The characters range from Irene Ingram, a very capable acting-editor for the town paper facing the men challenging her leadership, her best friend Peggy Reardon encouraging her, her fiance's father is the police chief and genuinly likes her, and her mother's boarder Katherine Morningside who looks like a movie star and works in the factory. The townspeople and main characters were all believeable and well drawn. I felt the character of the town with its good folks and prejudice ones. I loved how the era was brought to life with loved ones off fighting the war, rationing begining, and victory gardens etc.

The mystery got hold of me and the plot and pacing had me eager to read. The climatic killer reveal was dramatic and tense just as I love it. This new series has me hooked and I highly recommend to fans of historical mysteries. A great addition to the historical cozy genre that I am eager to read the next in the series.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

Front Page Murder, the first book in Joyce St. Anthony’s Homefront News Mystery series, is a pleasant debut. I’m usually iffy on historical cozies, but this one held my attention from beginning to end. This series shows a lot of potential.

Reporter Irene Ingram is thrust into the role of editor-in-chief at the Progress (PA) Herald when her father goes off to the war (World War II). There is more than a bit of resentment from her male coworkers, but Irene handles it professionally. When Moe Bauer, a reporter on the trail of a mysterious “big story,” fails to check in with the paper, Irene goes to his home and finds him deceased at the foot of his staircase. The police deem it an accident, but when Irene finds a note on her desk indicating it may not be, her reporter instincts kick into gear, and she is quickly on the trail of a killer.

There is a lot of mystery connected to this story: the main mystery of Moe’s murder; a mysterious subplot at the local factory; crimes against Jewish workers; and the mystery of Irene’s boarder Katherine Morningside’s past. Each of these mysteries are solid, but what’s impressive is the way they all coalesce into a complete story. The connection builds throughout the book until the exciting climax. While there are a couple of hot button topics (women’s role in the workplace, mistreatment of local Jewish proprietors), they are handled nicely and do not appear overly preachy.

The characters, too, are well-rounded, distinct, and likeable. Irene is smart, dedicated, and determined. Her best friend, Peggy, serves as the perfect “Watson” to Irene’s “Holmes.” Katherine is multi-faceted with a secret that propels the story forward, while Sylvia adds some comic relief to an intense plot. Sam Markowitz’s story is quite touching. There is a significant amount of growth for all the characters, but especially Irene.

The intricate plotline, likeable characters, and hometown feel make Front Page Murder an enjoyable, entertaining read. If you like historical cozies – or even if you don’t -- give Front Page Murder a try. I will be looking forward to the next book in the series.

Note: I received an ARC of Front Page Murder from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. The above is my honest review.

Twenty-two year old Irene is taking over her father's newspaper business while he is reporting from the warfront in this 1942 historical cozy murder mystery set in and around Butler and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When one of Irene's reporters is found dead, she breaks a lot of rules and crosses a lot of lines to investigate his death, without involving her father-in-law-to-be who is the police chief. St. Anthony writes a good story that with appeal to readers who like strong female characters who manage day-to-day life while the men are serving in the military and reporting from the front lines.

This historical is so unique! I've read a lot of WWII novels, but this one is set in Pennsylvania and is really a historical cozy mystery. It's got a strong female protagonist who is running the local paper, and it effortlessly blends mystery with historical facts.

My mother and father were both adults during World War II (my dad served in Europe), so I grew up on their memories and old movies, plus I loved the wonderful series REMEMBER WENN, a comedy-drama set at a radio station just as the war was breaking out in Europe, so naturally I gravitated toward this story! Irene Ingram is running her father's small-town newspaper after he joins up, juggling assignments and occasionally discontented employees unhappy that she doesn't run the business like her dad did. Then one of her best reporters tells her he's following a hot lead--but he's soon found dead at the foot of a flight of stairs. Even worse, the perverse prejudice rampant in Europe had invaded the small town: the local Jewish grocer has been attacked with hateful graffiti painted on his store. As the days progress, Irene realizes Moe's death was no accident.

