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Elizabeth Bailey
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The Mortal Blow (Lady Fan Mystery Book 5) Kindle Edition

by Elizabeth Bailey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 1,556 ratings
The intrepid Lady Fan is back! For fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Barbara Erskine and Jane Austen.

Lady Fan is back to full health but can she solve the trickiest case yet…?

1792, England

Lord Francis and Lady Ottilia Fanshawe are on their way home when their coach comes to a sudden stop.

A woman is standing in the middle of the road — covered in blood.

The woman refuses to speak but on further investigation they find the body of a man hidden in the woods.

Ottilia insists on bringing the woman home to find out what occurred.

But the more she finds out the more complicated the case becomes…

Who was the man in the woods? Did the blood-covered woman murder him?

Or did someone else strike The Mortal Blow…?

THE MORTAL BLOW is the fifth book in the Lady Fan Mystery series: historical romance murder mysteries with a courageous woman sleuth embarking on a traditional British, private investigation in eighteenth-century London.

‘The late Regency writer Georgette Heyer lives—and she's writing mysteries as Elizabeth Bailey!’ - Meritorious Mysteries

‘Ottilia is a strong, intelligent character with a real enthusiasm for detective work’ – She Reads Novels

‘They have everything you love in romances, plus continuing characters you can really come to love, and murders as well! Her heroine sleuth, Ottilia, is a fantastic character.’ - Historical Romance UK

LADY FAN HISTORICAL MYSTERY SERIES
BOOK ONE: The Gilded Shroud
BOOK TWO: The Deathly Portent
BOOK THREE: The Opium Purge
BOOK FOUR: The Candlelit Coffin
BOOK FIVE: The Mortal Blow
BOOK SIX: The Fateful Marriage
BOOK SEVEN: The Dagger Dance
BOOK EIGHT: The Unwanted Corpse
BOOK NINE: The Vengeance Trail
BOOK TEN: The Hanging Cheat
BOOK ELEVEN: The Killing Cave
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  1. Book 5 of 11
    Lady Fan Mystery
  2. Print length
    390 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    April 13, 2019
  5. File size
    1.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 11 books in this series.

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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Elizabeth Bailey is the author of more than a dozen Regency novels. She lives in England.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07P5JHQ9V
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sapere Books (April 13, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 13, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.7 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 390 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 1,556 ratings

About the author

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Elizabeth Bailey

Elizabeth Bailey

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Elizabeth Bailey grew up in Africa with unconventional parents, where she loved reading and drama. On returning to England, she developed her career in acting, theatre directing and finally writing.

Elizabeth's latest venture is The Lady Fan Mystery series, published by Sapere Books. The novels feature amateur sleuth Lady Ottilia Fanshawe and a cast of family members including her husband and champion Lord Francis Fanshawe. She originally published Regency romances with Harlequin Mills & Boon and has many titles in her Brides by Chance Regency Adventures series, now also published by Sapere, as well as standalone Regency and Georgian romances.

Elizabeth also writes edgy women's fiction: Her dual time novel Fly The Wild Echoes, which deals with past lives, and For One More Tomorrow, where the ghost of the real Macbeth returns, protesting his villainous portrayal by Shakespeare. And she has published a romantic suspense novella, Silence of a Stranger.

Elizabeth lives in Sussex, England. She is still an inveterate reader with eclectic tastes and she spends her spare time helping other writers improve their craft.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
1,556 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's plot intriguing with twists in every chapter, and they appreciate the engaging characters. The writing quality receives positive feedback, with one customer noting how believable the period details are. Customers enjoy the series, with one describing it as a real page turner.

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18 customers mention "Plot development"18 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot development of the book, finding it intriguing with unexpected twists in every chapter.

"...It succeeds on two levels : the plot is tight and logical with period details that heighten interest and the characters are endearing and their..." Read more

"I like the characters and the pace of the story. If you aren't in the mood for a dark mystery this series is a good alternative." Read more

"...as the characters, their interactions, and the brilliance of well conceived plots." Read more

"...hope they will be in more books to come, becoming very involved in the storyline...." Read more

14 customers mention "Character development"14 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the characters in the book, finding them very engaging.

