For fans of Downtown Abbey, this historical fiction series follows the three generations of Chatswood and Vandermeer girls from 1848 to 1934. But it is not a linear journey which I believe adds to the fun.

While I figured out the answer to the overlying mystery in the first book (and was thus impatient for the big reveal in #6), each novel features an episodic mystery that ends up tying into the final revelation.

The shift between eras allows for Whitby to hint at the various historical events that dimly affect the rich (advent of WW1, the Great Potato Famine, etc), but is primarily focused on the classic tension between downstairs and upstairs people. The protagonists are young, twelve, and thus not completely obsessed with status and upholding the distance from the servants. Therefore, they are much more tender-hearted to helping their maids whom they feel are more maternal caretakers than their dead mothers (it’s always the dead mother).

Plus there’s the glamour and intrigue of Downtown Abbey with the reoccurring theme of family secrets and sisterhood, sumptuous dresses and desire to have a ball to celebrate every occasion. Unfortunately, the last two books in the series seem to be the beginning of another quartet that didn’t come into fruition so I would suggest one read only the first six as to feel like the story is complete and not in a cliffhanger.