An unusual setting and an unusual mystery - the hothouse nature of the musical society is captured well, pettiness and all. Is the denouement a little unearned? Perhaps. We're given a lot of info in the last 20 pages that has little to do with the first 4/5ths of the novel which is, well, it is what it is. The detective displays a tenderness and vulnerability with the love interest, a member of the choir, that is striking in its realism. A good read that I'd suggest for any mystery lover's bedside table.

I'm a huge Christie fan so I jumped at the chance to read a different author from the same era...

This a good, solid crime novel that certainly deserves its place in the limelight too.

3.5/5 stars

🐻 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this e-arc!


✨It was only fine. Not that good of a music novel but i wouldn't mind reading more from the author

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC. Great book - never read this author before but now i'm hooked and will hunt down some more.

Police Detective-Superintendent Simon Hudson happens to be on the scene of the crime as a murder is committed. He is in the audience for the debut performance of a Mass in which his paramour Delia Jones is performing, when the conductor collapses on stage at the end of the performance. It turns out he was shot from the audience. Owen Burr was an arrogant but talented musician who angered and humiliated many people and therefore there's plenty of suspects. Hudson's job is to find the killer.

This is an excellent detective story set in the post WWII London. It was written in the 1950's, and is not stale or out-dated. It's a puzzle type whodunnit written in the Golden Age style with a closed circle of suspects. Aside from an entertaining plot, there's plenty of interesting characters. The overarching theme is the musical background in which the story takes place: the characters are members of the Metopolitana, a choral society with a "Managing Committee" in which most of the suspects participate. Several plot twists are introduced as Hudson, aided by Delia, investigates Burr's murder: illegitimate children, embezzlement of funds, anonymous written confessions, and disappearing guest vocalists. Things move along briskly and there's a dramatic conclusion with the revelation of the murderer's identity. All in all, it's an entertaining mystery story.

My thanks to Agora Books and Netgalley for providing a complementary advanced reading copy of this book. The comments about it are my own.

Conductor Conundrum.....
Fully deserving of its place in the Uncrowned Queens of Crime series from Agora Books, a treat of a mystery from the Golden Age of Crime. Enjoyable whodunnit, a solid plot, credible characters and plenty of atmosphere. A fun and satisfying read.

This book hooked me on the first page and kept me reading. The characters were engaging and the plot was well developed. I was unfamiliar with the author, but I'll be on the lookout for more titles from her.

Recently I’ve been enjoying some classic British mysteries, so I was happy to receive a review copy of Margaret Newman’s Murder to Music, originally published in 1959, in exchange for my honest review. And I enjoyed this book a lot. I had never heard of Newman, but according to the blurb about her, she mostly wrote in other genres. However, in Murder to Music, she did a really nice job – enough of a nice job that I’m sorry she didn’t write more in the mystery realm.

I was a little bit nervous about this one, because the blurb seems to indicate that the girlfriend of the main investigator, Detective Superintendent Hudson, is a serious suspect. And I’m not at all a fan of mysteries where the protagonist (or someone close to the protagonist) is the main suspect, and so they end up doing stupid, usually incriminating, things to try to protect themselves or their loved one. Without being too spoiler-ish (because it becomes clear pretty early on), that is not the case here. Although it does cause a bit of strain in their relationship, Hudson’s girlfriend is not a major suspect, and Hudson doesn’t do stupid things to try to clear her. Instead, he just quietly and competently investigates the murder. And it’s fun to watch him investigate the various threads and further events that happen.

In addition to the investigations, I also really liked this book for the insights it gave into the musical/theatre scene of the time, which I didn’t know much about. And I enjoyed the various characters, both the main characters and the bit players, who were nicely drawn and behaved pretty much as I’d expect folks to do when caught up in a murder. I especially liked the interplay between Hudson and Delia, and felt sorry for Hudson, whose chances to propose keep getting sidelined by the events of the story.

