A Daughter’s Guide to Mothers and Murder

Freeman’s eighth entry in her “Countess of Harleigh” historical mystery series finds Frances and George vacationing in Paris in 1900. Frances really doesn’t want to help her former rival Alicia Stoke-Whitney but reluctantly agrees to use her society contacts to investigate Carlson Deaver and determine whether he’s a suitable match for Alicia’s daughter. He isn’t. In fact, it’s looking like Deaver may have murdered his first wife, Isabelle, and he is definitely a womanizing scoundrel. The action heats up when famed actress Sarah Bernhardt receives a blackmail letter in an envelope containing one of Isabelle’s earrings. Could Bernhardt somehow be involved in Deaver’s case? Meanwhile, Frances discovers that she is terrible at golf, which has nothing to do with the murder investigation. This rather predictable mystery is notable mostly for the glamorous Parisian setting and the aforementioned appearance of Bernhardt. Freeman is at her best when she focuses on the personal lives of her characters, as in the previous entry in the series, An Art Lover’s Guide to Paris and Murder.