A Bespoke Murder

Home Front Detective #1

by Edward Marston

May 1915. As zeppelin bombs fall on London and with the sinking of the Lusitania, anti-German hysteria reaches fever pitch and attacks on German immigrants surge. Not even the West End of London is immune. Jacob Stein's bespoke tailoring business comes under brutal attack, leaving his safe ransacked, his daughter, Ruth, raped and traumatized and Jacob dead. Inspector Harvey Marmion is detailed to the case and faces an uphill struggle to track down the perpetrators, even up to the chaos of the Front Line. But was the murder as opportunistic as it first appears, or did someone with a deadly grudge plan the attack?

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Crime, Historical Mystery, Historical, Detective

319 pages, Hardcover

First published September 26, 2011

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

A pseudonym used by Keith Miles
AKA A.E. Marston

Keith Miles (born 1940) is an English author, who writes under his own name and also historical fiction and mystery novels under the pseudonym Edward Marston. He is known for his mysteries set in the world of Elizabethan theatre. He has also written a series of novels based on events in the Domesday Book, a series of The Railway Detective and a series of The Home Front Detective.


Series contributed to:
. Malice Domestic
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

Graphic unwarned-for on-page rape scene, and the writing previous to this has been extremely Janet and John so I'm out of here.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edward Marston has written many successful series, including the Railway Detective Series and The Restoration Series. Having enjoyed many of his previous books, I was looking forward to the start of his new, Home Front Detective Series.

The novel begins with the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915 and the survival of Irene Bayard, a stewardess, and Ernie Gill, a hairdresser on board ship. Irene, who feels grateful to Ernie for helping her, but also wary of his constant attentions, decides not to go back to working on board ships and goes to her sister in London to begin a new life. Meanwhile, the attack on the Lusitania has unleashed a great deal of anti-German feeling and there are revenge attacks on German owned shops and business premises and also on family homes. Attacks begin in Liverpool, but spread to London. Amongst the victims of the violence are Jacob Stein and his daughter, Ruth. Jacob was a tailor, with a prestigious shop in Jermyn Street, when a mob loot and set fire to it. Later, it has been found that Jacob was killed and Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy are in charge of the murder investigation.

This is a really interesting novel. The characters of Marmion, his family and Keedy work well together. There are many plausible suspects and Irene's story is also well developed. Marmion is under pressure from Jacob's difficult brother, Herbert Stone, and there are many side stories, such as a trip abroad to arrest a suspect which brings WWI into the plot. Actually, the affect of the war is felt on all sides - Marmion's son is serving abroad, as well as Jacob Stein's son, and there are many mentions of London in wartime which gives you a great sense of time and place. There is also much about women’s role during wartime, with Marmion’s daughter thinking, greatly against her mother’s wishes, of leaving teaching to join the WEC (Women’s Emergency Core) and both Irene and Alice considering different ways forward, from the expected role of marriage and motherhood, and the independence that greater job prospects in the war offered many women. As well as the positive, there is also much about the way women are treated – from views on rape, to stalking and the general abuse, which passes as ‘good humoured banter,’ in a London pub… All in all, this is a very promising start to which looks to be a good new series.

[Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sinking of the Luitania sparks off anti-German feelings in London, and elsewhere, and a German immigrant tailor's shop in the West End is burned to the ground. The tailor, Jacob Stein, is found dead in an upstairs room. Is he a victim of the blaze or is their something more sinister afoot?

Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy are assigned to the case and they find a web of mystery behind the incident. They discover a number of seemingly related incidents and a whole host of varied characters involved in one way or another.

Marmion and Keedy hunt down all the participants, even visiting the front line to track down two soldiers, and their findings help them to piece together a very tangled web, which eventually leads to a somewhat surprising denouement and a somewhat surprising romance into the bargain.

Edward Marston captures the feel of wartime London and the trenches admirably and the characters are all utterly believable, which makes the book a most entertaining read.

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the wake of the sinking of the Lusitania in 1915, vengeful mobs attack homes and businesses of Germans in Britain. One of these attacks turns out to be cover for a murder, and what follows is pretty complex mystery that hinges on xenophobia, anti-Semitism and more personal reasons for vengeance. It's interesting in places to see how Marston deals with and frames issues of homosexuality and sexual assault, and the secondary plot about a former stewardess who survives the sinking of the Lusitania adds to the sense of a sort of social tableau of the era while dovetailing with the main plot. As usual, Marston plods about with his tell-don't-show brand of characteristion and somewhat predictable romance sub-plot, but despite all those limitations this is another entertaining mystery novel for a low-expectation, cozy summery afternoon read. I'll certainly want something with higher stakes and production values next, though.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in a series featuring Inspector Marmion. It's WW1 and the Lusitania has just been sunk. There is a surge of anti-jewish feeling in England and a murder of a Jewish tailor occurs.

