Set in May 1942 in a small town in Pennsylvania, Joyce St. Anthony's book Front Page Murder is an excellent portrayal of life on the home front in the months following the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese that brought the United States into World War II. The main character, Irene Ingram, has taken over as Editor-In-Chief of the newspaper owned by her father who has signed up to be a foreign correspondent attached to the troops while her fiance has recently enlisted. As the story unfolds, there are several incidents involving anti-semitic actions against some of the townspeople as well as the death of one of the local reporters.
I was hooked from the beginning of this book as the author did an outstanding job of detailing the hardships and sacrifices that people went through during this time in history and has created a cast of very believable characters and situations including the transition of women into the workplace and the difficulties created by men now having to report to a female boss in the case of the newspaper.

I look forward to seeing where the author takes this series and its characters in the future.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for a fair and honest review.

"Front Page Murder" is a mystery set in 1942 in America. Irene's been left in charge of her father's newspaper business, and she knows how to do the job. However, the male employees don't like the change, so part of the story was how she handled them and others who questioned her right to the position. Historical details about the war, rationing, scrap drives, and such were woven into the story as events that her paper reported on. These details provided a distinct feel of the times.

In addition to reporting the news, Irene investigated what Moe's big story was about and uncovered a plot. She kept asking questions and looking around until she found the truth. At the end, though, she's "oh, I can't believe I didn't see it soon...that person is the leader!" and I'm going, "Um, all the clues actually point toward Whodunit." I was right. But, hey, this was her first stab at detective work.

There was no sex. There was occasional use of bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this historical mystery.

I was given a free e-copy of this novel by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
Irene Ingram has written for her father’s newspaper, the Progress Herald, ever since she could grasp a pencil. Now she’s editor in chief, which doesn’t sit well with the men in the newsroom. But proving her journalistic bona fides is the least of Irene’s worries when crime reporter Moe Bauer, on the heels of a hot tip, turns up dead at the foot of his cellar stairs.

An accident? That’s what Police Chief Walt Turner thinks, and Irene is inclined to agree until she finds the note Moe discreetly left on her desk. He was on to a big story, he wrote. The robbery she’d assigned him to cover at Markowicz Hardware turned out to be something far more devious. A Jewish store owner in a small, provincial town, Sam Markowicz received a terrifying message from a stranger. Moe suspected that Sam is being threatened not only for who he is…but for what he knows.

Tenacious Irene senses there’s more to the Markowicz story, which she is all but certain led to Moe’s murder. When she’s not filling up column inches with the usual small-town fare—locals in uniform, victory gardens, and scrap drives—she and her best friend, scrappy secretary Peggy Reardon, search for clues. If they can find the killer, it’ll be a scoop to stop the presses. But if they can’t, Irene and Peggy may face an all-too-literal deadline. (Goodreads synopsis)

I have never read anything by Joyce St. Anthony, but I really liked this novel. It reminded me of the Peggy Carter Agent of Shield television series, but less espionage. Irene is another strong woman in a “man’s” job with a couple of her colleagues being disgruntled that she is the boss. It’s so much worse than what women today endure but the remarks are ones that I have heard before. What was interesting was hearing those same remarks from her own mother, despite the father’s wishes. I felt this made the characters more real, personable, for the reader to understand.

I like that each chapter was accompanied with a news headline, and how the war across the ocean still affected North America. The historical pieces helped the narrative flow, but also connected to the mystery. Many individuals aren’t aware that there were some who sympathized with the Nazis living here in the states at the time. Everyone assumed they were only across the way. It is also some beliefs that Roosevelt segregated the wrong ethnicity (Japanese) at the time.

Overall I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars, and will follow Joyce St. Anthony for more about Irene and company.

I wanted to love this one because I love WWII fiction and mysteries. But while I did enjoy this one I didn't love it. I loved the mystery aspect and the time period and setting but the heroine was just one of those girls that got on our nerves a bit.

Irene is publishing her father's paper and is the editor now. Some of the men don't like having her in charge but she won't back down. She sends Moe out on a story but he never made it there. After a few days go by, she goes to his house to find him. She does but he's dead at the bottom of the basement stairs...
Crooked Lane Books and Net Galley let me read this book for review (thank you). It will be published March 08, 2022.

The police chief thinks he fell. She is sure he was pushed. She looks to see what he was trying to find a story on. It has to do with a factory in town and the Germans that speak perfect English but have evil plans.

It takes some time until she begins to see how things are going and she ends up with the wrong answer first. Will she find the right answer in time?

Front Page Murder by Joyce St. Anthony is sort of like World War story meets Nancy Drew but in 1940s small town America.

Our MC is actually the editor of a local newspaper but she's also a journalist, which meant ✨investigations ✨ That is what gave me old school Nancy Drew vibes and I loved every minute of it.

This world is so well set up, the story of people who didn't go to war but were left back home. A time when women worked in men's roles because they themselves were off to war. When women finally proved they were as good as men at literally any job.

Our MC, Irene, is the youngest editor the paper has seen and a girl on top of that. Fighting the big and small jabs of patriarchy everyday, she's out to solve the mystery behind the death of a co-worker and anti-semitic attacks in her small town.

