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Mayfair 100 #1
Murder in Belgravia
A Mayfair 100 Murder Mystery.
London 1915
Just 10 months into the First World War, the City is flooded with women taking over the work vacated by men who are now serving in the Armed Services.
Chief Inspector Peter Beech, a young man invalided out of the war in one of the first battles, is faced with investigating the murder of an aristocrat and the man’s wife, a key witness and suspect, will only speak to a woman about the unpleasant details of the case.
Beech puts together a small clandestine team of women and policeman to investigate , their contact number: Mayfair 100.
The case takes them into the seedier parts of WW1 London, from criminal gangs and brothels to underground drugs 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?
London 1915
Just 10 months into the First World War, the City is flooded with women taking over the work vacated by men who are now serving in the Armed Services.
Chief Inspector Peter Beech, a young man invalided out of the war in one of the first battles, is faced with investigating the murder of an aristocrat and the man’s wife, a key witness and suspect, will only speak to a woman about the unpleasant details of the case.
Beech puts together a small clandestine team of women and policeman to investigate , their contact number: Mayfair 100.
The case takes them into the seedier parts of WW1 London, from criminal gangs and brothels to underground drugs 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?
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 6, 2017
243 people are currently reading
1369 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Brittney
66 books109 followersLynn Brittany has been a writer for almost thirty years and has written several adult and children’s non-fiction books and many plays for adults and children that have been performed all over the world. Her first young adult novel was shortlisted for the Waterstone’s Book Prize; the Brandford Boase Award and the Doncaster Book Prize. Her second young adult novel was included in the UK Government’s Recommended Reading List for Boys and was described by the Daily Telegraph as containing…”furious swordplay, tremendous chases, atmospheric journeys and wince-inducing reminders that this was an age before anaesthetics.”
'Mayfair 100: A Murder in Belgravia' is her first historical crime novel for adults and was published by Mirror Books in January 2018.
She has been a writer for many years, first working as a journalist on trade and business magazines. She also worked part-time as a drama teacher and began writing plays for children, young adults and older actors. These are published by Playstage Junior, Playstage YA and Playstage Senior.
Then, when her son was a teenager, she became aware that teachers were struggling to interest their pupils in Shakespeare, so she embarked upon writing a series of young adult novels set in Elizabethan England, involving espionage, action and Shakespearian plots. The Nathan Fox books were nominated for various awards, such as the Waterstone’s Book Prize and the Brandford Boase Award. She then created some fact books to accompany the novels, called The Elizabethan World of Nathan Fox. Both novels and fact books have become useful tools in English speaking schools around the world. These books are now published by Iris Books in London.
In 2017, she began to write a series of period murder mysteries – called the Mayfair 100 series. Set in London during WW1, the books involve a secret team of professional policemen and educated women in solving crimes. The team are based in Mayfair, an upper-class area of London and Mayfair 100 is the telephone number. Book 1, called A Murder in Belgravia, was published in the UK by Mirror Books, at the beginning of 2018 and the second book in the series was published in the UK in March 2019. The American version of Book 1 was published by Crooked Lane Books in March 2019.
In 2019, a second murder mystery book, in the Mayfair 100 series, called A Death in Chelsea, was published by Mirror Books in the UK and by Crooked Lane in the USA.
During the lockdown of 2020, Lynn Brittney tried her hand at something new and wrote a series of three small books entitled Gifts From Your Garden. An avid gardener, cook and craftsperson, she decided to combine all her hobbies and skills into Book 1: Culinary, Book 2: Health and Beauty and Book 3: Crafts. The trio of little books are packed with recipes, instructions and tips on how to make use of everything you grow and make them into gifts for friends and family. These books are published by Iris Books of London.
All of Lynn Brittney's plays are published by the Playstage Group (Playstage Junior, YA and Senior).
'Mayfair 100: A Murder in Belgravia' is her first historical crime novel for adults and was published by Mirror Books in January 2018.
She has been a writer for many years, first working as a journalist on trade and business magazines. She also worked part-time as a drama teacher and began writing plays for children, young adults and older actors. These are published by Playstage Junior, Playstage YA and Playstage Senior.
Then, when her son was a teenager, she became aware that teachers were struggling to interest their pupils in Shakespeare, so she embarked upon writing a series of young adult novels set in Elizabethan England, involving espionage, action and Shakespearian plots. The Nathan Fox books were nominated for various awards, such as the Waterstone’s Book Prize and the Brandford Boase Award. She then created some fact books to accompany the novels, called The Elizabethan World of Nathan Fox. Both novels and fact books have become useful tools in English speaking schools around the world. These books are now published by Iris Books in London.
In 2017, she began to write a series of period murder mysteries – called the Mayfair 100 series. Set in London during WW1, the books involve a secret team of professional policemen and educated women in solving crimes. The team are based in Mayfair, an upper-class area of London and Mayfair 100 is the telephone number. Book 1, called A Murder in Belgravia, was published in the UK by Mirror Books, at the beginning of 2018 and the second book in the series was published in the UK in March 2019. The American version of Book 1 was published by Crooked Lane Books in March 2019.
In 2019, a second murder mystery book, in the Mayfair 100 series, called A Death in Chelsea, was published by Mirror Books in the UK and by Crooked Lane in the USA.
During the lockdown of 2020, Lynn Brittney tried her hand at something new and wrote a series of three small books entitled Gifts From Your Garden. An avid gardener, cook and craftsperson, she decided to combine all her hobbies and skills into Book 1: Culinary, Book 2: Health and Beauty and Book 3: Crafts. The trio of little books are packed with recipes, instructions and tips on how to make use of everything you grow and make them into gifts for friends and family. These books are published by Iris Books of London.
All of Lynn Brittney's plays are published by the Playstage Group (Playstage Junior, YA and Senior).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
October 6, 2018
This crime historical fiction set in 1915 during WW1 in London by Lynn Brittney was a real pleasure to read. It begins with the murder of Lord Murcheson, stabbed with a pair of scissors in Belgravia. Chief Inspector Beech is investigating but feels he needs more support than the Met can currently provide under Commissioner Sir Edward Henry. He takes the opportunity to ask for a special task force that will help to solve the case. Women have no place in the police is the current thinking, Beech wants to use the expertise of talented women but has to do this covertly. And so Dr Caroline Allardyce, who works in the women's hospital, widow and legally trained Victoria Ellingham, PC Billy Rigsby injured in the war and boxing champion, and Arthur Tollman, police offficer are recruited. They are based at Lady Maud's London townhouse, the mother of Victoria. It is a time of great change with the suffragettes determined that women should get the vote, and volunteer women's groups supporting the police. The class system is under pressure and London is being bombed, with the East End a particular target as the Kaiser tries to avoid killing family.
Lord Murcheson returned seriously injured from the war which turns him into a rampaging brutal drug addict with his wife, Lady Harriet at the end of his terrible violence. She is discovered close to death and is initially thought to have stabbed him in self defence after he stamped on her abdomen. However, it appears it was physically impossible for her to have done this. The special task force investigate the Murcheson household, including the suspicious butler, Dodds, and the young Polly, Lady Harriet's maid. It soon becomes clear that Lord Murcheson had a rather large collection of medications and drugs with the key ingredients of cocaine and heroin, which the group are keen to know where they came from. Dodds and Polly disappear, and we learn of the dangers that women face working in munitions factories. Encounters with London's gangs, brothels, Molly houses, Barnardo's homes, and doctors working in Harley Street tending to the needs of the aristocracy and the powerful give us a picture of London at the time. The special group exceed expectations as they chase down leads in what turns out to be an exceedingly complex case amidst a background of war torn London.
This piece of historical fiction felt as if it incorporated elements of Downtown Abbey. Brittney has written a compelling and gripping narrative with a great set of characters. I imagine this is the first in a series, and I am keen to read the next book! I particularly loved how Billy's mother and her sister, went out of their way to ensure that George Harris, a molly who is brutalised dreadfully, is able to leave hospital knowing he has a home and the possibility of training for a profession. If you enjoy crime and historical fiction, then this is a wonderful book that I recommend. Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.
Lord Murcheson returned seriously injured from the war which turns him into a rampaging brutal drug addict with his wife, Lady Harriet at the end of his terrible violence. She is discovered close to death and is initially thought to have stabbed him in self defence after he stamped on her abdomen. However, it appears it was physically impossible for her to have done this. The special task force investigate the Murcheson household, including the suspicious butler, Dodds, and the young Polly, Lady Harriet's maid. It soon becomes clear that Lord Murcheson had a rather large collection of medications and drugs with the key ingredients of cocaine and heroin, which the group are keen to know where they came from. Dodds and Polly disappear, and we learn of the dangers that women face working in munitions factories. Encounters with London's gangs, brothels, Molly houses, Barnardo's homes, and doctors working in Harley Street tending to the needs of the aristocracy and the powerful give us a picture of London at the time. The special group exceed expectations as they chase down leads in what turns out to be an exceedingly complex case amidst a background of war torn London.
This piece of historical fiction felt as if it incorporated elements of Downtown Abbey. Brittney has written a compelling and gripping narrative with a great set of characters. I imagine this is the first in a series, and I am keen to read the next book! I particularly loved how Billy's mother and her sister, went out of their way to ensure that George Harris, a molly who is brutalised dreadfully, is able to leave hospital knowing he has a home and the possibility of training for a profession. If you enjoy crime and historical fiction, then this is a wonderful book that I recommend. Many thanks to Netgalley for an ARC.
May 18, 2019
This year I had decided to read fewer psychological thrillers, as I found so many disappointed me last year. I also decided to avoid thrillers, mysteries that included, girl, mother or sister in the title, which I have for the most part. This left my more time to indulge in my first love, which are police procedurals and historical mysteries. This, the author first mystery for adults, was a very entertaining historical that certainly kept my interest.
The first World War is on, the Kaiser using Zeppelin's to bomb certain areas of England. Men are beginning to return, those lucky enough to return at all,with injuries and shell shock. Ruthless gangs and doctors are supplying these men with all sorts of drugs, heroin, cocaine and the like. When a member of the peerage, one of the walking wounded is found murdered, his wife injured severely and covered in blood, a group is formed to solve the crime. A secret group, led by one vetyy able policeman, two associates and in a break from protocol, one woman doctor and sn upper class woman with an eye for details. I loved this group. Using women, was of course frowned on by most, and this added an area of special interest for me. This team worked together very well, and while there was a journey through the degredations of the day, sex workers of both sexes, gangs and corruption, there were also moments of humor.
Times were changing. With so many men gone, women were beginning to take a more active role in various parts of life. The classes were beginning to blend, as servants left for the war, or had opportunities for better means of employment. This story blended all elements very well, gave us a good group of characters and a pretty good mystery to boot. Looking forward to more from this rag tag team, and this talented author.
ARC from Netgalley.
The first World War is on, the Kaiser using Zeppelin's to bomb certain areas of England. Men are beginning to return, those lucky enough to return at all,with injuries and shell shock. Ruthless gangs and doctors are supplying these men with all sorts of drugs, heroin, cocaine and the like. When a member of the peerage, one of the walking wounded is found murdered, his wife injured severely and covered in blood, a group is formed to solve the crime. A secret group, led by one vetyy able policeman, two associates and in a break from protocol, one woman doctor and sn upper class woman with an eye for details. I loved this group. Using women, was of course frowned on by most, and this added an area of special interest for me. This team worked together very well, and while there was a journey through the degredations of the day, sex workers of both sexes, gangs and corruption, there were also moments of humor.
Times were changing. With so many men gone, women were beginning to take a more active role in various parts of life. The classes were beginning to blend, as servants left for the war, or had opportunities for better means of employment. This story blended all elements very well, gave us a good group of characters and a pretty good mystery to boot. Looking forward to more from this rag tag team, and this talented author.
ARC from Netgalley.
May 26, 2019
This was a fun weekend read, with a murder story set in London in 1915, and mainly female characters, who under the supervision of Chief Inspector Beech form an unofficial investigative team. In the second year of the Great War, women become more engaged in all kinds of professions reserved earlier for men only, The historical background is nicely presented , and various problems of those days are tackled, such as mental and physical scars of the soldiers who returned or women's demand to be recognized as equal. The characters are likeable, and each has some characteristics that make them special.
*Many thanks to Lynn Brittney, Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
*Many thanks to Lynn Brittney, Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
February 12, 2018
"Very few of us are what we seem." (Agatha Christie)
As World War I enters with heavy marching boots into the lives of 1915 London, nary a soul will be untouched by the weight of its presence. Men from all walks of life are uniformed and sent to fight the good fight in France and beyond. It is a time of mixed emotions, questionable identities, and the shifting of roles in society.
Because of the lack of males in the homes and businesses, women step forward to fulfill their obligations. You can almost hear the shattering of the ol' class system as it hits the wall. Even the Civil Service in Whitehall begins to take on women. The Suffragette Movement emboldens females not to be seen as mere housefraus.
Enter: Chief Inspector Peter Beech of the Metropolitan Police with a forward moving idea. He wishes to encorporate a police task force based on talent and individual contributions and not based solely on gender. Female police officers have not yet been recognized as a benefitting element during this fast-changing time period. But ol' Beech has convinced the commissioner that Mayfair 100 has the potential for untapped merits.
Look Alive Here, Folks: Lord Murcheson has returned from the war muddled in mind and body. A vicious attack on his wife, Lady Harriet, leaves the aristocratic gentlemen dead on the floor of his wife's bedroom......a pair of long-handled scissors are sticking prominently out of his chest where his former war medals had been. Lady Harriet admits to the murder even though she is writhing in pain and clutching her stomach. Beech is convinced that Lady Harriet could not have committed murder in her condition. If not, then who?
Open the Door: Check out the smooth transition of well chosen individuals that make up Mayfair 100. Beech has lined up a former soldier/boxer, a well experienced detective, a young woman who has studied law, her feisty society mother, and a female doctor of the highest standing. The dialogue amongst them is filled with humor at times as well as the camaraderie of people bearing well-honed analytical skills and a great desire for justice.
Front and Center: The quest for the murderer will bring this group elbow to elbow with some seedy characters and circumstances. We, as readers, are locked into the beginnings of the drug trade with the true reality that heroin powders, morphine, and opium could be purchased at any pharmacy for toothaches, infant colic, and as nerve tonics. Step right up, customers.
Lynn Brittney presents a fascinating glimpse into the societal changes of these times, especially in regard to women. Her Mayfair 100 crew include some very demonstrative females who lead with their intelligence and not necessarily with their looks. Ah, refreshing! She also rounds out her storyline with the newly contributing benefits of scientific discoveries in fingerprinting and investigative techniques. Her research is remarkable and the implementation is top-notch. Here's hoping that this is on the horizon for a series involving this stellar team in the future.
I received a copy of Murder in Belgravia through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Mirror Books and to Lynn Brittney for the opportunity.
As World War I enters with heavy marching boots into the lives of 1915 London, nary a soul will be untouched by the weight of its presence. Men from all walks of life are uniformed and sent to fight the good fight in France and beyond. It is a time of mixed emotions, questionable identities, and the shifting of roles in society.
Because of the lack of males in the homes and businesses, women step forward to fulfill their obligations. You can almost hear the shattering of the ol' class system as it hits the wall. Even the Civil Service in Whitehall begins to take on women. The Suffragette Movement emboldens females not to be seen as mere housefraus.
Enter: Chief Inspector Peter Beech of the Metropolitan Police with a forward moving idea. He wishes to encorporate a police task force based on talent and individual contributions and not based solely on gender. Female police officers have not yet been recognized as a benefitting element during this fast-changing time period. But ol' Beech has convinced the commissioner that Mayfair 100 has the potential for untapped merits.
Look Alive Here, Folks: Lord Murcheson has returned from the war muddled in mind and body. A vicious attack on his wife, Lady Harriet, leaves the aristocratic gentlemen dead on the floor of his wife's bedroom......a pair of long-handled scissors are sticking prominently out of his chest where his former war medals had been. Lady Harriet admits to the murder even though she is writhing in pain and clutching her stomach. Beech is convinced that Lady Harriet could not have committed murder in her condition. If not, then who?
Open the Door: Check out the smooth transition of well chosen individuals that make up Mayfair 100. Beech has lined up a former soldier/boxer, a well experienced detective, a young woman who has studied law, her feisty society mother, and a female doctor of the highest standing. The dialogue amongst them is filled with humor at times as well as the camaraderie of people bearing well-honed analytical skills and a great desire for justice.
Front and Center: The quest for the murderer will bring this group elbow to elbow with some seedy characters and circumstances. We, as readers, are locked into the beginnings of the drug trade with the true reality that heroin powders, morphine, and opium could be purchased at any pharmacy for toothaches, infant colic, and as nerve tonics. Step right up, customers.
Lynn Brittney presents a fascinating glimpse into the societal changes of these times, especially in regard to women. Her Mayfair 100 crew include some very demonstrative females who lead with their intelligence and not necessarily with their looks. Ah, refreshing! She also rounds out her storyline with the newly contributing benefits of scientific discoveries in fingerprinting and investigative techniques. Her research is remarkable and the implementation is top-notch. Here's hoping that this is on the horizon for a series involving this stellar team in the future.
I received a copy of Murder in Belgravia through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Mirror Books and to Lynn Brittney for the opportunity.
February 12, 2018
A very thrilling historical mystery.This one starts slowly, like a straightforward whodunnit, but quickly evolves in something much more complex and fascinating. Set in London during World War I, we have soldiers, street gangs, prostitution rings and much, much more, and it all works together well to create an intricate mystery.
There is a progressive police inspector who decides to put together a team of individuals to help solve his case, including a female lawyer and doctor which was unheard of at the time. There is much to be said here about the advancement of women in society as the war began to change their roles. As there was a lack of men, women slowly but surely began to come into positions formerly held only by men - with much disdain from certain individuals. And I love how this story put women front and center as an integral, intelligent, important part of the work.
The author uses real historical locations, events and people (the ones I didn’t recognize, I looked up to get a visual) and I learned even more about this period.
This has a similar feel to Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery Series that I’m always raving about - if you enjoy those books, you will enjoy this as well!
