A departure from my usual genre, I was drawn in by the premise and the fact that it was based on a true story. Very well researched and generally engaging, but at times it felt like things go stuck in the weeds. There are readers who will love all these details; I hope this book finds its way to them!

Really cool and unique story. I loved that it was based on true history and learning about Edwardian England was such a treat. Historical crime at its finest!

This is a fascinating read based on a true story. Not only was this a gripping mystery but I also learned so much about English history as well. The writing was polished and I appreciated the imagery and that brought me back to Edwardian London.

So excited and surprised to read this. I love the historical detail and the Edwardian period is not something that I know much about, but I could picture it all so vividly. I hope this is a planned series because it was really set up with so much potential for sequels.

This title is a solid choice for any reader who enjoys historical crime fiction or police procedural. Based on a true story, it is believable, well written and entertaining. Niall Leonard consulted the history books and gives us a realistic portrayal of Scotland Yard's William Melville, regarded as MI-5's first spymaster. The treatment does feel a bit surface-level. Those readers looking for a deeper dive into personalities or motivations may wish for more. But Leonard does paint a clear, colorful picture of Edwardian London and fans of the time period will not be disappointed.

3.75 stars

An exciting, based-on-actual-events, historical mystery thriller. In early 20th century London, Scotland Yard Detective William Melville deals with danger -- protecting Queen Victoria from anarchists, Irish rebels and political assassins. When Victoria dies, his whole squad is on alert for the funeral which will draw every monarch in Europe and pose a threat to them all.

He learns in particular about a planned attack on Kaiser Wilhelm, German ruler and grandson of Victoria. At the new king's request he works with his German counterpart Gustav Steinhauer to avert any crimes and political disasters. This is basically a historical police procedural, but there's never a dull moment as the two men search out informants and seek some very bad men. And all of their efforts are made more difficult by British royal intrigue and the political infighting among the European monarchies.

A compelling read -- thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Based on a true story, the central character is William Melville, who would become England’s first chief of MI5.
The precipitating event is the death of Queen Victoria, and the mystery / thriller aspect revolves around the gathering of royals from across Europe for her funeral and an assassination plot by anarchists.Leonard deftly weaves the suspense with enough historical teasers to keep the reader engaged,and the final tease is a preview of the events leading to WW1.
A new author for me, and very enjoyable.

🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

M is for Marvelous!

⏰ 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫: William Melville, the now-deceased queen’s personal bodyguard, uncovers a nefarious plot to kill the Kaiser of Germany at the queen’s pending funeral. He teams with Gustav Steinhauer - his contemporary from Germany to unveil who is the assassin “Akushku” before the funeral proceeds…

💡𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: Any time an author writes in the England Edwardian era with duo detectives, indubitably Holmes & Watson enter the mind. This is like that if Holmes and Watson were constantly side-eyeing each other.

There’s nothing I relish more than historical fiction mystery and I immensely enjoyed a Google session on William Melville and Gustav Steinhauer - the events they were involved in (Melville was the original M!!) including thwarted plots, stopped anarchists, prevented assassinations, all in real life, so the author picked an amazing twosome to fictionalize. In the book there’s that duo-bond, but it’s tenuous and strained, and that adds to the suspense throughout.

The plot is engrossing, pulling the reader into a convoluted world of espionage where “who can I trust” is a minute to minute question. The villains, the pacing all make for an amazing read.

𝗔𝗹𝗹 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆𝗠𝗮𝗴𝘀.𝗰𝗼𝗺 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

📚𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: Historical Fiction Mystery

😍𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: Sherlocks and the Holmies! If you love the genre, this is a must-read!

🙅‍♀️ 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨: can’t think of a group that would dislike this unless the genre isn’t your ‘thang.

Thank you to the author, NetGalley and Knopf Publishing for my advanced copy in exchange for my always-honest review and for making me stay up WAY too late finishing this book!

I included this title as part what's new in suspense, mystery, and thrillers in the month of July. I promoted on Twitter, Facebook, & Instagram. https://www.bethfishreads.com/2021/07/22-mysteries-thrillers-suspense-novels.html

What a great mystery based on historical events! If you enjoy Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie, you will probably like this book. It is detailed, well-researched, and very suspenseful. We do not know the identity of the villain, which is how I like my mysteries. It moved at a quick pace and had plenty of twists and turns that were surprising, yet fit the plot of the book. I highly recommend this historical detective novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Melville is a special agent of Scotland Yard, and the bodyguard to Queen Victoria. When the Queen dies, the most important members of the European monarchies gather in London for her royal funerals. Melville's discovers that an anarchist named Akushku is planning to assassinate kaiser Wilhelm of Germany. Melville and the kaiser's bodyguard Steinhauer, try to prevent the assassination that is set to take place during the funeral.
The books has everything. Humour, historical events, political views, mistery and the always appealing Victorian London setting, with its magic and darkness. It's a beautiful picture of the ending of an era and the beginning of another. A very exciting spy novel/thriller. Would recommend it emphatically.

