Really enjoyed this. Smart, funny, engaging and thrilling. I hope we meet Caius again in Charlotte's next books!

I really enjoyed this book and honestly I would have given it 4.5 stars (if it had been possible) if it weren't for one little thing. For some reason I found the references to Beauchamp's boss infuriating, I know it seems a small thing but calling him the poobah every time really grated on me each time. It just took me out of the book every time.

Apart from that though it was very engaging in spite of the fact that the majority of the characters were difficult to warm to. I also must admit I had twigged who the murderer was fairly early on but still it was fun watching the police work it out. So all in all enjoyable and I would like to read more by Charlotte Vassell.

I liked the sound of this book but it turned out to be a bit of a slog. It was meant to be an insight into how the other half lives but the characters were just quite unpleasant and difficult to fathom. At the heart of the story is Nell who doesn’t seem to know what she wants. She is obviously attractive and has both Rupert and Alex in love with her. Rupert plays a large part in the story and is part of the aristocracy and extremely wealthy buy totally obnoxious and full of his own self-importance. Rupert’s girlfriend is desperate for him to propose but she is the person who is the murder victim and the reader is left trying to work out if Rupert is the murderer. I found the plot quite hard to follow and the use of certain words and phrases even more difficult. The use of English language needed constant referral to a dictionary. I couldn’t make out if it was meant to be humorous as a lot of people and events were slightly unbelievable. The fact that there were two Beauchamp’s for example, one being upper class, Rupert, and the other being working class, Caius, who was the detective working on the case. These Beauchamp’s had different pronunciations which indicated their class! Overall not a great hit with me. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me an ARC of this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. I was unsure about this story at the start and it took me a while to get into it but once I did I was gripped. It was quirky, strange, funny and I loved it. It was a classic who done it with a modern twist. I’m hoping for a sequel as I got the impression this is a possibility. Would definitely recommend this book. 4 stars from me.

This book sounded right up my street which is why i was so happy to get this book to read on Netgalley. This book was a rollercoaster full of twists and turns! Some I didn't expect or see coming. Kept me on my toes till the very end. I love A book where I don't guess the ending. Great Read.

The premise of the story was intriguing but I found the execution was slightly lacking - like a Chinese meal when you think you’ve had enough only to find you’re hungry two hours later. The story revolves around a group of ‘friends’ who met at Oxford a few years before but on the night of one of their birthdays, strangely and unexplained held in MacDonalds in Kentish Town, one of them doesn’t see the next day. This isn’t a real whodunnit novel but more an exploration into past relationships and histories. I really didn’t like the couple of times the author dropped the bomb about the colour of some of the characters’s skins. It seemed contrived and had come out of left field.

Loved this crime novel that takes a look at the upper classes. Rupert is a privileged, self absorbed, narcissistic public school/ Oxford student who, for me, has a similar personality to a number of our politicians. His girlfriend is murdered on the night Rupert is celebrating his 30th Birthday. The book is pacy and humorous with some great characters. Caius Beauchamp is a great detective and hopefully this is the start of a great series.
It is carefully plotted with lots of twists that kept me guessing until the end.

A strange tale of an aristocratic party held in McDonalds. The next day girlfriend of the birthday boy is found dead. A bizarre story unfolds that beggars belief. Poirot would love it. Not really to my taste.

This was a great read, what’s not to like? Cocaine fuelled parties in McDonald’s children’s party area, the elite struggling with the consequences of their own actions?

The real treasure in this book is the investigation. Caius Is one of the most brilliant characters I have read in a long time and his relationships with others are perfectly nuanced.

The only downside of this book is the end, there HAS to be a series with Caius.

A wealthy internet influencer is found dead on Hampstead Heath the morning after her aristocratic boyfriend Rupert's 30th birthday party. Caius Beauchamp is assigned to the case, and finds it hard to deal with Rupert's wealthy friends, who all have alibis.

As the detective wades through the fustiness and protectiveness of the upper classes, he starts to uncover a bigger, more obscure, crime.

