Murder in Belgravia (A Mayfair 100 Mystery, #1) (Mayfair 100)

by Lynn Brittney

Downton Abbey with a dash of Ripper Street.

'Superbly written, entertaining and filled with drama. It captures the times perfectly and I love how the author brings the plot together with aplomb. Amazing.'
'Brittney has written a compelling and gripping narrative with a great set of characters.'
Real reader reviews (via NetGalley and GoodReads)

The first in the scintillating Mayfair 100 series of nostalgic crime sagas.

Set against the backdrop of WW1, Mayfair 100 is the telephone number for a small, specially formed crime-busting team based in a house in Mayfair, London in 1915. Just 10 months into the First World War, the City is flooded with women taking over the work vacated by men in the Armed Services.

Chief Inspector Peter Beech, a young man invalided out of the war in one of the first battles, is tasked with investigating the murder of an aristocrat. The man's wife, a key witness and suspect, will only speak to a woman about the unpleasant details of the case. After persuading the Chief Commissioner to allow him to set up a clandestine team to deal with such situations, Beech puts together a small motley crew of well-educated women and professional policemen.

As Beech, Victoria, Caroline, Rigsby and Tollman investigate the murder, they delve into the seedier parts of WWI London, taking them from criminal gangs to brothels and underground drug rings supplying heroin to the upper classes.

Will the Mayfair 100 team solve the murder? And if they do, will they be allowed to continue working as a team?

Perfect for fans of Foyle's War and The Bletchley Circle.

ALSO AVAILABLE IN THE MAYFAIR 100 SERIES: A DEATH IN CHELSEA (BOOK 2)

• ISBN13: 9781907324826
• Publish Date: 15 March 2018 (first published 1 December 2017)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 7 November 2022
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Mirror Books
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 85000
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Murder in Belgravia is the first book in what promises to be a continuing series. Set in WWI London, this is a semi-cozy with an ensemble cast. Despite having a relatively large cast of characters, the author does a good job of writing clearly and concisely and there isn't any confusion about what is happening to whom.What begins as a seemingly straightforward case of murder by self defense turns out to be anything but. I would normally call this a cozy, however the fairly graphic descriptions of injuries, sexual abuse, pedophilia, homophobia and sexism, while softened from the brutal reality, were more than most people expect for a cozy mystery. I didn't find the realism detracted from the novel, but I can see that for many readers it might.

The plotting and characterizations are well done and the dialogue is good, if somewhat breezily anachronistic (almost sarcastic in the modern usage of the word). The women in the book are given a very free rein to investigate and interview people; it's sometimes a trifle jarring in context.

The denouement was very abrupt and somewhat unexpected for me. I admit that it was pushing the boundaries for my suspension of disbelief that all the subplots were tied up so neatly and happily-ever-after-ly. I can understand the desire for the author to give the poor tortured and downtrodden secondary characters a chance at a better life; I just wasn't entirely sold on the deux ex machina methods of delivery.

That being said, this is an enjoyable 211 page cozy, well written and entirely readable from a new voice in historical crime. The author has written in other genres and for other audiences before. Due to be published 6th Dec, 2017 from Mirror Books, available in ebook and paperback formats.

Three and a half stars, I will be following this series further

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher.