Clean Hands : A 1920s Murder Mystery Prequel

by Peter G Thompson

London, 1929. A woman lies dead below her own window. The verdict is too tidy.

Agnes Lyle fell from a first-floor window of her house in Belgravia. The police surgeon calls it an accident. The inquest will agree. The hands are clean, the house was locked, and there is nothing more to see.

Reginald Hargrove is not a detective. He runs an oil company, and he has spent his life reading the small wrong detail that a confident report glosses the figure that does not add up, the ground that says one thing while the map says another. Asked, almost in passing, to look again, he finds a room that will not stay tidy, a coat left hanging where it should not be, and a pair of hands too clean for a woman who fell.

What he uncovers is quieter and colder than an accident, and it will cost a decent man the comfort of looking away.

Clean Hands is the case that first drew Reginald Hargrove from his desk to the reading of other people's lives. A complete mystery in its own right, it is the prequel to the Reginald Hargrove Mysteries, and the perfect place to begin. It leads directly into the first novel, The Crimson Scarf.

For readers of Robert Harris, Charles Todd, and Jacqueline Winspear.

47 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 13, 2026

Reviews

[Andrew Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story rather than a brief novella. And a gentle, period murder mystery in which the guilty party becomes evident early on - but our sleuths have to forge a convincing case. I rather enjoyed this, particularly the method of detection by the lead character (not a police official) but also by his wife and friends and relatives. There’s also a relatively unsung police sergeant proving more capable than his boss. The author introduces a philosophical note, with our lead character striving for answers to questions in his own life as well as solving the case in question. This is a short introduction to enable the reader to gauge whether to read other work by the author. I, for one, intend to seek out more, so bravo, Mr. Thompson.

[Corinne · Rating 4 out of 5]

in 1929 a woman is found dead below her window. The verdict calls it an accident. But her hands were clean. Reginald Hargrove is not a detective but he’s very good at reading the finer points. When asked to look into this a little bit further he finds that the room will not stay tidy, a coat is left hanging where it shouldn’t be and a pair of hands are too clean for a woman who apparently fell from her window.

This was a clever and concise little mystery.

I loved Reginald and his skills where he could look at the entire scene and notice the tiny details.

This was very well written as well. Given that it was such a short book, there was so much detail within it.

Really enjoyed this very quick read.

I will read this series.

I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Gab · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story/novella which introduces the character of Reginald Hargrove. Hargrove is not a detective but has a fantastic eye for detail. When one of his wife's friends is found dead, his wife asks him to investigate. The first thing that he notices is that the victim, Agnes Lyle, has clean hands. He find this strange if she supposedly fell or was pushed out of the first floor window. The book is well written and you definitely get a sense of the period (1929 London), with private clubs and houses in Belgravia. I look forward to reading more books in this series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Mike Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although only a novella, this felt like a much longer book, but in a very good way. A decent plot, but a lot of detail, about characters, places and settings, fitted into the 50 pages. I love the writing style, which is reminiscent of a bygone age.
A pleasure to read.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am an ARC reader for Book Sirens this is my honest opinion. This is quite an interesting book. Set in the Ireland 1920s, the story is told in a slow, measured, deliberate way. Reginald Hargreaves, the principal character methodically disproves the decision made by a detective and a surgeon that Mrs Agnes Lyle accidentally fell. The pace of this story seems slow compared to modern day mysteries but suits the age in which it's set. In the background there is a constant reminder that something bad happened on another continent. We are never told what it was, but it obviously weighed heavily on Reginald's conscience. There are two more books in which I imagine that whatever happened will be revealed.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. The author demonstrates that the smallest detail looked at in the right context makes all the difference. How this was done was masterly. I enjoyed it from discover to conclusion.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.