Review: Murder Most Charming (Eliza Darcy Mysteries #3) by Jessica Berg @jessicaberg2003

Murder Most Charming

Eliza Darcy Mysteries #3

by Jessica Berg

Published: May 26, 2026

Publisher: Red Adept Publishing

Genre: Crime Fiction, Mystery, Fiction, Woman Sleuth, Amateur Sleuth

 

Blurb:

New Year’s Eve at Pemberley is meant to be all sparkle and celebration, and Eliza Darcy has every reason to hope the coming year will bring peace at last. The ballroom gleams, the guests are in high spirits, and for one magical night, the old estate hums with the promise of a peaceful future. Then Hunter Crawford arrives, charming everyone in sight and leaving Eliza with the uneasy feeling that disaster has just walked through the door.

When Hunter is found murdered on the estate the following morning, that unease turns to horror. The situation becomes even more alarming when Belle Knightley, Eliza’s dearest friend, is discovered hurt, confused, and unable to explain where she has been. With evidence linking Belle to the crime, suspicion rises fast and hard.

Eliza has no intention of standing by while her friend is blamed for murder. As she begins asking questions, she finds herself facing old rivalries, dangerous secrets, and a victim who left behind more enemies than admirers. But beneath Pemberley’s polished surface, something far darker is stirring, and to clear Belle’s name, Eliza must uncover the truth before it claims another victim.

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My Review:

Murder Most Charming is the third novel in Jessica Berg’s Eliza Darcy Mysteries and the first book in the series I’ve read. After finishing it, I truly wish I had read the first two books because I loved this story so much! I always enjoy reading about the Darcys, their friends, and their family.

Fortunately, I didn't feel lost jumping into the third book. Each installment tells its own unique story with different characters, allowing this book to stand perfectly on its own. 

Murder Most Charming is one of the most delightful stories I’ve ever read; I was drawn deep into its world from the moment I read the summary. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough as I tried to help Eliza and her friends solve the murder of poor Mr. Hunter Crawford.

Plenty of people at the New Year’s Eve ball at Pemberley had it in for Hunter and his charming ways. However, things take a drastic turn when Eliza’s best friend, Belle, arrives from the US and becomes the number one suspect. Knowing Belle could never commit such a crime, Eliza sets out to prove her innocence before someone else ends up dead.

I highly recommend Murder Most Charming to all cozy mystery buffs and fans of the Eliza Darcy world. Be sure to grab your copy today for another grand adventure!

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Book Blitz + #Giveaway: The Case of the Red Flame by Lila Fogle @XpressoTours

The Case of the Red Flame
Lila Fogle
(Tristan Beaufort Humorous Mysteries, #1)
Publication date: August 1st 2026
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Mystery

Lucy is an apathetic young woman who is hired to assist eccentric private detective Tristan Beaufort, a man whose wildness, endless optimism, and occasional naiveté seem at odds with his chosen career. Her job is to keep a written account of his cases, to play the Watson to his Holmes.

They are hired by a woman who suspects her wife, Professor Jennifer Darvis, is having an affair. What begins as a simple investigation of adultery soon spirals into a case of conspiracy, arson, and murder.

Professor Darvis is a delusionally self-assured academic whose writings regarding the existence of a shadowy organization known only as The Quadrette have failed to find an audience outside of her students, for whom she has made her book assigned reading. However, an FBI agent shows up on her doorstep, insisting that her theories have spawned a series of murders, and requesting her help in preventing further deaths.

Soon, Tristan and Lucy find themselves unravelling a plot surrounding Darvis which seems as though it could not exist, despite the evidence they encounter at every turn. Their adventures will bring them up against the police, the enigmatic FBI Agent, and the leader of The Quadrette herself.

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EXCERPT:

The following is not a tale for the faint-hearted.

I wish I could say we all made it out alive, but this is not the case. Some languish behind prison bars and some rest beneath the dirt. Others have returned to the comforts of home.

I escaped with my life, though you have likely guessed as much.

What follows is a humble account of my time with Tristan Beaufort. Looking back, I would say he is best described as a man who would place himself among the Philip Marlowes and Sam Spades of the world, but was far too kindhearted to be hardboiled, and too distinct to be discreet.

The rest must be read to be believed.

I was in my twenty-seventh year, when I first met Tristan Beaufort. My life had been shaping up to be less than ideal, though perhaps of some interest to one of the more burned-out existentialists. While others settled into their careers and families, I passed from one temporary job to the next, never in one workplace for long.

I had resigned myself to this fate: this life of endless, stalling distraction. I accepted my lot with the kind of stoicism Marcus Aurelius himself would envy. At least, this is what I told the few who asked.

I am aware that a clinician might have known my distraction by another name, but that is neither here nor there. Out of respect for the reader, I shall elaborate no further.

My practiced resignation experienced a subtle shift when, one day, I received a phone call. The woman on the line thought she had a job that would suit me well. She recalled my interest in the written word, and thought I might make good use of it in this position.

Her voice droned through the finer details, barraging my ears with her anesthetic. From amidst the tide of useless words and mundane utterances, I picked up the heart of the message towards which she uneconomically wandered: I would become the assistant to a famed private detective, Tristan Beaufort.

Famed. If the name sounded familiar, the reason escaped me.

Author Bio:

Lila Fogle lives in Connecticut, where she writes humour.

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The Case of the Red Flame Blitz

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