This is my first Irina Shapiro novel but definitely not my last! She is a captivating writer! I listened to the audio and the great Imogen Church hits this one out of the park!! I was totally mesmerized and invested in this story from the first to the last page. Church's different tones and exclamations and slower pace made this ever so entertaining. I thought it was a perfect narration 👏

This is a dark and gruesome Victorian mystery. I didn't realize just how dark of a story it was. Especially at the beginning. Nevertheless right from that first intense opening scene I was hooked!

It's 1858 and in a London Cemetery a lady is found dead and wrapped around her neck is a pig's heart. Victor Craven is a journalist who is visiting his late wife's grave and reports the murder to the police. He also jots down some things that he sees around the cemetery in his notebook. Hours later he is struck down and killed by an omnibus. His sister, Gemma is his next of kin and is notified. Sebastian Bell is the Scotland Yard detective assigned to the case. Gemma brings her notebook to him as she is concerned that he may have been murdered because he saw something he wasn't supposed to see. Both characters are grieving but for different reasons. Together they begin to work on the case.

The pieces slowly come together in this intricately woven story. The horrors of the Victorian times are highlighted and come alive vividly. Can't wait to see what type of story Ms. Shapiro cooks up for Book #2. Highly recommend if you enjoy Victorian Mysteries.

I greatly enjoyed what I now understand to be a first entry in at least a two part series featuring Gemma Tate, a thirty-something year old nurse who served in Crimea under Florence Nightingale and Sebastian Bell, a talented but opium using police detective. It is 1858. Victorian London. Women are decidedly expected to stay under the watchful thumb of a man if they are in any economic class that permits them to live in a home with food and heat available. Early one morning, Gemma's brother, while visiting his wife's grave, finds a dead woman hanging from a cross at a gravestone wearing only her chemise, a quality garment. He is a reporter who keeps a notebook on him at all times. He reports his find to the police and gives his statement. Later that day, he is in a terrible accident and Gemma is left with no living relatives. She is smart, very observant and a woman ahead of her time. She is fortunate that Inspector Bell is a man who will listen to and appreciate a woman with a brain. And we are off into multiple different homes, encountering wildly different classes of Londoners and a story of more than one heinous crime. And I cannot say more without spoilers. I would enjoy print version but listened to this one and the narrator was quite good. Highly recommend.

In "The Highgate Cemetery Murder" by Irina Shapiro, we follow the gripping tale of Gemma Tate, a determined young nurse, on a quest to uncover the truth behind her brother's mysterious death. Meanwhile, Inspector Sebastian Bell of Scotland Yard finds himself entangled in a perplexing case involving the brutal murder of a young aristocratic heiress in Highgate Cemetery. As Sebastian delves deeper into the investigation, he realizes that Gemma's suspicions about her brother's demise may hold the key to unraveling both mysteries.

The novel kept me at the seat's edge as it was very suspenseful and captivating. Shapiro skillfully crafts a twisty tale filled that leaves readers guessing until the very end. I look forward to the next book in the series.
Also, the narration of the book was very fun and I greatly enjoyed the audiobook.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio.

I really wanted to like this but I ended up DNFing it. But it was a me thing not so much the book.

The Highgate Cemetery Murder by Irina Shapiro follows Gemma Tate, a young nurse as she tries to find out what really happened to her bother the day he died. Sebastian Bell, an inspector for Scottland Yard is assigned to find out who the young girl that was found dead hanging in Highgate Cemetery. Sabastian soon figures out that the young woman had been raped and strangled to death with a pig heart was an aristocratic heiress.. Sebastian crosses paths with Gemma who she believes that her brother was murdered and some how both cases are connected. This is a great book for anyone who loves a good mystery to read. It is a fast paced read that kept me on my toes and had a great ending . This is book 1 in the series and I can't wait to get my hands on the second book. I want to thank both NetGalley and Storm Publishing for letting me have an advanced copy of this book.

This book instantly has you putting puzzle pieces together once the investigation starts. There was a tendency for the two main characters to over-explain every clue to make sure the reader picked up on it. The conclusion of this book ended quickly. The storyline was put together okay. If you like the Victorian murder mystery, you will like this book. I would like to see how the others in the series come together.

I got the audiobook and I wondered if I would make it through as the narration was a little, dramatic but I got used to it, or it got better.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-arc of this book. Opinions are my own and the review is voluntary.

CW, rape, violence against women, violence against pregnant people, drug use.

This was a good mystery it did deal with prostitution and killing it was well written and well organized the reader was very good I would recommend it to people who enjoy Mysteries with little bit of Gore in it it was a rather long history and took several settings finish I I would read it again and I would recommend it to friends

I was ready to enter the atmospheric gloom of Victorian London with THE HIGHGATE CEMETERY MURDER by Irina Shapiro and expertly read by Imogen Church.

I was expecting a cozy mystery with a fearless heroine who saves the case.

This is quite a bit darker and grittier of a murder mystery, which did include a fearless heroine in Gemma Tate who helps police inspector Sebastian Bell in the murder of her brother. Despite his protestations, she keeps following the clues even as it connects with another very public and gruesome murder of a wealthy girl put on display in Highgate Cemetery. What they uncover begins to seem unreal, and they must keep their heads lest they become targeted.

I was pleasantly surprised by the tone that this took. I do enjoy my Scarlett and the Duke on PBS, but this story felt more seedy and sinister. In the best way!

