In the summer of 1927 aspiring author Daphne du Maurier is 21 years old, in love with a man who is engaged to someone else, and anxious to write and publish her first novel. Her friend Ellen is about to marry the father of her 10-year-old daughter after years of separation and Daphne is part of the wedding party traveling to Ellen's family estate, Thornleigh. Daphne is dismayed to find the object of her affection, Major Browning, and his beautiful and aristocratic fiance at the festivities. Groom Teddy Grimshaw is found dead soon after the ceremony, precipitating a series of apparent attempts on Ellen's life and compelling Daphne to investigate.
I don't know about you, but I particularly enjoy well-done fiction featuring real historical or literary figures. This is the third in Challis' Daphne du Maurier mystery series. I wasn't so sure about it at first, but after I read up on du Maurier's life it sparked my interest. Challis does a good job with the period details (old money vs. people who work, family estates, moral issues) as well as with the mystery itself.
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