In Diana's Shadow by Liz Helfrich

In Diana's Shadow, author Liz Helfrich introduces us to well-educated British aristocrat Constance Grey. With family fortunes dramatically impacted by her father's death and primogeniture, she now occupies an awkward space between aristocracy and trade. A situation that was all too common in the 1920s after thousands of Britain's sons perished in the battles of World War I. 

As Constance waits in a drawing-room to visit with her childhood friend, Lady Diana Dunbarton, she hears a scream that tears through the house. Upon investigation, she discovers her friend's motionless body in her bed, with a trail of pink, frothy substance running from her mouth. It is quickly established that her death is due to foul play, but who could have wanted the beautiful and vibrant Diana dead. Is it her husband, Lord Alec James Portmore Dunbarton, or is he truly the grieving widower? Who else could it be? Constance is determined to figure out what has happened, and although it sometimes pains her, she needs to collaborate with Inspector Edwards, who has been assigned to manage the case. She also draws on her mother and sister to help with the investigation and to bounce off her theories about various suspects.

This novel is an intriguing start to a series, and I believe that Constance, her mother and her sister would make an engaging investigative trio with lots of opportunities for encountering murders to solve. However, it is a bit formulaic in sections where the storyline of the mystery needs to progress. I would have liked to see more character development because the conversation flows, but it is hard to get a strong sense of what drives the characters to behave and speak in the way they do. Although the author has undertaken quite a bit of research to inform the novel, some statements are unrealistic. For example, a funeral parlour wouldn't cut off a finger to remove a ring but instead offer to cut the band off a decedent so as to return the ring to the grieving relative. While it doesn't impact the results of this whodunnit, it does create a stumbling block when reading because it is hard to believe the emotional reactions. Much like Agatha Christie's Poirot novels, the details of the murder are summed up well in the conclusion.

I would recommend this mystery to those who enjoyed Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series or Ashley Weaver's Amory Ames mysteries.

Trigger warning: This book contains storyline elements focused on narcotic substance abuse and distribution.

Thank you to the author and Reedsy Discovery for providing a review copy of this book. I look forward to seeing this series develop.