Plenty of historical background, lots of details and context which greatly adds to the read.

This is the first in a new series by the prolific Edward Marston. As I have also read some of the other books I am finding some duplications of the type of characters that are created. Will see if that continues.

[Los libros de Baker Street · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Historia muy bien ambientada y buen misterio. No tiene un cinco porque queda alguna trama abierta.

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The sinking of the Lusitania was an interesting way to introduce two characters where there is a possible romantic sub-plot, but also to set the scene of anti-German London in the first year of WWI. As to the mystery, I was so smug to think it was obvious who the perpetrator was. And then I decided maybe not so obvious, but that the person was still connected in some way. I certainly did not give Marston enough credit.

This is first in a series. The writing style is good enough. The characterizations aren't marvelous, but they're not stinko either. I need to remind myself that great characterization is not why one reads mysteries, and it's an extra when I do get them.

This was as much period fiction as it was a mystery, and for that I got more than I paid for. I don't know how accurate are the historical aspects, but civilian life in London during this early period is of interest. As the series continues during this time period I'll be happy to check in again. I have too much in front of me to do it soon, however. This is a solid 3-stars, maybe toward the higher end of that group for me.

[Elinor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was ok. I enjoyed the plot very much, however the writing style wasn't for me. It felt a little too clinical with lots of repetition. I connected with the characters. I felt the 'Irene' portion of the story got a little too much attention, and the amount of time spent on it wasn't really necessary. Regardless, it kept me reading to find out the solution to the mystery. I felt the ending fell a little flat - I wasn't really satisfied with how the crimes were solved. Despite that, I enjoyed the journey.

[Catherine Pinkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first if the Homefront Detective series and I think this is my favourite era of all Edward Marston's historical crime series. set in the early 1900s with a cast of characters that remind me of midsommer murders, John Nettles and his sidekick, wife and daughter. The plot follows a series of serious crimes against Germans and Jews living in the UK. A thoroughly enjoyable read. Will definitely be continuing this series

[Alan Marston · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author has a lovely relaxed style for all his works. Here we have another Scotland Yard Detective, Harvey Marmion, and his more than helpful assistant, Joe Keedy, dealing with the death of a leading German Jewish tailor (hence, Bespoke) and theft from his premises as well as arson in burning them down. To add to this his daughter, Ruth, is raped as she makes her way home to escape from the trouble at her father’s shop. All of this appears to have been sparked by the sinking of the Lusitania, resulting in many German businesses being targeted, despite the length of time that their proprietors may have been naturalised in this country. Two survivors, Irene, a stewardess from the ship, and Ernie Gill, a barber, feature quite prominently in the development of the story.
There is much to enjoy, the story is well plotted and the perpetrators and their reasons take some teasing out by diligent probing by the detectives, for once supported by their commissioner. There are many likeable characters, and some who are distinctly the opposite, and whose actions in many ways are totally reprehensible.
Marmion’s daughter, Alice, a school teacher, provides some slight romantic interest in a developing relationship with Keedy, and the ending of the story is completely clear, but allows for more work on the part of our two detectives in the future.
A thoroughly enjoyable read, matching his Railway Detective novels.

[Oodles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book begins with the sinking of the Lusitania during WWI and the aftermath of retaliatory violence against those of German descent in Britain. As one young woman flees her father's factory, she meets with even more unsavory characters and is raped. It's a shocking beginning but the drama unfolds as Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy investigate the various crimes. It's more than a mystery - really more of a drama that deals with the many issues of the day, women's issues, racial violence, and anti-semitism...all issues that still face the world today. Nothing every changes. 4 1/2 stars....the only problem I had with the book was the ending. It was a bit too abrupt and I felt one of the characters' stories wasn't quite wrapped up neatly.

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very good plot with many of the WWII topics interwoven. The sense of the time period is excellent. But, although I didn't guess the murder mystery, I anticipated most of the other endings. Perhaps it reflects real life, but, for me, there was no tension. And the author's style did not appeal to me.

[Sandy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too graphic - gratuitous detail of a rape which begins the book.

[Steve Haywood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book in the Home Front Detective series by prolific crime writer Edward Marston, who is most well known for his 19th century Railway Detective Series. It is worth pointing out that the Home Front in this case is the World War One Home Front in Britain, rather than the Second World War which I tend to more immediately think of when I hear about the Home Front.

