The Death Beat

I would like to thank Netgalley and Lion Hudson IP Ltd for a review copy of The Death Beat, the third novel to feature journalist, Poppy Denby in 1920s London.

Due to some ill advised actions The Daily Globe's owner and editor Rollo Rolandson is forced to work in New York for three months. He decides to take Poppy with him and together with her friend, actress Delilah Marconi, they set sail for New York. Trouble is never far from Poppy so it's not long before she and Rollo are investigating a couple of headline grabbing stories.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Death Beat. This is the first time I've met the resourceful Ms Denby and her colourful friends but it won't be the last. The novel works well as a stand alone although the frequent references to past events made me wish I'd read the series in order for completeness rather than for any lack of understanding. I like the writing style which is easy to read and inviting. It is told in the third person and from two points of view, mostly the privileged vantage point enjoyed by Poppy but also the opposite not enjoyed by Mimi, a recent immigrant and while the style is light and breezy it is obviously well researched with some interesting gems of information and the author does not shy away from the hard topics of the day, like working class conditions, the perils of immigration and eugenics.

The plot is not particularly profound but it zips along, holding the interest from start to finish, as Poppy and Rollo push for information using some ingenious methods and some bold faced brass. It is a grand adventure and most impressive in it's readability and fun without descending into farce.

I love Poppy and her motley crew. Surrounded by wealthy friends she comes from a more modest background and does not forget it as she has a well developed social conscience and is prepared to act on it. I'm not sure she would label herself a feminist but she has a coveted job she is determined to keep hold of, not an easy thing to do at the time, and is prepared to make sacrifices for. The point is not laboured but it is obvious that while women take the right to work for granted nowadays it was a much bigger deal in the male dominated 1920s.

The Death Beat is a lighthearted romp though 1920s New York with some serious points to make which I have no hesitation in recommending as a good read.

Just like the second part of the series, "The Death Beat" is an enjoyable read with a lot of fun characters and wonderful world-building.

Unfortunately, I just didn't think that the mystery this time was quite as well done as in the last installment of the series. The plot is still interesting but just didn't seem as complex and involved as the last part.

I still have to read the first part but I'm definitely looking forward to it and forthcoming novels in the series.

This was a very good and well written mystery. The character and story line were both interesting and entertaining. I highly recommend this author and book.

3.75 stars

Intrepid reporter Poppy Denby is back, and this time she has exported her unique blend of sassy strength and persistence to America. It's the 1920s and she is on a 3 month assignment to the New York Times. There are a few historical characters who make an appearance, and snippets of actual events that add interest.

It's not long before Poppy is caught up in a double mystery -- a sordid tale of the plights of immigrants, sweatshop labor, and forced prostitution as well as a tycoon's mysterious death in a penthouse. It's up to Poppy and her editor Rollo to find out the real story.

The deeper they dig, the more dirt they find. What is the connection between factory slumlords and a Hollywood studio? And what does a U.S. senator have to do with it? And how about an old enemy of Poppy's who suddenly appears on the scene?

A brash and energetic read with a great setting and interesting characters. Poppy is a volatile mixture of minister's daughter and ardent feminist. Thanks to the publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in return for my honest review.

This is the third book in the Poppy Denby investigative reporter series. It's hard not to compare books in a series, especially when I liked the second book as much as I did. This one just didn't have the same level of mystery and fun whodunnit feel from the second. It wasn't until half way through the story the mystery even showed up. The first half was spent describing the style, setting, and social life of the main characters. It made it feel a little trivial. I also felt Poppy's character was not as empowered in this as she was in the second. Again, the focus on style, shoes, and eating (or rather how much she's eating) really threw me off. I'd still read something from this author and wouldn't say this one should be written off. I did appreciate the mystery here was less confusing than the second. I knew what was going on and who all the characters were the entire time. Thank you to Lion Hudson and NetGalley for the chance to read this ARC.

A charming and fun read. Full of intrigue and captivating writing.