This book features a cast of strong women, which I enjoyed, but the book also seemed preachy to me, like the subplot about Irene's younger sister who's a math whiz (even though "girls aren't supposed to be good at math") and a talented artist; it seems to go a bit overboard on the "girl power" undertone. Even with the references to the war, Forties fashion, radio programs, etc., I never quite totally believed this was set in the 1940s.

I'm willing to give any sequel a chance, though!

Front Page Murder
By Joyce St. Anthony
Crooked Lane Books, 8 March 2022


In this World War II-era historical mystery series debut by Joyce St. Anthony, small-town editor Irene Ingram has a nose for news and an eye for clues.

I’ve recently discovered that cozy mysteries are not my favorite genre, but I loved this WWII era mystery by Joyce St. Anthony.

Irene Ingram is in charge of the local newspaper in her hometown of Progress, Pennsylvania. Her father was the editor until the advent of war, when he left to be a war correspondent. Not everyone is happy working for a woman, but Irene can hold her own in the newsroom.

When her crime reporter becomes a murder victim, Irene adds detective to her repertoire of skills and starts her own investigation. How does the murder correlate to the vandalism of a Jewish-owned store? Everyone is not as the appear in this entertaining journey back to 1940s war-time America. I highly recommend this book and I look forward to the next installment in this new series.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Irene has capably taken over running the town paper when her dad enters WWII as a war correspondent. She bunks with her little sister so their mom can take on a boarder as the town's population swells when the local metalworks plants turns to war production. Progress, PA represents many small towns in America doing their part at this time. Turns out the home front is fraught with danger too, as one of Irene's annoying but good reporters goes missing and is later found dead. Irene's discovery leads the police to motives for murder. I liked Irene. Dare I say she is spunky, when faced with coworkers who doubt her ability because she is a young woman.

Irene is a very worthy protagonist and her character is what initially drew me in. Irene is running her dad’s newspaper while he’s deployed overseas as a war correspondent. The current staff (with a couple of exceptions) begrudge her youth and the fact that she’s a woman, and give her a hard time. Not only does Irene have to deal with the sexist attitude of most of her staff, she also has to manage wartime rationing, soothe her old-fashioned mother, and worry about her fiancé who has been drafted and about to be deployed. What’s a girl to do? Solve a murder mystery, of course!

I found Irene to be very competent and level-headed. She doesn’t race head-long into danger like many other cozy mystery sleuths, but she does have a natural curiosity (she is a reporter, after all!) to dig for the truth, especially when it concerns the people around her. I can almost feel her frustrations as she navigates her place in “a man’s world” and she is more than capable to take care of herself.

Set in Progress, Pennsylvania, Irene is surrounded by a very interesting cast of characters that include Irene’s best friend, Peggy, the all-male staff of the Progress Herald, the town gossip Ava Dempsey, and Irene’s future father-in-law Police Chief Walter Turner. I found the townspeople varied in age, personality and attitude and it made for a very interesting setting, plus I think it reflected a time when lots of things were changing, including women’s roles in society.

A cozy mystery full of serious themes
Along with the mysterious, glamorous new boarder that Irene’s mother has welcomed into their home, Irene must solve the mystery of the death of one of her own reporters. I found both mysteries moved along nicely, but they almost fell to the background of some heavier subjects that were brought up throughout the book.

First, there’s the backdrop of war. World War II is absolutely pervasive throughout the book, as it should be. The town (and the nation) have started rationing things like gas and sugar. There’s a huge factory in town (central to the mystery) that manufactures parts for the war. And both Peggy’s father, Pete, and her fiancé, Bill, are involved in the war effort.

Then, there’s the women’s movement. Because of the war, many women left housekeeping behind and, for the first time, took on men’s jobs, like manufacturing. There are a wide range of attitudes to this, from the women who want to work and earn a decent wage, to the people that don’t think women belong in factories and that this whole ‘equality’ movement is just ‘temporary’. The sexism is rampant, and I felt so much sympathy for the women who fought so hard just to be able to do the same jobs as their male counterparts.

And then there’s the storyline with the Jewish store-owner Sam. This is a pretty heavy arc in the book that involves a couple of the town’s Jewish members and how they may be targeted because of the war. The Japanese internment camps in the US are also mentioned.

