I have read several books by Helena Dixon and I always find her stories to be intriguing, and this one didn't disappoint at all.
When Captain Matthew Bryant and a lady friend of his attend dinner at a posh hotel, it takes a drastic turn for the worse. Whilst there, a local town councillor drops dead, starting off a truly gripping 'whodunnit' plot. 
The story is full with so much drama and suspense it really captivates you. I found myself struggling to put this book down as I just needed to find out who the guilty party was!. There are many suspects, and just as I thought I might have worked out who in fact was the murderer, another twist throws it out of the water.

Brilliantly written, perfectly paced, this is an absolute page turner.

The Kitty Underhay series are really fun cosy mysteries.

Kitty is a great character – she’s feisty and brave but also friendly and observant. People trust her and she is well liked which mean she finds out information that othet people miss.

In true amateur detective fashion she also finds herself in the right place at the right time – or wrong place depending on how you look at it.

This is an intriguing and multi-layered mystery that emerges slowly and takes Kitty and Matt down some twisted paths as all of the secrets are revealed.

It’s an enjoyable read. And the characters, particularly the relationship between Kitty and Matt is developing nicely as we get to know them and they learn more about each other.

The next book in the series is out soon and I’ll definitely be continuing with their adventures.

This is the fourth in the Kitty Underhay series and is a great addition to the collection.

Again Kitty and her friend Matthew find themselves surrounded by mystery when a obnoxious member of the council drops down dead at a dinner they are attending.

Naturally they start their own investigation and start to unearth secrets within the council, and are surprised when quite quickly they have solved the case. However this book is full of twists as things are not as they first suspected.

Along side the murder Kitty continues with her own personal history, as she hones in on the disappearance of her mother years before.

The author successfully brings the era to life as you immerse yourself in the 1930’s.

A great read

I love this kind  of books, Always aprecciate a nice and smat book abot a murder mistery, spécially when there is a duo like Kitty and Matt .

Kitty and Matt  are such a funny couple. I love the story specially because is developed in the past century..

This book was okay. I really like the setting, atmosphere, cast of characters, and the general mystery plot line. Kitty and Matt are a great duo, even if they aren’t exactly teamed up often enough for my preference. The mystery this time, along with the continuing mystery of Kitty’s mother’s disappearance, is well paced. There’s nothing terribly exciting or unexpected that happens. Overall, I’ve enjoyed this series but “just okay” sums this book up the best. 

Other than that, I really do have a complaint about the writing. There are so many fragments. Many descriptions that are unnecessary or in the wrong place. Thoughts that seem incomplete or extraneous. It’s uncomfortable as a reader to have to go back and reread to ensure you’re understanding everything correctly, or to have to ignore something you read because it doesn’t make sense or fit with the story well. While I understand this is an advanced copy, I hope it received an incredible amount of editing before being distributed to readers.

This fabulous historical cozy mystery is set in 1933 Britain. Once again Kitty and Matt find themselves embroiled in a murder. This is a fun book and series and the characters are developing more and more in each new book. The mystery is well written with plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing. With a hint of romance and new information on the disappearance of Kitty's mother this is an incredibly satisfying read.

Captain Matthew Bryant and his lady friend attend a dinner at a posh hotel and a local town councillor drops dead.  Whodunit in Murder on the Dance Floor.  There are lots of red herrings in this historical mystery cozy set in 1933 Britain.  The councilor's wife is fishy and someone was bribing staff in the councilor's office to swing council  votes to favor development in town.  Captain Matthew is aided by his friend

An utterly charming story set in a era often overlooked by historical fiction.  Likable characters and entertaining mystery make for an enjoyable afternoon read.

Kitty Underhay and dashing Captain Bryant are thrust into their fourth murder investigation when a prominent councillor is killed - poisoned - at a hoteliers dinner event.
 
Determined to find the killer, our pair of sleuths are soon digging up clues and soon begin to hear whispers of bribery and fraud. Could this be why the councillor was killed!? Meanwhile, Kitty continues her search in to her mothers disappearance, all the while developing her romance with Matt. 

With thanks to #NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced readers copy.

Kitty Underhay is embroiled in another murder investigation when a local councillor is poisoned at a dinner event at a hotel. Local politics and scandal are uncovered over the course of the investigation. Meanwhile, Kitty and Matthew Bryant try to move forward with their relationship...
Murder on the Dance Floor see the Kitty and Matthew seize the chance to spend some time together socially. But their enthusiasm is quickly diminished by Councillor Everton's death from cyanide. They join forces once again to investigate possible motives and suspects as well as supporting the police with their enquiries.
Kitty remains a strong female lead, negotiating attitudes towards women and class in the 1930s. She is a likeable character as is Matthew so I am glad they seem ready to embark on 'walking out'.
There are two subplots which have significance for the main characters. Firstly the romance between Kitty and Matt which has been simering slowly over the previous books. He is still haunted by the deaths of his wife and child but this book reveals secrets and allows the couple to consider a future.
The second subplot is the disappearance of Kitty's mother almost twenty years before. This has also threaded through the previous books and there are significant developments to the mystery in this book.
Although it is a murder mystery, there is no violence or graphic detail about the death. I have said previously that the books remind me of Agatha Christie books and the Gosford Park film in terms of setting and tone.

Another outing for amateur sleuths Kitty Underhay and Matthew Bryant, with its usual twists and turns. The main plot this time revolves around the death of the much-disliked local councillor Harold Everton, who just happens to drop dead at the annual hoteliers' ball. Shady property deals emerge, and the cast of suspects all have a motive for bumping him off. When one of those suspects becomes a second murder victim, the pair have to race to find the culprit.

For those who have read the first 3 titles in the series, the subplot surrounding the mystery of Kitty's mother and her disappearance in 1916 is given more weight, and some startling evidence of what might have happened comes to light. Furthermore, the developing characters of the housemaid Alice and Kitty's grandmother's friend - the ever-annoying Mrs Craven - give the book a more rounded feel as you get a sense of the series developing.

This is a fun, enjoyable and escapist series that should please fans of classic Golden Age crime fiction. Works as a stand-alone, but the series is worth starting from the beginning.

Title: Murder on the Dance Floor
Author: Helena Dixon   
Publication Day: Oct 28th 2020

Description:

Kitty Underhay’s dance card is full… of death.

November 1933. Amateur sleuth-cum-dutiful granddaughter Kitty Underhay stifles a sigh of boredom as she attends the annual Hoteliers' Association Dinner and Dance on behalf of her grandmother, the proprietress of the Dolphin Hotel. She hopes the company of ex-army captain Matthew Bryant will enliven the otherwise dull evening. That is, until bullish and overbearing local councillor Harold Everton drops dead into his bowl of consommé.

While the local police are still scrambling for their whistles, Kitty and Matt waste no time leaping into action. Soon they find themselves caught up a dangerous search to uncover who amongst the distinguished guests used cyanide for seasoning?

When their digging throws light on a corruption scandal brewing in the local council involving Everton’s assistant Thomas King, they are sure they’ve cracked the case. But before he can be questioned further, King’s body is found in a smouldering car wreck. Meanwhile, the murderer has made a sinister plan to avoid detection or punishment, and it will lead Kitty and Matt into a dangerous dance with death…

A fast, fun and utterly unputdownable Golden Age cozy murder mystery, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and Lee Strauss.

 BLOG TOUR REVIEW 

Review for 'Murder On The Dance Floor' by Helena Dixon. 

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous 

Publication date 28th October 2020

This is the first book that I have read by this author. It is also the fourth book in the 'A Miss Underhay Mystery' series. Although this book is the fourth in a series it can easily be read as a standalone and any references to events in previous books are explained in just the right amount of detail. 

I was originally drawn to this book by  its colourful cover and intriguing sounding blurb. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture  that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 23 chapters. The chapters are medium in length so possible to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case! 

This book is based in Devon, UK 🇬🇧 . I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited Devon on many occasions including this year so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places. 

This book is written in third person perspective and one of the main protagonists is Kitty Underhay. I enjoy books written in third person with several protagonists as it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters. 

This book was very well written and I do believe some research went into it as everything linked correctly in with the era it was set in. It is a real bug bear for me when I read a historical novel and the author hasn't done their research and gets basic information mixed up so well done Helena!! It was very well written and I found the synopsis and the cover fitted the storyline perfectly, The descriptions were great and it really felt as if I was in the story. 

