Murder of an aristocrat in a WW1 setting

The story is set in 1915 and opens with the grisly murder of a Lord Murcheson, by all accounts an extremely unpleasant character. Suspicion immediately falls on his wife Lady Harriet. The upper-class DI Beech is called in to solve the crime. He has returned from being wounded in France and has now resumed his police duties. Scotland Yard is over-stretched with so many men fighting the war, so Beech forms his own group of investigators, which includes two women, also upper crust. One is a doctor and the other a lawyer. This unusual group soon find that Lady Harriet could not possibly have committed the murder as she had been brutally attacked and almost killed by her husband. The search for the killer now takes them into the seamy underworld of London, with drug dealers, gang leaders, brothel keepers and rent boys all involved.

The story is told with pace and tension. The WW1 background has been well researched and there is an interesting picture of women raising their profiles and demanding to be taken seriously with a role in the professions. Unfortunately, the writing is not so good and the book could have done with better editing. The dialogue is old fashioned and at times childish. The author had previously written children’s fiction and it rather shows.

This is an easy and interesting read and presumably the start of a series. There are some loose ends and also a hint of romance obviously waiting to be developed. It is a gripping story that many will enjoy and despite my reservations, I look forward to the next book.

Jane

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of this book to review.

Love this book! It is slow at first then picks up to the point you are too interested to put it down! Good, clean mystery, an adult Agatha Christie, fascinating tale of London during the First World War! Great characters, DCI Peter Beech, his two charming childhood friends, from upper-crust families, Victoria, studied law and Catherine, now a Doctor, Victoria's Mother, Lady Maud, handsome young Policemen Billy Rigsby, his Mother, and Aunt from the East End, and older retired Police Sargent Tollman! I love this group of characters, brought together by DCI Beech to work together on a murder, at a time when women were not allowed on the Police force. The group are forced to work on the q.t, due to the prejudice of male policemen against the violent actions of Suffragettes. I could not put down this book! The main characters are people you want to spend time with, which makes me hope the next book is being written! The murder mystery is good, the scene of 19th Century London fascinating. I genuinely hated for the book to end!
Looking forward to the next murder! Thank you Netgalley!
I highly recommend! Enjoy!
Carolintallahassee

Thank you Net Galley. An interesting and engrossing historical mystery set around WWI. I am not knowledgeable about WWI history so I enjoyed the details. Strongly recommended.

This is one of those books that I can't figure out the audience for. While it deals with some sophisticated concepts and historical fact, the characters and plot are written on a 6th grade level, lacking depth and complexity.

The blurb and cover caught my attention, as did the fact that it takes place in London, and I thought this would be something I'd enjoy ... and I did. The characters are well drawn, and the story showcases all the classes of London in 1915, from the aristocracy to criminals. It was a solid mystery, though certainly not a cozy one, and I enjoyed the added historical facts/details. There are some dark angles to the tale, and it did seem to come to an abrupt end. However, it was still an enjoyable tale.


Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy from NetGalley, but I wasn't required to leave a positive review.

Lynn Britney writes a historically rich, if sometimes gory, mystery set in London during the Great War. Her characters are an interesting team of detectives, including professionals, and a couple of amateurs, a highly unusual mixed gender setup predating the presence of women in London’s police force. I look forward to more "Mayfair 100” stories.