An interesting part of the book was that each chapter started off with a newspaper headline (from the Progress Herald) that was about the war so it gave the reader a good timeline of what was happening in the world at that time.

Whew! Like, I said, there is a LOT going on in this first book and it was quite serious, although the murder and mystery solving still made it a traditional cozy that was quite enjoyable. I think it’s a great set up for a series and I’m looking forward to reading more of Irene. Her position as a journalist/editor-in-chief and her link to the Police Chief makes it easy for her to get involved and I’m interested in seeing what her next adventure will be.

*** Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, for providing me with an e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

We are introduced to a spunky new leading lady in this World War II-era based series. This is a solid start to a series with different segments, each with apparently separate storylines in the beginning.

This small town has all the required characteristics to cause unrest, with unknown people moving in to work in the local factories, especially women since the war has claimed many of the eligible men for its own. In the midst of these changes, Irene has been handed the reins of her father’s newspaper. Her being a woman is uncomfortable for those she is supposed to be the boss of. This is the first plotline, the other is Irene’s family life- with her mother and sister as the central figures. The final part is the mystery itself. There seem to be Nazi Sympathesizers amidst the townsfolk making it hard for the few Jewish residents. This as well as a death or two which are probably unrelated has the newspaper office buzzing.

My rating for the book only means that I mean to wait and watch for the next in the series. I found it easy to read, and finished it in two sittings or so. I only found the introductions of the people of the story a little too heavy-handed, instead of being shown, we were told about certain things (which I have seen sometimes in this genre). This will not be an issue in the next book, because we would already know most of the people! I am looking forward to the next because this is an intriguing setup with a lot of hurdles for regular citizens. The people are all very different and the voices and behaviours stand out as individuals making it worth the reading experience.

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

This book is a delight to read! Irene, the main character, is a newspaper editor because her father left the family business to become a war correspondent leaving her in charge. She has to deal not only with the preconceived idea that women were not fit to run a business much less to be working outside of a home and at the same time try to gain respect for her actions proving she is much more than just a beautiful face. She ends up unraveling a conspiracy in her town that led to the death of quite a few people. In an effort to balance the expenses account at her home she and her mother rent a room to a woman who swears she knows and sings with Frank Sinatra! Very good review of times past with consistent use of real facts. The writing style of Joyce St. Anthony reminded me of a good friend telling me a story!

An EXCELLENT debut to a new cozy series! First off, as someone who loves WW2 era stories, this is right up my alley, and the mystery is excellent. I really liked the characters introduced in the story and I look forward to seeing them in future books. Book 2 can't come soon enough for me.

I received this book through NetGalley and was not required to post a positive review. All thoughts are my own.

This is the WWII cozy mystery I have been waiting for! The main character was savvy, the writing flowed smoothly and the story kept me reading until the very end. I loved the newspaper headlines at the beginning of every chapter that helped me understand where we were in context to the war. This allowed the story to focus on what was happening at home: women working in factories but still being treated as the weaker sex, all while having to still tend to the home and budgeting for essentials. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction and strong female characters.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

When her father enters the war effort as a news correspondent Irene Ingram takes over the editor’s duties at his newspaper, The Progress Herald. The men at the paper are not pleased with the decision but she thinks she can bring them around. All their attention is diverted when one of their own goes missing and then later is found dead of an apparent accident. Irene isn’t buying the police chief’s determination. Moe was following a “big story” but failed to give Irene any details. There are also terrifying things happening around town including the owner of Markowicz Hardware being threatened. Could that be part of Moe’s big story? Irene is determined to find out while reporting on local events. She has found the perfect Watson to her Sherlock too, her father’s, now her secretary and best friend Peggy. They plan to get the scoop and write the killer write into a corner.

I really like the strong woman characters the author has created for this series. During World War II women filled in many jobs as the men went off to war from newspapers to the factories and more. Women were proving they could do jobs as well as men. Irene is a strong confident woman and she has to be to run a newspaper especially when another family member feels they should have been named editor. She is also worrying about her fiancee, a police officer before the war is training and waiting to be deployed.

Peggy is a strong woman too although she is in a more traditional job for her gender. She is always ready to help Irene in any way she can.

Irene interviews women working in a local factory and gets to know one pretty well when she starts boarding with Irene, her mother, and her sister. Irene’s mother has a traditional point of view as well believing all women will gladly return to homemaking after the war. While her thinking isn’t progressive she is strong in her own right keeping a roof over her family’s head and food for them to eat while worrying about her husband and not knowing where he is.

These strong women are surrounded by a variety of characters. Town residents, shopkeepers, factory workers, and managers. All the characters are well written and well developed for the first book in a series. The author has left plenty of room for growth as the series continues.

Ms. St. Anthony blends history and disturbing efforts by some radical groups as the backdrop for a rich mystery. I can tell she did her research by the clear picture she gives readers of what it was like being at home while the war was raging abroad. She weaves together a compelling story with twists and surprises. Irene was like a dog with a bone in her quest for answers. I was completely entertained by her process and fearless attitude even when she found herself in dangerous situations. I really enjoyed that each chapter started with a newspaper headline from The Progress Herald to keep the focus on the theme and the times.

Front Page Murder has set this series off on a fine start. Well-plotted and written with wonderful characters. A good fictional picture of a small town during wartime. I am looking forward to this series continuing with Death on a Deadline where the town of Progress continues to support the war effort.

A small town in America during the second world war and Irene has taken over from her father who now works as a
war correspondent. Her appointment does not go down well with many, who still feel that this taking over of men's jobs
is a temporary feature and one which will have to be handed back to the men when they return Her own mother refuses
to acknowledge her daughter's contribution as editor of the local paper and painstakingly likes to indicate that
what Irene is doing is not quite right.

When one of her correspondents (not the most popular bloke in the office) is found dead in his apartment, and when
the local head of police is calling it an accident when everything points to it being very suspicious, Irene starts on
her own to investigate the so called accident and stumbles upon several clues which point in just the direction of
upto now undiscovered spies in the local company providing employment to many and supplying the American war effort.
When Jews are targetted and the Police are still uninvolved, Irene steps up her detection to get to the bottom of
it.

The characters were just right from Irene who was steady and Peggy who supported her throughout, to the mother as well
as the other unsavory characters as well.

It is the first of a series and should do well in a series.

I think this is the interesting start of a new cozy series. I enjoyed the setting and the fleshed out characters. Iren is a clever and strong willed woman and I loved her.
The mystery is solid and kept me guessing.
Can't wait to read the next story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Mini Review: This was an interesting Historical Mystery, with a good lead character! I would definitely recommend Front Page Murder to anyone who loves reading historical mysteries!

I received an e-ARC from the publisher.

I love reading series books, especially mysteries and so thankful to Netgalley and Crooked Lane press for the ARC of Joyce St. Anthony’s series debut, Front Page Murder. This WWII era mystery features Irene Ingram. Irene has taken over as editor of her father’s newspaper, the Progress Herald, while her father serves the army as a correspondent. Irene is managing well despite the grumblings from the guys in the office, but then one of her reporters, Moe Bauer, ends up dead. The more Irene digs the more she believes that this wasn’t an accident.

A great small town mystery that had me transported (excellent side characters as well) and kept me guessing. I so enjoy stories that take place on the homefront during WWII. The details of what life was like are fascinating. I’m looking forward to reading book 2!

#netgalley #crookedlanepress #joycestanthony #frontpagemurder #ahomefrontnewsmystery #bookstagram #booksofinstragram #historicalmystery #fivestarread

