I loved this novel, both for the complexity of the mystery at its heart, but also for its depiction of racial thinking and tensions in the era of British men's clubs. The narrator is intelligent and an insider-outsider whose perspective was insightful.

A novel that shows a lot of potential but ultimately devolves into a hot mess; Peterkin, our detective, is a potentially rich character but remains a cipher throughout, the gentlemen's club setting provides a juicy, locked room beginning but becomes the venue for scene after scene of old men being racist, and the killer can be picked off about 50 pages in. I will say, however, the opening few chapters are very strong, My desire is that Mr. Huang strings that beginning out for the length of the entire novel - in short, an okay read, if for the glimpses of greatness if not the entire work.

Sometimes, what you need in these times of grim and edgy crime books is an old school mystery, and this book is just that : an amateur sleuth attempting to solve a murder with the means at his disposal, in the charming way of a cozy mystery. But, and that where it gets a five star for me, it's not just a light murder mystery. It's also a very interesting historical novel, full of details about a time (the years between the two World Wars) I don't know much about, and I don't find used so much in fiction. The laid back prejudice and racism against "yellow people" that was everywhere (even in the main half-asian protagonist to a certain extant), that certainty everyone seemed to have that nothing like WW1 would ever happen again, the way the physical and psyshological damages of war showed up under an unbuttoned collar, or in a spontaneous reaction to a noise... all of that made it a read really worth of everyone's time.

"Nobody comes out of a war unchanged". The Britannia Club was a gentleman's club opened exclusively to male war veterans, many of whom fought at Flanders. The year was 1924. Shortly, new club member, Albert Benson would be found dead in the club's locked vault with a letter opener protruding from his neck. This intimate, puzzling murder was a shocking occurrence in a seemingly insulated, comfortable club.

Eric Peterkin, descendant of one of the club's founders, regularly sat in his "usual armchair" evaluating manuscripts for a small publisher. Of Asian-English descent, he found himself targeted by innuendos insulting his "blood heritage". War however was a great equalizer. Albert Benson was installed as the first non-combatant member. Although a conscientious objector, he became a stretcher-bearer running to and from the trenches to aid the wounded.

Benson requested a safe deposit box in the Britannia's vault in order to store four valuable items he felt would "right a wrong". Wolfe, a governing board member full of himself, made a wager with Benson. Wolfe claimed to be able to remove one of Benson's squirreled away items from the safe deposit box within 24 hours. Peterkin, acting as referee, examined and verified the four items in the box. The next morning, Benson was dead, locked in the vault, and two verified items were missing. Why was club member Aldershott's letter opener embedded in Benson's neck? Why did Police Inspector Horatio Parker tamper with evidence from the crime scene?

Eric Peterkin was disturbed by Benson's corpse. Corpses were found in the trenches of Flanders, not within the walls of the Britannia Club. He was determined to solve the mystery of Benson's murder despite attempts by others to shut him out of the investigation. Benson's wartime post at Sotheby Manor, a former military hospital, had exposed him to shell-shocked soldiers (PTSD,) victims of mustard gas, and sufferers of opium addiction. A qualified Chinese nurse turned maid disappeared from Sotheby Manor during the war. Will Peterkin find a connection between the club murder and the wartime disappearance?

The Britannia Club was populated with gentlemen who had experienced the ravages of war. Many maintained a "stiff upper lip". "A Gentleman's Murder" by Christopher Huang worked on so many levels. Excellent character development of club members shed light on the devastating effects of PTSD, mustard gas, and drug addiction. Peterkin's ethnicity and snubs by "polite" English society created additional emotional hurdles for him to overcome. This debut novel by author Huang was an excellent historical mystery novel I highly recommend.

Thank you Inkshares, Inc. and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "A Gentleman's Murder".

I really enjoyed this mystery set after WWI. The story had a twist as so many of the suspects were soldiers trained to kill. I found it to be well written and it kept my interest and my guessing the whole way through. I look forward to reading more from this author. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

At first glance, A Gentleman's Murder may seem like a classic mystery novel - amateur detective in 1924 London tries to solve a murder in a distinguished gentlemen's club - and it does it well. There's a great cast of characters, plenty of suspense and danger, and it keeps you guessing. But there's so much more to see here! Between racial prejudice, PTSD, and addiction, Huang brings up a lot of tough subjects and addresses them well from a historical perspective. I can't wait to see what Eric Peterkin gets himself into next!

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

3.5* rounded up.

Set in 1924, the newest member of the Britannia Club is found murdered in the vault, and club member Eric, who has reason to distrust the police inspector assigned to the case, carries out his own investigation.

