A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton
Book #1: A Victorian Book Club Mystery
Source: NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books
Rating: 4½/5 stars

As member of the peerage, Lady Amy Lovell is privileged, but because of her gender, those privileges only go so far. With a mind as quick and as strong as any man’s, Lady Amy often chaffs at the restrictions placed on her. One of the ways in which she fights against those restrictions is via her secret identity as a mystery/crime author. She is one of the most popular among English authors and one of her greatest delights is hearing others talk about the quality of her books!

Writing about murder, mayhem, and crime is one thing, being accused of such things is quite another. Unfortunately, being accused is exactly where Lady Amy finds herself when her ex-fiancé is found dead in her home just days after she has broken their engagement. With her research and experience writing about murder, Lady Amy knows the ways and methods of the police and she fully appreciates they aren’t going to make much effort to look beyond her as a suspect. With nothing left to do but trust a friend and ask for help, Lady Amy reveals her secret to Lord Wethington and launches her own investigation into the death of her ex-fiancé.

Though Lord Wethington doesn’t initially believe Lady Amy and her claims of being one of the foremost authors of the day, he quickly realizes not only is she telling the truth, but she is also bound and determined to prove her innocence. If he has any hope of keeping her out of more trouble, Lord Wethington has no choice but to help his friend. With lists of possible suspects and a large number of unanswered and quite troubling questions, the two begin asking questions and looking under rocks someone certainly doesn’t want overturned and examined.

As their investigation intensifies, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington find themselves mired in intrigue and danger. Between the illegal drugs, the sketchy (and unknown to Amy) background of her ex-fiancé and an unexpectedly pregnant member of the lower peerage, there are plenty of suspects and not nearly enough answers. What’s more, the police are none to pleased with Lady Amy’s involvement in their “investigation” and want nothing more than to see her behind bars or swinging from a rope. It isn’t until the eleventh hour that the police begin to believe Amy and her evidence, but it may very well be too little, too late.

The Bottom Line: I am always going to be a fan of a strong female lead, especially one who is living well ahead of her time and place and Lady Amy Lovell certainly fits the bill. Lady Amy is smart, feisty, determined, and driven and those are all qualities I like in my characters. While trying to clear her name, Lady Amy also discovers she has a lot still to learn and she can learn some of it from her friend, Lord Wethington. What’s more, over the course of their shared investigation, Lady Amy begins to see her friend in a whole new light and that certainly paves the way for a whole host of possibilities. While Lady Amy is already a strong character, there is always room for evolution, and I am very much interested in what her evolution is going to look. Certainly, the woman who is one of England’s most popular crime writers will have many, many adventures ahead of her.

Description
Bath, England, 1890. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives an anonymous letter containing shocking news: her fiancé, Mr. Ronald St. Vincent, has been dabbling in something illegal, which causes her to promptly break their engagement.

Two evenings later, as Lady Amy awaits a visit from Lord William Wethington, fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club, her former fiancé makes an unexpected and most unwelcome appearance at her house. She promptly sends him to the library to cool his heels but later discovers the room seemingly empty--until she stumbles upon a dead Mr. St. Vincent with a knife in his chest.

Lord Wethington arrives to find Lady Amy screaming and sends for the police, but the Bobbies immediately assume that she is the killer. Desperate to clear her name, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington launch their own investigation--and stir up a hornet's nest of suspects, from the gardener who served time in prison for murder to a vengeful woman who was spurned by St. Vincent before he proposed to Lady Amy.

Can they close the book on the case before the real killer gets away with murder?

My Review
The first book in the Victorian Book Club Series - A Study in Murder is amazing.

Very well written with great-crafted characters. Delightful, easy to read full of twists and turns.

Definitely a winner!!

5 stars

This is the first book in the Victorian Book Club mystery by Callow Hutton.

