An Eye for a Spy: A Clara Callaway Mystery by Lillian Dore

Journey back to 1920s England, and join young Lady Clara Callaway and her lady’s maid, Alice Hart, as they go detecting together! 

When Alice Hart finds third footman Eddie Arnott poisoned in the downstairs storeroom, the discovery shocks the household. Who would kill such a kind young man? However, Eddie’s death leads to an even more disturbing discovery—there is a spy in the house, and it could be any member of the staff. 

Now, Alice has been tasked by the mysterious Mr Black to help find the killer by detecting in the one place Lady Clara cannot—belowstairs. And as Alice is forced to confront the idea that any one of her friends could be a murderer, she learns the hard way that sometimes, the truth comes at a cost.   (Summary via Goodreads)


Even though the Clara Callaway Mystery series by Lillian Dore are short stories, they are packed with excitement !!  

In An Eye for a Spy you are taken back to the 1920's to Innestead Abbey.  This is the home of Lord and Lady Burnham and their daughter Lady Clara who is the main character in these books.  Lady Clara along with her personal maid, Alice, seem to get caught up in trouble....like murder.  

This time the murder is too close for comfort when Alice finds fellow employee Eddie Arnott dead.  He was only missing for 40 minutes during breakfast clean-up.  How could he end up dead in a storage cupboard ?  Also Alice could tell by looking at him that not only was he dead but he had been murdered !!

Detective Inspector Thorpe arrives with a member of the British Secret Intelligence Service who informs them that Eddie Arnott was actually undercover looking into the employees of Innestead Abbey for a German spy who has been successful in operating in England for years.  They fear that he was murdered because he uncovered who the spy was.  

When Alice is asked to continue investigating, she is more than happy to assist.  This will be the first time that her and Clara are actually asked to help !!  So a plan is set in motion to insure that Alice will not be the next employee that ends of dead.  She is given 3 names of gentlemen that the BSIS has little background on.  

While going about her normal day, she makes it a point to encounter all 3 gentlemen and engage in casual conversation.  She is able to cross one of the names off of the list but that doesn't get her any closer to solving the case.  Fortunately a midnight snack helps her solve the case.....unfortunately it is someone that no one would even suspect as being a German spy !!

I love the Clara Callaway Mystery series so much !!  You can read them quite quickly.  They take you back in time where you get to hang out in a lovely home with some very interesting characters and you don't have to leave your couch.  

Review by Missi S.