I had mixed feelings about this novel: it took a while to get going for me and I found it hard to understand why Eric was so loyal to a club whose members were uniformly unkind to him. I almost had to give up at one point as the bullying was so unpleasant, and Eric seemed determined to take it lying down. Fortunately he perked up a bit and the plot itself was interesting. The 1924 setting was laid on rather heavy handedly: there were many many references to the horrors of the trenches, the after effects of the war on the soldiers' mental health, the fact that WWI was meant to be the war to end all wars, the fact of Eric's mixed race heritage and the discrimination he faced from everyone.

This was an interesting puzzle, which suffered a little from being peopled by reasonably interchangeable male characters, with women featuring only as wife, sister, nurse and pregnant lover. The ending was clearly setting the scene for a second instalment.

Huang takes the golden age murder mystery, complete with gentlemen, their clubs, their combined fascination and aversion to the “foreign”, and adds a twist. His hero is a anglo-chinese gentleman with an admirable war record. The victims are from both of his ethnic worlds, and he is struggling to figure out how they intersect and interact. I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to more from Christopher Huang.

This was a great mystery and the plot kept me invested. The characters were also well developed. The only issue I had was that parts seemed to drag and the book felt too long.

Christopher Huang, writes a mystery set in a brooding post -War London of 1924. It is the aftermath of World War I- still for most of the Soldiers. Lt. Eric Peterkin is an Officer, who has returned to England, and all the things he loves about it. He associated his Club with all the other Peterkin's who came before him- as well as his Father. He follows a code of honor that dwells on and would be expected by his family. The last place he expected a Murder was at his Club, the Britannia- catering to Gentlemen who fought. Why should the bet from one Officer to a new Member lead to death?

A large cast of Characters, revolve around the Britannia Club, allowing Lt Eric Peterkin quite a bit of scope in solving the mystery. Then- a body is found buried in the Woods around a former Hospital for wounded, military men. It is that of a female and she died violently. This touch added a gothic moment to the Book which I liked. But this is a case where murder will continue and we can only wonder why.

The half -Chinese Character and his Sister allow for an unusual twist in the 1920's. However, it is the moody quality of the book touching on the scars, internally and externally of the returning men that add depth. Peterkin, is very like his Father, and determinedly carries on through prejudice, lies, interference,and a complex social- system that rules England during that period. I found the story an interesting twist and the strength of it Holmesian. I will continue on with the series and the next adventure.

The story is set in England (primarily in London) in 1924, and revolves around a seemingly harmless bet between two members of the Britannia, a gentleman's club exclusive to war veterans. Protagonist Eric Peterkin agrees to referee the bet, which turns fatal for one of the men, who is later found dead in the vault of the club. Peterkin takes it upon himself to investigate the crime, battling against senior club members who would rather hush up the crime, and the investigating officer who has personal ties to the victim and the circle of suspects. His investigation uncovers a unsolved case of a missing nurse from stately manor converted to a war hospital, which has links to the titular gentleman's murder. Twists abound, and buried secrets arise, as the then-misdiagnosed aftereffects of war take a toll on all those involved.

The pacing of the story is reminiscent of the Golden Age mysteries. with a subtle twist - Peterkin is revealed to be a "half breed", i.e. Chinese mother, English father. This aspect is underplayed and almost non-existent until necessary - there are momentary jabs at his foreign nature, probably inserted to counter the "yellow peril" stereotype of Chinese people in England, but in a unintentional (?) way, the direct references to Peterkin's ethnicity are used to accentuate the stereotype for purposes of advancing the plot.

The author does "play fair" in providing clues and the occasional red herring for the reader to attempt to solve the crime before the final chapter. The author also does a good job of highlighting the trauma that haunted soldiers returning from the Great War - the different ways they coped with attempting to return to civilian life and their loyalty to those with whom the fought beside is conveyed well.

All in all, a fine addition to the Golden Age mystery genre.

Not sure what all the hype is about. This is a middling suspense, typical full of suspects historical mystery set in England a few years after the “Great War.” The main character, Lieutenant Eric Peterkin, is doggedly in pursuit of a murderer, the killing coming from events that happened many years before.

Much of the plot hinges on the various characters’ response to the after effects (shell shock, war neurosis, or as we know it now, PTSD) of the war, which is a subject still very much in the news. Peterkin still suffers from it, to a degree, although he copes with it probably better than most.

