An Old Affair: A 1920s tale of murder, mystery, and an ancient family feud by G J BellamyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Sophie Burgoyne and her team of amateur spies (who masquerade as servants to infiltrate the homes of the aristocracy) have been tasked with spying on a Bulgarian businessman (aka spy) called Todor Minkov on a cruise ship from GIbraltar to England and then at a stately home where he will be the guest of Lord Gerald Munday's eldest son Basil at their home Dumond Hall where they are holding their annual fete and Ball.
The Munday family is notorious for an ancient feud between them and their nearest neighbours, the Eldred family, a feud which has resulted in tit-for-tat murders. Tensions are running high as both of Basil's older brothers have recently been murdered and it is deemed very poor show (FFS) for two Mundays to be murdered without an Eldred being murdered in return. To add insult to injury, it has always been an unwritten rule that the murders take place elsewhere, but the latest murder took place on the outskirts of the village and the local Chief Constable has had enough.
Whilst the Mundays are flourishing and are displaying their wealth by building a swimming pool in the grounds which resembles a Grecian temple, the Eldreds are in dire financial straits having been hit by double death duties as a result of WW1 and several bad harvests. With the country in the grip of a prolonged dry and hot spell in 1921 the Eldreds are facing the loss of their home and livelihood. Accordingly, tensions are riding high. Can the redoutable folks from Burgoyne's Agency uncover who killed Basil's brother and discover why Mr Minkov is in England?
This fell flat for me. I loved the banter between the Agency people just as much as ever, but the whole feud between the Mundays and the Eldreds was tedious in the extreme, I couldn't keep track of their names and hence why I refer to Basil's brothers and not by name.
Overall, I suspect that this might be the prelude to something more juicy in the next book with a bi assignment in the offing.
Read on my Kindle Unlimited subscription.
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