The storyline was very interesting and quite fast paced. There was the main storyline based on the murder of the Councillor Harold but you also had the side storyline of the search for Kitty's mother which is revealed closer to the end. I really enjoyed that it was set in the past and the storyline really suited that. It really is a nice cozy mystery that will keep you guessing throughout. At no point did I suspect the person who turned out to be the murderer so a huge well done there Helena!!! I have read many a mystery and find that I am working out the killer quicker every time and there's nothing worse than working out who did what when your need even half way through a book. Not only is this quite a suspense and action filled mystery but there was just the right amount of quirkiness, laughter and romance to give it a nice mix!!! 

I became really invested in the characters and really enjoyed Kitty and her fantastic and quirky personality!!! In fact all of the characters had their own individual personalities which worked really well with each other. The only fault I did find is that sometimes the characters first names were used and at other times their surnames, as there are quite a few characters this did cause me some confusion at times. However, I am looking forward to meeting them all again in the next 'episode' of Miss Underhay's adventures which I'm sure will be just as exciting as this one!! 

Overall a perfect mix of mystery, crime, romance, laughter and quirkiness which kept me turning the pages late at night!! 

Genres covered in this novel include Historical, Cozy Mystery, Murder Mystery and Crime among others. 

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as anyone looking for a nice easy mystery to read while curled up in front of the fire. 

260 pages.

This book is £1.99 to purchase on kindle via Amazon or free on kindle unlimited which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!! 

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook. 

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Author Bio:

Nell Dixon was born and continues to live in the Black Country. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, a crazy cockapoo and a tank of tropical fish. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. Her addictions of choice are coffee and reality TV. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 with her book Marrying Max, and winner of Love Story of the Year 2010 with her book, Animal Instincts. She also writes historical 1930's set cozy crime as Helena Dixon.

Author Social Media Links:

Website: http://www.nelldixon.com

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/nell.dixon

Twitter:      https://twitter.com/NellDixon


Buy Links:  https://geni.us/B08BV2V69QSocial

This is another fabulously cosy crime story, featuring the intrepid Kitty and dashing, but conflicted Matt. Kitty is the heroine you expect in a story like this, taking advantage of the opportunities she has in this time period and wanting to do as much as she can as an independent woman. However, Matthew has issues with this and this has caused some disagreements with them previously.

In this story, however, we learn a bit more about Matthew and also see the green eyes of jealousy appear which gives us a bit more insight into him and his feelings towards Kitty, being a man he’s not the most comfortable at speaking about his feelings.

Leaving this aside for a moment, the story has barely started when we have a murder and the victim unfortunately ending up face down in his food, something which I expect he would have been most displeased with were he able to comment on it. The victim is not well liked by many so it gives plenty of people reason to wish rid of him but few have the opportunity, or so it seems. We also get more investigation into the disappearance of Kitty’s mother many years ago, which reveals new information that may shed some light on where she went.

This story has a mixed bag of characters, which brought out a variety of reactions from me when I was reading. The settings were, as always, brilliantly described, I could easily imagine myself there. I liked that Alice was back in the story again, assisting Kitty. She’s a fabulous character and one that perhaps should have a short side story of her own. It would be interesting to see her perspective on what she’s experienced and what it’s like when she goes home to her family.

If you want a cosy, historical crime story with a strong female lead then this is an excellent choice. While there is character development through the series this could equally be read as a stand alone. It will be interesting to see where her adventures take Kitty next.

Murder on the Dance Floor is another winning entry in Helena Dixon‘s Golden Age-style cosy Miss Kitty Underhay murder mystery series, following Murder at the Dolphin Hotel, Murder at Enderley Hall and Murder at the Playhouse.

It was a pleasure to be reunited with Kitty, Matt, Alice – and all the usual suspects – and to meet a new cast of sneaky, downtrodden, duplicitous and dangerous supporting characters. As always, the book brings the 1930s clearly to life, from the glamourous hoteliers’ dance and the cosy local tearooms to the wintry windswept seaside and the seedier side of the area.

The central mystery is well done and there are several real heart-felt moments. Helena Dixon balances these well with some more light-hearted or wry observations. I love this series and cannot wait for the next instalment!

As always, thank you to Bookouture for my copy of the book and my stop on the tour.

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC.  Another great instalment to this series.  The characters are delightful and the storylines work well.   Looking forward to the next one.