This is a wonderful historical political thriller set in London during the time immediately following Queen Victoria’s death. It follows two detectives as they try to stop an assassination attempt on Kaiser Wilhelm at Queen Victoria’s funeral.
I have always loved historical fiction and this was an excellent fictionalized account of a true event. A slow burn for the first two thirds, the last third hurtles towards the end. While focusing on the would-be assassin and the two detectives chasing him, Leonard does a great job of pulling the reader into the time-period without getting bogged down in details. When mentioning events or people, Leonard seamlessly inserts a quick summary that gives the reader enough context to understand why they are important without distracting from the story. I appreciated that Leonard did not shy away from the class struggles and politics of the time that motivated many of the characters’ actions. As a history lover and former political science major, this was a very interesting read! I loved looking up the real people and events this book is based on while reading it!

Okay. So I really, really, really enjoyed this one!! I am not sure exactly what I was expecting but this story kind of surprised me. I went into it blind (mostly because I forgot what it was about) and I definitely think that was the way to go.

This was a true story though it was presented as historical fiction. And I really loved learning about this bit of history through this account. I was not previously familiar with any of this and I think that helped. I deeply enjoyed this story and I would gladly read more about the two main men featured here.

I also really hope this ends up being a series?? There was a part at the end where Melville mentions that he and Steinhauer would always be friends but there was the possibility that someday they might be enemies too. And honestly I would read an entire series about Melville and Steinhauer. I loved their relationship in this book and I feel like I need to do more research about them immediately.

So overall, this was an incredibly well written, wonderfully compelling story. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this!! I would definitely love to revisit this again in the future! Highly recommend if you're looking for a good historical fiction thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pantheon for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to @netgalley for this e-ARC of M, King’s Bodyguard by Niall Leonard, out now!

Synopsis: Melville is the most feared policemen in Europe — not for force or scare tactics like other secret police but because he tracks down terrorists with instinct and attention to detail. When he learns of a plot that threatens the peace of Europe, he knows he must stop it at all costs. But who can he trust to help him? And will it even matter in the end? (TW: violence & descriptions of gore, racial slurs, anti-immigrant sentiment and insults, radicalization)

The entire time I was reading this, I had absolutely no idea this was based on a real person or a real plot. In retrospect, that actually makes me like the book more because I learned something new!

Firstly, kudos for writing about something other than World War II — I enjoyed it just for that reason alone. Overall, I think this was a well-done and meticulously researched historical fiction & crime novel. However, it just wasn’t for me. I was often a little… bored, which felt out of place considering the source material. The writing could also feel cluttered and chaotic, but only when the plot itself was mirroring that, so I was alright with that choice.

I also wanted to know more about Melville then I got, which is probably the way Melville would have wanted it. Like he’s Irish and working for the British Crown, even as he’s having flashbacks to Irish poverty and famine and everything else? That shit was wild and I need answers as to how he rationalized that decision.

I think the ending set the reader up for a sequel — that would still be based in historical truth — and I would probably read it, just to learn more and see what happened next in M’s life, as I do find him an intriguing character.

Let me know what you thought if you’ve read this one!

This one is definitely slow burn but in the last 1/3 of the book becomes a gripping tale. It shows a grim covert mission and the frustrating parts of bureaucracy. I liked that it featured historical undertones of anarchy and freedom of speech, while showing the stark differences between the working class and nobility. I kept trying to figure out what would happen in this twisty story, but I felt like the language was quite formal to transport us to that time and atmosphere. It kept me at arms length for some of it, as a result. Overall solid if you want to read something a bit different and based on a true story, but not the most gripping story in certain parts.

A Fictionalized Account of an Assassination Attempt in 1910 London

William Melville, Head of Special Branch, is tasked with keeping the royal family safe as well as catching anarchists and other criminals in London. William worked his way up to his position from his early years as a baker in Ireland. He has become not only the protector of the royal family but also their friend and confident.