"...logical with period details that heighten interest and the characters are endearing and their interactions genuine..." Read more

"I like the characters and the pace of the story. If you aren't in the mood for a dark mystery this series is a good alternative." Read more

"...The experience is as delightful as the characters, their interactions, and the brilliance of well conceived plots." Read more

"I love these books, the characters, the dialogs, and Lady Fan's mind. They are a longer read than many, but well worth the time...." Read more

11 customers mention "Readability"11 positive0 negative

Customers find the book highly readable and enjoyable, noting that the series gets better with each installment, with one customer describing it as a real page turner.

"...Great read." Read more

"I love these books, the characters, the dialogs, and Lady Fan's mind. They are a longer read than many, but well worth the time...." Read more

"Love this series. I am so upset that I have to wait for another one to be published!..." Read more

"This series keeps getting better. You can read each book individually but I recommend reading the series from the beginning...." Read more

10 customers mention "Enjoyment"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book fun and exciting to read, with one customer particularly appreciating the humor.

"...levels : the plot is tight and logical with period details that heighten interest and the characters are endearing and their interactions genuine..." Read more

"Just plain fun. So exciting. Not knowing how it would end but hoping all would be well. The characters all continue to thrill me no end!" Read more

"...of her niece Lady Elizabeth was a pleasant surprise and added to a fun adventure of these two ladies in solving another murder...." Read more

"...are consistently real, the plot is intriguing, and the humor is enjoyable. I’m looking forward to the next book." Read more

5 customers mention "Writing quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers praise the writing quality of the book, with one customer noting the amazing descriptions and another highlighting the believable period details.

"...It succeeds on two levels : the plot is tight and logical with period details that heighten interest and the characters are endearing and their..." Read more

"...The characters seem so real and the details of the era so believable, one can easily forget that they are fictional!" Read more

"...The descriptions are amazing and I feel that I am getting to know the characters more with each book!..." Read more

"I love this series. Super fun. Easy read. This was the best she’s written yet. I Highly recommend the book!" Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Series gets better and better.
    Reviewed in the United States on June 27, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    What an enthralling book ! Lucky I am retired because I read until 4 am , not being able to put it down. It succeeds on two levels : the plot is tight and logical with period details that heighten interest and the characters are endearing and their interactions genuine ( I do hope a future book gives Hemp a happy ending of his own ). Great read.
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars A very fun read
    Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I like the characters and the pace of the story. If you aren't in the mood for a dark mystery this series is a good alternative.
    Helpful
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  • R. Lasley
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent and Endearing
    Reviewed in the United States on July 4, 2021
    Verified Purchase
    I have been binge reading Lady Fan and have enjoyed every word I had to look up. It’s not often I am given an opportunity to expand my vocabulary while reading a cozy mystery. The experience is as delightful as the characters, their interactions, and the brilliance of well conceived plots.
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  • Beady
    4.0 out of 5 stars Lady Fan attracts another mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on October 20, 2022
    Verified Purchase
    Lady Fan stumbles upon another murder on the road,to London. She and her husband are en route to London for the comeout of their two nieces. Suddenly, their coach is stopped by a dazed young girl, mute and covered in blood. Lady Fan recognizes, that the young woman is in shock and bundles her into the coach.

    Meanwhile, Sir Francis and his groom search the nearby wood and discover a bloodied corpse. Then the couple must explain their discoveries to Sybilla, Francis's grande dame mother and Sir Thomas Ingham, the. director of the Bow Street Runners.

    Soon all of Sir Francis's family is embroiled in the case as they navigate the London Season. Their niece Lizzie wants to emulate her Aunt Fan and help the troubled girl and is not overly interested in the Marriage Mart. The search for the truth takes them to the gambling clubs of Mayfair, to a horse auction at Tattersall's a backwater village and a bawdy house in London.

    Memorable characters include a French emigrate of dubious background, a fanatical preacher, the madam who runs a house of ill repute for men of means and an assortment of rakish gamblers.

    I gave this book four stars because the young lovers at the center of the drama were not very likable individuals. The murder victim was a mean and perverse man who no one seemed to miss. But the settings were great, and the portrait of the evolution of Lord and Lady Fan's marriage is endearing and realistic. I will continue to follow their journey together and hope to see more of the dashing Lady Elizabeth in the future.
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  • Sandra, Jackson California, Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable book
    Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    As with the other Lady Fan books this one was a page turner. This time we are introduced to more of Lady Fan's relations, hope they will be in more books to come, becoming very involved in the storyline. This is a race to prevent a hanging and secure happiness along with discovering who was responsible for the murder. Enjoy.

    are coming along wonderfully and
    One person found this helpful
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  • LittleTank
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not up to past par
    Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Very flat and predictable... I hate to see that happen to this series, especially when it's only Book 5. None of the characters leapt off the page as they have in the past volumes.
    One person found this helpful
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  • WaWoman
    5.0 out of 5 stars Twists and Turns Yet Again
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    I love these books, the characters, the dialogs, and Lady Fan's mind. They are a longer read than many, but well worth the time. And now a niece is brought in to help solve the mystery. And to have a husband as supportive and understanding as Lord Fanshawe....
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  • CJG
    4.0 out of 5 stars A bit ponderous, but good
    Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    The writing style is a bit plodding, trying, I assume, to mirror the time frame of the action. It does get on my nerves, though, after a bit.

    The story line is fine--not too fantastical or unbelievable, even with a bit of odd behavior for the female characters of the time.
    Helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Toni
    5.0 out of 5 stars Really great story telling
    Reviewed in Canada on June 22, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Love the characters the are great fun and the plots well met and carried out one always whats to see Lady Fan and hubby have happy endings.
    Toni Campbell
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  • Miss Nightingale
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fan-bloomin-tastic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    I’ve binged my way through this entire series, and was delighted to find a fifth had recently been published! Elizabeth Bailey is an accomplished writer, and I have fallen entirely for the world and characters she creates. These aren’t simpering romances but rollicking mysteries that keep you guessing all the way through - yes, with romance but also with humour and genuine character development and pathos. These books will keep you up far longer than you intended, because you just can’t wait to find out what happens next! Lady Fan is brilliantly written, as is Sybilla - who in my mind I have cast Dame Maggie Smith to play. I very much enjoy and appreciate the differing settings and atmosphere of each novel, and my only regret is that I shall now have to wait a while for the next adventure!
    One person found this helpful
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  • MJ Dunstone
    5.0 out of 5 stars Lady Fan never disappoints
    Reviewed in Australia on May 9, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    Another great book in this wonderful series - could not work out the end at all! Great writing and character development, recommend to anyone who loves a good mystery, the bonus of this historical aspect is the icing on the cake.
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  • Monique Harpignies
    3.0 out of 5 stars A ruined zealot's daughter, a dangerously attractive emigre, cardsharp aristocrats, a savage murder, and much handwringing
    Reviewed in Italy on August 2, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The tone and language are impeccable and always a pleasure, but the string of events felt contrived and some were hard to figure out. The seduced and betrayed assassin is found in flagrante at the outset, making It a task to keep up the suspense, or develop much sympathy for a rather unengaging and mostly inarticulate perpetrator. The Fan trio often dances around the issues and each other in a stilted and predictable manner, which tends to slow down the action.
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  • cheryl
    4.0 out of 5 stars Another great read in this series.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    This was an intriguing tale and one that was quite involved. I love the connection between Lady Fan and her husband and her mother in law is growing on me as well! I do hope we are going to read more of her niece, Lady Elisabeth, she is quite a character. This is a tale that will keep you wondering what will be the outcome. I’m really enjoying this series and I look forward to the next.
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