Title: Murder Most Fancy
Author: Kellie McCourt
Published: January 5th 2022
Publisher: HQ Fiction – AU
Pages: 464
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Detective
RRP: $29.99
Rating: 3.5 stars
She’s not responsible for the corpse this time. Okay, maybe just a little bit. Our favourite socialite and felon are back in a madcap new sleuthing adventure … for readers of Janet Evanovich and Kerry Greenwood.
She really didn’t mean to become a detective …
Home for just 48 hours, billion-heiress Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bombberg has already committed two (completely understandable) felonies, reignited a childhood feud, been (possibly) humiliated (again) by her first love, and fallen over a nameless homeless dead man. All while strolling in her grandmother’s garden …
Grandmother’s kindly neighbour, Dame Elizabeth Holly, wants to spring the anonymous corpse from the coroner’s freezer. She’s convinced Indigo and her parolee personal assistant Esmerelda can unearth the man’s identity, thus allowing his burial. Meanwhile Grandmother wants the unlikely duo to locate Dame Holly’s possibly missing gentleman friend. Dame Holly’s miserly granddaughter and not-so-bright son don’t want her involved with any man – dead or alive.
Are the cases related? Why are they receiving clues from an unknown helper? Should they cooperate with Detectives Searing and Burns, who tried to arrest Indigo for blowing up her plastic surgeon husband last summer? What is Esmerelda’s secret? It’s not so bad to undress a detective. Twice. Is it? How illegal can it be, really, to break into a top-secret government facility?
They’re not annoying a ruthless organised criminal on purpose, they’re just trying to help …
Review:
‘It would be Heiress on Fire all over again. Only this time I would be Heiress of Horror.‘
Murder Most Fancy marks the second murder mystery adventure for Kellie McCourt’s unlikely detective, Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber-Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bombberg. The crime fighting heiress of McCourt’s previous release, Heiress on Fire, returns with her personal assistant Esmerelda to crack another case. With plenty of fun, frivolity, risk and gambles to take, Indigo sets off on another hairbrained adventure in this cosy mystery from Australian author Kellie McCourt.
Multi-million-dollar heiress Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber-Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bombberg seems to fall into trouble very easily. Indigo’s last adventure saw this heiress accused of murdering her husband. In this latest instalment of Kellie McCourt’s Australian mystery series, Indigo must contend with a fight with an old friend, deal with an embarrassing situation with her first love and uncover the identity of a dead man who is discovered in her dear grandmother’s garden. With the pressing influence of her grandmother’s neighbour, Dame Elizabeth Holly, Indigo is pushed into discovering the identity of the stranger found in the garden. Coupled with a missing man to find, who also happens to be Dame Elizabeth’s gentleman friend and some meddling family members, Indigo has her work cut out for her. Indigo and her loyal assistant Esmerelda try to link the case of the dead homeless man and Dame Elizabeth’s missing gentlemen friend. Can these unlikely sleuths find a link? Or will Indigo need the assistance of the authorities to get to the bottom of these odd cases?
Sydneysider Kellie McCourt has penned another engaging cosy crime novel. Murder Most Fancy is the second issue in the Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber-Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bemberg female sleuth series. This likeable socialite is back again with another snazzy crime fitting, which is filled with plenty of humour, strange antics, outlandish scenarios and sticky situations. After spending my week with Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber-Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bombberg thanks to book 1, Heiress on Fire, I was looking forward to extending my time with this fun lead.
Murder Most Fancy has a Kerry Greenwood feel to it, even more so with this second release in the Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber-Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bombberg series. With lots of glamour, high-end fashion, luxurious exploits and a window into the lives of the very wealthy, this was quite the exposé on the lifestyles of the rich. Indigo is a colourful character creation and she is well matched to Esmerelda, who acts as Indigo’s bright sidekick. This time around we get to know both characters a little more, both individually and as an unlikely crime fighting duo. With the added influence of a range of intriguing secondary characters, some of which are returning cast members from the first story, McCourt’s novel is a barrel of laughs, side splitting fun and speculation. Even touching on the absurd at times!
In terms of the mystery side of things, McCourt ensures that she keeps the storyline interesting, adding in plenty of satire and wit, along with a set of possibilities for the probable outcomes of the cases involved. At times I felt this story bordered on wacky. The book’s pace is fixed at an even stride and McCourt includes a number of twists to spice things up. If you like a side serving of romance incorporated into your cosy mystery tales, this one doesn’t disappoint. McCourt slots in a good dose of love and some romantic exploits for her lead to enjoy as this story makes its way to an end point. After a rather pressing plot, filled with tomfoolery, misbehaviour, trials and small-scale catastrophes, detective Indigo has it sorted!
Take a walk on the wild side with the daring Indigo-Daisy-Violet-Amber-Hasluck-Royce-Jones-Bombberg in Murder Most Fancy. Kellie McCourt has produced another entertaining volume in this explosive female sleuth series.
Murder Most Fancy by Kellie McCourt was published on 5th January 2022 by HQ Fiction – AU. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
To learn more about the author of Murder Most Fancy, Kellie McCourt visit here.
*I wish to thank Harlequin Australia for providing me with a free copy of this book for review purposes.
Mrs B's Book Reviews 