Queen Victoria’s death is the signal for all the crowned heads of Europe to gather for her funeral. Among these is Kaiser Wilhelm II, Victoria’s favorite grandson. As the royals gather, Melville gets wind of an assassination plot. It is unclear who the intended victim is, but Melville suspects it may be the Kaiser. However, he also needs to stay aware of the danger to other royals, including the new king, Edward VII.

To keep the threat of assassination from becoming public knowledge Melville must work alone, but he enlists the help of a member of the German retinue, Gustav Steinhauer. He is very similar in temperament to Melville and the two men work together well to protect their monarchs.

I enjoyed this book particularly that it is based on actual historical events. Melville and Steinhauer are well drawn. The team works swiftly to identify the assassin and foil the plot. Although set in 1910, it’s an exciting spy thriller. The book also gives us a good picture of the era in Europe when the old order of royalty was being replaced. I thought the author did an excellent job with the historical background.

I received this book from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

William Melville worked within Scotland Yard, and had a special assignment protecting the Queen – very much like what we Americans would call the Secret Service. Upon the Queen’s death, his services transfer to her heir, the next King. While preparing for the royal funeral, Melville uncovers a plot to attack the Kaiser – the leader of Germany at the time – during the funeral procession.

He feels compelled to run down every lead to stop this act of terrorism, but has several obstacles. First of all, can he be sure his leads are even valid? He also has to balance the wishes of his boss at Scotland Yard with those of his real boss, the King. Lastly, the King is insistent that Melville works with the man in his position within the targeted Kaiser’s retinue – a man named Gustav Steinhauer – but Melville isn’t entirely sure that Steinhauer is trustworthy.

There are several women characters in the mix as well, and while they don’t feature as prominently as Melville or Steinhauer, they do prove to be pretty integral to the plot.

There are a few twists I didn’t love, but obviously… as the story is based on true events, I can’t very well blame the storyteller here. Sometimes real people are messy.

The story was fun, and fairly full of action. The fact that it was based on real events makes it even more intriguing.

M, King's Bodyguard is an exciting book based on a true story. This is my first book by Niall Leonard; if he keeps putting out work like this, I will definitely be reading more! While I was reading this book I was also looking up information on the internet that was discussed in this story. It made the history even more exciting.

In 1901 London, William Melville is Detective Chief Superintendent of Britain’s Special Branch, and also a bodyguard for Queen Victoria and her family. From a poor Irish lad to Detective Chief Superintendent, he has gotten where he is by fighting again the Fenians and other anarchists in both Britain and abroad. When Queen Victoria dies and Edward VII is crowned, Melville learns of a conspiracy that an anarchist by the name of Akushku plans to assassinate Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany at the funeral procession for Queen Victoria. With the help of Gustav Steinhauer, bodyguard to the Kaiser, William and his team work furiously to not only stop the assassination of the Kaiser, but also the probable beginning of a war.

This was a thrilling account of William Melville, who would eventually become Britain's first spymaster for the British Security Service, which will become known as MI5. As I read this story I could see it run like a movie through my mind; I was on the edge of my seat! Not only was Melville an important historical figure, but Steinhauer was also a real person. Melville had a keen mind and wasn't adverse to a bit of head thumping to achieve his goal of catching the would-be assassin Akushku. Steinhauer was quite intriguing...you never knew quite where he stood! I recognized other historical figures, such as Robert Anderson of Scotland Yard. I also enjoyed Angela Minetti, a young prostitute who wanted to help catch Akushku because of his treatment and use of her. If bloodshed bothers you, this story may be a bit much for you; however, let's face it, killing is a bloody terrible business. I was glued to the pages of this book, and I hope there will be more stories from Mr. Leonard regarding the first days of MI5.

I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are entirely my own.

Travel back to Edwardian London to experience personal and political scandal with the royal family!

M, King’s Bodyguard is a historical mystery based on true events. The “M” in this book’s title is William Melville, a fictionalized take on the real, high-level bodyguard to the royal family.

This is a plot-driven story, focusing on Queen Victoria’s imminent death, and Melville’s desperate race to protect Prince Albert, soon to be crowned King Edward VII, from a well-planned assassination attempt.

I was immersed in the atmosphere of the era. Niall Leonard does an excellent job of breathing life into this story of royalty and political intrigue.

This book reads like a historical fiction police procedural.

It was fascinating to learn about this slice of history where Queen Victoria has died and anarchists skulk around the streets of London. An added benefit is that this is based on a true story.

The character of William Melville is someone you want as a friend and bodyguard.

This action packed, fact filled mystery will entertain readers who enjoy historical fiction tales.