Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery Books in Order
Part ofVerity Bright Books in OrderThis page lists the Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery books by Verity Bright in order, with summaries, background, and where-to-start tips for new readers.
Last updated: June 7, 2026
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Publication Order
26 books
A Very English Murder
by Verity Bright
2020
In 1920, Eleanor Swift returns from world travels to inherit Henley Hall and a title she doesn't want. When she witnesses a shooting but no body is found, she and bulldog Gladstone start digging before the killer silences her.
A Witness to Murder
by Verity Bright
2020
A politician dies at Farrington Manor amid whispers about poisoned fudge, and the cook is blamed. Eleanor tries to stay out of trouble, but clearing Mrs Pitkin means following a trail of lies and another deadly sweet.
Death at the Dance
by Verity Bright
2020
Lady Eleanor attends a masked ball to impress Lance Langham, only to find him standing over a corpse with the safe open. Convinced he's been framed, she investigates his circle before more party guests die.
Murder in the Snow
by Verity Bright
2020
Christmas at Henley Hall turns deadly when a runner collapses during the village fun run. A strange key, a poisoned vicar, and planted evidence push Eleanor to find the culprit before the festivities bury the truth.
A Lesson in Murder
by Verity Bright
2021
Invited to speak at her old school, St Mary's, Eleanor is devastated when her favourite teacher is murdered. A second death and her mother's old diary point toward secrets hidden in the school's past.
Death on a Winter's Day
by Verity Bright
2021
A Scottish castle party should mean snow, cocoa, and games, not a dead guest by the fire. When her friends fall under suspicion, Eleanor must solve a locked-in winter mystery before the killer strikes again.
Murder at the Fair
by Verity Bright
2021
Eleanor is helping with the village summer fair when beloved undertaker Solemn Jon dies during a raft race. A nasty obituary and a second suspicious death suggest someone is settling old scores.
Mystery by the Sea
by Verity Bright
2021
Eleanor escapes to Brighton for a proper seaside holiday, but a death at the Grand Hotel ruins the view. The victim appears to be the husband she believed died years before, making this case painfully personal.
A Royal Murder
by Verity Bright
2022
At the royal regatta, Eleanor watches a prize-giving turn deadly when Lord Xander Taylor-Howard collapses after drinking champagne. Asked to investigate quietly, she finds gambling rumours, royal pressure, and a very dangerous secret.
Death Down the Aisle
by Verity Bright
2022
A society wedding collapses when the groom is arrested for murdering another woman, his secret fiancée. Eleanor, Gladstone, and Detective Seldon must untangle scandal and violence before the bride's big day becomes a funeral.
Murder in an Irish Castle
by Verity Bright
2022
Eleanor travels to an Irish estate connected to her family, only to find a body in the snow outside the castle. A hidden key, hostile locals, and a fire suggest the danger reaches into her inheritance.
The French for Murder
by Verity Bright
2022
Eleanor takes a villa on the French Riviera, hoping for sun, swims, and decent wine. Instead, Clifford finds a murdered movie star in the cellar and is arrested, leaving Eleanor to question a film set full of suspects.
Death on Deck
by Verity Bright
2023
Eleanor boards the ocean liner Celestiana for New York after Hugh cancels her birthday plans. Then she sees a man shot overboard, finds a gun linked to Hugh, and must clear him among first-class suspects.
Murder by Invitation
by Verity Bright
2023
Little Buckford prepares for King George V's birthday celebrations, but the committee head is murdered before the party can begin. Eleanor must save the village's big day while sorting local grudges, secrets, and suspicion.
Murder in Manhattan
by Verity Bright
2023
In New York, Eleanor sees her apartment doorman Marty killed in a hit-and-run. When hidden cash and a second death point to powerful society figures, she teams with Officer Balowski to expose the truth.
Murder on the Cornish Cliffs
by Verity Bright
2023
Eleanor answers a strange Christmas invitation from Godfrey Cunliffe, who fears his gardener is poisoning him. In Cornwall, a body on the beach and missing garden plans turn a holiday visit into another case.
A Death in Venice
by Verity Bright
2024
During Venice carnival, Eleanor's first gondola ride ends with Councillor Benetto Vendelini stabbed and thrown into the canal. A family feud and a missing heirloom pull her through masked balls, alleyways, and danger.
A Midwinter Murder
by Verity Bright
2024
Snowed in at Auldwyke Hall, Eleanor and Hugh find the duke's secretary dead with a golden rose pendant in his hand. Every Christmas guest has a secret, and the blizzard keeps all suspects close.
Murder in Mayfair
by Verity Bright
2024
From a hot-air balloon, Eleanor sees a man shot, but the body vanishes. A broken pearl clasp links the scene to a Mayfair necklace theft, sending her undercover below stairs in a grand house.
Murder on the Nile
by Verity Bright
2024
Eleanor and Clifford board a Nile cruise that soon turns deadly when Lieutenant Baxter is shot in a locked cabin. A secret letter, a stolen treasure, and nervous passengers make Egypt anything but restful.
A Recipe for Murder
by Verity Bright
2025
Days before Eleanor's wedding to Chief Inspector Hugh Seldon, their chef Annie Tibetts is poisoned. As more villagers fall ill, Eleanor must find who is attacking her household before the celebration turns tragic.
Death at a Paris Hotel
by Verity Bright
2025
On their Paris honeymoon, Eleanor and Hugh see a man crash through their hotel restaurant's glass roof. A pearl brooch, a museum theft, and a shadowy follower drag the newlyweds into a dangerous case.
Murder at the Royal Palace
by Verity Bright
2025
Eleanor is at Buckingham Palace to see Hugh knighted when royal guard Dilly Dalrymple collapses. The royal police want the couple's help off the record, and palace ceremony soon gives way to murder.
Murder on a Frosty Night
by Verity Bright
2025
Eleanor and Hugh are planning their first married Christmas when a telegram summons their new detective agency to remote Yorelow. By midnight, their client lies dead in a churchyard, and the holiday turns bleak.
A Very Irish Mystery
by Verity Bright
2026
Eleanor visits Dublin to meet Samuel O'Sullivan, who may know about her parents' disappearance. A brewery tour turns deadly when owner Fergal Finnegan is found in a barrel, and the Byron Detective Agency takes the case.
Murder Stage Left
by Verity Bright
2026
In Shakespeare's town, Eleanor and Hugh are drawn into theatre trouble when priceless items vanish before a production of Macbeth. After a fire, leading man Richard Ratcliffe is found dead backstage, and the show becomes a murder case.
Series background & context
The Lady Eleanor Swift Mystery series begins in England in 1920, when Eleanor Swift returns from years of travel in A Very English Murder and inherits Henley Hall, a title, a household, and a murder problem. Eleanor has crossed deserts, mountains, and oceans, so she is not easily intimidated by a village policeman, a locked room, or a body that inconveniently disappears.
She would rather not be treated as a decorative Lady.
The early books build her new world: Henley Hall, the surrounding village, loyal bulldog Gladstone, and Clifford, the butler who can solve most practical problems before breakfast. Eleanor's gift is curiosity mixed with stubborn decency. She notices servants, cooks, doormen, teachers, and other people polite society overlooks, and she often gets involved because someone vulnerable is being blamed.
The tone is warm, brisk, and comic, but the cases have real shape. Death at the Dance brings masked-ball scandal and a wrongly accused suitor. A Witness to Murder uses poisoned fudge and country-house gossip. Murder in the Snow, Death on a Winter's Day, and A Midwinter Murder turn festive gatherings and snowbound houses into suspect traps. The books are comfortable reads, not because murder is soft, but because Eleanor keeps choosing courage, loyalty, and common sense.
As the series grows, it also becomes a travel shelf. Eleanor investigates in Brighton, Scotland, the French Riviera, Ireland, on an ocean liner, in New York, Venice, London, Egypt, Paris, and royal settings. The change of scenery keeps the books lively while the core team stays familiar: Eleanor, Gladstone, Clifford, and Detective Hugh Seldon, whose working relationship with Eleanor slowly becomes something more.
There is a longer thread too.
Eleanor's parents disappeared when she was young, and that old hurt sits behind some of her need for answers. Her inheritance from Lord Henley and her place at Henley Hall give her a home, but not an easy one. She has to learn the rules of 1920s society well enough to bend them, especially when those rules protect the wrong people.
Readers can enjoy many of the mysteries as individual cases, but the series is best read in order. Relationships deepen, Eleanor's life changes, and later books build on earlier trust, grief, romance, and family questions. Start with A Very English Murder if you want the full effect.
Edited by
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