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1920s Murder Mystery #6
Murder on the White Cliffs
Sunshine, seaside - and a body on the beach
Lady detectives Marjorie Swallow and Mrs Jameson enjoy a trip to a smart clifftop hotel for a very English seaside holiday… until a mysterious Italian woman appears, anxious to speak to Mrs Jameson. But Mrs Jameson definitely doesn’t want to talk to her.
When a corpse is discovered on the beach, every guest becomes a suspect, including our detective duo. What does Mrs Jameson know, and why doesn’t she want to investigate this murder? As Marjorie is drawn deeper into the mystery, she learns trust no-one. Secrets from the past come back to haunt Mrs Jameson. Is Marjorie about to discover what really happened in Rome?
Murder On The White Cliffs is the sixth in the 1920s Murder Mystery series.
Lady detectives Marjorie Swallow and Mrs Jameson enjoy a trip to a smart clifftop hotel for a very English seaside holiday… until a mysterious Italian woman appears, anxious to speak to Mrs Jameson. But Mrs Jameson definitely doesn’t want to talk to her.
When a corpse is discovered on the beach, every guest becomes a suspect, including our detective duo. What does Mrs Jameson know, and why doesn’t she want to investigate this murder? As Marjorie is drawn deeper into the mystery, she learns trust no-one. Secrets from the past come back to haunt Mrs Jameson. Is Marjorie about to discover what really happened in Rome?
Murder On The White Cliffs is the sixth in the 1920s Murder Mystery series.
- GenresMystery
276 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 24, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
July 26, 2025
This is Marjorie Swallow’s last adventure… for now. I’m thrilled to hear that she may return in a future series because I truly loved these characters!
This is the conclusion of a mystery that has run throughout the entire series. However, I read it without any prior knowledge, and I could still follow it without any problem.
What can I say? I loved everything about this book.
First of all, the cast. The characters will always be the first thing that makes me fall in love with a book. Because this is a series, we have a recurring cast, a group of characters who are extremely easy to fall in love with.
They are well-rounded characters, with very definite personalities and bonds among them that give a feeling of extended family. They care about each other, and therefore, it’s easy for the reader to care about them, too.
The three central women are all different and still similar, and they give a perfect description of the 1920s New Woman’s different faces. Marjorie is a nice girl who is willing to push boundaries to get what she wants, which is her own life, her own satisfaction, and her own future. She’s resourceful and proactive, intelligent, and yet vulnerable. I really felt she was a friend.
Frankie is the ‘outsider’, the girl who goes maybe a bit too far with independence and doesn’t care for what other people think of her. She’s more of a tomboy, a girl afraid of nothing.
Mrs Jameson, though older than the other two characters, is still a New Woman, a businesswoman who has seen a lot both before, during and after the Great War. She’s the experienced woman who has used her skills to build her own life.
This trio really bring up how powerful the New Woam was at that time. And yet, they are also perfectly rounded characters, with their own dreams and especially their own fears, which play a very relevant part in this story.
Then, there’s the cast of this particular story. They, too, are a very true depiction of the people of the time. I have to say I had a soft spot for the war veterans, but that’s my weakness!
I surprisingly found the victim a very interesting character, shady but complex. The murder occurs quite a long way into the story, so we have a genuine opportunity to see this character. Not an easy one to decipher (for a long time, we don’t even know what her true name is) and this, in my opinion, adds so much layer to the story. I really like this choice.
And the setting: an elegant hotel situated in a castle on the White Cliffs. A real place, by the way.
I could almost see it, so vivid the descriptions are.
The story unfolded leisurely and gave me time to learn about the place and the people living there. I enjoyed reading about how well-off people enjoyed their holidays at the time, but also about the everyday life of the people working at the hotel.
It gave a strong Agatha Christie vibe, if I can say so, which – for me – was certainly a bonus.
The mystery is very well thought-out. Strong, but also not too complicated. I liked how Marjorie sometimes gets distracted by her fears and preoccupations, as I find it very realistic, which also makes the mystery more engaging.