Favorite Quotes:

‘I believe I’ve met her cousin, Betty, on a few occasions.’ Alice’s mother sniffed. ‘My sister Aggie’s girl. A fast article she is and so sharp she’ll cut herself one of these times.’

You know you cannot do anything around here without the world knowing your business. You were seen, my dear, by one of the staff and now their tongues are wagging at both ends spreading gossip.

The remains of the snow lingered only in a few shady corners, piled up like spilled icing sugar that someone had swept up and forgotten to disperse.


My Review:
While this may be book number four in the series, it was my introduction to Miss Underhay as well as my first sojourn into the wry wit and smooth writing of Helena Dixon. It seems I’m slow on the uptake lately.  Each scene flowed like a well-cast episode of Masterpiece Theater. It was an easy, engaging, and light read that kept me interested as well as entertained throughout perusal.  The storylines and writing were well contrived, shrewdly paced, and laced with amusing observations and humorous descriptions of the cast of idiosyncratic and oddly intriguing characters.  

And it has been a good while since I scored an addition to my Brit Words and Phrases list and I found two new ones tucked into their dialogues with walking out – an old fashioned term for courting or dating; and nine days’ wonder – a hot topic for a short duration, what we currently would say is trending on social media.  Although what might have held an enduring interest for nine days then, might last all of nine minutes now due to our vastly diminished attention spans.

I have read three of the four Kitty Underhay novels and enjoyed them all.   It was really great to see Kitty's personal story move along. This is a fascinating thread involving her relationships with her grandmother (who owns the hotel they both live in) and Matt ( PI, her friend and love interest).. 

When it comes to the murder mystery it is evident that things are just not what they seem. And the more Kitty and Matt dig, the more complicated it gets.The motivation behind the murder was intriguing indeed.

Once again the characters are thoughtfully written. Some are highly likeable while others are quite the opposite, I really struggled to have sympathy for the victims and yet, in the end.... Well done Helena! 

I will be keeping and eye out for the next in this very engaging #cozymurdermystery series. Quite wait to see just what Kitty and Matt get up to next time.

With thanks to #NetGalley, Bookouture  and the author for my free advanced reader copy to review in exchange for an honest opinion

This was a great addition to this series! While the mystery itself is intriguing, I was most impressed by how Dixon wove in the larger story of Kitty's missing mother. It's very compelling and I can't wait to read the next edition!

Kitty Underhay’s dance card is full… of death! I love this tagline and this story, which is another great addition to the Kitty Underlay series. This is such a super fun series to read and just keeps getting better as each book is released. Murder on the Dance Floor is the 4th instalment and whilst it can be read as a standalone, I do recommend you reading them in order.

Once again it was so great to catch up with Kitty and co and be transported back to 1933 for a few hours. This time around we see Kitty become embroiled in another murder investigation when the local councillor drops dead while attending the annual Hoteliers’ Association Dinner and Dance. The murder weapon…cyanide…

The plot has been well researched and put together and Helena Dixon gives the reader another great mystery to solve and a host of suspects to second guess. The story also continues to focus on the disappearance of Kitty’s mother and we are given more information in this book as new information comes to hand.

I just adore Kitty and she just makes this series come to life so vividly. Helena Dixon has done a superb job with her and she is just a delight to read. The chemistry between her and Matt continues to grow and they work so well together. I look forward to seeing more developments in their burgeoning relationship in the next instalment.

If you are looking for a new cozy mystery series, then look no further. With great storylines, a cast of fun characters, mysteries to solve, that all are told through beautifully written words, you just can’t go wrong with this one. It was a pleasure to read and review Murder on the Dance Floor which I highly recommend.

Thank you to Helena Dixon, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Murder on the Dance Floor, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

4.5 stars

This is the fourth book in the A Miss Underhay mystery series by Helena Dixon.

This book reads like it is set in the twentieth century. My meaning by that is that it is a very easy book to navigate and get through. Sometimes historicals set in this century are hard to muddle through. There are the normal 30’s aspects of the text that bring you into the setting that surprise you and make you read on.

Kitty Underhay and Captain Matt Bryant are drawn into a mystery while at a dinner party when the host is poisoned with cyanide. They leap to action and discover a controversy at the local level of government.

This is definitely a fun historical mystery to follow. I always enjoy seeing what Miss Underhay is up to today. 

If you love a good historical cozy mystery, definitely check this one out.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.