This book starts with the sinking of the Lusitania, a British passenger liner which was torpedoed by a German u-boat in 1915. The story then quickly switches to London, where there is a lot of anti-German feeling, mixed up also with anti-Jewish feeling. This is particularly bad for German Jews, which is what the victim of the titular murder is. Jacob Stein is a Jewish-German tailor, who is murdered in his shop on Jermyn Street in London's West End, when an anti-German mob attack the place and set fire to it. His daughter escapes, only to be raped by a young soldier about to be shipped off to the Western Front in France. The case is investigated by Inspector Marmion and Sergeant Keedy of Scotland Yard - actually there are two cases (at least) which may or may not be connected.

This is my first book by Edward Marston and I liked it but didn't love it. What I did particularly like was the historical setting, with lots of information about the first World War, what life was like on the home front, and particularly the anti-German and anti-Jewish sentiment that was around at the time. You really did get a sense of place and time. This was in part conveyed by 'info dumps', whole paragraphs of description about the historical context or setting which wasn't integral to the story, which could put some people off.

The author opted for a third person omniscient viewpoint, where the inner thoughts of different characters are conveyed to the reader, often in consecutive paragraphs. This regular flitting between different character's heads is not something I'm particularly fond of and can easily become annoying, but after a while I didn't really mind it, and it wasn't overdone too much. It does create a distance from the reader which you don't get when there's just one or two viewpoint characters though, which means I cared less about the characters and what was going on.

What about the plot? For a mystery novel, it was a little pedestrian. I didn't guess the killer until the reveal, but then I don't think it was possible to until near the end. There were some side-plots that weren't really necessary, and all the components didn't tie together as satisfactorily as I'd expect from a good crime novel. That's why I'd give this no more than 3 stars for a crime novel, however it actually did better as a historical fictional novel for which I'd give it 4 stars. So really it should be 3.5 stars. I just couldn't give it 4, as that would suggest it was as good as some excellent novels I've rated 4 stars, which wouldn't be fair.

Would I read the next in the series? Surprisingly, I think I would give another one a go - I'd be interested in how some of the characters develop later on in the series, and whether different themes are examined in later books. So the author definitely did enough to keep me reading.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish GR had half stars, as this is probably a 2½. The plot wasn't bad, but the murderer only really appeared ten pages from the end, and the arsonist wasn't a character mentioned by name at any point. Plus the dialogue was stilted - when there's only two people in a conversation, you don't keep calling them by names, as there's no-one else there, and that annoyed me.

[WhatShouldIRead]

I found some parts of the story interesting but even more parts slow moving. It seemed to me that whenever anyone had any conversations about the murder it really slowed the pace of the book as the characters went over the same material time after time.

I read through 100+ pages but decided that this book ultimately wasn't for me.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

not as good as The Railway Detective series

[El baúl de las certezas · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 / 5 ⭐

[Marie Rouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow paced but interesting murder mystery set during the time of the Great War.

Well written and researched. Both plot and character driven and quite an easy read. I think the characters were well drawn, likeable and I enjoyed getting to know them.

It highlights the effects of the war on policing during that period along with other aspects, such as opportunities for women and political agenda.

I look forward to reading more in the series and to see how the characters develop.

[Lizzie Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘A Bespoke Murder’ by Edward Marston
Published by Allison & Busby, 26 September 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7490-0990-8

May 1915 and the Lusitania sailing from New York is in sight of land when she is torpedoed by the Germans. The story is told by stewardess Irene Bayard who had worked on the Lusitania since her maiden voyage in September 2007. With the assistance of a colleague Ernie Gill, Irene survives.

The sinking of the Lusitania provokes ferocious revengeful action in her home port of Liverpool. The shops of anyone with a German name are looted, and even naturalised British citizens are not safe but beaten up at random. Sadly this action is soon seen in other major cities. But in London matters take a sinister turn when a tailor’s shop on Jermyn Street in London is burnt out and the owner killed. Whilst fleeing from the shop at her father’s insistence Ruth Stein is waylaid by two soldiers and raped.

Assigned to the murder case are Inspector Harvey Mamion and Sergeant Keedy. The former, a family man, the latter a ladies man, but maybe he just needs to meet the right girl.

Whilst the action taken by Mamion and Keedy as they investigate both the murder and the rape, have all the hallmarks of a good detective story, with the satisfying knowledge that the strong arm of the law has a long stretch, much of the strength of the book is in the characters and their lives on the home front during war. Following her recent experience, Irene decides that she will return home to her sister Dorothy in London, and find work there. Ruth Stein a quiet rather sheltered middle-class girl attempts to deal with the dreadful thing that has happened to her and, along with her family, the death of Jacob Stein.