The characters are great, with as different mindsets as you'd expect from the people in that time, ranging from conservative to liberal.

The mystery is well set up and has, I feel, a satisfying conclusion. I won't lie, it's a bit predictable, but all the more fun for it!

It rarely happens that I read an ARC as soon as I get it but I absolutely couldn't resist this one!

An entertaining "cozy" mystery set during the onset of WWII in a small town near Pittsburgh, PA.

Irene is 22 and the temporary editor of the town's newspaper while her editor father works overseas as a foreign war correspondent. While the murder mystery (including spies) and sabotage) is fine in itself, I thoroughly enjoyed the other topics that were covered: a woman's place in the workforce, lifestyle changes on the home front during wartime, victory gardens, rationing, blackouts.

It was an easy read.

Poignant Historical Detail..
A Homefront News mystery, featuring editor of a small town paper, Irene Ingram. When the crime reporter turns up dead and the chief of police marks it down to an accident, Irene knows that there is much more to the matter than meets the eye. Engaging and entertaining with a likeable and feisty protagonist, much atmosphere and packed with pertinent and often poignant historical detail. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Irene Ingram is in her early twenties, she's engaged to the son of the police chief and works for her father doing household and fashion columns for her father's newspaper when the United States enters World War II. Suddenly her fiancé, Bill, and her father, Pete, are gone and Irene is left in charge. In a time where women were seen as "the weaker sex," Irene is one of many women proving that there's nothing weak about them!

Irene is dealing with many issues as she takes on her new role at the newspaper office, most importantly one of her reporters, Moe, goes missing and turns up dead at the bottom of his basement stairs. When cleaning out Moe's desk Irene finds a note he's left for Irene telling her if he turns up dead it was no accident. But what might have happened to him? Irene tries to hunt down clues but everything she learns just leads to more confusion and she doesn't know who she can trust. Another of the many changes in Irene's life is giving up her bedroom to make room for a boarder, Katherine Morningside. Katherine is glamorous and mysterious and leaves Irene wondering about her background and how she connects to the odd things that are happening in Progress, Pennsylvania.

At the beginning of the story, Irene hears a lot of "aren't you awfully young to be a newspaper editor?" But by the end of the story her authority is no longer in question. It's fun to see her grow into her new role and earn the respect of people in Progress. I loved the emphasis on the strength of the women who were faced with a completely different life than they'd ever dreamed of and met the challenge with grace and enthusiasm. We also get to see tidbits of life during that time, people taking in boarders who've come to work in the factories, towns building community victory gardens, and the people banding together to do anything they can to help win the war. It was a simpler time where people were less self-centered and more willing to help others and contribute to things that didn't directly benefit them. People were willing to make sacrifices and they were grateful for what they had.

I really enjoy anything that takes place during this time, books or movies, and I thought this book perfectly captured the things I find most interesting about the time. I look forward to continuing this series!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

Delightful read as we moved across the country and it was very good read in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep. I enjoyed the story and characters, well written and enjoyable.

Front Page Murder is the first in Joyce St. Anthony's Homefront News series. It is World War II and the men are mainly overseas so Irene Ingram is now the Editor in Chief of her family owned newspaper while her Dad serves. When one of her crime reporters is found dead in his home, the police think it is an accident but Irene doesn't think so. Moe wasn't the most reliable employee but he had a nose for news and if he said he was onto a story, she believes him. It is up to her to get to the bottom of it, But what she discovers at one of the big companies in town, leads her into danger, I really enjoyed this book once I got into it. I think fans of Peg Cochran's Murder, She Reported series or Vicki Delaney's Catskill Summer Resort Mysteries would definitely enjoy this series! I'm looking forward to thee next book. Thank you to #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of #FrontPageMurder.

I received this book for free for an honest review from netgalley #netgalley

Such a unique and captivating cozy unlike anything I've read before and I read a lot of cozies. The main character was very spunky and smart.

Front Page Murder by Joyce St. Anthony is set in a small town in Pennsylvania in 1942. Ms. St. Anthony brought the time period and the community to vivid life throughout the story.

Irene is now editor in chief of the small town newspaper since her father went to cover World War II. I liked Irene as she is determined to do everything she can to make her father proud. Times are changing and women are in the work force now as the men have gone to fight in the war. The societal norms of a woman's place have become more fluid which, by many men, is not welcome. The mystery highlights these changes as well as the anti-Semitic attitude of some of the radical groups at that time. The plot is smoothly paced with a few highly suspicious characters and a few twists that kept me intrigued as to who may have committed murder and why it was done.

