 (3 1/2 out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian and Keith

Books Study Worthy: Sure as long as it includes hot tea and scones!

Read in ebook format.