All-in-all, this was a quick, fun read, although the very end had a bit of bite. I recommend it whole-heartedly. Please note that for me, 4 stars out of 5 is a really good ranking. I try to fight “star-flation” a bit and reserve 5 stars for a very few absolute favorite books that I’m going to read and re-read; probably no more than one in thirty or forty books get 5 stars from me. And once again, my thanks to Net Galley and the publisher, Agora Books, for the review copy.

I was drawn in immediately by Dinah and found her character both likeable and endearing. The plot was well constructed and the characters believable and well drawn. I have never read any Newham books before and fear this may be the only one out there as I have looked for others without success but Agora have got it right in describing her as an uncrowned queen of crime as her writing is very much on a par with Sayers and Allingham. I really enjoyed this book and would certainly be keen to read another by this author is there is another one there!
Thank you!

A new author for me a wonderful entertaining golden age murder mystery.A conductor Killed at the climatic end of a concert.Full of twists turns kept me guessing.Looking forward to reading more by this author.#netgalley#agorabooks

This is the only book I've read by Margaret Newman and I'd certainly recommend it. It's set in the world of an amateur choir, with all of the backbiting and manoeuvrings which go on in such organisations (one can't help wondering if somewhere a nice conductor might exist, or are they all dreadful, overbearing and over-demanding? The one here is certainly recognisable from Jilly Cooper's novels, even if he predates all of her monsters!)

As usual, I refused to guess the murderer - if I want a puzzle I'll do a cryptic crossword - and enjoyed the unfolding of the investigation, led by the police detective with assistance from his choir-member girlfriend. The plot holds up well, and it seems a pity that the author didn't write more featuring this pairing. Even without more to look forward to though, I'm grateful to Agora Books for adding this to their list of reissues - they are preforming a great service to lovers of golden age detective fiction.

"Murder to Music" is a top notch and the author has done an excellent job in combining murder and choral music, along with drawing on past events during WWII, which have a direct bearing on the story.

Margaret Newman has created well thought out and detailed characters, which draw the reader into the world of choral music, as it relates to the story. The story is compelling and interesting, and flows smoothly throughout.

I especially enjoyed how she has created a murder mystery, whereby certain events, which occurred during WWII play an important and pivotal role in the story.

I would highly recommend this mystery and I want to thank Crime Classics and Net Galley for providing me with this advance copy.

A delightful throwback novel that is an excellent example of how well written novels were in the past. The character and story development are excellent and something new writers should strive to emulate.

Another new author for me. I really enjoyed this book. Highly recommended. I will be reading more from this author.

A book in the Uncrowned Queens of Crime series. It’s nice these crime novels are being published again. It was first published in 1959 but it is still worth a read.
Detective superintendent Simon Hudson is attending a Metropolitana Choir concert, where his girlfriend, Delia is singing in the choir. The assistant director Owen Barr is shot after conducting Mr. Tredegar’s Mass. Owen has a capacity for taking and giving offence and since he was appointed assistant director the meetings and choir practices has not been very harmonic ones. Shortly after his death the Italian tenor mr. Cassati disappears and another murder is attempted. The members of the Metro’s Managing Committee responsible for the concert are all under suspicion. Simons girlfriend, Delia is also a member and helps Simon investigate.
I enjoyed reading the story - entertaining and well written. The ending was a surprise to me.

Superintendent Simon intends proposing to his girl friend Delia at the appropriate moment. It never seems to come. Going for the Metropolitana Choir practices and the final concert is his part in being part of her world but when the conductor is murdered right in front of a live audience with no one the wiser as to who shot him, Simon is put on the spot both physically and metaphorically.

Detective story dealing with a lot of history going back decades going back to WWII and revenge kept on the boil. Petty passions aside, the depth of feeling kept buried and brought bubbling to the surface not helped by the nasty personality of the conductor himself who did himself no favours with literally anyone.

Interesting setting, good characterization and plot.

Well-written and entertaining, but not the most enthralling read. While the book generally avoids dating itself, you can't miss the '50s mindset.

‘There doesn’t seem to be much relationship between music and the ordinary world, does there?’

The Metropolitana Choir in London has been preparing for its debut performance of a composition, a mass composed by its ageing director, Evan Tredegar. Delia Jones is a member of the choir, and her boyfriend Detective-Superintendent Simon Hudson, is looking forward to the performance.

The performance is scheduled for the Festival Hall on December the 19th and the BBC will broadcast it. There is a lot to be done to get ready, including engaging a suitable tenor. The Committee has its hands full.

On the night of the performance, Evan Tredegar (the composer of the mass, the conductor of the choral society and known as ‘The Old Man) is said to be ill. Owen Burr, his assistant, conducts. And, just as the performance concludes, Owen Burr drops dead. He was murdered.

Who killed Owen Burr, and why? Detective-Superintendent Hudson finds himself in an awkward position. He is actually on the scene, and there is no shortage of suspects, including Delia. As D-S Hudson investigates, he finds that the Metropolitana’s Committee is full of grudges, rivalries, and suspicions. Owen Burr may have been a prickly character who rubbed many people the wrong way, but murder? But this is the beginning of a quite complicated murder mystery. Others will die before the case is solved.

This novel was first published in 1959 and touches on several themes (including mental health issues and homosexuality) which would have generally been unmentionable at the time. These issues are sympathetically handled and while they form part of the story, do not overwhelm it. Several secrets will be uncovered as D-S Hudson investigates.

I found this to be an entertaining and unputdownable murder mystery. It is well-written and has contains delightful flashes of humour. It was Margaret Newman’s first novel. Margaret Potter (née Newman) (1926-1998) wrote more than 50 novels and many short stories under several pseudonyms. I will be looking to read more of her work.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

Other reviewers have given synopsis of book so I will not. I think the book was well written on the whole. Almost immediately I guessed the murderer but I enjoyed the working out of the why's of the various victims. I would like to read more of this author's mysteries and hope more will be republished. Again this book is typical of the Golden Age mysteries that I love for their erudite writing, plotting characterizations.

The latest addition to Agora Books’ Uncrowned Queens of Crime series is a book by an author I thought was new to me, but it turns out I’ve read a few of her books under another of her pseudonyms, Anne Melville. This one, Murder to Music, was her first novel and was originally published in 1959 under the name Margaret Newman. It’s an excellent murder mystery and could have been the start of a great series had the author not moved on to other genres (such as the Anne Melville family sagas).

Delia Jones is on the managing committee of the Metropolitan Choir, who are preparing to give a performance of a new mass composed by their conductor, Evan Tredegar. At the beginning of the novel, we meet the other members of the committee, whom we quickly discover are not the happiest group of people. Below the surface, there are tensions, secrets and resentments, some of which we won’t be aware of or fully understand until later in the story. The assistant conductor, Owen Burr, is particularly unpopular with the rest of the choir, so when he is shot dead just as the performance draws to a close there is no shortage of suspects.

Detective Superintendent Simon Hudson is watching from the audience and is able to begin an immediate investigation. However, things are going to be slightly difficult for Simon…because Delia Jones happens to be his girlfriend. Can she be ruled out as a suspect? Then, just as Simon thinks he has uncovered the motive and is about to identify the murderer, a second death takes place and he is forced to reassess everything he thinks he knows so far.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are strong, with some of them given interesting back stories, and the reasons behind the complex relationships and long-standing feuds between the members of the choir feel believable. I also liked the setting, which made a change from the country house or small village settings which are so common in this type of detective novel. I’m not sure whether Margaret Newman had a musical background, but I felt that she seemed to really understand what was involved in the staging of a musical performance and what it was like to be part of a choir.

As a mystery, I thought the plot worked well and I was surprised by some of the developments in the second half of the book, having been led in the wrong direction for most of the first half! I kept changing my mind between one suspect and another, but in the end I was happy just to let Simon Hudson solve the mystery for me. It’s a shame this seems to be the only book featuring Simon and Delia, but I will be reading more by this author, under her various pseudonyms, and have the third book in her Hardie trilogy lined up to read soon.