In the style of the classic Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Hutton has created a true gem with her new series featuring Amy Lovell and her good friend and book club cohort, Lord Wellington. Set in Bath, England, this murder mystery was so captivating I almost didn't want it to end. The setting, the mystery and everything inbetween made me fall in love with this Victorian world.

Basic premise, Amy wants to break her engagement with the man her father had betrothed her to, Mr. St. Vincent. She does so since his connection to the opium trade was discovered via an anonymous note. Days later, the man calls on her and when she goes down to see why he had come she discovered his dead body and this thrust herself straight into the path of the detectives who seemed to believe her capable of murder.

I loved the idea that Amy was a mystery author and took action by diving right into an investigation to clear her name. Since this is set at the turn of the century it might not be everyone's cup of tea but I believe if you start reading you won't put this one down until the murder is solved.

Totally digging this book and look forward to any new offering this author will come up with. This is one roller coaster ride you won't want to miss!

If you love a good Victorian cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. You won't be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest rebiew. I thank NetGalley the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book it was well written and not my normal sort of murder mystery book but it took me into a little time capsule to the time when things were done 'properly'. It almost turned into a farce on occasion and made me smile

I wasn’t sure how I would receive this book as it was set in a different time frame to that I usually would read. However it was about crime and murder and I do love Agatha Christie type plays so I thought I’d give it a chance.
Lady Amy Lovell is given information suggesting her partner is engaging in illegal activity to which she immediately breaks up with him. Cue him turning up at the house and to cut a long story short a guest is then found murdered. This has humour at times and twists and turns which the reader will likely find intriguing.

Excellent reference to authors of period. Factual reference of how women were viewed during the time. Enjoyed that Lady Amy Lovell was smarter than the men in charge.

This was a very good whodunit and a great start to a new series. There were many suspects and clues., with a cliffhanger at the end. I really liked the characters and look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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<p>Initially you'd see the similarities between Amy and Williams budding relationship and that of Jane Austen's Emma and Mr Knightly</p>
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<p>They are both members of the Murder Mystery Book club which is really novel for the time and period. Men of the time still believed a woman's place was either in the kitchen or rearing the children. So its a bit surprising that this book club has a good mixture of Lords and Ladies particularly when they discussed gruesome books.</p>
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<p><strong>Amy </strong>I found was a weird combination of head strong and duplicity especially when she's given a lot of leeway from her father and brother. She's a famous Murder Mystery Author not that any one would know as she's sworn to secrecy by her father. The duplicity kicks in when she's talked into getting engaged to a man that she doesn't have any feelings for. </p>
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<p><strong>William</strong> <em>*what can I say about William*</em> he doesn't give off the love sick vibes, though you do get glimpses that he feels a bit more for Amy that he would have her believe. She was very vocal about not getting married and then "<em>accidentally</em>" gets herself engaged! It doesn't feel like he's been waiting in the wings - waiting for her to figure out that he's the man for her BUT also he hasn't really gone out of his way to show her that she'd be better off with him in her life! </p>
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<p>The whodunit elements are pretty darn good, I mean Amy and William had worked their way through their list of suspects and they didn't really detect who the murder was until the murder showed his/her face </p>
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This was a great read and I look forward to many more. Historical cozy mysteries are probably one of my favorite sub-genres of cozies. I liked the main character, Amy, and her side-kick, William. I enjoyed the other characters as well. The murderer surprised me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bath in the 1890's was a very pleasant place to live if you were a member of the middle or upper classes. Lady Amy Lovell, a successful mystery writer, is recently betrothed to local businessman, Ronald St Vincent, and enjoys calling the historic city her home.

When she finds out her betrothed is not the man he purported to be she has no hesitation in calling off their engagement and considers the matter closed. Unfortunately her ex-fiance comes calling two days later and when Amy makes her way into the library to remind him of her previous decision she finds him dead, the knife used to kill him still protruding from his chest.