Cleverly plotted, well written and invoking the atmosphere of the time, I heartily recommend this book as an excellent read. I am delighted to see that this is the first in a new series and I look forward to the next one.
-----
Lizzie Hayes

[Louise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an easy three stars. It’s an easy, relaxing read, with decent pacing up until the final 100 pages, where the case is suddenly solved and feels incredibly rushed. The mystery itself is interesting, though I simply wasn’t as convinced of the culprit as I hoped to be. Part of the fun of mystery novels is putting the pieces together yourself as the detectives do and getting the satisfaction of either being right or seeing which pieces of the puzzle were more relevant than at first shown. It’s nearly impossible to do it with this one.

It’s also very clear that this book was written through a modern lens, not only when topics like rape and the LGBTQ community come up, but in the descriptions of the historical setting. One very prominent example is when one of the characters goes to find a job and the chapter begins with a lengthy explanation of why it was so easy for them to find a job in war time Britain. I was glad to see that the author explained it, but it read very much like a textbook and was a little distracting.

My final issue with this book is the subplot involving Ruth Stein. Rape is an incredibly heavy topic and, given Ruth’s connection to the murder, I expected this to have some bigger connection to the central plot. This isn’t the case, however. It reads very much like an excuse for the author to send the main characters to the front line to remind us it’s happening. Ruth herself is handled with kid gloves and magically recovered from the trauma by the end, which is honestly lazy writing. I was honestly so disappointed by this random subplot that went nowhere. It felt like a complete disservice both to the character and the overarching mystery.

[Ann Marie Haase]

A complicated story, turning on tailors who make exquisitely tailored men's suites at the time the Lusitania sank. Germany's expatriates went to England and became naturalized British citizens in the 1890s. Some even changed their names so that they would not be identified as German. However, it made no difference to the toughs who hated all not true blood Englishmen. Taking the sinking of the Lusitania as their excuse, they incited groups in Liverpool and London to destroy Jewish-German businesses. Caught in this were an excellent tailor and his daughter, one murdered, the other violated. Another target was the brother of the tailor, who was also an excellent tailor and prejudiced against those of having a different sexual orientation than he.

As the violence increases, so does the scrutiny of the London police who were understaffed as were the firemen at that time. Many young men were signing up to fight to save their country. Clues came from good people worried that villeins would go free. Needless to say that the detectives carried the day, arresting the gang who created the mayhem. The villeins were unexpected. I was surprised that these men were involved.

The daughter gains strength. The brother of the dead tailor shows himself to be the tyrant he has always been. Other characters face their just end. An another charming young woman finds it time to leave the family home.

A good read. Just remember: Bespoke means is an old English term meaning custom made.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I put his on my WW1 shelf, but this story is much more.
It takes an unusual angle on life on the Home Front during Great War, which is how crime investigation is still needed.

A well-crafted novel. I have read other novels in a different series from this author, so that is what I had expected.

Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy are called in to investigate an attack on the premises of a London Tailor, Jacob Stein. This is one of many anti-German attacks around the country following the sinking of the cruise ship, the Lusitania in 1915.

As the plot thickens, there is a suggestion of anti-Semitism too. There are multiple strands to this story which eventually come together towards the end.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new series set in London during World War I. (Marston by now has at least eight series of novels; some of which are no longer being added to.)
Like all the writer's novels,this was well written with good detail. Because he intends to continue the series through the many changes brought to Britain by the War, a lot of time is spent discussing the effects of the war on the women of Britain and the changes made to society by their having to replace men drawn out of the work force and into the battles in Europe.
There are two more volumes already published, so I have some catching up to do.

[Jo Jenner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed the Railway detective series by the same author I was really looking forward to this.
The story flows and the description of a young woman racked by guilt from having been raped is written with care and empathy.
However the narrative often feel a little stilted and there are many times where the reader is told what a person feels or thinks rather than being shown it through that person's actions.
If I didn't know better I would have assumed that this book was written before the railway detective series as this felt like a first time author's book.

[Toni Maddi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe this got any positive reviews. The author spoon feeds every little detail, sometimes to the point of redundancy. He also commits the sin of putting 21st centruy ideas into the minds and mouths of characters born in the 19th century. "If women get the vote, maybe someday we'll get equal pay" said no turn-of-the -last century woman ever. I guess that makes it truly historical fiction.

[Natalie Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for historical fiction and mystery, so this is right up my alley! The atmosphere of WWI London is richly detailed and the writing transports you back to those times. Good solid plot, pacing, and enjoyable protagonists as well . . . what's not to like? It's bespoke enjoyment!

[Slmstanley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Could not get past the horrible rape scene in the first chapter. :(

[Fi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marston's has his usual obsession with the sartorial state of his characters, but otherwise there is definitely more 'meat' to this book than to his railway detective series

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

big trigger warning for r@pe