Having fallen in love with the Lady Darby series, I was thrilled to be able to receive an ARC for the debut of the Verity Kent series. Needless to say, This Side of Murder does not disappoint--it is a crackling good mystery. Huber's riff on Dame Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None centers around a post World War I engagement party held on an isolated island and attended by a group of socially connected men and women. The connections and the motives of each only become clear as murders and attempted murders begin to take place.

Verity is a war widow with her own secrets whose grief has caused her to do some things she's not particularly proud of. Initially she declines the party, but changes her mind when she receives disturbing messages regarding her late husband. Was Sidney a traitor? Who can she trust to help her investigate what's happening on the island? Who could know about the nature of her own work during the War?

Huber throws in a great twist about two thirds of the way through which will have a major effect on future entries in the series. I'm already looking forward to the second book in the series. Verity is an intelligent, compelling heroine and I want to spend more time with her.

Full Disclosure--Net Gallery and the publisher provided me with a digital ARC of this book. This is my honest review.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher for an honest review. Wow, what a great start to a new series; I couldn't put this one down! The book opens when our heroine, Verity Kent almost crashes her motor car into another vehicle on her way to meet a boat to take her to an engagement party. Verity is intrigued by the other driver, Max, the Earl of Ryde, especially when she finds out he is a fellow guest at the party. A widow of a little over a year, Verity has been struggling with the death of her husband during WWI and has been coping by drinking a little too much at night and going out dancing to numb her pain. Like many other war brides, she married right before her husband, Sidney left for France and only had short snatches of time with him during leaves, making her grief even more difficult because they never truly got to begin their married life. Unlike other women especially of her class, Verity found a way to contribute to the war effort by working secretly for the Secret Service and has also struggled with losing her sense of purpose in life once her job ended. The house party is a celebration of the engagement between her husband Sidney's old friend Walter and his young fiance Helen; other guests consist of the surviving members of the Thirtieth who served with her husband. Verity was reluctant to attend until she received a mysterious note hinting that Sidney may have been involved in treason. Once aboard the yacht, they travel to a nearby island where Walter's family owns an estate that Helen is refurbishing using her inheritance. Ms. Huber does a wonderful job of portraying the post war atmosphere of England - everyone is trying to come to terms with the deaths of so many young people and soliders are trying to move past the horrible things they witnessed during the war; using too much booze and forced high spirits to help cope setting the stage for the excesses of the Roaring '20s. After arrival, Verity discovers a copy of a book she'd purchased for her husband and hidden in it a coded message. After the suspicious suicide of one of the guests, Verity is determined to discover what really happened to her husband. Add in an attraction to Max despite her mixed emotions on moving on and a horrible storming cutting of the party from the mainland, you have all the perfect elements for a fantastic who done it mystery. The mystery aspect kept me guessing throughout and the reveal of pieces of it throughout the story was very well done including some unexpected twists and turns. Verity is smart, resourceful, and just plain likeable - I can't wait to see where her next adventure takes her!

Don't you love when a favorite author starts a new series, and you fall in love all over again with a new cast of characters?! So glad I got the chance to read this ARC as I've been anxiously awaiting the release in September. New time period (just following WW1) rather than regency (Lady Darby), but still lots of historical detail, vivid characters and compelling mystery. If you like historical mystery, try Huber. She's great and just keeps getting better and better with each outing. ❤️ Thanks NetGalley!
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Excellent,enthralling a page turner.
Review scheduled for publication date.