A lot of the book is also taken up with the fact that Peterkin (and his sister) are half-Chinese. In the England of the day, this is not a good thing; being a “half caste” was definitely a badge of opprobrium. This is played up in a fairly subtle fashion in Christopher Huang’s book. A note at the end explains more of the author’s motivation and the story behind the plot lines. Also, there is definitely a “hook” to the next book, in the final pages. All in all, entertaining enough to keep your interest for an afternoon or two.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

It's 1924 and Lieutenant Eric Peterkin is a member of a prestigious soldiers-only club in London, like all previous generations of his family. One evening a gentleman's wager is accepted but it results with a member stabbed to death. The previous evening the victim had said that he intended to right a wrong.
Peterkin decides to investigate when he believes that he cannot trust the police officer in charge. Problems arise because Peterkin is half Chinese, and many of his suspects suffer to varying degrees from shell shock.
An interesting mystery, well-written with well-rounded characters. It also seems to capture the English way of life after the Great War very well.

I enjoyed this period piece. The book’s hero, Eric Avery, is a retired soldier who has taken a position as a copy reader for a publishing house. Because his only affordable housing is a small flat he chooses to read at his club. This club membership goes back to the first Avery and is a spot of pride for him. He refuses to relinquish his membership even with his now modest living standards. The murder naturally occurs at this club and there begins the mystery. Avery decides to try to solve the crime. Because his is of Asian-English descent, he is risking his tenuous hold on club membership with his meddling in affairs of the police. In solving the crime the author uses clever banter, interesting story threads and the murderer cannot be easily guessed by the reader in advance of the story line. The characters seemed real and the situations matched the time period. I enjoyed trying to figure out what would happen next and was not disappointed. The villains were believable, with their problems as real as the heroes. I was unaware of the Asian dislike in England in this time frame and the author adding this to the story line educated as well as entertained. I will definitely read more of this author’s work.

London, the 1920’s. The first World War is over but the after-effects are still being felt. Especially among the men who survived, many of whom are now members of the Britannia Club. Eric Peterkin is one of these men. The men of his family have been members since the club originated and they have all been highly respected by their peers. Eric has just recently been admitted and is still adjusting to civilian life after serving in Flanders during the war. One evening another new member makes a wager with one of the board members that the club’s vault cannot be broken into. Unfortunately for him, he will end up dead by morning on the floor of that same vault. Eric can’t help but notice some suspicious things going on with the investigation and decides to look into the matter himself. This may turn out to be more dangerous than war.

This story has a very clever plot line that definitely makes the reader work to figure out who the culprit is. The story also really captures the time period of the mid-1920’s. Eric Peterkin is a very likable character, young and handsome. His sister Penny, though, was my favorite. She is a secondary character but I found her absolutely delightful. There are a whole host of former military men involved in this mystery and each has a unique personality and story which adds depth to the story. The only thing I didn’t like about this book is the periodic flashbacks to the war. I found the descriptions to be disturbing, though they did add to my understanding of the story and the characters. So, if you are sensitive about such topics you might not enjoy this book. However, if you enjoy historical mysteries I think this is a good one for you.

It is the autumn of 1924 and we are in London. London has always been – and will ever be – a city of contrasts but now, six years on from the Armistice that ended The Great War, the differences between the men who survived the conflict are marked. On the streets the less fortunate are selling matches, bootlaces, carrying placards asking for work, many of them reduced to displaying mutilated limbs, less as a badge of honour, more in a desperate attempt to provoke compassion and pity. Inside the Britannia Club, however, the members are known by their former military rank and it’s ‘Major’ this, ‘Lieutenant’ that and ‘Captain’ the other.

Eric Peterkin is one such and, although he carries his rank with pride, he is just a little different, and he is viewed with some disdain by certain fellow members and simply tolerated by others. Despite generations of military Peterkins looking down from their portraits in the club rooms, Eric is what is known, in the language of the time, a half-caste. His Chinese mother has bequeathed him more than enough of the characteristics of her race for the jibe, “I suppose you served in the Chinese Labour Corps?” to become commonplace.

Having served King and Country is a prerequisite for membership of the Britannia, so eyebrows are raised when Albert Benson appears as a new member. Benson, it transpires, was a conscientious objector but redeemed himself by service as a stretcher bearer until severe wounds sent him back to ‘Blighty’. When Benson is found dead in the club’s basement, with a paper knife projecting from his neck, Eric Peterkin is drawn into investigating his murder. All roads lead back to a Sussex military hospital where Benson – and several other of the club members – were treated during the war.

