As a fan of Huber's Lady Darby historical mysteries, I was eager to read this first book in her new series. This also is historical, taking place just after WWI, and Verity, like Lady Darby, is a strong character somewhat constrained by traditional roles for women. Huber uses details and language to help establish the time period and weaves a story with a firm nod to Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None."

Verity Kent, widowed in the war a bit more than a year earlier, receives an invitation to a house party on an island estate, an engagement party given by an old friend and army colleague of her late husband. At first thinking to decline the invitation, she receives a mysterious note implying her husband may have been a traitor and that she could discover more by attending. Unknown to friends and family, Verity had worked for British intelligence during the war, and this was news she could not ignore. Upon arrival, she discovers that the guest list is odd, consisting mostly of surviving officers of her husband's old unit. She forges a fragile connection with one of these officers, a man who like her seems troubled by the odd gathering. The first death confirms that she is dealing with some dangerous secrets someone--or some ones--wish to keep hidden.

Verity is an appealing protagonist, and the post-WWI England setting has elements of Downton Abbey that I also find fun. The story springs a few twists and surprises, especially one such surprise, that keep the story interesting, and the situation at the end leaves some intriguing and potentially difficult plot lines in play. I definitely will look for the next book in the series.

I have been in a 1920's mystery-esque reading binge recently. I had finished The Diviners by Libba Bray and Death by Misadventure by Kerry Greenwood, and decided to pick up This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber. This side of Murder is the first of the Verity Kent Series. Anna Lee Huber also has under her belt the Lady Darby Mystery Series and the Jacobite's Watch Anthology. This Side of Murder was the right story to continue my reading binge. It had 1920's spirit, with awesome descriptions of dresses and hairstyles, handsome men recovering from a war (The Great War), and it had a juicy mystery.

This Side of Murder starts with the heroine, Verity Kent, receiving a letter basically telling her that her dead husband was not who she though he was. Verity's husband had died in the war in the middle of an ambush. Verity herself, had worked as a secret agent decoding messages. The letter instructed her that if she wanted to find out more about what the sender knew about her and her dead husband she would have to attend an engagement  party for one of her husbands friends who also served in the war with him. Once Verity gets on the boat that will take her and the other guest to the party, which is on a private island, she discovers that her husband's whole battalion has been invited to this party. She also realizes that many of the men there might not get along, theres constant jabs, indirect comments, and tension, which makes Verity question why the group has been reunited. Things start to get even worst when guest start to disappear and are found dead. Verity realizes she might be in danger and must figure out who lured her to the island and why.

I enjoyed this book a lot, it had all the qualities of a fun read; intrigue, tension between characters, twist, and a savvy heroine. The cast of characters and combination of personalities stranded on this island made for interesting conflicts, and lots of secrets being kept. This story had two really good twist, which when you think about it where hinted at, but there is so much going on that you really don't expect it. I thought the twist were well done and kept me  on my toes.

Overall, I would recommend this book to any cozy mystery or historical mystery lover. If you are like me and a sucker for anything 1920's or enjoy a strong female problem solver character, you will enjoy this story.

Loved the time period this is set in. Great main character. I'll be looking forward to this series continuing.

This was a good start to a new mystery series. Verity Kent is invited to an engagement party, and the mystery begins. I enjoyed reading about the party and all the characters, but the mystery part seemed a little confusing to me. It seemed the author had to just fit the mystery together and it did not flow as well as it could have. My review is mixed-parts of the story were good, but parts of it just didn't seem to fit.

Amazing. One of my favorite historical fiction books.

3.5 stars

World War I widow and hidden secret agent Verity Kent is not anxious to attend a weekend gathering of old friends and men who served with her husband. But the very odd letter she received accusing her late husband of treason makes her decide she must go and find out what really happened.

The ensuing story has all the elements of a Golden Age mystery: a group of suspicious characters, stuck together on an inaccessible island and cut off from the mainland by a horrible storm, all know something about some alleged wartime deaths. But was it war -- or was it murder? And why? And who set the plot in motion? No one on the island is exactly what they seem. The storm rages on, and the body count rises.

Verity Kent is an intriguing character, and the nuanced portrayals and nicely paced narrative help to distract us from an amazingly preposterous plot. Thanks to Net Galley for providing an ARC in return for my honest review.

I LOVED the Lady Darby mysteries but this book felt too scripted and formulaic. It felt like it was loosely borrowed from the Lady Darby story line as well. Ultimately I couldn't get through it, as I never cared about any of the characters.

This book was definitely lots of fun! A lot comparisons to Agatha Christie and Hercule Poirot could be made, but a very enjoyable read. Lots of twists and turns (which I love) - Just the right amount of details and the pacing was top notch! Readers will not be disappointed.

As a first book in the series, and as an arc before publication, I think this was quite a solid beginning. It certainly had me guessing and I suspected everyone at various points, so from that point of view, it was absolutely solid.
A few things that niggled at me where the overly detailled descriptions of every item of clothing Verity wore, was a tad too much down to the brand of Mackintosh and wool coat. I appreciate that she knows that stuff about the era, but I felt it was lowering the overall very good writing style a little bit.
There was also a bit confusion about Helen and Walter's relationship, it was their engagement party, but then further on they were referred to as husband and wife. I am sure, they picked that up during the editing. All in all, I shall pick up books by this author in future.

I have been a huge fan of Huber's since her first Lady Darby book and I'm so excited that she has started not one, but two new series--including the Verity Kent series which begins with this book. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of This Side of Murder through netgalley.

Like many mystery readers, I started reading mysteries at a young age. I read almost every Agatha Christie book before I was 13. As such, I think I'm a pretty typical reader when I say that, to me, the hallmark of a good mystery is that a) I can figure out whodunit but b) it's not too obvious--and there are still things that wind up surprising me when all is revealed. Nothing annoys me more than a solution that is too easy, or one where you have never met the person who did it until the big reveal. I want to feel smart, but not smarter than the author.

Needless to say, Anna Lee Huber manages to hit the sweet spot in this--and it's not always easy to do. Ten Little Indians was my all time favorite Christie novel and this has all the homages to it--particularly in the "group of people trapped together with a murderer on the loose" trope--while still maintaining originality. I have loved all of Huber's Lady Darby novels and I'm excited to have fallen in love with Verity Kent. It doesn't hurt that the post-WWI period is my favorite historical period in historical fiction and Huber nails the time period very well.

Basically, if you love her Lady Darby novels, or if you've never read anything by Anna Lee Huber (you should!) but you love the Maggie Hope books by Susan Elia MacNeal you will love this book!

The first in a new series introduces Verity Kent, a woman who lost her husband in World War I. Sent a mysterious note to attend an engagement party to find out secrets about her deceased husband, Verity finds herself in a mystery involving a coded message revealing a treasonous message. I would have given it five stars if the number of minor characters didn't muddy some of the main characters' development. I am looking forward to the 2nd of the series.

This Side of Murder is a fantastic historical mystery read. I absolutely loved it. Anna Lee Huber's writing is absorbing, the characters are fascinating and complex, and the plot has plenty of twists and turns.

Verity Kent is a widow whose husband was killed in WWI. She receives an anonymous message that suggests her husband might not have been the hero everyone thinks he was when he died. When she receives and invitation to an engagement party on Umbersea Island, she goes and is surprised to find many members of her husband's former regiment present.

After she arrives, she realizes that the party has a strange feeling, and much is being left unsaid. She receives more messages telling her trust no one, including the handsome and dashing Max, the Earl of Ryde, whom she met on the boat ride over to the island. After one of the guests commits suicide (shell shock? guilt?), and Verity gets a coded message in a book, she gets very suspicious and begins investigating.

This is a classic whodunit. The characters are trapped on an island during a storm. Although it sounds cliched, in this book it's suspenseful and exciting. The twists, and the ending, will surprise you.

I highly recommend this book, and I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

Thanks to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This Side of Murder is a classic mystery—a group of acquaintances gathers together on an island to celebrate a wedding, but everyone is not who they seem—very, very Agatha Christie.

The mystery was solid, if a tad slow-moving at times, but there are plenty of suspenseful moments and atmospheric locales. The time period is fascinating and the main character is a great lead, I really liked Verity. Her background in the Secret Service gives her a decided edge when detecting!

I’m looking forward to the sequel!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy.