This is a whip-smart satire on the British class system, where even the pronunciation of a surname is of significance. The story rollicks along - I read it in a day - and is a good deal of fun.

Enter the world of the over-privileged, who think people are put on earth to amuse and serve them. Rupert has had a charmed existence, living with Clemmie but pining for Nell while having sex with any and all the women he meets. Its his birthday, so he has a party at MacDonalds (with the rarer form of coke for dessert). But Clemmie doesn't arrive, which is annoying as he wanted to break up with her.

Clemmie is then found dead, and Inspector Caius Beauchamp takes the case, which leads him through some very murky waters, and he is left speculating on how the rich can still avoid punishment, and that justice is not blind, after all.

A compelling read, it was hard to empathise with any of the characters other than those on the police force, but it felt true to life (sadly) and certainly was gripping. Caius is a really likeable character, strugglling to keep fit, to regain his lost girlfriend and to make himself a better person. I do hope we see more of him!

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for allowing me access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

EXCERPT: The McDonald's in Kentish Town had seen some sights, but this was something different. At 6 p.m. an elegant man strode through the automatic doors. Wing-collar shirt, cummerbund, and silk bow tie. Expensive shoes: Italian. They made a clipped noise when he walked, much like his vowels when he spoke. He strolled up to the counter and asked to speak to the manager. The server peered around him nervously, looking for a non-existent camera. The manager was dutifully found and propositioned like a comely whore. The gentleman, and there really couldn't be another word for a man dressed in such a manner, was going to use the upstairs area - usually reserved for children's parties on Saturday mornings - for a private gathering that evening. His guests were arriving at 7.30 p.m. and the staff were to bring food upstairs (the order had already been courteously written out in fastidious copper-plate) at 8 p.m. for them. They were not to be disturbed after that. The gentleman made it very clear that they were to be handsomely recompensed for their efforts, and their silence. No one who worked there was to mention it again and CCTV was to be turned off. The gentleman paid in cash - crisp £50 notes - and gave all the staff, including the poor, poor cleaner, who would have to deal with the true horrors tomorrow morning, a nice little tip for all the trouble he was about to cause.

ABOUT 'THE OTHER HALF': The night before
Rupert's 30th is a black tie dinner at the Kentish Town McDonald's - catered with cocaine and Veuve Clicquot.

The morning after
His girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered on Hampstead Heath. All the party-goers have alibis. Naturally.

This investigation is going to be about Classics degrees and aristocrats, Instagram influencers and who knows who. Or is it whom? Detective Caius Beauchamp isn't sure. He's sharply dressed, smart, and as into self-improvement as Clemmie - but as he searches for the dark truth beneath the luxury, a wall of staggering wealth threatens to shut down his investigation before it's begun.

Can he see through the tangled set of relationships in which the other half live, and die, before the case is taken out of his hands?

MY THOUGHTS: Clever, complex, and witty, there's nothing not to love about The Other Half, including the characters. Some I loved, some I vacillated about, and others I intensely disliked.

Rupert is at the centre of this story; titled and entitled, he is obscenely wealthy, misogynistic, and manipulative. His girlfriend (I use this word loosely, perhaps limpet might be a more apt description) Clemmie, has a token job at an art gallery, and is an 'influencer'. She desperately wants to marry Rupert for the title and the country pile he will inherit when his grandfather dies. Rupert is enamoured with Nell, who is considered 'unsuitable'. Alex also loves Nell, who has just parted ways with Caspar. There are various other double and triple-barreled surnamed characters, and women named Minty and . . . well, you get the picture. Everyone is connected to everyone through schools, blood and godparents. There's no six degrees of separation here.

On other side, Detective Caius Beauchamp, who shares a surname, albeit pronounced differently, with Rupert, regrets his lack of classical education and has set about rectifying this deficit. He's also cleansing his body and pining for Heloise, who recently unceremoniously dumped him. He is ably assisted in his investigations by Matt Cheung, intent on sabotaging Caius's clean eating regime, and Amy Noakes, a computer whiz.