3.5 stars

I enjoyed this book. The story is about Chief Inspector Beech investiagting a murder. He chooses to have a female surgeon, retired policeman and young injured ex-boxer in his team, along the way he adds others including an ex girlfriend, her aristocratic mother and the boxers female relatives. I thought the author was a bit preachy about woman's suffrage and life just after the first world war at the start of the book but perhaps this was a lot of scene setting especially if she thought her readers would not be understanding of the situations. In this year of centenary of the ending of the first world war, especially in the Uk, this might not be so necessary.
The author has certainly delved into the seamier side of life for the victim and perputator of the crime and I think this made the crime a bit simplistic. I'd have liked a bit more complication. I would assume this is the beginning of a series and the characters and interactions of the team will pan out further down the line. I won't rush to pre-order the next one but it's an interesting book and I wish the author luck with the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Our story is set in 1915 the time of the 1st world war. It is a time of great change in the traditional roles of men and women. A time to see the start of the effects of the war on London. Lord Murcheson is murdered his wife Lady Harriet gives a death bed confession in hospital but Chief Inspector Beech does not believe it is that simple and sets up a new task force made up of a lady doctor Caroline and Victoria who has studied law, a retired police officer Tollman and a young invalid officer Rigsby. This new group would delve into the murky dangerous world of London to find the truth. You will be gripped by following in their footsteps to see a ever changing world but also how life can change very quickly for some.
I was given an ARC of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Isn’t reading a book you really know little about but end of completely enjoying one of life’s little joys? I came across Murder in Belgravia on Netgalley . After reading the brief description and seeing it was a read now I decided to go for it. And I am quite happy I did!

I thoroughly enjoyed the set up and premise of the book - Scotland Yards secretly allowing a group of intelligent and talented women to assist with solving a murder mystery. This might not seem like a big deal now, but it certainly was in England during WWI. Equally delightful we’re the characters who worked together. It is clear they were not used to this level of collaboration but over the course of the book they got to know and respect what each one could bring to the investigation. The secondary characters, in particular Billy’s Mother and Aunt, were also well thought out and definitely made me chuckle a time or two.

For me, this was an extremely well done historical mystery and I am looking forward to reading more adventures about this unique crew.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this book. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

Another historical mystery for me. This one is set during WWI London. I really like the premise of this novel: a police officer realizes he is going to need help from the fairer sex and sets up an under the table operation in order to investigate more sensitive crimes. Then the crimes got a bit dark.

I am enjoying reading more historical mysteries and WWI has been a good time period for me. This one reminded me that the seedy underground has always existed. Heroine available at the local chemist shop, brothels, sex slaves, corrupt police officers and murder. And a war will not stop these activities from continuing.

I thought the characters were well drawn and nuanced. Caroline, the high society doctor lady, was probably my favorite. Although, the very handsome Greek (Billy) was a close second. I am looking forward to see how this group of characters grows and continues to solve mysteries during WWI.

The mystery in this story was a little convoluted. As I said above, there was a lot going on in this very short novel. An abusive husband is murdered after gravely injuring his wife. The investigation uncovers many more undesirable activities. While the major characters were well done, the minor characters felt more like caricatures and did not distinguish themselves well in my head. I was not surprised by the guilty party, but did have a hard time figuring out who it was.

I will be looking for future titles in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

This definitely feels like the first novel in a series. I love the characters. I think they make a good team and I look forward to seeing future books in the series, but the ending of this book was a little far-fetched. The writing is very descriptive. I like the way the author weaves in historical incidents like the London bombing, the blackouts and the curfew. I like the characters of Billy and Caroline, especially. I think I'd prefer it if Beech began to turn his attention to Caroline instead of Victoria, but on the whole, I do think this could end up being I really good historical mystery series once the author starts to find her groove.

Another great find while on the hunt for good historical mysteries. The era (1915) and setting (against the backdrop of WW1) were well portrayed and included details and information I wasn’t aware of. The storyline....a team created to investigate crimes against and by females was ahead of its time but appropriate for today’s events. All the characters were well developed and even when their appearance was brief they contributed to the plot. This is definitely not a cozy mystery. It’s a bit dark and there is some graphic descriptions of violence, blood etc. but it’s not over the top. This is the first in a series (hopefully) and I can’t wait to read the second!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced book to review.