This is a really, really solid series-opening mystery. Fans of Ashley Weaver's Amory Ames mysteries, or Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs books will lap this up. Verity Kent is a fierce, intelligent heroine, and the threads left dangling at the end of this book (in terms of interpersonal dynamics, not the mystery, which was very satisfactorily resolved!) have left me eager for book 2.

Thoroughly engaging and fun! I really enjoyed this historical mystery. This Side of Murder by Anna Lee Huber, a new mystery set after the end of WWI, is full of information about the war, and has a compelling lead character in Verity Kent. I really liked Verity, as she was quick thinking and logical, and always seemed one step ahead of everyone else. She had a cool vibe, and while I didn’t necessarily agree with every action she made, she was engaging and spirited with a bit of mystery to her.
Verity heads to a house party on an island, and this setting is where the mystery starts really moving along. This Side of Murder has plenty of interesting characters. You’ve got Verity, whom I really enjoyed, and I also liked Max Westfield, Sidney’s commanding officer, and one of the men invited to the house party who Verity has an instant connection with. The party was filled with tension, as the men were all men who fought together in the war, and knew Sidney. There is also tension between the women, as there is past history between Verity and the wife of one of Verity’s good friends. Not a romantic history, but rather a long, strained friendship turned enemies history.
I really got sucked into this story and the characters. I couldn’t put this book down, and I loved all of the talk about ciphers and codes, and learning different ways coding was done during WWI. There were some minor issues I had with various plots, some things were just a little too convenient, but as a whole I really loved this mystery, and think that this series has great promise. There will no doubt be similarities mentioned between this and Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs series. Both are set after WWI, but the heroines of each series are very different. Maisie is more serious, while Verity has more of a fun side. I think fans of Maisie will enjoy Verity! I know I did!

Bottom Line: Excellent mystery with a fun heroine. I’m looking forward to future books in the series!

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review from Net Galley. This is the start of a new series by Anna Lee Huber. Welcome to the world of Verity Kent. Set in England in 1919, Verity is a recent war widow who has been invited to a house party of a friend of her late husband's. She isn't sure why she decided to really go to the party, but go she does. There she runs into an old friend who is also a friend of her late husband from the war. During the weekend a couple of the men are found dead, a wicked storm traps them all on the island, and they must all try to figure out what is going on. There are a whole lot of twists and turns in this wonderful start to a new series. Verity is also a member of the Secret Service during the War and this plays into the story as well, but if I say much more, it will give the secrets away! I can't wait for the next one!

Verity Kent goes to an English island with some of her husband Sidney's acquaintances from the war. A letter accusing her late husband of treason caused her to go. She discovers the men are hiding something. A coded message is found in a book that belonged to Sidney. The gardener was a man Verity knew well, and his presence adds an interesting twist to the situation. I tolerated this book. The plot was just too convoluted. It reminded me of locked room mysteries, but it was not as well-written as many of those. I received an electronic advance reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

An engrossing historical mystery with an engaging new sleuth. I'll definitely be following this series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

With two series of historical mysteries already on the go – Lady Darby and Gothic Myths – Anna Lee Huber jumps into her new Verity Kent series with This Side of Murder, a smashing and engrossing tale of deceit, murder and betrayal set just after World War I.   As with Ms. Huber’s other books, the story is told in the first person from the heroine’s PoV, and there is plenty of astute observation and historical flavour that puts the reader firmly into the world of post-war England some seven months after the Armistice. The isolated island setting and disparate group of individuals who comprise the secondary cast list are most definitely reminiscent of some of the works of Agatha Christie, but this is no copy-cat story, and it will certainly work for fans of historical mysteries whether they’re fans of Christie or not (for the record, I’m not, and it certainly worked for me!).

Mrs. Verity Kent is about to decline an invitation to a house party to celebrate the engagement of one of her late husband’s closest friends when she receives an anonymous note indicating that Sidney  Kent may have been a traitor.  The sender clearly knows that Verity worked for the Secret Service during the war  – something she had never even told her husband – so intrigued, angry and wanting desperately to find out the truth, Verity changes her mind about the party and plans to attend, intending to see what she can find out from Sidney’s former comrades.

She is on her way to Poole Harbour at the wheel of her late husband’s prized possession, his Pierce-Arrow, when she almost collides with a Rolls Royce coming in the opposite direction.  Having ascertained no damage has been done or injury sustained, the driver of the Rolls, a handsome gentleman a few years Verity’s senior, introduces himself as Max, Lord Ryde.  During the course of their short conversation, Verity learns that not only is Max on the way to the Ponsonby house party, but that he had known Sidney and, for a short time, been his commanding officer.