I also will listen to just about anything Imogen Church narrates. I love how she can transform her voice to the many characters and I can easily hear the change. Plus I just think she is the coolest.

Thank you @netgalley & @dreamscape_media for sharing this ALC with me! This is out now, so if you are looking for a grittier Victorian era mystery, be sure to grab this one!

Reading stories from the 1800s is always fun as it’s something different. Murder mysteries are intriguing, and I have to stop myself in thinking, well once they get a DNA sample or whey did not just snap a photo at the crime scene, lol. Not such things at the time. One other thing that always makes me laugh when I read it during this time period, is how delicate and fragile women are. So much so that they can’t even handle reading a headline of a newspaper for fear that their fragile minds just couldn’t understand it. So glad I get to be alive now.

This book is perfect for every fan of historical crime novels. It's not too frightening, but keeps you engaged throughout. Also, I really liked the two main characters and hope to learn more about them in - hopefully upcoming - sequels. Fingers crossed!

Near the gravestone of his beloved, a man is confronted with a murder so depraved that the scene must be supernatural. It is with this dark and haunting scene, that the reader is quickly drawn into discovering the truth behind a series of murders. It is up to Gemma Tate, a nurse who studied under Florence Nightingale and tested her mettle in the Crimean War, and Sebastian Bell, an opium-addicted inspector, to track the clues and solve the case. As the mystery unfolds, there are heavy themes of drug addiction, sexual assault, classism, and sexism; however, the characters remain resilient, hopeful, and endearing. Many clues were discovered, but the ending was unexpected. The details were neatly and satisfactorily tied up in the end. The British accents of the audiobook narrator added to the ambiance and mystery.

I write this review with much appreciation to Dreamscape Select and Netgalley for providing me with an audiobook of The Highgate Cemetery Murder in exchange for an honest review.

Oh how I enjoyed listening to this intricate, well-written historical mystery in dark Victorian London, where crimes were left unsolved because of understaffed police and friends and family in high places.
The story had enough twists, turns and clues to keep me interested and involved. Imogen Church did a perfect job in narrating the book and I enjoyed even more in the story.
Highly recommend it.
Thank you to Storm Publishing and Dreamscape Select for allowing me to listen to The Highgate Cemetery Murder (Tate and Bell Mystery #1) through #Netgalley.

This mystery was way more gripping than expected, and I found myself searching for things to do just so I could keep listening to the audiobook.
For the narration, it was perfect. The was only one narrator and many characters and yet she had a different voice for each of them…very impressive and entertaining!
The plot was also very entertaining, very fast paced without a dull moment. The mystery took a while to solve as we ran through a gambit of suspects, and the main characters were very well developed.
The only thing I have to say as a warning, is that this is definitely not a “cozy mystery” even though it is categorized as that on Goodreads. I wouldn’t say it’s a dark mystery, but the crimes and some character themes were definitely darker than I expected. The murder victims are also described scientifically, but vividly, and that might not be what some are prepared to hear.
For me, I really did enjoy the book and look forward to Tate and Bell’s next mystery. Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Select for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Colleen Chi-Girl at Goodreads
🌟🌟🌟🌟

Delightful, old-school, police procedural and thriller set in 1800’s England. The main characters are well thought out and described. There’s a young constable who is amazing and heartbroken, a nurse who helped during the Crimean War, and many other decent folk. Then there’s the aristocratic or uppity wealthy men who have no boundaries at this time.

There are murders, investigations, mayhem and lies, and this thriller is done in a way that I would imagine a novel was written during the turn of the century.

There are surprises both good and bad, and many horrific things that happen to a certain kind of women in England during this time period. Pretty horrendous details of how men treated women of ill-dispute, as well as servants and anyone without status. Well written by the female author.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author Shapiro, the publisher, and Imogen Cooke who is an incredible narrator, for this ARC copy of the audiobook. I am forever grateful for the ability to find new audiobooks.

I already love this series and this is only book 1! I am sucker for a good historical fiction mystery thriller with a little bit of love thrown in! I can't wait to see where life takes Sebastian and Gemma! Please write fast, I can't wait! This was my 1st book by Irina Shapiro but will not be my last!

#TheHighgateCemeteryMurder
#NetGalle

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great historical mystery novel. The gruesome murders in this book were wild and I really enjoyed the characters of Tate and Bell. I look forward to more novels with them as investigators as they worked well together. I loved the time period in which the book took place too as it really added a lot to the book.

A perfect new Victorian mystery! The reader was fantastic and wonderful with each character. I can’t wait the continue the series. If you’re a Victorian mystery reader you won’t want to miss this series.

This book was spellbinding and kept me on my toes as the case unfolded! If you are a fan of Sherlock Holmes then this is for you! The picture of the late 1860s London was so well described that it felt like I was really there! The book does start off a little slow but once Gemma Tate and Sebastian Bell started to team up things really picked up.

I am looking forward to more stories about these two and how their relationship will develop.

I listened to this audiobook and Imogen Church is by far one the most talented audiobook narrators! Her performance truly made this book come to life and kept me listening to the end!

Love all the powerful characters in this novel. Especially the ones who stand up for what they believe is right! I love a woman who tells it like it is. No matter the consequences. As per usual Irina never disappoints!

Atmospheric historic mystery. The visual on that murder! The shocking notes left behind by Gemma's brother! I was totally on the edge of my seat, and I appreciated the top notch narration!