Christophe Huang was born and raised in Singapore where he served his two years of National Service as an Army Signaller. He moved to Canada where he studied Architecture at McGill University in Montreal. Huang currently lives in Montreal.. Judging by this, his debut novel, he also knows how to tell a story. He gives us a fascinating cast of gentleman club members, each of them worked into the narrative as a murder suspect. We have Mortimer Wolfe – “sleek, dapper and elegant, hair slicked down and gleaming like mahogany”, club President Edward Aldershott, “Tall, prematurely grey and with a habit of standing perfectly still …like a bespectacled stone lion,” and poor, haunted Patrick “Patch” Norris with his constant, desperate gaiety.

Huang’s style is archaic in one sense, as he pays homage to the conventions and narrative style of books written nearly a century ago, but it is none the worse for that. He clearly has a huge empathy with the men and women who, while they may have survived the War physically more or less intact, they carry hidden scars and memories which we know, long after the event, were to stay with them until death. On more than one occasion, Huang strikes a particularly sonorous chord:

“Eric joined the sombre crowds at the Cenotaph on Whitehall for the service in remembrance of the War at eleven o’clock – the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. It began with two minutes of silence: one for the fallen and one for the survivors. After that would come wreaths and remembrances and men marching with grim salutes …boots on rain glossed pavements, artificial poppies blooming blood red on black lapels, tears in the eyes of men who never cried. But first, there were two minutes of silence. England held her breath.”

If you are a fan of the Golden Age, enjoy the challenge of a good locked room mystery and appreciate literate and thoughtful crime fiction, then A Gentleman’s Murder will not disappoint. It is published by Inkshares and will be available in paperback on 31st July.

Set in 1924, the story revolves around Eric Peterkin, a veteran of WWI and a member of the Britannia Club, a club whose membership is composed of only veterans of the Great War.

When one members, Wolf, boasts he can break into the locked vault, his boast results in the bet being expanded to include producing proof. Another member, Benson, offers up his own box in the vault as way to prove the boaster is no more than hot air. Peterkin is chosen to see what is in the box in order to prove who won the bet. When one of the bettors turns up dead in the vault and items are missing from the box, Peterkin believes it is his duty to investigate particularly after he witnesses the police office in charge of the murder investigation pocketing evidence.

This is a well-written and well-researched mystery with finely drawn characters and a unique setting. Huang’s writing is outstanding - his descriptions of the city streets make readers feel the London fog seeping into their bones. There only a single incident that I found off putting – Peterkin visits a country estate where the manor house was used as war-time hospital. He is allowed to wander through the private areas of the home and he opens doors to enter rooms and rifles through the owner’s belongings. WWI changed many of Britain’s social codes of conduct, but trespassing into the private rooms of someone was still considered to be bad form.

This is not a book you can - nor should you - race through. Huang takes his time laying out the clues he finds as he travels toward solving the crimes he comes across. You should take your time reading the book to savor the writing and the characters.

I always enjoy a historical murder mystery and was looking forward to reading this. The premise of the story is intriguing as it was set in London just after the WW1.. Lieutenant Eric Peterkin came back from the war and is now evaluating manuscripts for publication. He is a member of the Britannia Club by family tradition. The newest club member, Albert Benson was found murdered in the club's vault one day and now DI Horatio Parker who may be connected to the murder victim's past is leading the investigation now.

Truth be told, I did not finish this book. The plot, writing and storytelling is great but I find the pace is painfully slow. It seems to be getting nowhere until page 30ish, where the murder is committed. There is also too much details in between pages. It's overwhelming and puts me off. This made me reluctant to continue reading the book although I do want to find out how the story ends. But it is overloaded with too much details/information which I find it to be unnecessary at times and this just did not motivate me to continue. Perhaps in future, this book will grab me again. I am upset that I didn't finish this book!

***I received a complimentary digital copy of this book from Inkshares through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All views expressed in this review are my own and was not influenced by the author, publisher or any third party.***

I was quite intrigued by this novel. I seem to be reading a number of Victorian mysteries with a "Celestial" character - someone of Chinese descent - at the forefront (the most recent being MURDER ON MILLIONAIRE'S ROW by Erin Lindsey). This novel takes place mostly in the drawing room of the Britannia, a gentlemen's club with rules aplenty. When a member is found murdered, Eric Peterkin's undertaking its solution, and soon finds many more mysteries afoot. I loved Huang's attention to detail, and his exacting character development. I quickly felt like Eric was a man that I knew and admired. I recommend this novel to historical mystery fans everywhere.
I received this novel through NetGalley, from Inkshares, in exchange for an honest review. taylorhavenholt.com/thhbooks.html

A man is murdered in the recesses of his gentleman’s club. This is fantastic for fans of traditional mysteries by the likes of Ngaio Marsh and Agatha Christie.