Nice, fun read. A mystery that doesn’t take itself too seriously and reads like a mini vacation. I received this book from the publisher for my honest review.

The Death Beat is a fantastic historical mystery set in the 1920s.  Part of the novel occurs on the boat from Britain to the US, but the bulk of the novel is set in the US.  Although The Death Beat is a historical mystery, it brings up issues that are important today, including the treatment of immigrants, human trafficking, the use of immigrants as slave labor, and the sexual abuse of female immigrants.  These issues were as much a problem historically as they are today. Fiona Veitch Smith does not preach, immigration and the treatment of women are of central importance in The Death Beat.


When Rollo, The Daily Globe’s owner, gambles away his position, Poppy is furious- until she discovers they will both be going to New York to work their.  Poppy’s best friend, Delilah, is going as well, as she has been promised a role in a radio drama and may even go into the movies. Poppy’s aunt and her companion are going as well.  Their experiences on board alternate with those of a pair of Ukrainian sisters looking to emigrate to the US. The problem is that Estie, Mimi’s younger sister, is feeble minded and may not be granted admission to the US.  Estie’s rejection leads to a harrowing set of circumstances.


A chance encounter with a man from her past, and a suspicious obituary lead Poppy to believe that a murder is being covered up.  The more she digs, the more she discovers surprising and unsavory links between powerful politicians, movie makers, and the abuse of immigrants.


The Death Beat is an exciting historical mystery that plunges the reader into a US rife with change -hungry for the labor of immigrants, but often seeing them as less valuable and less “human” than current citizens.  It is definitely a historical mystery worth reading.


5 / 5


I received a copy of The Death Beat from the publisher and NetGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

I found this to be a good historical cozy mystery with enjoyable, interesting characters and a good plot. I will be looking for more by this author. I received a free copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

Off to New York for top reporter Poppy Denby, accompanying the editor of the London Daily Globe. Whilst there she ferrets out a story worthy of investigation. A solid mystery set in the 1920's with a likeable protagonist in Poppy. The author deals well with the storyline, the glamour of 1920's New York but at the same time tackling some uncomfortable but vital issues of the day. An engrossing read.

This is the third in the Poppy Denby mystery series, but it reads perfectly even on its own, since the author takes a great care in filling in the readers with every information necessary from the previous books. In fact, the first half of the book sounds more as an evolution of the overarching story than a story in itself. But then, the characters are nice and the setting is good. Poppy is a spunky main character, a woman doing a man’s job in a men’s world: a journalist. And while her normal column might not be all that exciting, she has an instinct for sensational news and often finds herself in difficult situations. She’s already uncovered a couple of murders, as she will again in this adventure.
There are many threads in this story and only after the midpoint you can see they all converge on one mystery. Some of them, though, end in lose threads, so in a way I got the impression they where there just to beef up the mystery but weren’t really necessary. It is always a shame when this happens because I feel kind of cheated. But the mystery in itself – although maybe a little too convoluted – is indeed interesting. The story is set in the late 1920s, but the author explores an issue that is very relevant to us today: immigration and the way immigrants are treated.
There an overabundance of diversity in the book. Not that I have anything against it - on the contrary - but between the Jewish characters, Poppy’s boss who’s a dwarf, Poppy’s aunt who’s a lesbian on a wheelchair, eugenetics, suffragettes, amputated people and a few other ideas thrown in, I found the ensemble a little too much to be realistic. But aside from this, I found all the characters very interesting and relatable, so I won’t complain too much.
It’s a good story, fun and easy to read.

The third installment of the Poppy Denby Investigates series delivers all the mystery, style and verve of the others, set in the Roaring Twenties, and featuring the sharp and smart young reporter, who uses her wits and skills as a reporter to solve find a story and usually a mystery or two- with some help from her friends.

Rollo, the editor, the erstwhile Aunt Dorothy, and Poppy's best friend the aspiring young actress Delilah Marconi come into their own in this one. Or at least the former two do, I've never really found Delilah to be a very deep or developed character- she comes over as quite shallow. Some readers remarked on how the story sometimes got bogged down with details about food and the characters' social life, although that did not really bother me.

There were however, two things which bothered me with this story. One thing, as another person pointed out, is that there is nothing wrong with diversity, but here, there's so much of it that it appears a little- tokenistic, for lack of a better word.

The second is the political correctness, which might really prove annoying to some readers who want pure escapism. I must confess even I found it a bit in your face and irritating at times, I understand the 20s were not so long ago, and many modern ideologies and ideas were developing then, but some things just came over as a little preachy and dogmatic.

As an example, Poppy basically breaks up with her boyfriend because he doesn't support her career aspirations. OK, fair enough. Even I might do that- BUT, Poppy very much represents the modern ideal of a woman who wants it all. Love, family AND full time high flying career. No compromise. For a long time society has told women that this is what we should aspire to, and that we can have our cake and eat it, but at what cost? Stress related diseases in women are at an all time high, and now its swung in the opposite direction, so that women who choose to pause their career to stay home and look after their children are looked down upon.

So I do sort of think there should perhaps be more consideration or exploration of the consequences of of such choices. Maybe there was not room for that in the narrative, but I thought it bore a mention.

Thanks to Lion Fiction for the PDF of this title via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

The Death Beat is the third book in the Poppy Denby historical mystery series by Fiona Veitch Smith. Set in 1921, it brings to life the era very well — flappers, speakeasies, etc. And while Poppy hails from England, this newest adventure takes her to New York with her boss Rollo Rolandson. Poppy finds herself assigned to the unenviable job at the New York Times — the obituary writer. But as always, Poppy finds a much more exciting story to uncover.

I loved the references to the 1920s that Smith weaves throughout The Death Beat. The fashion, the night scene, the slang, all make this novel very authentic. And while the author may have taken a few liberties with dates and places, this fictional look at New York in the Roaring Twenties conveys the spirit of the time. America was struggling with immigration even then, and the mystery involves illegal immigrants that were used and abused. Human trafficking may not have bee a buzz word at the time, but it was a problem even then. Those two things are at the crux of the mystery. Poppy, a thoroughly modern young woman, is determined to uncover all the unsavory business that threatens to harm more disadvantaged women. There are many parallels in that era and what we now are discussing on the national stage, and I enjoyed the unique perspective. Clues are made known to both Poppy and the reader, but I managed to be clue–less about just whodunit. I loved the many surprises.

While many characters from previous books in the series make appearances, The Death Beat can be read as standalone. However, if you like historical mysteries, you may just want to get the three that are currently available — great for binge-reading fun.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

The past is about to come back and haunt Poppy!

Well, of the three Poppy Denby Investigates books that I've read I'm pretty sure that The Death Beat is my favorite. It had all of the Roaring Twenties drama and atmosphere, not to mention all of the vices, that any Jazz Age fan could wish for. In short, it's the bees knees. The cat's meow.

I think my favorite thing about this book is the way Fiona Veitch Smith wove threads of fun, and even humor, within the mystery and also the more serious topics. And she does take on some serious stuff like the exploitation of immigrants and sex trafficking. Things that plague our society even today. I've gotta say, though, that if more reporters cared about people, like Poppy does, instead of skirting the truth to help themselves up the career ladder, the world would be a better place.

Anyway, The Death Beat was fun and entertaining to read and I finished it surprisingly quickly. I really enjoyed the switch of a British author's take on New York instead of the usual vice versa. As an American reader I thought Fiona Veitch Smith did a great job with it. Poppy's astonishment, and sometimes confusion, was rather adorable.

As you can tell I liked this Poppy Denby Investigates book and I can't wait to find out what happens next with the sometimes crazy newshawks at the Daily Globe. So, don't you be a Rube or a Dumb Dora and miss out on all of the Jazz Age hijinks!

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are entirely my own.)