Progress, 1942 Irene Ingram, now Editor in Chief of the Progress Herald, investigates the crime against Jewish store owner Sam Markowicz. Then a Jewish janitor at the local Tabor Ironworks is attacked. Meanwhile one of her reporters is discovered dead. Not agreeing with the police that it was an accident she investigates.
An entertaining cozy historical mystery, well-written with some likeable characters. A good start to this new series
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Front Page Murder by Joyce St. Anthony is the debut of A Homefront News Mystery series. Irene Ingram has been appointed as the editor-in-chief of the Progress Herald by her father while he is away doing his bit for the war. This change does not sit well with some of the men at the paper, but Irene has been preparing for this since she was a child. When reporter, Moe Bauer goes MIA, Irene stops by his house to check on him. She finds the door open and Moe dead at the bottom of his cellar steps. Police Chief Walt Turner tells her the coroner has ruled Moe’s death an accident, but Irene has her doubts. She found a note to her in Moe’s desk hidden in a book. In Moe’s note, he stated that he was working on a story at the time of his death that was hot and, if he ended up dead, then he got too close and it got him killed. Irene wants to know what Moe was working on and sets out to get answers. Front Page Murder is well-written with a developed main character. I like the plucky Irene Ingram. She is smart, headstrong, determined, and she can handle herself. There is a cast of secondary characters that include her best friend and secretary, Peggy Reardon, Irene’s sister and mother, and the local police chief who will be her father-in-law someday. I thought the author captured the time period very well. I can tell she did her research. I like how she incorporated victory gardens and scrap metal drives into the story as well as the latest war news. I thought the language and attitudes suited the era as well. Men not liking women working or in charge is evident. Discrimination against Jews is in the story. The mystery was interesting. Irene dived into the case. She searched for clues and asked questions around town. She does get assistance from Katherine, a woman boarding with the Ingram’s. There are several suspects in the case, but I felt one stood out. Irene is on the beam and the killer must eliminate her before he takes a powder. The mystery is wrapped up and almost all our questions are answered. I like that the book ends on a happy note. I did feel the pacing was a little slow at times. We follow Irene as she goes about her day-to-day activities (working at the paper, writing articles, dinner with family, etc.). I loved that the author had Irene getting lunch at Woolworth’s (I loved eating there too). There is humor sprinkled throughout the story. Front Page Murder is a swell historical cozy mystery that is a great start to A Homefront News Mysteries. Front Page Murder is a killer diller with a moxie maven, a dishy dame, a cheesy chap, a cockeyed clue, a dead dude who had the dope, an eager beaver sibling, and a crumb killer.

Front Page Murder is the first book in the A Homefront News Mystery series by Joyce St. Anthony.

It’s months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and Paul Ingram has applied to War Department to be a war correspondent. Shortly before leaving on assignment, he turns the operation of the family newspaper, the Progress Hearld, over to his daughter, Irene, making her editor in chief. Some of the men at the paper are not happy with Paul's decision, but Irene vows to prove them wrong.

Irene learns from the town gossip, Ava, that the Markowicz Hardware across the street was reportedly robbed. Irene assigns Moses(Moe) Bauer to check this out and write up a story for the paper's next issue. Moe was always saying he was working on the next big story, but two days later, when no one had heard from Moe, Irene decided to head to Moe’s to see what he was up. When she arrives, she finds the front door open, and when Irene gets no response when calling out, she enters the home. When Irene looks down the basement stairs, she sees the lifeless body of Moe at the bottom of the stairs. Chief Turner and the coroner rule that Moe’s death was an accident. Later, Irene will find a note in a book in Moe’s desk that says he ends up dead, and it’s not an accident.

Being short a reporter is keeping Irene busy. She wants to find the killer of Moe but needs to report on possible sabotage at the Tabor Ironworks in Progress. Tabor Ironworks has recently hired more people to handle the increased production of nuts, bolts, and rivets for the war effort. Katherine, one of these new hires, lives in Irene’s mother’s home. Irene has moved into her adorable sister Lily’s bedroom so Katherine can have her room. Irene would like to ask Katherine about events at Tabor, but she feels Katherine is hiding something. A janitor is beaten up by a fellow employee, injured when a machine fell on him, a fire occurred on the production line, and a member of management died. Irene hopes to discover who is responsible for these occurrences before any more lives are lost.

The book is well-written, plotted, and historically accurate. The characters are interesting, well-developed, and believable. I thought young Lily was particularly adorable, and I look forward to seeing more of her. The author provided news headlines at the beginning of each chapter which were very interesting. I got a chuckle out of a percolator for brewing coffee and obtaining lunch at the Woolworth’s lunch counter. I wonder how many readers will need to Google them.

I am anxiously awaiting the next book in this wonderful new series.