It’s 1915 and the nature of crime in London is changing. An increasing number of men are away in France and a correspondingly increasing number of women are taking over their jobs. The Home Secretary is opposed to employing women in the police force and so, allegedly, is Sir Edward Henry, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

The murder of Lord Murcheson and the horrific injuries inflicted on his wife, Lady Harriet, act as a catalyst for Chief Inspector Beech to persuade his boss, Sir Edward, to let him set up a small experimental team to tackle “female crime”. The initial team comprises Caroline, a doctor; Victoria, a lawyer; a retired Special Branch detective, Arthur; and Billy, an ex-guardsman invalided out of France and now a policeman. Both the women are from the landed gentry and thus have no need to work for money (conveniently for the plot, as Beech is only allowed to use women if their names don’t appear on any paperwork). This novel shows how the team solve their first case.

The novel is briskly written and I didn’t want it to end. All the characters are very well drawn and the minor characters are just that – characters. Each one is an individual and it’s a delight to read about them. I cannot think of another novelist in this genre who can bring a character to life in so few words. Tolly, the elderly cabinet-maker, only appears for about a page after being introduced by a few lines of dialogue between Billy’s mother and aunt. Yet I can still picture Tolly, long after finishing the book. How does Brittney do it? I think it’s the clever juxtaposition of adjectives on that page: gentle, kind, fret, wept, shuffled. She builds up a lovely atmosphere that gives the reader a feel-good moment.

Be warned – although there are several such feel-goods, this is emphatically not a cosy mystery. A city is a dark place during war-time. There are brothels (female and male); there are drugs; and there are the bloody consequences of vicious violent attacks. The men feel they should shelter the women from these darker aspects of life, but the women scorn that attitude (although Victoria’s mother, Lady Maud says that she draws the line on discussions about venereal disease over dinner).

My only quibble is that the book seemed to finish quite abruptly. Although each plot turn was quite plausible, the combination seemed over-convenient and we went from great suspense to fully resolved and tidy within a few pages. Now, I’m not a novelist, so I can’t pretend I could have done it better, but I did feel a sense of “Oh, it’s all over” too soon after the sense of jeopardy.

The book is described as a Mayfair 100 mystery (Mayfair 100 being the phone number of Lady Maud’s house, the team’s headquarters) so Lynn Brittney presumably plans a subsequent series. Although I was given this book to review (thank you, Crooked Lane), I will happily pay actual money to read any further books in the series (and, believe me, reviewers can seldom offer higher praise than that!).

Thanks to NetGalley for providing this book for review. I would have to say that I have to compare any English mystery from this time period to Anne Perry's books, and Murder in Belgravia comes up wanting. Perry's books have so much more depth in their settings, plot, and characters than this novel. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, I think you would enjoy this book. And vice versa.

The story consists of a detective from the upper classes assigned to investigate a murder by a Lady of her husband, a Lord. The detective also wishes to involve some women who at that time were not allowed to be in the police force. So he is reluctantly allowed to create a team with three women and two beat policemen who must remain secret, as the women would never be accepted. They are up against a system at that time (during WWI) that is so class-centric that even if someone of the upper class were a serial killed, it is unlikely they would be arrested. ,

I always find the background history of any book from this period interesting., and the author added in some history that I was unaware of, and that was what made the book worth reading to me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more Mayfair 100 stories featuring DCI Beech, the strident Dr Caroline, the contained but schrewd Victoria Ellingham, the jaded Arthur Tollman who can still be surprised by the impressive Greek godlike PC Rigsby who is so delighted he has landed on his feet with the best job ever. The author brings all the loose threads together expertly without the use of transparent plot devices and coincidences.

The cover initially drew my attention, followed by that it was based in London. I was born and raised in London, not far from the places mentioned in this book. How times have changed! The book stirred up memories to the days when i used to walk around Hyde Park with my late parents and watched the nannies pushing the prams. It took me back to the stories told by late family of the days when they worked in 'big' houses to the well off. WW11 and my grandparents home being bombed.

I really enjoyed this book. It is a book to snuggle up with, as it is an easy read and made a change from the usual mysteries that i read. I shall be looking out for more books by Lynn Brittney and do recommend this book.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy. This is my honest review, freely given.

