The Deathly Portent by Elizabeth Bailey

The Deathly Portent by Elizabeth Bailey ISBN-13: 9781912546466 ebook: 381 pages Publisher: Sapere Books Released: Aug. 23, 2018

Source: ebook review copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Book Description, Modified from Goodreads:
1790, England. When Lord Francis and Lady Ottilia Fanshawe’s coach breaks down, they find themselves stranded in the village of Witherley. Ottilia finds her curiosity piqued when she hears of a local murder.

A young woman predicted the gruesome death of the village blacksmith. And he was killed exactly as described. In order to stop a witch hunt, Ottilia must uncover a clever murderer who took advantage of the woman's vision to get revenge while deflecting the blame.


My Review:
The Deathly Portent is a mystery set in 1790 in England. This novel is the 2nd in the series, but you don't need to read the previous novel to understand this one. This story didn't spoil the whodunit of the previous books but it did frequently refer back to events in that story.

The mystery is a clue-based, puzzle mystery. There were plenty of people with motives. Lady Fan used her keen observational skills and ability to get people to confide in her quickly to gather clues. I was able to guess whodunit at about the halfway point, but Lady Fan misread which way certain clues pointed. Further clues only confirmed my suspicions and soon made Lady Fan realize who the murderer was. Only, how to prove it? She set a clever but dangerous trap. There was some suspense because certain villagers were determined to burn the "witch" for murder and they're willing to harm those who protect her.

The characters were interesting and enjoyable. The author used some local dialect and historical details to create the feeling of a specific time and place. There were only a few uses of bad language. There were no sex scenes. Overall, I'd recommend this enjoyable novel.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


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