Throughout this read I was rooting for Nell, whom I quite liked except for her abysmal taste in men. Alex. And of course for Caius, who is extremely likeable.

But who killed Clemmie (dubbed Plegm by Nell)? I wanted it to be Rupert. I was scared it was Nell.

This was a fun read. I honestly hope that this is going to be developed into a series. I want more of Caius - his team and his personal life. He's a refreshing gem. And I am sure Charlotte Vassell can dream up plenty more aristocratic prats to write about and entertain us with.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.4

#TheOtherHalf #NetGalley

I: @vassellcharlotte @faberbooks

T: @CharlotteVas17 @FaberBooks

#contemporaryfiction #crime #detectivefiction #murdermystery #romance

MEET THE AUTHOR: Charlotte Vassell studied History at the University of Liverpool and completed a Masters in Art History at the School of Oriental and African Studies, before training as an actor at Drama Studio London. Other than treading the boards Charlotte has also worked in advertising, as a head-hunter, and as a purveyor of silk top hats.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Faber and Faber via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

A great read that kept me guessing hooked until the end.

Rupert is getting ready to celebrate his 30th at a black tie dinner but then his girlfriend is murdered but who did it and why?
Thank you

Charlotte Vassell's, The Other Half is a wickedly funny satire on the British class system, set in London. It boasts a truly vile and colossally dislikeable set of characters. It contains tangled webs, plot twists and red herrings and the ending is dramatic.

Power, misogyny and racism are themes in this fun, inventive and magnificently entertaining crime read. It's written with style and wit, and there is a fabulous police team working on a case. I believe that many will enjoy reading The Other Half.

A special thank you to Faber and Faber, Charlotte Vassell, NetGalley and Pigeonhole for the opportunity to read. This review is my unbiased opinion.

This was somewhat different. A comedy of manners combined with a thriller. It was funny, engaging and thrilling. An intoxicating combination.

I was drawn in immediately and can thoroughly recommend this original story.

I, like many others, could not put down this book. Funny and well written the characters were great and it kept you guessing all the way through. Would love there to be a series of books.

This was such a witty debut and oh how the other half live! Some of the characters in this book were something else 😅 Really annoying, terribly rich and entitled. And some really could get away with murder…anyhoo…

The story opens with Ruperts 30th party at Kentish Town McDonald's (you heard me) and all the guests were in black tie and served cocaine and Veuve Clicquot. As you do… Sadly, the next morning, Ruperts girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered on Hampstead Heath. Who did it?! Enter Detective Caius Beauchamp (who I really liked btw) to investigate what happened and solve the case.

The police procedural parts were my favourite and I loved seeing all the terrible wealthy characters under pressure. I thought the writing was really quick witted, clever and kept me intrigued. I chuckled many times 😂

I enjoyed this debut and looking forward to more time with Detective Caius Beauchamp in the future…hopefully?!! 🤞🏻I think the tag line ‘Agatha Christie meets Made in Chelsea’ is the perfect description for this book.

If this is the start of a series including Detective Caius Beauchamp then I will give the next one a go. Definitely a quick read but enough going on to keep the pages turning. Thanks to Netgalley

Loved this book. A perfect mix of the glitzy life of the English Upper Class (think Made in Chelsea) and a fast paced thriller. It's a fun page turning thriller with just enough twists and great Characters. Would definitely recommend.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Rupert has an unusual birthday. He hosts a black tie dinner at McDonalds, complete with cocaine, champagne and aristocrats.

The next day, his girlfriend Clemmie is found dead on Hampstead Heath. She has been murdered.

Detective Caius Beauchamp takes on the investigation and soon discovers dark secrets behind the Instagram filters and luxury of this exclusive society.

This is a whodunnit set in the Made in Chelsea world! I wasn't 100% sure at first and did find it a bit of a slog to start with, but the plot soon drew me in.

The characters are pompous, and annoying, and have upper-class names such as Minty and Hereward. It's a funny satire which is savage at times and caused me to roll my eyes a lot, but it paints a dark picture of the class system.

An entertaining debut!