London 1915. With war raging in Europe, able-bodied British men are being sent to the battlefields. The workforce is seriously depleted and women are being employed in non-traditional roles. Chief Inspector Peter Beech is assembling an investigative team that demonstrates how women's roles are changing. He is assigned a murder case in Belgravia - the victim is a war veteran and a peer of the realm. He asks his friends Caroline, a doctor, and Victoria, a lawyer, to help solve this crime. This story shines a light on all classes of London society from the aristocracy to the basest criminal element. Woven into the investigation is a look at women's roles in society in the early 20th century. We see how the perception of women's abilities have progressed, and in some cases, how some things have hardly changed. I enjoyed this book - it is so much more than a murder mystery.

This book was provided to be by NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I requested this book because from the blurb, it sounded interesting and I loved it. It's an easy read and the characters are all endearing especially Lady Maud. I do hope that the author will make a series of books from this because I would definitely buy them. I would like to thank the publishers and netgalley for letting me have the book to review.

detective, women-sleuths, WW 1, amateur-sleuth, London, historical-research, historical-places-events, sly-humor, law-enforcement, lawyers, medical-doctor

This book ought to get more than just one five star rating per reviewer!
As a mystery novel, it exceeds expectations, is creative with delightful or disgusting characters and slides in some very funny one liners.
As a history of the feminine condition in 1915 it is brutally honest and well researched while demonstrating to the reader the extensive prejudices faced.
As a perspective on the inappropriate dosing of patients, especially war veterans, with opioids by physicians it condemns yet clearly reflects issues of this century as well.
There are other odious problems dragged into the light, and some historical facts like the bombings by Zeppelin.
The best part is the way that the author balances the disgusting with the hopeful. DCI Beech and his cohesive band of very competent and very willing crimebusters are fantastic, and I can hardly wait for the next installment!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

This crime historical fiction set in 1915 during WW1 in London by Lynn Brittney was a real pleasure to read. It begins with the murder of Lord Murcheson, stabbed with a pair of scissors in Belgravia. Chief Inspector Beech is investigating but feels he needs more support than the Met can currently provide under Commissioner Sir Edward Henry. He takes the opportunity to ask for a special task force that will help to solve the case. Women have no place in the police is the current thinking, Beech wants to use the expertise of talented women but has to do this covertly. And so Dr Caroline Allardyce, who works in the women's hospital, widow and legally trained Victoria Ellingham, PC Billy Rigsby injured in the war and boxing champion, and Arthur Tollman, police offficer are recruited. They are based at Lady Maud's London townhouse, the mother of Victoria. It is a time of great change with the suffragettes determined that women should get the vote, and volunteer women's groups supporting the police. The class system is under pressure and London is being bombed, with the East End a particular target as the Kaiser tries to avoid killing family.

Lord Murcheson returned seriously injured from the war which turns him into a rampaging brutal drug addict with his wife, Lady Harriet at the end of his terrible violence. She is discovered close to death and is initially thought to have stabbed him in self defence after he stamped on her abdomen. However, it appears it was physically impossible for her to have done this. The special task force investigate the Murcheson household, including the suspicious butler, Dodds, and the young Polly, Lady Harriet's maid. It soon becomes clear that Lord Murcheson had a rather large collection of medications and drugs with the key ingredients of cocaine and heroin, which the group are keen to know where they came from. Dodds and Polly disappear, and we learn of the dangers that women face working in munitions factories. Encounters with London's gangs, brothels, Molly houses, Barnardo's homes, and doctors working in Harley Street tending to the needs of the aristocracy and the powerful give us a picture of London at the time. The special group exceed expectations as they chase down leads in what turns out to be an exceedingly complex case amidst a background of war torn London.

This piece of historical fiction felt as if it incorporated elements of Downtown Abbey. Brittney has written a compelling and gripping narrative with a great set of characters. I imagine this is the first in a series, and I am keen to read the next book! I particularly loved how Billy's mother and her sister, went out of their way to ensure that George Harris, a molly who is brutalised dreadfully, is able to leave hospital knowing he has a home and the possibility of training for a profession. If you enjoy crime and historical fiction, then this is a wonderful book that I recommend. Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.