With the help of her friend and fellow book club member, Lord William Wethington, Amy decides the only way to persuade the local police officers she had nothing to do with her ex-fiance's untimely demise is to discover who did. This quest takes them to all parts of the city and they have no intention of leaving any stone unturned as they get drawn deeper into their own and the local detectives' investigation.

This started quite slowly and at first I did wonder if it was for me. However, I was drawn in and I totally hooked. Amy and William are great characters and I look forward to reading more stories with them at the heart of everything. There is no rushing around, no heart pounding tension, instead the clues are discovered, investigated and either discounted or filed away for future reference which is a refreshing change.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this author's work or is looking for a slightly different type of murder mystery. It is a gentle, intriguing and easy to read story which is a genuine pleasure to experience.

Bath, England, 1890. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives an anonymous letter containing shocking news: her fiance, Mr. Ronald St. Vincent, has been dabbling in something illegal, which causes her to promptly break their engagement.

Two evenings later, as Lady Amy awaits a visit from Lord William Wethington, fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club, her former fiance makes an unexpected and most unwelcome appearance at her house. She promptly sends him to the library to cool his heels but later discovers the room seemingly empty--until she stumbles upon a dead Mr. St. Vincent with a knife in his chest.

Lord Wethington arrives to find Lady Amy screaming and sends for the police, but the Bobbies immediately assume that she is the killer. Desperate to clear her name, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington launch their own investigation--and stir up a hornet's nest of suspects, from the gardener who served time in prison for murder to a vengeful woman who was spurned by St. Vincent before he proposed to Lady Amy.

Can they close the book on the case before the real killer gets away with murder?

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the 1800's setting. Lady Amy is a mystery author who breaks things off with her fiance and then is accused of his murder

I loved the characters and it's a solid non gory mystery.

A fantastic series start!

Five stars to this engaging Victorian cozy mystery. Hutton balances all of the elements perfectly for an enjoyable read. The mystery keeps you intrigued, the interplay among all of the characters is realistic, quirky and charming, the descriptions pull a reader into the time period, and the plot is unique. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys losing themselves in a good book.

A new cozy mystery series that is off to a great start. The mystery was interesting and the characters engaging can't wait to read more.

A new author for me and the first book of a new series. The book is set Bath in the late 1800s. The descriptions of Bath ere good.I found it easy reading; however One of my pet peeps is royal names every page and there are plenty. The protagonist did not bound with me. For me, she was spoil creature and felt she did have to consider other people's feelings. It never answered the question that kept me reading

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for a copy. The opinions are my own.

Well...you can definitely see that this author is new to writing mysteries because the plot waaaaanders around and it actually gets kind of boring in the middle. However, I would definitely read another book in the series because I like the characters and would love to revisit them. Not bad. Definitely worth the read.

Thanks so much for the ARC of A Study in Murder the first in a new cozy historical mystery series by Callie Hutton. This was a lot of fun to read -- finished it in one day. Lady Amy was a strong character that defied the molds women were supposed to fit during her time. The setting of Bath was perfect. I enjoyed getting lost in this mystery!

This book is a historical cozy mystery. It had all the standard elements but just didn’t grab me.
Fans of this sub genre of cozies will enjoy it.

I had a great time reading this book. I love period mysteries. I liked the characters. I enjoyed the story. There were parts of the story line, murder investigation that didn't really work for me so that part was weak. I am looking forward to reading more of this series and I am hoping that as it goes, the story lines get stronger. I like the characters enough to keep going for the time being. I am looking forward to seeing if the romance progresses with our main character sleuths.

The story starts on a promising note, turns lengthy in the middle and ends abruptly. I liked the main characters - Amy and Lord Wethington. They make a good pair - as a couple and as sleuths. A mystery author as the main suspect in her ex-fiance's murder, a book club, drug trade and addiction and everything Victorian, this story had a lot of potential. Somehow, it failed to impress me.

The mystery is good enough. There is so much tension and suspense built up until the end so an abrupt ending is not what I expected.

Overall, this was an okay read.