An Intricate Plot…
The eighth in the Museum Mystery series finds Wilson and Fenton called out to a mysterious death of a curator in a case where reputation being sullied seems more important than the truth. Perfectly woven threads, a good sense of time and place and a well crafted cast of characters populate an intricate plot with a solid mystery at heart. A worthy addition to the series.

I had not read any of the others in this series, so it was my first time meeting Mr and Mrs Wilson, the Museum Detectives, who in this book are hired by Queen Victoria to investigate a murder at the V&A, as The Queen desperately wants to avoid her husband Albert's name being associated with sordid stories which would make their way to the newspapers. The body is one of the Museum's curators and the mysteries unfold as the book goes on in a gentle cosy crime. It would definitely be recommended to read the first books in the series before this, as I'm sure I missed picked up on some elements and nuances in this book, but overall an enjoyable and easy read.

First I must say I love the cover. It is dark and eerie, hazy and so right for the time period. Now onto the story.

Historical fiction, 1899, Queen Victoria and of course a dead body.. And so the mystery begins. And one that will keep you reading until the final pages.

I didn't know this was a series when I requested it but I feel I read this one without knowing the past stories and found I kept with it quite fine. I love the characters and the setting which is perfect for this type of story. It was easy to read yet kept me thinking and wondering which I do love from a good book.

I really enjoyed this book, found it very entertaining and I can't wait to dig up some of the previous books in this series to see where it all began.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Yet again Jim Eldridge has created a brilliant example of storytelling weaving history with fiction.

I have read the other Museum Detective books and it was great to return to the lives of Abigail and Daniel.

Well written and as ever impossible to work out who did it.

Highly recommended

Thank you for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Murder at the Victoria and Albert Museum. I requested this book without realising it was number 8 in a series of museum murders, but this did not detract from my enjoyment. The story was easy to follow and the characters believable in a Victorian setting. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will look out for the rest of the series.

This is another entertaining and gripping instalment in this series, one of my favorite. it's fast paced, full of read herrings and twists, and highly entertaining.
The whodunit part is well developed and kept me guessing and I was glad to catch up with the characters.
The historical background is well researched and vivid.
i learned something new as in the other novel and can't wait to read another one.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Thanks to the good folks at Allison & Busby and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.
The 8th book in the Museum Mysteries and here we find Daniel and Abigail Wilson investigating the death of one of the curators of this museum at the site of the construction of the museum, and they have been brought in to investigate at the express command of Queen Victoria. These are always fun cozy mysteries and here Daniel and Abigail are forced to examine all the employees of the museum, as well as having to deal with espionage intrigue in the buildup to the 2nd Boer War. This book actually gets rather convoluted in both plot and characters and for about 25 pages I was totally baffled as to the action in the book. And, as in all these books Scotland Yard Superintendent Armstrong is a perfect foil for the "Museum Detectives" and, as usual, the book is filled with his blundering. I love those scenes and how they move the plot along. A good effort, not his best. I rate it a 3.5, but will round it up to a 4 due to my overall enjoyment of most of this book and the series.

Murder at the Victoria & Albert Museum begins with the newly married Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton are commissioned by Queen Victoria to solve the murder of Andrew Page, a curator whose body was found near the foundation stone she laid at this monument to her great love, Prince Albert. Just imagine how handy a royal commission letter can be to investigators. They are aided by a friend in Scotland Yard while that friend’s supervisor fumes about their involvement but sees the value in sharing information, especially if he thinks it’s a one-way street.

Andrew Page, the murdered curator, is a perfect murder mystery suspect. Was he murdered by a romantic rival, German spies, an unscrupulous embezzler, a philandering colleague, or a jealous coworker? The red herrings abound and the story is such that you think if Daniel and Abigall just turn one more corner, they will find another. This is complicated when there is another murder.



Murder at the Victoria & Albert Museum is the eighth book in the Museum Mysteries series. [Here’s the author introducing the series in 2020.] The mystery is fair in that the readers are provided the clues as the detectives gather them. I haven’t read the first seven in this series but don’t think that decreased my enjoyment of this one.

The book is fast-paced and focused heavily on the plot. There is very little character development which is a weakness, particularly with Chief Superintendent Armstrong who is a very flat character. He hates the Museum Detectives and his unnecessary competition with them leads him to make one poor decision after another. He becomes a malignant buffoon and I am sure deserves better. But even the protagonists, Daniel and Abigail, are relatively flat. They feel as if they were unpacked from a box where they are stored between murders.

The mystery itself was well-plotted, complicated but fair. I love the abundance of red herrings though I do think too many were too quickly dispatched. It would be good to see several balls in the air at one time, so to speak. Still, I am thinking of reading the seven that preceded this book because I do love a good cozy.

I received an e-galley of Murder at the Victoria & Albert Museum from the publisher through NetGalley.

Murder at the Victoria & Albert Museum at Alison & Busby
Jim Eldridge author site

1899 When the body of Andrew Page, curator, is discovered at the site of the new Victoria and Albert museum, the Queen instructs Daniel and Abigail Wilson to investigate.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery. With its cast of varied, and likable characters, especially the two main ones. A good addition to this enjoyable Victorian series which can easily be read as a standalone story.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

London 1899

I have become seriously addicted to historical mysteries and this time period is one of my favorites!

Unfortunately, this is the first by this author and in this series I have read, so I will have to remedy that quickly!!

A wonderful cast of characters and a body found at the building site of the new Victoria and Albert museum will keep you guessing and entertained by every page!!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Allison and Busby, in return for an honest review. While the eighth book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. I enjoy every one of the Museum Detective stories, set in late Victorian London. Main characters, Abigail Fenton and Daniel Wilson bring their unique skills to solve murders set in or around famous English museums. This time, Queen Victoria requests their assistance to solve a murder connected to the finally being completed Victoria and Albert Museum, her lasting tribute to her beloved late consort. The author uses historical facts to both inform the reader and move the plot forward. I always enjoy these books and hope there are many more to come.

I love the Museum Detectives series! I have read the whole series and was excited to see this new one coming out. Murder at the Victoria and Albert Museum is the 8th in the series but new readers can jump right in with this book. The author gives you enough information about the set-up for the series and the main characters for the reader to feel caught up.

It's 1899 and at the Victoria and Albert Museum construction site a body has been found. The Queen herself asks Daniel and Abigail to investigate.

I enjoyed learning a bit about the history of this museum. I had no idea that it all started with the Great Exhibition of 1851. Eldridge includes just enough historical detail to make the story interesting.

Daniel and Abigail are a fantastic detective pair. Their individual histories and character bring unique strengths to their investigations. There are often clashes with the police in this series as Daniel and Abigail are amateur detectives and this book upped the ante by including special branch and military intelligence.

The plot was very well-paced and complicated enough to provide the reader with the challenge of trying to solve the mystery before it was revealed.

I hope there are more cases to come for the Museum Detectives!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for this opportunity to review “Murder at the Victoria and Albert Museum.” All opinions and comments are my own.

A killer fog, a frequent occurrence in the London of the 1890s, masks the body of a museum curator as “Murder at the Victoria and Albert Museum” begins, the latest in the “museum” series by Jim Eldridge. (Mr. Eldridge also writes a series of hotel historical mysteries.) The museum series features Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton, now Abigail Wilson; she has become his wife at last. Private detectives they are, and good ones, specialists in these sorts of cases. And this one is especially tricky as readers will find, when several avenues of investigation open up. The “museum detectives” will have a lot on their hands -- called in by Her Majesty the Queen to solve the case, since it is her “namesake” that is involved. And her Dear Albert’s memory cannot be tainted by the stain of an unsolved murder. Oh, no.

Of course, they immediately come up against their nemesis, Chief Superintendent Armstrong of the Yard. I could do without this trope of the “police inspector that wants them out of the picture,” but that doesn’t seem likely to happen. At least Inspector John Feather is happy to help them, and so they can swap information back and forth, which moves the story along at a fairly good pace. Especially when it seems that The Government and Foreign Interests may be involved, which puts Daniel and Abigail squarely in the path of people they don’t want to be associated with. They’re warned off. But, when did that stop our two intrepid detectives?

Along the way we’re treated to a history of the museums of London, Anglo-German-South African politics, and the Prince of Wales and his peccadilloes. It’s a cornucopia of topics, indeed. What was the dead man actually doing with his German connections? And who’s been messing with the books at the museum? And one mustn’t forget that Daniel and Abigail have a little contretemps with Special Branch, but it’s cleared up quickly. It’s good to have friends in high places.

Then, we have another dead body. The waters are muddying, indeed. They have to go over everything again, narrowing down the suspects and motives for murder. In the end, what seemed rather dark and involved, is really, rather simple.

Queen Victoria wants nothing made public, which makes the Chief Superintendent unhappy, since he wants credit for everything, but, oh, well. The Queen can now leave for the Isle of Wight, happy that her dear beloved’s legacy is unspoiled. The V&A, which, incidentally isn’t finished, can now be completed and not under a dark cloud. The Wilsons can go home, put their feet up for a bit and enjoy their nice cheque. All’s right in the world. Well, until next time.

Abigail and Daniel are back in this new addition to Jim Eldridge's entertaining crime series set in various British museums at the tail-end of Queen Victoria's reign.
This latest whodunit takes us inside all the shenanigans around the construction of the museum and the violent murder of its curator....

A captivating murder mystery full of twists and turns, sparkling dialogues, riveting historical details and a marvellous cast of exquisitely drawn characters.

Jim Eldridge is a talented wordsmith and his latest fictional journey deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever

Many thanks to Allison & Busby and Netgalley for this terrific ARC

Another wonderful addition to the series can be read as a standalone.Well written full of twists and turns really enjoyed.#netgalley #alisonbusby

London, 1898. A thick fog covers the city. And at the new Victoria and Albert Museum it swirls into a large marquee, hiding the body of a man laying at the foot of the newly placed foundation stone, his throat slashed from ear to ear.

Almost immediately, Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton are summoned by Queen Victoria. The Queen is well aware of the couple and the investigations they have undertaken at other famous museums. Believing that this murder will taint the reputation of the museum which is to be a testament to the achievements of her late husband, Prince Albert, she commands Daniel and Abigail to find the murder and bring them to justice. But even the full authority of the Queen won’t make finding the culprit any easier. The police don’t appreciate their presence, the victim was a philanderer who just happened to share a mistress with the Prince of Wales and seduced the daughter of a museum guard. The victim’s widow doesn’t seem overly upset, oh and her brother may be a German spy. Along with the usual petty jealousies amongst co-workers, it all means that the Wilson’s will definitely have their work cut out for them.

This is the third of the Museum Mysteries series that I’ve read. While I found those others (Murder at the Fitzwilliam and Murder at the British Museum) very entertaining, I was not so enamored with this most recent installment. The plot was very good, and with the presence of royal scandal and international intrigue, had a great deal of potential. The storyline of the newly married Daniel and Abigail was ripe for adding new aspects to their characters, as partners both personally and professionally.

Eldridge’s inclusion of historic figures and events is impressive. I was aware of some of the history regarding the V&A museum, but appreciated the depth of information provided which I did not know. Also, the introduction of Abdul Karim, who served as Victoria’s personal secretary and teacher, was fascinating.

Unfortunately, as to the mystery, none of my hopes came to fruition. Rather than allow red herrings to play out, and give some well needed diversion to the mystery, various avenues of investigation were introduced and very quickly resolved. Regarding Daniel and Abigail, while we quickly learn of their marriage and new home overlooking Primrose Hill in north London, there is little else about them that made me want to engage with them. The move from scene to scene, asking questions and having banal conversations that went in circles. They could have been cardboard cutouts for all the personality they were given.

As much as I wanted to enjoy this book, I’d have to say that this was something of a meh read for me.

My thanks to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy made available for my review.

I have read several books in the hotel mystery series by this author and have been pleased with the books, so I didn't hesitate when I saw a museum mystery offered through NetGalley. It should have been a perfect fit even if I was beginning with book eight of the museum series. These main characters, Daniel and Abigail Wilson should have had more heft to them after already solving seven major mysteries, but they were both pretty shallow characters. The Scotland Yard Inspector always ran straight to the Wilson's with any clues or information he had, and his boss willingly threw someone in jail just to make himself look good for solving a case. How did that work out when the truth came out? Not good for Scotland Yard at all. This story takes place in London, England in 1899 at the time of the dedication of the Victoria and Albert Museum. There is a great deal of historical information regarding this combining of one museum with the new one to join them into one huge museum. Often the information was not woven into the story very smoothly so it was more noticeable than it should have been. Plus, one of my least favorite peeves is in this story; the main characters are called Wilson and another character is called Wilton. With all the names available for that second character, why did it have to be one so easily mistaken when reading?

The story isn't all slightly boring or irritating. There is a twist at the end which made perfect sense and was handled well by the author. The portions which had the Wilson's interacting with Queen Victoria were interesting but could have done with more description. She was such an unusual character with many odd rumors almost constantly circulating about her personally and physically that some extra time concerning HRH would have filled out the story nicely. In any case, I don't plan to continue reading this museum mystery series because I enjoy the hotel mystery series so much more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for an e-galley of this novel.

I really enjoyed the latest book in the Museum Detectives series. The story was written well and it was generally thrilling with the plot being fairly realistic in terms of history and action. I liked the different layers on display in this and the twists and turns were done well as they kept me on the edge of my seat. I still really loved Abigail and Daniel and i feel every book grows their relationship further.

Murder at the Victoria and Albert Museum is another excellent outing for Jim Eldridge’s Museum Detectives who this time are required to investigate a murder with royal connections.

The storyline is well paced and keeps the pages turning and the book is definitely recommended

Jim Eldridge’s Murder at the Victoria and Albert Museum features his “Museum Detectives”, Abigail and Daniel. We learn in the first few pages that things have changed since the last book: the couple are now married and have moved to a better house in Primrose Hill – with an indoor bathroom and toilet!

The foundation stone for the new V&A Museum was laid the previous month, May 1899. [It’s interesting that, although it’s not in this book, of course, the stone was actually moved after the Queen laid it. The laying of the stone was ‘timed to suit the Queen’s convenience’ but work on the foundations didn’t start for another year. That ceremony turned out to be her last official public appearance before she died in 1901.] Daniel and Abigail are summoned to see the Queen when the body of a museum curator is found next to the stone. She asks them to investigate the murder because she doesn’t want anything or anyone to besmirch the new building that will bear her late husband’s name.

Once again, Eldridge’s inclusion of a real historic figure is done superbly. His portrayal of Oscar Wilde in Murder at the Natural History Museum is a masterclass in how to do it. His Queen Victoria, although elderly (she turned 80 one week after laying the stone), is definitely sharp and strong-willed. Her intelligence network is highly efficient and effective.

Chief Superintendent Armstrong of Scotland Yard is furious that Abigail and Daniel have been retained on the case. However, Scotland Yard have to be careful as the Queen would not be amused if her agents were obstructed. Other government departments are involved and we get an fascinating insight into early inter-agency politics and hostility.

I really enjoyed this book, as I have all of Eldridge’s other books: those about the Museum detectives, set in Victorian times; and those about DCI Coburg, set in WWII. Eldridge skilfully weaves several sub-plots, nudging us into jumping to conclusions as we, like Chief Superintendent Armstrong, are tempted to look for the easy answer. I really do recommend this book.

#MurderattheVictoriaandAlbertMuseum #NetGalley