In truth, what I liked the most about this mystery is that there was so much more than the mystery and yet, it was all about the mystery. I mean, these characters were trying to solve a murder, yet they also had to handle their own life, fears, and insecurities.
In this regard, the excerpt below is a great example (and one of my favourite episodes in the book): Inspector Dyson manages to manipulate Marjorie and he can do so because in that situation, not only does Marjorie have to handle the pressure of the interrogation (not something she faces every day), but also her own doubts, her loyalties and her fears. It’s a very realised, exceptionally well-handled episode, in my opinion.
It’s a great read, honestly.
It makes me want to read the entire series… even if now I know how it ends up!
This is the conclusion of a mystery that has run throughout the entire series. However, I read it without any prior knowledge, and I could still follow it without any problem.
What can I say? I loved everything about this book.
First of all, the cast. The characters will always be the first thing that makes me fall in love with a book. Because this is a series, we have a recurring cast, a group of characters who are extremely easy to fall in love with.
They are well-rounded characters, with very definite personalities and bonds among them that give a feeling of extended family. They care about each other, and therefore, it’s easy for the reader to care about them, too.
The three central women are all different and still similar, and they give a perfect description of the 1920s New Woman’s different faces. Marjorie is a nice girl who is willing to push boundaries to get what she wants, which is her own life, her own satisfaction, and her own future. She’s resourceful and proactive, intelligent, and yet vulnerable. I really felt she was a friend.
Frankie is the ‘outsider’, the girl who goes maybe a bit too far with independence and doesn’t care for what other people think of her. She’s more of a tomboy, a girl afraid of nothing.
Mrs Jameson, though older than the other two characters, is still a New Woman, a businesswoman who has seen a lot both before, during and after the Great War. She’s the experienced woman who has used her skills to build her own life.
This trio really bring up how powerful the New Woam was at that time. And yet, they are also perfectly rounded characters, with their own dreams and especially their own fears, which play a very relevant part in this story.
Then, there’s the cast of this particular story. They, too, are a very true depiction of the people of the time. I have to say I had a soft spot for the war veterans, but that’s my weakness!
I surprisingly found the victim a very interesting character, shady but complex. The murder occurs quite a long way into the story, so we have a genuine opportunity to see this character. Not an easy one to decipher (for a long time, we don’t even know what her true name is) and this, in my opinion, adds so much layer to the story. I really like this choice.
And the setting: an elegant hotel situated in a castle on the White Cliffs. A real place, by the way.
I could almost see it, so vivid the descriptions are.
The story unfolded leisurely and gave me time to learn about the place and the people living there. I enjoyed reading about how well-off people enjoyed their holidays at the time, but also about the everyday life of the people working at the hotel.
It gave a strong Agatha Christie vibe, if I can say so, which – for me – was certainly a bonus.
The mystery is very well thought-out. Strong, but also not too complicated. I liked how Marjorie sometimes gets distracted by her fears and preoccupations, as I find it very realistic, which also makes the mystery more engaging.
In truth, what I liked the most about this mystery is that there was so much more than the mystery and yet, it was all about the mystery. I mean, these characters were trying to solve a murder, yet they also had to handle their own life, fears, and insecurities.
In this regard, the excerpt below is a great example (and one of my favourite episodes in the book): Inspector Dyson manages to manipulate Marjorie and he can do so because in that situation, not only does Marjorie have to handle the pressure of the interrogation (not something she faces every day), but also her own doubts, her loyalties and her fears. It’s a very realised, exceptionally well-handled episode, in my opinion.
It’s a great read, honestly.
It makes me want to read the entire series… even if now I know how it ends up!
July 29, 2025
"Murder On The White Cliffs" is book #6 in "A 1920's Murder Mystery" by Anna Sayburn Lane.
