Murder Most Proper

Miss Beeton's Murder Agency #2

by Josie Lloyd

Some crimes are best solved by the book …The perfect new cosy crime novel for fans of Agatha Christie, Nita Prose and Ian Moore!

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Alice Beeton runs a tight ship. Like her distant relative – the somewhat more famous Mrs Beeton – she believes there should be a place for everything, but she’s not so sure she’s in her place.

Since a whirlwind romance with a billionaire swept her best friend, Jinx, off her feet and out of the city, Alice has been running the Good Household Management Agency by herself, supplying discreet domestic staff to the hyper-wealthy. Business has been booming lately, but more work brings even more problems.

So when Jinx invites her to her new beau’s country house, Alice jumps at the chance. But when a guest is attacked and priceless heirlooms stolen, Alice’s plans for a quiet weekend reading one of her beloved mystery novels take a much darker turn.

Along with her astute canine companion, Agatha, Miss Beeton is going to find out that some crimes are best solved by the book.

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Perfect for fans

Cosy crimeGolden age crime fictionWomen sleuthsFound familyOld money and high society

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 8, 2026

Reviews

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and HQ for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

This series is only one book old - Miss Beeton's Murder Agency - but I loved it; it had everything I could have wanted.

I couldn't remember what happened in book one so was worried I'd struggle but I did feel like no time had passed. You're back to the instantly likeable characters (except for one but that's the way he's been written), this world they live in, and it is a joyful world.

From the cover, I was expecting it to be a Christmas book with a side dish of murder. But for me, there was hardly any festivities so I felt it was slightly misleading.

There are a lot of characters, some from the first book and some new. This gives us familiarity but also keeps it fresh. I am not good with names, remembering who they are and how they link and their roles in the story. But even with all of them, I found myself being able to keep on top. And I think it's because they're all so different, so distinct that they are clearly their own person.

I still like that she' made Alice a relative of the great Mrs Beeton, instead of making Mrs Beeton herself the star. This grounds it in reality but gives Josie free reign as to write this character instead of having to rely on historical accuracy.

I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as the first but I can't really say why because I did enjoy it. It just felt slower, and wasn't quite as gripping and so I found my attention waned slightly.

I don't know how long she plans to write this series, but I am enjoying it. Even though I didn't like this one as much, I did enjoy it and I look forward to the next.

[Shari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alice Beeton runs the Household Management Agency, which was, at least in part, inspired by her distant relation Mrs Beeton of Mrs Beeton's Household Management fame. Alice lives with her dog, Agatha, and many mystery novels. Her best friend, Jinx, is also her business partner. Alice and Jinx are very different sorts of people, but they've been friends since they were in school together and have remained close. As this book opens, Jinx is in another relationship that Alice isn't too sure about, since Jinx has a habit of falling in love with men who aren't what they seem. Could this time be different, Alice wonders. Since Jinx has moved in with Guy, she hasn't been around at the agency and others have had to pick up the slack. All of Jinx's attention is taken up with Guy and the planned renovations to the big old house they've just moved into. They're going to turn it into an exclusive club and Jinx wants Alice to help her. Alice goes there for the weekend, meets and befriends Guy's sister, and then gets cajoled into helping with a big treasure hunt/party weekend which is only a few weeks away. Then weird stuff starts happening--are there reasonable explanations for these occurrences or is something more sinister going on? Alice, with the help of Agatha and her friends from London, is going to poke around until she finds out.

Like the first book in the series, this was a delight to read. I quite enjoy Alice and Agatha as characters. You don't need to have read the first book to read this one (although that is also a fun read). The characters--both primary and supporting--are very well done. I like the mix of different ages in both the recurring characters and the book-specific ones. The setting works well--the old country house but updated. In both characters and setting we see the tensions between old ways and new and embracing the present or focusing on nostalgia. There's also an interesting undercurrent for me about the pull between history and imagined history. But the main thing is the mystery, which kept me turning the pages. It was unique, very well constructed, and with a satisfying conclusion. I also enjoyed the seasonal aspect here, with the story unfolding primarily in the autumn, and ending at Christmastime. I do love a good seasonal cozy mystery and this one hit all the right notes for me. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

[Sara Oxton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very proper five-star read. I nearly gave it four stars, and if it didn’t have such a good ending I likely would have, as for the first few chapters I felt like I was missing something, like this was a second story in a series, I now see there is Miss Beatons murder agency, and maybe if I had read that one this would have been as strong as the end all the way through, it almost felt like there were a couple of in jokes that I wasn’t in on, but then once I was into the story I got the jokes and loved the story. Agatha was just simply a great character, one that pulled some scenes together very well. The mystery did keep me guessing and the red herrings were very well done, Miss Beaton was a delight and really did pull the story together, I did find Jinx a little annoying though, maybe that’s why I struggled a little at first, but most of all the overall story was a delight to read.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this second book in the Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency Mystery. It’s cleverly plotted, but easy to read and follow. Alice is a remarkably likeable character.

This is set in another stately home and this time a priceless jewel is said to be hidden somewhere on its grounds. Alice and her friends must try to find the jewel before the death count gets any higher and before the murderer!

I had my suspicions early on and it was fun to find out I was right to be suspicious but it was grand to see how it all unfolded!

In really love this cosy crime series and genuinely hope we will get a book 3!

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our new favourite sleuth, Miss Alice Beeton is back doing what she does best accompanied by faithful hound Agatha. Seconded to assist Jinx, her best friend and erstwhile business partner, organise a grand event at the country pile belonging to Jinx's boyfriend, Alice uncovers a wealth of shenanigans requiring her investigative skills. A super little cosy crime.
My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own unbiased opinion.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

This is the second in the Miss Beeton murder series and was almost as enjoyable as the first outing.

[BookswithLydscl | · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

4.5*

A very welcome return to Miss Beeton's Murder Agency! After loving the opening book to this modern cosy mystery series I've been keeping an eye out for a follow up and finally Alice Beeton is back in 'Murder Most Proper'.

This was such a fun, and fast-paced cosy mystery and exactly the kind of follow-up I was hoping for. I flew through it, really enjoying the storyline, the characters and all the twists and turns along the way.

The main villain was perhaps a little obvious, but honestly, it didn’t detract from my enjoyment because I thought the why behind everything was really solid and I enjoyed seeing everyone get to final reveal.

A thoroughly entertaining mystery with plenty to keep me guessing and I will hope that we may see another outing for Alice in the future!

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for a digital review copy of "Murder Most Proper" in exchange for my honest and voluntary review.