👩 Irene Ingram has written for her father’s newspaper since she was a kid. When he decides to go to war after Pearl Harbor was attacked - with Irene's sweetheart - he leaves her in charge as editor of his newspaper. But proving her journalistic bona fides is the least of Irene’s worries when crime reporter Moe Bauer, on the heels of a hot tip, turns up dead at the foot of his cellar stairs.⁠
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❤️ I liked:⁠
⁠👩 Irene. She's a young and strong woman, trying to make it in a world dominated by men. Her father gave her the position of editor of the Progress Herald before leaving for war, and she is desperate not to let him down. She's a great writer and she's got a good nose for news, but she questions whether some of the topics are too touchy or private to be told on the paper. For this, I really admire her character.⁠
✍️ Journalism. I've always thought I should have been born years ago when journalists had to run after the news. This world has always fascinated me, and I would love to go back in time to witness it. I also loved the fact that each chapter begins with a WW2 headline: very interesting and informative.⁠
🔍 The mystery. It's well-plotted, and it touches some really important subjects, very pertinent to WW2, and to war in general.⁠
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⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 It's a lovely cosy mystery, the perfect start of a new series. Looking forward to reading the next stories. Thanks to #netgalley and #CrookedLaneBooks for the ARC.

Front Page Murder by Joyce St Anthony tells a story of Irene Ingram, a reporter at her father's company along with her colleagues Lily and Moe. Moe went to find any news to be published in the newspaper. It has been a few days but he didn't show up for work to publish any news. Other than that, her colleagues camera went missing. When Irene went to see Moe, he was found dead. Who could have murdered the reporter that was investigating an event? Could it be a jilted ex lover? Or Moe knew something too much about that needs to be told through a publishing company? Or was it just an accident.

Firstly, what got me attracted to the book was how beautifully illustrated it was. The story surrounds itself being in either WW1 or WW2 where men go to war and women await their husband, taking care of their children.

Secondly, i find the author describing its main character Irene Ingram as similar to Caroline Keene's Nancy Drew. She would go all the way, take risks to find out what happened to her colleague.

Thirdly, I liked how how briefly detailed the author wrote the book. After reading 10 chapters of the book, I can barely put it down.

Such a captivating book!
Perfect mystery, with enough murders to make it awesome plus a tinge of romance, ahh I am in love with this novel!!
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for a copy of this.

journalist, editor, law-enforcement, conspiracy, conflict, Pennsylvania, ww2, sabotage, small-town, family-business, family-dynamics, murder, murder-investigation, historical-novel, historical-research, history-and-culture, cozy-mystery*****

Six months into America's entrance into WW2, there is more than mischief afoot in a small factory town in Pennsylvania. Irene lives at home with her mother, younger sister, and a boarder while running the local newspaper owned and (normally) operated by her father who has become a war correspondent. She is also engaged to the son of the local police chief but he is away at war as well. Irene has an investigator's nose for trouble and she finds it when there are antisemitic markings and one of her journalists is found to have been murdered. Besides being a great historical cozy with a strong plot and realistic characters, we are given a good look at where women's rights and attitudes have come from. I loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Living in the small town where her father was editor in chief of the Progress Herald, Irene Ingram was always going to follow in his footsteps. Unfortunately the Second World War hastened her promotion as her Pop has volunteered to join the press corps. With her fiancé and local police officer, Bill also away serving his country Irene is glad to have lots to keep her busy and keep her worries at bay but things are about to turn nasty in Progress.

When the local hardware store is robbed in broad daylight Irene sends her slightly unreliable reporter, Moe Bauer to cover the story it is the last time she sees him alive. Convinced his death was more serious than the accident her future father-in-law and local police chief Walt Turner considers it to be, Irene convinces her best friend Peggy, who also works at the paper, to help her investigate. What they discover chills them to the bone and know they need to find compelling evidence to prevent more lives being lost. 

This is the first in the Homefront News mystery series and sets the scene well. I liked the way Irene was shown contending with world shattering events alongside the more mundane regular column inches about small-town living. The storyline began slowly and gradually became an all encompassing investigation for Irene, who I liked immediately. I hope any future books in this series are of similar quality, and I will definitely be on the lookout for the second installment.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. I enjoyed both the mystery and historical aspects of this entertaining read.

It is 1942, and Irene Ingram's father and sweetheart are off to prepare for war after Pearl Harbor was attacked. Irene's Pop left his newspaper. The Progress Herald in her hands as editor in Chief.. So begins A Home Front News Mystery, first in the series.
Tabor Ironworks, the largest company in Progress is helping the war effort by manufacturing nuts, bolts and rivets.Along with this comes an influx of new people into the town. Things begin happening and one of the newspapers reporters , investigating an occurrence has an accidental death...or is it?
Each Chapter begins with a WW2 headline which was very interesting and informative. I liked the town's endeavors to help do their part i.e. starting a Community Victory Garden..The main character, Irene us dealing . with the WW2 stereotype of women being in the workforce. She does a great job at breaking these stereotypes down. Irene is smart. brave and independent. I liked her alot.
Her younger sister Lily is an interesting and fun character.
I can wait for the next in the series to see how all is going.
Thanks so much to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read and review this book. Front Page Murder releases on March 8. 2022

The mystery in this book is rather transparent, but the real story showcases women's changing roles during WWII. Irene is filling in for her father as managing editor of their small town newspaper - battling men and women who were sure this was no job for a woman. While the book is not engrossing, it is an enjoyable read.