Both freely admit their own mother can be insufferable at times, and Daisy feels her mother has taken the prize when the Dowager Viscountess invites herself and her family to Lord Westmoor’s estate Brockdene. While Daisy realizes her mother’s gall, she agrees to go because she can write a profile on Brockdene for the magazine she writes for, Town and Country. Upon arriving at the estate, Daisy quickly learns that Lord Westmoor is nowhere to be found and the Lord’s poorer relations, the Norvilles, inhabit Brockdene.

While the family does its share of bickering, the family saga that unfolds enchants Daisy. She learns about the heir to the estate who returned from India and died before he was able to bring his native wife and sons over. When the present Mrs. Norville arrived in England with two young sons in tow claiming to be Albert’s wife, she was looked upon with great suspicion and was relegated to Brockdene, provided for comfortably, but her children were no longer considered heirs. Now her son has returned from India with the minister who married his parents and who will attest to the legitimacy of their claims to the family.

Unfortunately, someone doesn’t want the minister to reveal what he knows, and he is found stabbed in the estate chapel on Christmas morning. In spite of his insistence that he is on holiday, Alec, a Scotland Yard Inspector, gets drawn into the investigation, as does his naturally curious bride. Instead of the classic family Christmas she had hoped for, the Dowager Viscountess finds herself surrounded by family and a family of squabbling suspects in the murder of a minister.

While the protocol of English peerage may be hard to follow at first, the lines of succession are laid out simply enough and are casually repeated often so the reader has no trouble tracking who inherits what and when and why. The end of the Victorian age and the coming of the more modern 1920’s clearly mark the novel as Daisy is an independent young woman and the daughter of her hostess begins to show signs of wanting to be free of the confines of more polite, structured society. Alec’s daughter Belinda has warmed up very well to Daisy and has become a delightfully impish character, especially when paired with adventuresome cousin Derek. Alec wishes to protect his wife, yet understands how smart and capable she is and allows her fairly free reign, knowing she also possesses enough common sense to keep her out of harm’s way - most of the time.

There are several viable suspects, each with their own motive for not wanting the Reverend to swear to the Norville marriage, and as each layer of information is uncovered, the motives and strongest suspect changes. Set against an English manor Christmas, Mistletoe and Murder is another delightful entry into the Daisy Dalrymple series that is sure to please fans of historical mysteries as well as those of typical cozy fare.

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry