Bright young dead by Jessica Fellowes

Mitford murders series. Hachette, 2018. ISBN: 9780751567205.
(Age: Older adolescent - Adult) This is undoubtedly a book set firmly in the era of The Wealthy and The Rest of the World. The children of The Wealthy are educated, erudite and spoiled, yet they also expect that they will contribute, in an intellectual sense, to something as exciting and challenging as 'solving a murder'. So, reading this book demands, of the ordinary reader, a certain positioning that forgives the idea of the wealthy as deserving of their status and their intellect when it comes to something as exciting as a murder, particularly when it happens in their large residence.
Interestingly, there seems to be little feeling for the loss of a human being, but plenty of interest in solving the murder. So, forgiving them their sense of entitlement is necessary if one is to enjoy the book, and it is quite a good murder mystery. The events are credible and the interactions well-explored, giving us a clear sense of the situation and living arrangements of the time and how people felt and lived in England in that era.
This book would be suitable for older adolescent and adult readers as Jessica Fellowes has constructed a good, strong and intriguing storyline as well as believable situation and characters. In fact, her characterization is deft, interesting and credible.
Elizabeth Bondar