A mysterious Italian woman is found dead on the beach by the hotel where Mrs. Jameson, Marjorie and Frankie are on holiday. Mrs. J is uncharacteristically silent on the matter and insists it be left to the police to solve. This doesn't seem logical to Marjorie or Frankie so they go against her wishes and try to find out what is going on.
Several of the guests at the hotel had interaction with the deceased but they all have alibis - or do they? The local police aren't looking further than Mrs. J, so things get more complicated and dangerous before a killer is revealed. Figuring out who was responsible was challenging given how the woman had interacted with other guests and some of the staff at the hotel.
The story and setting was interesting. Though not set in London, core characters from previous books as well as a couple of previous characters are also part of the story. There were a few surprising revelations at the end of the book.
Overall, an entertaining cozy mystery. The author does state that this is the end of the current series but doesn't rule out that there may eventually be a series with some of these characters in the future.
A mysterious Italian woman is found dead on the beach by the hotel where Mrs. Jameson, Marjorie and Frankie are on holiday. Mrs. J is uncharacteristically silent on the matter and insists it be left to the police to solve. This doesn't seem logical to Marjorie or Frankie so they go against her wishes and try to find out what is going on.
Several of the guests at the hotel had interaction with the deceased but they all have alibis - or do they? The local police aren't looking further than Mrs. J, so things get more complicated and dangerous before a killer is revealed. Figuring out who was responsible was challenging given how the woman had interacted with other guests and some of the staff at the hotel.
The story and setting was interesting. Though not set in London, core characters from previous books as well as a couple of previous characters are also part of the story. There were a few surprising revelations at the end of the book.
Overall, an entertaining cozy mystery. The author does state that this is the end of the current series but doesn't rule out that there may eventually be a series with some of these characters in the future.
July 31, 2025
Another great story
I downloaded the first book in this series almost by accident, because a friend who hates historical fiction dared me to. I was hooked and six and a half stories in I still love it.
The settings are always different, the repeat characters lovable and the plot flows flawlessly.
This time around Marjorie, Mrs Jameson and Frankie are holydaying on the coast of Kent. They abruptly left London when an Italian nun came to visit Mrs. Jameson. Marjorie suspects this has something to do with Mr. Jameson's death 20 years ago, but Mrs. Jameson is unusally secretive and doesn't talks to her. When a mysterious Italian young woman approaches her, Mrs. Jameson refuses to talk to her. Uncharacteristically, she refuses to investigate the young woman's murder, too. What is she hiding? Doesn't she trust her secretary anymore?
This is going to be the last book in this series (Here's looking at your return, kid) and it brings long-awaited resolution to the mystery surrounding Mrs Jameson's past. The author's impeccable descriptions of time and place, the setting of the story on the Kent coast are pure delight; the pacing is spot on, perfectly balancing suspense and emotion. The characters, old and new, are vividly described.
I highly recommend this series to all fans of historical mysteries.
I downloaded the first book in this series almost by accident, because a friend who hates historical fiction dared me to. I was hooked and six and a half stories in I still love it.
The settings are always different, the repeat characters lovable and the plot flows flawlessly.
This time around Marjorie, Mrs Jameson and Frankie are holydaying on the coast of Kent. They abruptly left London when an Italian nun came to visit Mrs. Jameson. Marjorie suspects this has something to do with Mr. Jameson's death 20 years ago, but Mrs. Jameson is unusally secretive and doesn't talks to her. When a mysterious Italian young woman approaches her, Mrs. Jameson refuses to talk to her. Uncharacteristically, she refuses to investigate the young woman's murder, too. What is she hiding? Doesn't she trust her secretary anymore?
This is going to be the last book in this series (Here's looking at your return, kid) and it brings long-awaited resolution to the mystery surrounding Mrs Jameson's past. The author's impeccable descriptions of time and place, the setting of the story on the Kent coast are pure delight; the pacing is spot on, perfectly balancing suspense and emotion. The characters, old and new, are vividly described.
I highly recommend this series to all fans of historical mysteries.