Thank you to Netgalley, Lynn Brittney and Mirror Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
There is a progressive police inspector who decides to put together a team of individuals to help solve his case, including a female lawyer and doctor which was unheard of at the time. There is much to be said here about the advancement of women in society as the war began to change their roles. As there was a lack of men, women slowly but surely began to come into positions formerly held only by men - with much disdain from certain individuals. And I love how this story put women front and center as an integral, intelligent, important part of the work.
The author uses real historical locations, events and people (the ones I didn’t recognize, I looked up to get a visual) and I learned even more about this period.
This has a similar feel to Victoria Thompson’s Gaslight Mystery Series that I’m always raving about - if you enjoy those books, you will enjoy this as well!
Thank you to Netgalley, Lynn Brittney and Mirror Books for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 8, 2020
This was a case of reading book one having already read book two, but it made no difference to my enjoyment at all. It just gave me a better insight into the characters.
Murder in Belgravia is set in London during WW1 and the historical detail is impressive and intriguing. The misuse of drugs such as cocaine was frightening, although the options at that time were limited and the wounds that men were returning with from the fighting were horrendous. When a woman in the story is treated with a Wintergreen poultice for a severe abdominal infection I felt very grateful for the discovery of antibiotics.
Best of all are the characters. The team of police and civilian specialists put together by Chief Inspector Beech works really well and the fact that the two specialists are women makes the whole thing really interesting. The reader gets to see the progress woman were just beginning to make at that time in becoming real people who count in society.
The mystery was good with plenty of red herrings and a surprise guilty party at the end. I really enjoyed this book (and book 2!) and I very much hope the author is going to continue the series.
Murder in Belgravia is set in London during WW1 and the historical detail is impressive and intriguing. The misuse of drugs such as cocaine was frightening, although the options at that time were limited and the wounds that men were returning with from the fighting were horrendous. When a woman in the story is treated with a Wintergreen poultice for a severe abdominal infection I felt very grateful for the discovery of antibiotics.
Best of all are the characters. The team of police and civilian specialists put together by Chief Inspector Beech works really well and the fact that the two specialists are women makes the whole thing really interesting. The reader gets to see the progress woman were just beginning to make at that time in becoming real people who count in society.
The mystery was good with plenty of red herrings and a surprise guilty party at the end. I really enjoyed this book (and book 2!) and I very much hope the author is going to continue the series.
December 23, 2020
With WWI taking more and more British men away from their homes, women are stepping up to take their places, the suffragettes are campaigning actively for women's rights and the breakdown of the class structure is underway. Chief Inspector Beech of Scotland Yard has long felt that female police should be recruited to the police force but has been told the Home Office does not agree. However, his Commissioner has allowed him to set up an experimental special unit comprised of a young constable, ex soldier and boxer Billy Rigsby, an experienced retired detective, recently returned to active duty, Arthur Tollman and two women, Caroline Allardyce, a doctor from the Women's hospital and Victoria Ellingham who has studied law. Together they make a formidable unit.
Their first case is the murder of Lord Murcheson. Having returned from the front with severe injuries, he has become addicted to heroine and cocaine in increasingly high doses and is prone to rampaging through his house and attacking his wife. His latest attack has left her grievously injured and him stabbed to death with a pair of scissors. Although his wife, Lady Harriet confesses to killing it Beech is sure that she is covering up for someone, possibly her maid Polly who has disappeared. Investigation of how Lord Murcheson died will take Beech and his team into the underside of London, to the world of gangs, illegal drugs and prostitution.
This is a well written mystery with a great set of characters and an excellent sense of time and place. The first bombing of London by a Zeppelin, with the East End being hardest hit is described bringing the war to Britain. The plot also highlights many of the issues of the time, with men being killed in the war or returning with incurable injuries or mental trauma that affect their ability to work or look after their families. With few treatments available, the use of illegal drugs was rampant with little understanding of the problems of addiction. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of Beech and his unconventional team in action in the future.
Their first case is the murder of Lord Murcheson. Having returned from the front with severe injuries, he has become addicted to heroine and cocaine in increasingly high doses and is prone to rampaging through his house and attacking his wife. His latest attack has left her grievously injured and him stabbed to death with a pair of scissors. Although his wife, Lady Harriet confesses to killing it Beech is sure that she is covering up for someone, possibly her maid Polly who has disappeared. Investigation of how Lord Murcheson died will take Beech and his team into the underside of London, to the world of gangs, illegal drugs and prostitution.
This is a well written mystery with a great set of characters and an excellent sense of time and place. The first bombing of London by a Zeppelin, with the East End being hardest hit is described bringing the war to Britain. The plot also highlights many of the issues of the time, with men being killed in the war or returning with incurable injuries or mental trauma that affect their ability to work or look after their families. With few treatments available, the use of illegal drugs was rampant with little understanding of the problems of addiction. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of Beech and his unconventional team in action in the future.
March 7, 2019
It was 1915 and with WWI hovering in the background, it was the murder of an aristocrat with the suspected murderer being his wife, that had Chief Inspector Peter Beech persuading the Chief Commissioner to allow him full control over a small, select and secret group to do the investigating. The house in Mayfair which was to be their base, with the telephone number Mayfair 100, would house the specialist team as they endeavoured to solve their first case.
But everything wasn’t as it seemed. A young girl was missing, the butler had absconded, the mistress was gravely ill in hospital, and the German Zeppelin was making its appearance. But Beech, along with two police officers, Rigsby and Tollman, plus Victoria who had trained as a lawyer and Caroline, who was a well-respected doctor, were determined to find the answers. And in doing so, the underbelly of London showed its face. Gangs, drugs, brothels – the shocking details were staggering. But could they solve the vicious murder?
Murder in Belgravia is the first in the Mayfair 100 Murder Mystery series by Lynn Brittney and I loved it! Excellently crafted historical mystery with red herrings and twists which meant I had no idea who the perpetrator was until the reveal! A fabulously written police procedural that I highly recommend – and I KNOW this is another series I’ll be following closely 😊
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
But everything wasn’t as it seemed. A young girl was missing, the butler had absconded, the mistress was gravely ill in hospital, and the German Zeppelin was making its appearance. But Beech, along with two police officers, Rigsby and Tollman, plus Victoria who had trained as a lawyer and Caroline, who was a well-respected doctor, were determined to find the answers. And in doing so, the underbelly of London showed its face. Gangs, drugs, brothels – the shocking details were staggering. But could they solve the vicious murder?
Murder in Belgravia is the first in the Mayfair 100 Murder Mystery series by Lynn Brittney and I loved it! Excellently crafted historical mystery with red herrings and twists which meant I had no idea who the perpetrator was until the reveal! A fabulously written police procedural that I highly recommend – and I KNOW this is another series I’ll be following closely 😊
With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
February 12, 2023
Historical mystery that is more of a police procedural. The story describes the changes occurring in society due to men being sent to WWI. Chief Inspector Beech gains permission and sets up a department that includes a female doctor and a lawyer. Widespread legally obtained drug use and the consequences of war on a wife who has been badly injured is where the story starts. The view of history from where more women are doing men's jobs and the fear over new wartime tactics of Zeppelins and poison gas was interesting. My only quibble is the concern raised regarding returning military. Several other books have been published and I look forward to continuing the series.
March 1, 2019
Murder in Belgravia is the first book in a new series, the Mayfair 100 Mysteries. The series is set in World War I era England.
Chief Inspector Peter Beech realizes that crime is changing in the city of London now that the war is going full force. Many women have come to the city to work, taking over jobs previously held by men. Beech comes up with an idea to form a special task force to investigate crimes involving women. He firmly believes that Scotland Yard should add female investigators. Scotland Yard has a policy against women working with law enforcement, so while he is allowed to move ahead with the idea, Beech has to keep it quiet. The task force will have no arrest powers or permission to conduct official investigations. And there will be no women on the payroll, visible at crime scenes or mentioned to the media. Beech is optimistic that his experiment will be successful, even if they have to be completely behind the scenes.
Mayfair 100 is the phone number for the task force. Their first case involves Lady Harriet Murcheson. She has confessed to murdering her husband by stabbing him with a pair of scissors, but preliminary investigation of the scene points to someone else committing the crime. Can they discover the truth.....without anyone discovering them?
I love the setting and basic premise of this new series! So creative! The character development in this first book and the mystery kept my attention from start to finish. Victoria Ellingham and Dr. Caroline Allandyce are both intelligent, determined and feisty. C.I. Peter Beech is a great character as well. He knows his job....and knows when changes are necessary to make sure crimes are investigated and solved quickly. Beech knows that crimes committed by, and against, women need the thoughts and ideas of women involved in the investigation process....and he is determined to make that possible!
The mystery progressed at a nice pace with plenty of twists and suspects. I enjoyed how the new task force learned to work together and how each character developed during this first story. This series has a classic murder mystery feel to it. Loved it!
I will definitely be reading more of this series! I can't wait to find out what case they will investigate next!
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
Chief Inspector Peter Beech realizes that crime is changing in the city of London now that the war is going full force. Many women have come to the city to work, taking over jobs previously held by men. Beech comes up with an idea to form a special task force to investigate crimes involving women. He firmly believes that Scotland Yard should add female investigators. Scotland Yard has a policy against women working with law enforcement, so while he is allowed to move ahead with the idea, Beech has to keep it quiet. The task force will have no arrest powers or permission to conduct official investigations. And there will be no women on the payroll, visible at crime scenes or mentioned to the media. Beech is optimistic that his experiment will be successful, even if they have to be completely behind the scenes.
Mayfair 100 is the phone number for the task force. Their first case involves Lady Harriet Murcheson. She has confessed to murdering her husband by stabbing him with a pair of scissors, but preliminary investigation of the scene points to someone else committing the crime. Can they discover the truth.....without anyone discovering them?
I love the setting and basic premise of this new series! So creative! The character development in this first book and the mystery kept my attention from start to finish. Victoria Ellingham and Dr. Caroline Allandyce are both intelligent, determined and feisty. C.I. Peter Beech is a great character as well. He knows his job....and knows when changes are necessary to make sure crimes are investigated and solved quickly. Beech knows that crimes committed by, and against, women need the thoughts and ideas of women involved in the investigation process....and he is determined to make that possible!
The mystery progressed at a nice pace with plenty of twists and suspects. I enjoyed how the new task force learned to work together and how each character developed during this first story. This series has a classic murder mystery feel to it. Loved it!
I will definitely be reading more of this series! I can't wait to find out what case they will investigate next!
**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
May 6, 2021
The scene is 1915 London. Chief Inspector Peter Breen, having been severely injured and sent home from the war is tasked with a murder case. A woman has confessed to murdering her husband. But given her physical state after violent abuse it is believed that she would be physically unable to commit such a deed. So why did she confess? And who is responsible? Beech had been asked to put together a small, specialised team of men and women to investigate. Women were not allowed to be part of the police force and were looked down on by many for taking on various jobs usually done by men., so it has to be an unofficial team. Breen gathers his team together. It includes a woman doctor and a widowed woman who studied law. The investigation by this team will uncover more crimes than one murder, crimes that expose the seedier side of society. What dire events will they uncover?
This story caught my interest from the outset. Not sure I would call it a cosy mystery though, as it is very dark in places and does uncover a great deal of sordid and seamy life. Sometimes that appears to mean turning a blind eye to some criminal activities to nail those involved in other crimes.
I found the characters interesting, although at times the men are still patronising of the women and protective of them. But the women in this story prove more than able to hold their own.
Setting and characters are well conveyed. The plot moves along at a good speed and there are a number of thoroughly despicable characters as well as those who are likeable.
This is one of my husband’s books that I picked up in desperation when I ran out of books to read. Glad I read it. A real eye opener to London and attitudes in the early days of war. One that should appeal greatly to those who like historical murder mysteries. I would certainly be interested to read another by this author.
This story caught my interest from the outset. Not sure I would call it a cosy mystery though, as it is very dark in places and does uncover a great deal of sordid and seamy life. Sometimes that appears to mean turning a blind eye to some criminal activities to nail those involved in other crimes.
I found the characters interesting, although at times the men are still patronising of the women and protective of them. But the women in this story prove more than able to hold their own.
Setting and characters are well conveyed. The plot moves along at a good speed and there are a number of thoroughly despicable characters as well as those who are likeable.
This is one of my husband’s books that I picked up in desperation when I ran out of books to read. Glad I read it. A real eye opener to London and attitudes in the early days of war. One that should appeal greatly to those who like historical murder mysteries. I would certainly be interested to read another by this author.
January 6, 2018
This review can also be found on my blog
Grimdark cozy-mysteries are apparently a thing now. Often cozies are rather clean: the victim wasn’t a good person anyway. The only bad things that ever happened were because of the victim (and possibly the killer). Once the murderer is caught everything is fine again. Or at the very least the (well-adjusted) sleuth has figured out the perfect way to help a way to help the person who is still suffering. (To be clear: I don’t mind that. We all need a bit of escapism now and then and many people, myself included, find that in cozies.)
There are cozies that try to break that mold. They use a set-up that is more a cozy than ‘serious’ crime novel but don’t shy away from the fact that there are issues like addiction or racism, you can’t solve in 300 pages. Some are rather subtle about it and/or don’t want to go too deep into it (and while I frequently proclaim my love for the Lady Daisy mysteries, I do wish in a 20+ book series there’d been more than one gay couple and 3 or 4 POC-characters. Though the way she deals with the fallout and consequences of WWI is done very well).
This book has no such qualms. The set-up, with an unofficial team with one-half cops one-half amateurs, is something you’d expect in a cozy. But two of the protagonists are veterans who were seriously injured in the war. The story itself involves sexual assault, PTSD, addiction, pedophilia, and prostitution. Oh and the whole book is set during World War One, and halfway through the story, London is bombed. I had almost forgotten about that, which tells you all about the emotional impact it had on me. But sentences like “Billy explained all about the damage, the dead bodies, the smoke, fire, explosions and general horror he had experienced.” don’t evoke many emotions in me. But throughout the book, the prose is like this: bland, unemotional and no character has a distinct voice.
And even if that wasn’t an issue: the book crams all these horrors into it and features some characters that suffered terribly but they find the perfect solution for all of them. And they all lived happily ever after. I just can’t buy this after tons of misery were piled on them.
And because all this isn’t enough, the book reads like it was written by an author who thinks her readers are really stupid. There is no other reason why the most obvious facts are explained at length and why information is repeated over and over again. Like when one character discovers something and then instead of a simple ‘And then he told X what he discovered that morning’ we get half a page of ‘And then he told X about event A, discovery B, and event C’. Despite the fact that we just read about A, B and C in the previous chapter.
On another occasion, two characters visit a lawyer because they wish to see a document. The lawyer, being a lawyer is reluctant at first but can be convinced that this would be in his client’s interest. Still, he is aware that he shouldn’t really be doing this so he asks one of the characters to leave the room with him to look at a painting. Anybody who has ever consumed any form of fiction now knows what is happening there. The book feels the need to explain to us that “she was being asked to leave the room with Sir Arnold on a pretext so that Beech could look at the documents on the desk.”
Something else? Oh, right the premise of this book is an unofficial police team with women (before they were allowed in the police-force) that deals with cases where e.g. a witness doesn’t want to talk with a man. For that, the men in it were often pretty sexist. And of course, those were different times and having heroes with suspiciously modern views is not the best solution. But neither is not doing anything. The men are happy because women have their “curves in all the right places” or because “being a bodyguard and making arrests appealed to his strong sense of masculinity” and have questionable views on women’s rights, votes for women etc. and all this goes unchallenged. At no point had the characters a serious discussion about this. At no point did I have the impression that the author weighed in on it. She just wrote down what the men said and thought.
ARC received from NetGalley
Grimdark cozy-mysteries are apparently a thing now. Often cozies are rather clean: the victim wasn’t a good person anyway. The only bad things that ever happened were because of the victim (and possibly the killer). Once the murderer is caught everything is fine again. Or at the very least the (well-adjusted) sleuth has figured out the perfect way to help a way to help the person who is still suffering. (To be clear: I don’t mind that. We all need a bit of escapism now and then and many people, myself included, find that in cozies.)
There are cozies that try to break that mold. They use a set-up that is more a cozy than ‘serious’ crime novel but don’t shy away from the fact that there are issues like addiction or racism, you can’t solve in 300 pages. Some are rather subtle about it and/or don’t want to go too deep into it (and while I frequently proclaim my love for the Lady Daisy mysteries, I do wish in a 20+ book series there’d been more than one gay couple and 3 or 4 POC-characters. Though the way she deals with the fallout and consequences of WWI is done very well).
This book has no such qualms. The set-up, with an unofficial team with one-half cops one-half amateurs, is something you’d expect in a cozy. But two of the protagonists are veterans who were seriously injured in the war. The story itself involves sexual assault, PTSD, addiction, pedophilia, and prostitution. Oh and the whole book is set during World War One, and halfway through the story, London is bombed. I had almost forgotten about that, which tells you all about the emotional impact it had on me. But sentences like “Billy explained all about the damage, the dead bodies, the smoke, fire, explosions and general horror he had experienced.” don’t evoke many emotions in me. But throughout the book, the prose is like this: bland, unemotional and no character has a distinct voice.
And even if that wasn’t an issue: the book crams all these horrors into it and features some characters that suffered terribly but they find the perfect solution for all of them. And they all lived happily ever after. I just can’t buy this after tons of misery were piled on them.
And because all this isn’t enough, the book reads like it was written by an author who thinks her readers are really stupid. There is no other reason why the most obvious facts are explained at length and why information is repeated over and over again. Like when one character discovers something and then instead of a simple ‘And then he told X what he discovered that morning’ we get half a page of ‘And then he told X about event A, discovery B, and event C’. Despite the fact that we just read about A, B and C in the previous chapter.
On another occasion, two characters visit a lawyer because they wish to see a document. The lawyer, being a lawyer is reluctant at first but can be convinced that this would be in his client’s interest. Still, he is aware that he shouldn’t really be doing this so he asks one of the characters to leave the room with him to look at a painting. Anybody who has ever consumed any form of fiction now knows what is happening there. The book feels the need to explain to us that “she was being asked to leave the room with Sir Arnold on a pretext so that Beech could look at the documents on the desk.”
Something else? Oh, right the premise of this book is an unofficial police team with women (before they were allowed in the police-force) that deals with cases where e.g. a witness doesn’t want to talk with a man. For that, the men in it were often pretty sexist. And of course, those were different times and having heroes with suspiciously modern views is not the best solution. But neither is not doing anything. The men are happy because women have their “curves in all the right places” or because “being a bodyguard and making arrests appealed to his strong sense of masculinity” and have questionable views on women’s rights, votes for women etc. and all this goes unchallenged. At no point had the characters a serious discussion about this. At no point did I have the impression that the author weighed in on it. She just wrote down what the men said and thought.
ARC received from NetGalley
July 6, 2018
Opens: I refuse to speak to a man” Lady Harriet sat before him –composed and pale.
MURDER IN BELGRAVIA has to be the best Historical Mystery that I’ve read in a long time; and I learned so much! I mean who knew that London was bombed by airships - in WWI? OK – so my husband did – but he’s odd – but I found myself surfing the net for many happy hours delving into this part of history that I didn’t know about once I had finished reading the book. I love it when I am entertained and educated.
The story starts with the murder of Lord Murcheson. His wife, Lady Harriet, is the prime suspect, she refuses to talk to Chief Inspector Peter Beech, the assigned investigator, because he is a man. She tells him she will only speak to a lady. He doesn’t push the issue as he sees that she is seriously injured. He very quickly gets her to hospital where a female friend of his, Caroline Allardyce, is a doctor. Caroline tries to talk to Lady Harriet but it turns out she won’t talk to just any woman – she will only talk to someone who is her equal in society. Peter asks a close friend the widowed Lady Victoria Ellingham to travel to London to talk to Lady Harriet.
At this point Peter notes a huge gap in police investigation capabilities, he needs women recruited. Peter gets permission to create a small, secret and very much unofficial investigative team. He recruits Caroline, and as Victoria is legally trained Lady Victoria he adds her to the group. To these ladies he adds PC Billy Rigsby, a wounded war veteran, and Detective Arthur Tollman – father of 4 girls, so well able to work with women.
Caroline quickly assesses that with the injuries that Lady Harriet sustained there is no way that she could have been in any condition to kill her husband. So the chase is on to find out who did kill him. Harriet’s husband, Lord Murcheson, had returned seriously injured from the war, and the treatment had turned him into a rampaging brutal drug addict. The team set to work on finding out what the drugs were, who supplied them and where have the missing Butler and Lady Harriet’s maid gone.
Lynn Brittney takes us deep into WWI London, we meet Gang leaders, prostitution rings, white slavers, drug dealers, Molly houses (another new term for me), and gambling dens. Suspects, and witnesses, range from the elite of society to gutter rats, and the team grows as different leads are followed. Lady Victoria’s mother supplies her Belgravia home as a base in Mayfair, Billy’s mother and aunt are set up in Lady Harriet’s house when their home is bombed, and through Caroline a female chemist comes on board to help with the crime investigation.
The setting is war torn London, with the men off to war, and coming home physically and mental shattered. Women are moving into jobs that they have never had a chance to do before. Society is changing but there is a lot of resistance to women working as their roles shift from housewives to workers.
As a group I loved all the main characters, they worked together, taught each other and lent a hand to assist those in need. They seemed real, and all had empathy as each of them were carrying baggage. One of the minor characters, who had major impact on me, was a young lad named George, I shed a tear over what he had to go through. The dialogue was good, the information was interesting and not superfluous at any time to the story and as for the portrayal of everyday life, I was blown away by the fact that heroin, morphine and opium could be purchased at any pharmacy for minor complaints such as toothaches, infant colic, and as nerve tonics.
With thanks to the author Lynn Brittney for my copy to read and review.
MURDER IN BELGRAVIA has to be the best Historical Mystery that I’ve read in a long time; and I learned so much! I mean who knew that London was bombed by airships - in WWI? OK – so my husband did – but he’s odd – but I found myself surfing the net for many happy hours delving into this part of history that I didn’t know about once I had finished reading the book. I love it when I am entertained and educated.
The story starts with the murder of Lord Murcheson. His wife, Lady Harriet, is the prime suspect, she refuses to talk to Chief Inspector Peter Beech, the assigned investigator, because he is a man. She tells him she will only speak to a lady. He doesn’t push the issue as he sees that she is seriously injured. He very quickly gets her to hospital where a female friend of his, Caroline Allardyce, is a doctor. Caroline tries to talk to Lady Harriet but it turns out she won’t talk to just any woman – she will only talk to someone who is her equal in society. Peter asks a close friend the widowed Lady Victoria Ellingham to travel to London to talk to Lady Harriet.
At this point Peter notes a huge gap in police investigation capabilities, he needs women recruited. Peter gets permission to create a small, secret and very much unofficial investigative team. He recruits Caroline, and as Victoria is legally trained Lady Victoria he adds her to the group. To these ladies he adds PC Billy Rigsby, a wounded war veteran, and Detective Arthur Tollman – father of 4 girls, so well able to work with women.
Caroline quickly assesses that with the injuries that Lady Harriet sustained there is no way that she could have been in any condition to kill her husband. So the chase is on to find out who did kill him. Harriet’s husband, Lord Murcheson, had returned seriously injured from the war, and the treatment had turned him into a rampaging brutal drug addict. The team set to work on finding out what the drugs were, who supplied them and where have the missing Butler and Lady Harriet’s maid gone.
Lynn Brittney takes us deep into WWI London, we meet Gang leaders, prostitution rings, white slavers, drug dealers, Molly houses (another new term for me), and gambling dens. Suspects, and witnesses, range from the elite of society to gutter rats, and the team grows as different leads are followed. Lady Victoria’s mother supplies her Belgravia home as a base in Mayfair, Billy’s mother and aunt are set up in Lady Harriet’s house when their home is bombed, and through Caroline a female chemist comes on board to help with the crime investigation.
The setting is war torn London, with the men off to war, and coming home physically and mental shattered. Women are moving into jobs that they have never had a chance to do before. Society is changing but there is a lot of resistance to women working as their roles shift from housewives to workers.
As a group I loved all the main characters, they worked together, taught each other and lent a hand to assist those in need. They seemed real, and all had empathy as each of them were carrying baggage. One of the minor characters, who had major impact on me, was a young lad named George, I shed a tear over what he had to go through. The dialogue was good, the information was interesting and not superfluous at any time to the story and as for the portrayal of everyday life, I was blown away by the fact that heroin, morphine and opium could be purchased at any pharmacy for minor complaints such as toothaches, infant colic, and as nerve tonics.
With thanks to the author Lynn Brittney for my copy to read and review.
March 17, 2019
Easy to read and interesting mystery, but sadly the characters (especially the women) felt bland, vapid and one-dimensional.
November 21, 2018
It is a great mystery and the main character is Chief Inspector Beech of Scotland Yard. He is called to investigate the murder of Lord Murcheson. I really enjoyed the story - nice plot, love the characters.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.
Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for this copy.
January 28, 2018
Thank you to NetGalley and Mirror Books for a digital galley of this novel.
There are quite a few things I liked about this novel. The writing was well done and the plot premise was different from any mystery I've read. There are quite a few characters, with more being added almost all the way through the book, and they were each given enough attention that I was left with an understanding of their character to a larger degree than is usual. The premise for this story is quite clever and the author got so many of the elements right that it made for a pleasant reading experience.
The story is set in London and takes place over a few days time in May 1915. As historical mystery readers will know this is during World War I with all the social upheaval created when the men are joining the military and women are left behind to fill the vacant jobs. The main character of this novel is Chief Inspector Peter Beech, back from the war with a wound which keeps him from returning to the front lines. Beech is summoned to the home of an aristocratic lady who refuses to speak to a male police officer about her murdered husband and her own physical condition. From that starting point Beech comes up with a plan to present to Sir Edward Henry, Commissioner of Scotland Yard, for forming a secret group of investigators to help deal with problems like this when they arise. At this time women are not allowed to serve on the police force. Lord Henry allows Beech to organize a very unofficial group consisting of a female doctor, a woman who has studied law, a young police constable who was injured in the war and a veteran officer with forty years of experience who has come out of retirement to help the force while their numbers are so low. These core characters make up the main body of the story with family, friends and servants filling out the character list. (There certainly were a lot of people who knew about this group for it to have remained *secret*.) This time in British history is simply teeming with changes in social structure and the class system. There is still strong prejudice against women taking any career or working outside the home and the more militant suffrage activities only reinforce these prejudices. The author has done an excellent job of including many social ills in order to build the plot of this novel.
I enjoyed this novel quite a lot and will certainly be willing to read the next book if the author turns it into a series. I think there is a very good chance of that. There is also a very low key romance element, but it remains more of a hint than a reality because of the past history between the two characters. There is a lot of room for this group of characters to grow and I'm interested in seeing how the character dynamics will change in future investigations.
There are quite a few things I liked about this novel. The writing was well done and the plot premise was different from any mystery I've read. There are quite a few characters, with more being added almost all the way through the book, and they were each given enough attention that I was left with an understanding of their character to a larger degree than is usual. The premise for this story is quite clever and the author got so many of the elements right that it made for a pleasant reading experience.
The story is set in London and takes place over a few days time in May 1915. As historical mystery readers will know this is during World War I with all the social upheaval created when the men are joining the military and women are left behind to fill the vacant jobs. The main character of this novel is Chief Inspector Peter Beech, back from the war with a wound which keeps him from returning to the front lines. Beech is summoned to the home of an aristocratic lady who refuses to speak to a male police officer about her murdered husband and her own physical condition. From that starting point Beech comes up with a plan to present to Sir Edward Henry, Commissioner of Scotland Yard, for forming a secret group of investigators to help deal with problems like this when they arise. At this time women are not allowed to serve on the police force. Lord Henry allows Beech to organize a very unofficial group consisting of a female doctor, a woman who has studied law, a young police constable who was injured in the war and a veteran officer with forty years of experience who has come out of retirement to help the force while their numbers are so low. These core characters make up the main body of the story with family, friends and servants filling out the character list. (There certainly were a lot of people who knew about this group for it to have remained *secret*.) This time in British history is simply teeming with changes in social structure and the class system. There is still strong prejudice against women taking any career or working outside the home and the more militant suffrage activities only reinforce these prejudices. The author has done an excellent job of including many social ills in order to build the plot of this novel.
I enjoyed this novel quite a lot and will certainly be willing to read the next book if the author turns it into a series. I think there is a very good chance of that. There is also a very low key romance element, but it remains more of a hint than a reality because of the past history between the two characters. There is a lot of room for this group of characters to grow and I'm interested in seeing how the character dynamics will change in future investigations.
September 26, 2019
Murder in Belgravia by Lynn Brittney was an intriguing mystery from beginning to end. I found myself totally immersed into the story. Ms. Brittney's descriptive writing made me feel like I was in the middle of the story the entire time that I was reading. The characters were all likable and their development throughout the story was smoothly inserted as the story progressed. The plot moved swiftly with red herrings, twists and turns and plenty of suspects to keep me guessing. I'm looking forward to reading the next one in this series.
February 14, 2019
This mystery takes place in London in 1915. It is a time of great change for London and Britain. World War I is raging and social divisions are crumbling. When Chief Inspector Beech is called to a crime scene in Belgravia, he encounters Lady Harriet who is only willing to speak to a married woman of her social class regarding the death of her husband. Luckily, Beech knows a woman doctor who meets Lady Harriet's qualifications since Lady Harriet is definitely in need of a doctor.
When Doctor Caroline Allardyce who has been an acquaintance arrives, she quickly notes that Lady Harriet is in grave distress. She is hemorrhaging and in need of emergency surgery. But Lady Harriet is also quick to confess to killing her husband. Only neither Beech nor Caroline believe her.
It is just at this time that Beech is being directed to form a secret police organization to solve some of the many crimes in which women are involved. He has been authorized to include women in his group though they won't be paid or have their work acknowledged. While there are a couple of amateur groups of women policing London since the war has started and so many young men are away serving, but the official London police are a boys only network.
Luckily, Beech knows two women who would be perfect for his new group. Besides Caroline, Beech also recruits a woman he once proposed to but who chose another man. She is now a widow after a bad marriage. Her mother encourages her to join with Beech and use the law degree that she hasn't previously been able to use since women aren't hired as lawyers either.
Beech also adds Billy Rigsby who has been invalided out of the Army and who has now joined the police. He was a boxer who won awards for his unit but a shattered left hand and a head injury made him find another career. He is now fit and strong and rather handsome too with an ability to charm women of all social classes. To round out his team Beech also adds Arthur Tollman who used to work for Special Branch but who had retired until being called back to fill in the ranks of the police.
They quickly learn that their investigation is not at all simple. Lord Murcheson was greatly changed by his war service. He's come home with war wounds that are so painful that his doctor has placed in a regimen of drugs including heroin and cocaine which have changed his personality and triggered intense rages.
When the investigation begins, a young housemaid named Polly is missing and the butler - Mr. Dodds - soon disappears too. As they track down the missing they discover a network of illegal drugs and prostitution and all sorts of other social ills.
I liked the setting very much. I learned that London was bombed by Zeppelins during World War I. I learned the state of medicine which lacks antibiotics and routinely prescribed opiates to suffers of all ages. No prescription needed to stop in at a local pharmacy and buy all the heroin or cocaine a person could want. It was also interesting to visit houses of prostitution including one devoted to homosexual young men who were used for all manner of kinky sexual things.
This was an entertaining beginning to a new series of historical mysteries. I liked meeting the interesting characters who will make up the new task force. I look forward to more stories that have them working to solve crimes.
When Doctor Caroline Allardyce who has been an acquaintance arrives, she quickly notes that Lady Harriet is in grave distress. She is hemorrhaging and in need of emergency surgery. But Lady Harriet is also quick to confess to killing her husband. Only neither Beech nor Caroline believe her.
It is just at this time that Beech is being directed to form a secret police organization to solve some of the many crimes in which women are involved. He has been authorized to include women in his group though they won't be paid or have their work acknowledged. While there are a couple of amateur groups of women policing London since the war has started and so many young men are away serving, but the official London police are a boys only network.
Luckily, Beech knows two women who would be perfect for his new group. Besides Caroline, Beech also recruits a woman he once proposed to but who chose another man. She is now a widow after a bad marriage. Her mother encourages her to join with Beech and use the law degree that she hasn't previously been able to use since women aren't hired as lawyers either.
Beech also adds Billy Rigsby who has been invalided out of the Army and who has now joined the police. He was a boxer who won awards for his unit but a shattered left hand and a head injury made him find another career. He is now fit and strong and rather handsome too with an ability to charm women of all social classes. To round out his team Beech also adds Arthur Tollman who used to work for Special Branch but who had retired until being called back to fill in the ranks of the police.
They quickly learn that their investigation is not at all simple. Lord Murcheson was greatly changed by his war service. He's come home with war wounds that are so painful that his doctor has placed in a regimen of drugs including heroin and cocaine which have changed his personality and triggered intense rages.
When the investigation begins, a young housemaid named Polly is missing and the butler - Mr. Dodds - soon disappears too. As they track down the missing they discover a network of illegal drugs and prostitution and all sorts of other social ills.
I liked the setting very much. I learned that London was bombed by Zeppelins during World War I. I learned the state of medicine which lacks antibiotics and routinely prescribed opiates to suffers of all ages. No prescription needed to stop in at a local pharmacy and buy all the heroin or cocaine a person could want. It was also interesting to visit houses of prostitution including one devoted to homosexual young men who were used for all manner of kinky sexual things.
This was an entertaining beginning to a new series of historical mysteries. I liked meeting the interesting characters who will make up the new task force. I look forward to more stories that have them working to solve crimes.
March 18, 2019
A very post Edwardian Mystery!__________3.5 stars
I enjoyed the characters in this new series who seem to have wandered out of a post Edwardian soap opera. More like a social justice version of Upstairs Downstairs.
Chief Inspector Beech is tasked by the Commissioner of Scotland Yard to bring together an elite group to meet the changing face of crime. Beech's team consists of intelligent women with special skills, a doctor, lawyer and eventually one other, to investigate situations where it's difficult for the Yard to conduct their inquiries, particularly if women are the central focus. The male members of the team have proven specialised skills of one sort or another.
WW1 is underway and that's bringing about its own special problems.
The group is operating secretly as an experiment. Women are not accepted in the police force as yet.
Beech's contacts lead to their operating out of a house in Mayfair with the telephone number 100 Mayfair.
As I said I'm enjoying the characters but something's not quite jelling yet.
Still, it's early days for the group and the series.
I do want to read more!
A NetGalley ARC
I enjoyed the characters in this new series who seem to have wandered out of a post Edwardian soap opera. More like a social justice version of Upstairs Downstairs.
Chief Inspector Beech is tasked by the Commissioner of Scotland Yard to bring together an elite group to meet the changing face of crime. Beech's team consists of intelligent women with special skills, a doctor, lawyer and eventually one other, to investigate situations where it's difficult for the Yard to conduct their inquiries, particularly if women are the central focus. The male members of the team have proven specialised skills of one sort or another.
WW1 is underway and that's bringing about its own special problems.
The group is operating secretly as an experiment. Women are not accepted in the police force as yet.
Beech's contacts lead to their operating out of a house in Mayfair with the telephone number 100 Mayfair.
As I said I'm enjoying the characters but something's not quite jelling yet.
Still, it's early days for the group and the series.
I do want to read more!
A NetGalley ARC
March 25, 2019
Disappointing
I gave up on this. The writing is irritating. You are told everything instead of being able to understand it yourself which keeps you at a distance and painfully aware of the author not the action.
I gave up on this. The writing is irritating. You are told everything instead of being able to understand it yourself which keeps you at a distance and painfully aware of the author not the action.
October 4, 2024
English versio below
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1915 in London. Der 1. Weltkrieg tobt und ein adliger Kriegsheimkehrer, der schwer verwundet worden war, wird ermordet aufgefunden. Seine schwer verletzte Ehefrau besteht darauf, den Mord zu gestehen. Aus dieser Situation heraus erhält Chief Inspector Beech die Genehmigung, unter der Hand eine Spezialeinheit zu bilden, denn in diesem Fall muss mit hochgestellten Persönlichkeiten und mit Frauen umgegangen werden. Daher stellt er eine Einheit aus einem pensionierten Detektiv (kriminalistische Erfahrung). einem gutaussehenden und boxsportgeschulten jungen Kriegsversehrten (der Muskel), einer Ärztin (Expertise in Drogen und Krankheiten) und einer Juristin aus bester Familie (strukturiertes Denken und soziale Beziehungen in höchste Kreise) zusammen. Speziell die Frauen sind etwas nie Dagewesenes in diesem Beruf und die männlich dominierte Gesellschaft wehrt sich noch mit Zähnen und Klauen gegen Frauen außerhalb des Hauses.
Was ich zuerst für einen cozy Krimi hielt, denn die Charaktere sind in Habitus und Weltsicht angemessen altmodisch, stellt sich ziemlich bald als ziemlich brutale und hartgesottene Geschichte heraus.
Neben dem wirklich spannenden Kriminalfall (mir war fast bis zum Schluss nicht klar, wer der Mörder sein musste), erfahren wir hier eine Menge über das Leben im 1. Weltkrieg, über Drogen und über die Verheerungen, die der Krieg bei den jungen Männern des Landes anrichtet, und die entsetzlichen Folgen für ihre Angehörigen.
Der Leserin wird auch ein Frauenbild vor Augen geführt, das heute nicht nur vollkommen inakzeptabel ist, sondern bei dem es schon schwierig ist, auch nur darüber zu lesen.
Mir hat dieser historische Krimi unwahrscheinlich gut gefallen und ich freue mich, dass es noch etliche weitere Bände gibt, die ich genießen kann.
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1915 in London. The First World War is raging and an aristocratic war returnee, who has been seriously wounded, is found murdered. His seriously injured wife insists on confessing to the murder. Out of this situation, Chief Inspector Beech is authorised to form a special unit under the table, as this case involves dealing with high-ranking personalities and women. He therefore puts together a unit consisting of a retired detective (criminal experience), a handsome and boxing-trained young war invalid (the muscle), a female doctor (expertise in drugs and diseases) and a female lawyer from the best family (structured thinking and social relationships in the highest circles). The women in particular are something unprecedented in the profession and the male-dominated society still fights tooth and nail against women outside the home.
What I initially thought was a cosy crime thriller, as the characters are suitably old-fashioned in habitus and world view, soon turns out to be a rather brutal and hard-boiled story.
As well as the really exciting murder mystery (I didn't realise who the murderer had to be until almost the very end), we learn a lot about life in the First World War, about drugs and about the devastation that the war wreaks on the young men of the country and the terrible consequences for their families.
The reader is also presented with an image of women that is not only completely unacceptable today, but one that is difficult to even read about.
I enjoyed this historical thriller immensely and I'm glad that there are many more volumes to devour.
*******************
1915 in London. Der 1. Weltkrieg tobt und ein adliger Kriegsheimkehrer, der schwer verwundet worden war, wird ermordet aufgefunden. Seine schwer verletzte Ehefrau besteht darauf, den Mord zu gestehen. Aus dieser Situation heraus erhält Chief Inspector Beech die Genehmigung, unter der Hand eine Spezialeinheit zu bilden, denn in diesem Fall muss mit hochgestellten Persönlichkeiten und mit Frauen umgegangen werden. Daher stellt er eine Einheit aus einem pensionierten Detektiv (kriminalistische Erfahrung). einem gutaussehenden und boxsportgeschulten jungen Kriegsversehrten (der Muskel), einer Ärztin (Expertise in Drogen und Krankheiten) und einer Juristin aus bester Familie (strukturiertes Denken und soziale Beziehungen in höchste Kreise) zusammen. Speziell die Frauen sind etwas nie Dagewesenes in diesem Beruf und die männlich dominierte Gesellschaft wehrt sich noch mit Zähnen und Klauen gegen Frauen außerhalb des Hauses.
Was ich zuerst für einen cozy Krimi hielt, denn die Charaktere sind in Habitus und Weltsicht angemessen altmodisch, stellt sich ziemlich bald als ziemlich brutale und hartgesottene Geschichte heraus.
Neben dem wirklich spannenden Kriminalfall (mir war fast bis zum Schluss nicht klar, wer der Mörder sein musste), erfahren wir hier eine Menge über das Leben im 1. Weltkrieg, über Drogen und über die Verheerungen, die der Krieg bei den jungen Männern des Landes anrichtet, und die entsetzlichen Folgen für ihre Angehörigen.
Der Leserin wird auch ein Frauenbild vor Augen geführt, das heute nicht nur vollkommen inakzeptabel ist, sondern bei dem es schon schwierig ist, auch nur darüber zu lesen.
Mir hat dieser historische Krimi unwahrscheinlich gut gefallen und ich freue mich, dass es noch etliche weitere Bände gibt, die ich genießen kann.
------------------------
1915 in London. The First World War is raging and an aristocratic war returnee, who has been seriously wounded, is found murdered. His seriously injured wife insists on confessing to the murder. Out of this situation, Chief Inspector Beech is authorised to form a special unit under the table, as this case involves dealing with high-ranking personalities and women. He therefore puts together a unit consisting of a retired detective (criminal experience), a handsome and boxing-trained young war invalid (the muscle), a female doctor (expertise in drugs and diseases) and a female lawyer from the best family (structured thinking and social relationships in the highest circles). The women in particular are something unprecedented in the profession and the male-dominated society still fights tooth and nail against women outside the home.
What I initially thought was a cosy crime thriller, as the characters are suitably old-fashioned in habitus and world view, soon turns out to be a rather brutal and hard-boiled story.
As well as the really exciting murder mystery (I didn't realise who the murderer had to be until almost the very end), we learn a lot about life in the First World War, about drugs and about the devastation that the war wreaks on the young men of the country and the terrible consequences for their families.
The reader is also presented with an image of women that is not only completely unacceptable today, but one that is difficult to even read about.
I enjoyed this historical thriller immensely and I'm glad that there are many more volumes to devour.
February 12, 2023
This was an excellent beginning to a series. Many great aspects that made it a terrific read!
First off this book is absolutely chock-a-block with strong female characters which is always a draw for me. This author (who is new to me) has a great way with creating diverse female characters who span all the societal levels which existed during this time in Britain, and giving all of them unique backstories that make them perfect for this very clever plot.
The time frame of this story (WW One) isn't one I'm very familiar with, but the author brought it very much to life as the back drop of the story, weaving it in in ways that added to the main plot and really fleshed out the overall story.
The concept of a "new" type of crime investigating team including women is very clever and offers lots of space for future books, which I look forward to and will definitely look to read. I enjoyed this book very much and definitely recommend it as a good read!
First off this book is absolutely chock-a-block with strong female characters which is always a draw for me. This author (who is new to me) has a great way with creating diverse female characters who span all the societal levels which existed during this time in Britain, and giving all of them unique backstories that make them perfect for this very clever plot.
The time frame of this story (WW One) isn't one I'm very familiar with, but the author brought it very much to life as the back drop of the story, weaving it in in ways that added to the main plot and really fleshed out the overall story.
The concept of a "new" type of crime investigating team including women is very clever and offers lots of space for future books, which I look forward to and will definitely look to read. I enjoyed this book very much and definitely recommend it as a good read!
July 26, 2022
London, England. May 1915. Lynn Brittney’s Murder in Belgravia (Mayfair 100 Mystery, #1) is the author’s debut novel set during WWI finds London as well as the rest of the British Isles with less men to fight crime as they are enlisting as soldiers to go and fight in France against the Kaiser and his Prussian/German army. Some of those who were fighting in France have been “invalided out of the army”. Chief Inspector Peter Beech is one who has been “invalided out of the war”. CI Beech has a brilliant idea to help fill this void of male policemen - a special team of two women and two men. The telepresence number of this team is Mayfair 100. London’s chief commissioner agrees with CI Beech’s plan, but the entire operation must be kept very quiet as prejudices against women working in a ‘man’s’ job is very strong even though as more men go to war and women take their places in the work world, many people do not want to accept this change. Beech’s team consists of Dr. Caroline Allardyce, who works at London’s Women’s Hospital; Mrs. Victoria Ellingham, a young widow, who trained in law and has excellent deductive reasoning; a retired detective, Detective Sergeant Arthur Tollman, brought back to active duty; and Police Constable Billy Rigsby “invalided out of the war “ who at 6 feet 7 inches, a former boxer champion of The Grenadier Guards, and has a respectable knack with woman would provide safety for the women along with DS Tollman as well as needed ‘muscle’. Then the murder in Belgravia where a lord is killed and his wife a suspect occurs. Beech’s team goes into action. An idea ‘before its time’ and a small solution to deal with the many woman now in London. Dynamically written. Poignant topic. Could not put it down! 5 stars!
March 10, 2019
4.5 stars
I really loved this cosy historical crime mystery and have marked it already as 'favourite series' as I really want to read more of these.
The set-up is so good - loads of interesting characters brought into a police task force set in 1915 London and then an overriding murder mystery to get your teeth into.
It's a brilliant crime cosy with lots of promise...I can't wait to read more!
I really loved this cosy historical crime mystery and have marked it already as 'favourite series' as I really want to read more of these.
The set-up is so good - loads of interesting characters brought into a police task force set in 1915 London and then an overriding murder mystery to get your teeth into.
It's a brilliant crime cosy with lots of promise...I can't wait to read more!
March 9, 2019
I am really, really, fond of Historical Mysteries and this one just jumped into my pile of books that I am really loving and "cannot wait for the next one" piles. I requested this one because I am currently reading both Charles Finch's "The Charles Lennox Series" and the "Maisie Dobbs" series by Jacqueline Winspear and loving both so very much and this one looked like it was along the same lines as both of those series. I was not disappointed.
Set at the beginning of World War 1, the main character of Chief Inspector Beech is a man who fought in the war and was injured and sent home. Dealing with his memories of the war, his injury and the loss of friends and family alike, he is called to the home of Lady Harriet Murcheson, where he finds her husband dead from a stabbing of scissors to the chest, and the Lady herself refusing to both talk to him or confess to the murder. In realizing that the Lady Harriet is also injured, he calls upon his friend Dr. Caroline Allardyce to help him and in doing so, an idea forms in his mind and from that, the Mayfair 100 is formed - women AND men, helping those who are reluctant to contact the regular police or women who are unable to contact anyone due to their station and the fact that they were, women. Comprised of two women [though there are more than that in "unofficial roles" and three "Yard" men, they are there to tackle the cases that are often lost in the wind.
This was a good mystery [though I had it figured out by the end - not ALL of the particulars, but most of them; it didn't take away from the book or the end though] and I really, really like all the characters. It was well thought out and brings to you another level of the war and London during those early days of it [the Zeppelin raids are mentioned and I cannot even imagine the terror that those attacks brought]. It also shows some of the seedier sides of London and its surrounding areas and that was a bit of a surprise to me - not that I am clueless mind you, but some of this stuff was really out there [they sold HEROIN at the local pharmacists shops!] and I spent a good amount of time researching different things that were brought up and then spent a good amount of time in sadness at some of the other things I learned - the things that people are driven to do to survive never fails to break my heart and there is a lot of that aspect in this book. In fact, this book was a lot grittier than both the Charles Lennox and Maisie Dobbs books and I was unprepared for that. It doesn't take away from the story, in fact, it adds to it - bring even more realism to the story. It was just a bit of a shock.
I will be reading ALL that the author writes in this series. I absolutely loved it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC in return for an honest review.
Set at the beginning of World War 1, the main character of Chief Inspector Beech is a man who fought in the war and was injured and sent home. Dealing with his memories of the war, his injury and the loss of friends and family alike, he is called to the home of Lady Harriet Murcheson, where he finds her husband dead from a stabbing of scissors to the chest, and the Lady herself refusing to both talk to him or confess to the murder. In realizing that the Lady Harriet is also injured, he calls upon his friend Dr. Caroline Allardyce to help him and in doing so, an idea forms in his mind and from that, the Mayfair 100 is formed - women AND men, helping those who are reluctant to contact the regular police or women who are unable to contact anyone due to their station and the fact that they were, women. Comprised of two women [though there are more than that in "unofficial roles" and three "Yard" men, they are there to tackle the cases that are often lost in the wind.
This was a good mystery [though I had it figured out by the end - not ALL of the particulars, but most of them; it didn't take away from the book or the end though] and I really, really like all the characters. It was well thought out and brings to you another level of the war and London during those early days of it [the Zeppelin raids are mentioned and I cannot even imagine the terror that those attacks brought]. It also shows some of the seedier sides of London and its surrounding areas and that was a bit of a surprise to me - not that I am clueless mind you, but some of this stuff was really out there [they sold HEROIN at the local pharmacists shops!] and I spent a good amount of time researching different things that were brought up and then spent a good amount of time in sadness at some of the other things I learned - the things that people are driven to do to survive never fails to break my heart and there is a lot of that aspect in this book. In fact, this book was a lot grittier than both the Charles Lennox and Maisie Dobbs books and I was unprepared for that. It doesn't take away from the story, in fact, it adds to it - bring even more realism to the story. It was just a bit of a shock.
I will be reading ALL that the author writes in this series. I absolutely loved it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing this ARC in return for an honest review.
May 22, 2023
3.75*…..
February 11, 2018
This novel is set in London in 1915 during the first world war. The war has taken all the able-bodied men and women have assumed a new and more prominent role in the workforce. Also the war has physically and mentally unbalanced many of the returning soldiers all resulting in more crimes against women and more crimes involving women. Chief Inspector Peter Beech approaches his superiors with the need for female police officers who can more readily deal with these women victims. The morality of the day is not yet ready to accept female police officers, but he is allowed to form a trial squad including two unpaid women and two men, a detective and a cop. Beech recruits two female friends, one a doctor and the other with legal training. They are of proper social rank to handle their first case. A Lord, badly wounded during the war has been stabbed to death in his home. His wife, who he had badly beaten, confesses to the crime. However, her injuries are such that the doctor doubts her ability to have done. Both her maid and the butler have gone into hiding and the team begins to search for answers. The author paints a vivid picture of London during the war. It is a period of enormous social change. The case itself is very interesting with lots of twists and turns. Also the characters of the team are interesting and likable. This is billed as a cozy mystery, but I would not characterize it as that since it delves into the dark side of society. It is a great book for those who enjoyed The Alienist. I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
April 20, 2019
Good plot, clearly well researched, historically interesting and accurate, however I found the writing style/prose very simplistic. I personally found the characters and some of the ‘scenarios’ cliched and I’m sorry to say I spent a lot of the book wincing, cringing and rolling my eyes.
March 23, 2019
I've always loved books that feature a group of characters as protagonists. In particular, the group set up in this book reminded me of the Bones group, because each of the characters has its own specialization, which helps to solve the case.
The book is set in England at the beginning of the twentieth century: the first clamor of the suffragette movement is already felt, and the author decides to include a good number of women in the narration. Everything stems from the fact that the victim of a murderous attack refuses to speak to a policeman, and therefore the police officer in charge of the investigation decides to call a friend, woman and doctor (yes, you understood correctly) and, at the same time, decides to create a task force of "investigators". As already mentioned, what I most appreciated in this book was the group of characters: each of them has its own personality and its own personal story, which mixes with the narrated facts. Even the author's choice of timeline is Very interesting: I never found a mystery book that took place during the First World War, and it was stimulating to read about a London in which women struggle to have a recognized job. The female characters have a thousand nuances, and even the masculine ones have many facets.
The book is very quickly to read and enjoy, also because it is quite short. Some points of the narration seem too fast and hasty, but they maintain the rhythm of the reading, bringing the reader to the end of the adventure. Reading does not weigh, on the contrary it always leads to reading one page after another. I must therefore infer that the writing is very good and can be accepted even by fine palates, which can enjoy greater simplicity in favor of a good narrative rhythm. Apparently I'm fond of the characters, so I'd be very happy to read the second of the series.
***I received an arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review ***
The book is set in England at the beginning of the twentieth century: the first clamor of the suffragette movement is already felt, and the author decides to include a good number of women in the narration. Everything stems from the fact that the victim of a murderous attack refuses to speak to a policeman, and therefore the police officer in charge of the investigation decides to call a friend, woman and doctor (yes, you understood correctly) and, at the same time, decides to create a task force of "investigators". As already mentioned, what I most appreciated in this book was the group of characters: each of them has its own personality and its own personal story, which mixes with the narrated facts. Even the author's choice of timeline is Very interesting: I never found a mystery book that took place during the First World War, and it was stimulating to read about a London in which women struggle to have a recognized job. The female characters have a thousand nuances, and even the masculine ones have many facets.
The book is very quickly to read and enjoy, also because it is quite short. Some points of the narration seem too fast and hasty, but they maintain the rhythm of the reading, bringing the reader to the end of the adventure. Reading does not weigh, on the contrary it always leads to reading one page after another. I must therefore infer that the writing is very good and can be accepted even by fine palates, which can enjoy greater simplicity in favor of a good narrative rhythm. Apparently I'm fond of the characters, so I'd be very happy to read the second of the series.
***I received an arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review ***
February 14, 2019
3.5 stars. I really enjoyed this and I recommend it, but I did have some issues with it. The characters all feel a bit two-dimensional, and not particularly deep. And the whole thing reminded me a bit of Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, in that many of the characters particularly the women, speak as though they are modern progressive feminists, which doesn't ring totally true. All the main characters are pretty liberal-minded and forward-thinking for 1915. However...I freaking loved Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman! That kind of progressive badassery and rebellion against the times can feel highly satisfying. So even though I wasn't convinced this was realistic, it was fun and incredibly engrossing. I enjoyed the little band of investigators and following along where the clues took them.
I look forward to the next entry in this series, but I'd like to see a little more depth and character development as it progresses. I think fans of Rhys Bowen's books would enjoy this one.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I look forward to the next entry in this series, but I'd like to see a little more depth and character development as it progresses. I think fans of Rhys Bowen's books would enjoy this one.
*I received a free ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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