Verity and Max jump back into their respective cars and head for the harbour, where the rest of the party is awaiting their arrival.  It’s a fairly disparate group; a few single men and women, three couples… none of whom appear – at first - to have a great deal in common, although it emerges that all of the men had served together in the same battalion as Sidney Kent, the “unlucky” Thirtieth – so-called because it was all but wiped out at the Somme.  Relations are strained and tensions run high as harsh words are exchanged and unpleasant accusations fly around; it’s clear this group of men doesn’t want to speak of or be reminded of their wartime experiences and actions – and just as clear that there are dangerous secrets being kept, secrets that someone is prepared to kill to protect.

Anna Lee Huber has crafted a truly captivating mystery here, one which has its roots in the trenches and on the mud-laden, bloody battlefields of northern France.  She very skillfully builds the tension and atmosphere of paranoia among the characters and does a superb job of portraying the post-war mood in England where so many people were coping with so much pain and loss and attempting to move past the horrible things they saw and did during the conflict.  There’s a real sense that the characters are barely able to contain their emotions beneath a thin veneer that could crack at any time, and while Verity is no exception, she’s a thoroughly likeable character; clever, resourceful and resilient. She married Sidney Kent shortly before he left for France and had been looking forward to beginning their lives together, but it was not to be.  They only managed to spend a few short periods of time together during his army leaves, and the fact that she never really had the chance to get to know Sidney has made her grief even more difficult to cope with. Like many others in her situation, she tried to numb the pain by drinking too much and partying too hard, using forced high spirits and plenty of booze as a survival mechanism.  But unlike many young women of her class, she was able to ‘do her bit’ during the war by working for the Secret Service, which did at least give her something to focus on besides her grief in the time immediately following Sidney’s death.  Now the war is over, she is struggling not only to cope with his loss, but also with the loss of the sense of purpose she had gained as a result of her work.

She’s a very relatable heroine and I very much enjoyed following her as she and Max try to work out who is murdering house-guests while she is quietly pursuing her own investigations into the accusations levelled at Sidney.  Verity is a little confused – and perhaps feels a bit guilty – about the fact that she is attracted to Max, but a sudden and very unexpected development gives her no time to contemplate it and instead causes her to question everything she knows about Sidney and her marriage and sends her investigation off in a different – and dangerous -direction.

The mystery is very well-constructed and kept me guessing throughout as I eagerly turned the pages, anxiously awaiting each new twist, turn and clue.  It’s wrapped up most satisfactorily by the end of the book and the evil-doers are brought to justice - but Verity is left with a completely new set of challenges to face, and I am eager to find out just how she confronts them.

This Side of Murder is a terrific start to this new series of historical mysteries and is a book I have no qualms about recommending to all, whether you’re a fan of the genre, the author, or are new to her work.

Buy Now: A/BN/iB/K

I am always looking for new mystery/thriller/suspense authors and this was a really lucky find. It combined my love for the WW era, a strong effective woman and a mystery death as well. The combination was irresistible. Now the difficulty would be to track down the next book in the series. This was the first one in the Verity Kent series.

Verity is a young woman who has worked in the Secret Service during WWI. She has lost her husband as well and is trying very hard to accept this and move on. It is just fifteen months after she received news of the death of her husband, but there was no body. Getting an invitation to visit the home of one of her husband's colleagues to celebrate and engagement was she felt one more step towards closure as she felt that meeting them would bring her peace of mind. That was the last thing she ever felt as circumstances and events took over from the moment she set out on this journey to a beautiful, scenic, isolated part of the British coast to an island where she and the rest of the party would be cocooned together and the entire drama would slowly unravel.

It was a beautiful piece of writing, building up in stages, never erupting but systematically going on to the next event and the next. Unexpected surprises at every turn, kept my interest going till the very end. Very descriptive as well this was such an enjoyable book to read I was sorry it had to end so soon.

Goodreads review up on 16/8/2017. Amazon is not accepting reviews as yet. Review on my blog is also posted on 16/8/2017 and it is also linked to my FB profile.