July 18, 2025
Exceptionally exciting mystery!
Whodunit? The most obvious person or the least? That's the dilemma every reader will have as they attempt to unravel the fabric of this mystery! Marjorie and Frankie team up to try and solve the murder while Mrs. Jameson for unknown reasons goes silent. Loved this latest book in the series and enjoyed learning more about each character. All the answers are here! Highly recommend the series for every lover of a good mystery ~ and the series would make a perfect gift!
Whodunit? The most obvious person or the least? That's the dilemma every reader will have as they attempt to unravel the fabric of this mystery! Marjorie and Frankie team up to try and solve the murder while Mrs. Jameson for unknown reasons goes silent. Loved this latest book in the series and enjoyed learning more about each character. All the answers are here! Highly recommend the series for every lover of a good mystery ~ and the series would make a perfect gift!
January 21, 2026
I have enjoyed all of the books in this series and always look forward to the next adventure that Mrs Jameson and Marjorie has. So I am gutted to hear that this is the last book in this series.
Another exciting and totally baffling mystery this time round. We all knew that there was more to Mrs Jameson than meets the eye, but this time, there seems to be more secrets than we bargained for. An excellent read and as always, 5 stars!
Another exciting and totally baffling mystery this time round. We all knew that there was more to Mrs Jameson than meets the eye, but this time, there seems to be more secrets than we bargained for. An excellent read and as always, 5 stars!
July 29, 2025
Can’t Miss This One if You’ve been Reading the Series
Marjorie and Mrs. Jameson are not in sync. There is of course a murder and ultimately all is revealed - even the secret Lane has been hinting at all along. Frankie is always a healthy counterpoint to Marjorie’s worrying. I do enjoy this series
Marjorie and Mrs. Jameson are not in sync. There is of course a murder and ultimately all is revealed - even the secret Lane has been hinting at all along. Frankie is always a healthy counterpoint to Marjorie’s worrying. I do enjoy this series
August 1, 2025
Fantastic end of amazing series
I’m sad that this is the final book in this series—I’ve loved every one of them. But all the lingering questions are now answered, and it feels very satisfying. I can only hope Ms Sayburn Lane has another captivating cozy mystery series on the not-too-distant horizon.
I’m sad that this is the final book in this series—I’ve loved every one of them. But all the lingering questions are now answered, and it feels very satisfying. I can only hope Ms Sayburn Lane has another captivating cozy mystery series on the not-too-distant horizon.
September 7, 2025
Loved this series
Really interesting characters, nice plots, I am so sorry this 1920s mystery series has ended with this book. I really enjoyed all the books in the series. I especially liked the way Marjorie as character developed over the series.
Really interesting characters, nice plots, I am so sorry this 1920s mystery series has ended with this book. I really enjoyed all the books in the series. I especially liked the way Marjorie as character developed over the series.
November 7, 2025
This was an outstanding book in the series. It kept me guessing right to the end. Mrs Jamison’s past definitely was haunting the group. In the end it was a group effort to solve the murder. I always enjoy back stories about characters. It enriches the read.
July 8, 2025
Really enjoyed the intriguing mystery and nice to have a few lingering questions answered.
July 12, 2025
Once again this was a thoroughly enjoyable murder mystery featuring Marjorie Swallow and her PI employer Iris Jameson. Here, Iris needs a rest yet is confronted by a surprise mystery from her past in Italy so they go from London to Broadstairs for a two week vacation refusing to take on new work. However, Iris's mystery follows her to the coast to the point where she is accused of murdering a young Italian girl causing even the ever loyal Marjorie to doubt her veracity. There are a suitable number of twists, turns and red herrings, as the tale reaches its denouement. I liked the very personal knowledge of the Thanet coastline and the plot moves along quickly making this an absorbing read. I was sad to read that this is the last in this series, and full marks to Anne Rayburn Lane for having the courage to wrap things up while the stories are fresh and engaging.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews