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Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventures #1
A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia
It's 1929, and Ticky Maltravers is the toast of London high society, adored by everyone—or so it seems, until somebody poisons him over dinner. Now it turns out that numerous people with secrets to hide had every reason to wish him dead. But which of them murdered him? For Freddy Pilkington-Soames, newspaper reporter and man-about-town, the question hits a little too close to home, thanks to an unfortunate drunken encounter with Ticky's corpse which he'd much rather the police didn't find out about—and thanks also to his exasperating mother Cynthia's seeming determination to get herself arrested by tampering with the evidence. But a pretty girl with big blue eyes is demanding his help in solving the mystery, so what can he do but agree? Now all he has to do is hide the wrong clues, find the right ones, and unmask the murderer before the police discover what's really been going on. That ought to be easy enough. If only people didn't keep getting killed...
263 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 4, 2016
1683 people are currently reading
2428 people want to read
About the author
Clara Benson
29 books349 followersClara Benson is the author of the Angela Marchmont Mysteries and Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventures - traditional English whodunits in authentic style set in the 1920s and 30s. One day she would like to drink cocktails and solve mysteries in a sequinned dress and evening gloves. In the meantime she lives in the north of England with her family and doesn't do any of those things.
If you want to be the first to hear about new releases, and to receive a free, exclusive short story, sign up to her mailing list at clarabenson.com/newsletter.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 257 reviews
September 11, 2016
For anyone who read all ten of the Angela Marchmont series of murder mysteries set in the 1920s, this spin-off series is an absolute must. Featuring the gloriously insouciant Freddy Pilkington-Soames, this first book in the new series has all the author’s trademark elegant phrasing and delightful humour, combined with twenties glamour and a gentle murder mystery to be solved. I was a little concerned that Freddy, a comedic bit part in the Angela series, might be too lightweight to carry an entire series on his own, but I needn’t have worried. Freddy turns out to have a very deft hand in managing affairs so that the murderer is brought to justice without his society cronies missing the cocktail hour.
Here’s the plot: the magnificently named Ticky Maltravers is the toast of London high society, adored by everyone—or so it seems, until somebody poisons him over dinner. Now it turns out that numerous people with secrets to hide had every reason to wish him dead. But which of them murdered him? It’s not a spoiler (because it’s in the title) that a number of society figures are being blackmailed by Ticky, so the trick becomes one of keeping all those secrets out of the hands of the police and the newspapers, while also ensuring that the killer doesn’t get away with murder.
In a book like this, the plot isn’t really the point. I guessed the murderer’s identity very early on, so I was able to feel pleasantly smug when I was proved right, but that just means the author dropped enough clues and didn’t cheat by pulling out a long-lost identical twin at the end. The real joy in these books is the authentic writing style, which cleverly evokes the era. The slightly Bertie-Wooster-esque humour had me laughing out loud on almost every page. The danger with this style is that it can veer perilously close to slapstick at times, but for me it never went over the top and worked perfectly to leaven the sometimes lengthy sentence structure.
This book was a joy to read from the very first word, and I loved seeing Freddy taking charge and behaving responsibly, yet without losing his ineffable Freddiness. There was a mild romantic interest, too, which was a nice touch, and I applaud the author for not making the police into idiots or buffoons. Highly recommended. Five stars.
Here’s the plot: the magnificently named Ticky Maltravers is the toast of London high society, adored by everyone—or so it seems, until somebody poisons him over dinner. Now it turns out that numerous people with secrets to hide had every reason to wish him dead. But which of them murdered him? It’s not a spoiler (because it’s in the title) that a number of society figures are being blackmailed by Ticky, so the trick becomes one of keeping all those secrets out of the hands of the police and the newspapers, while also ensuring that the killer doesn’t get away with murder.
In a book like this, the plot isn’t really the point. I guessed the murderer’s identity very early on, so I was able to feel pleasantly smug when I was proved right, but that just means the author dropped enough clues and didn’t cheat by pulling out a long-lost identical twin at the end. The real joy in these books is the authentic writing style, which cleverly evokes the era. The slightly Bertie-Wooster-esque humour had me laughing out loud on almost every page. The danger with this style is that it can veer perilously close to slapstick at times, but for me it never went over the top and worked perfectly to leaven the sometimes lengthy sentence structure.
This book was a joy to read from the very first word, and I loved seeing Freddy taking charge and behaving responsibly, yet without losing his ineffable Freddiness. There was a mild romantic interest, too, which was a nice touch, and I applaud the author for not making the police into idiots or buffoons. Highly recommended. Five stars.
January 7, 2022
This is the first in a spin-off series from the Angela Marchmont books, in which Freddy Pilkington-Soames featured. Freddy is a young reporter for the Clarion and whose mother, Cynthia, writes a gossip column for the same newspaper.
The mystery begins with a dinner at a fashionable restaurant, at which Cynthia is a guest. Afterwards, she accompanies one of the party, Nicholas 'Ticky' Maltravers, home in a taxi. Mr Maltravers feels unwell on the way home and gasps out the word, 'poisoned!' before collapsing on the steps of Cynthia Pilkington-Soames house. When Freddy appears at his mothers, he finds himself involved in removing Ticky's body. For Ticky was blackmailing all of those at the dinner and they are all, including Cynthia, suspects for the murder.
I much prefer the flippant Freddy to the more formal Angela Marchmont and this is a fun mystery, with Freddy despairing of Cynthia's amateur attempts to cover up the crime. Rated 3.5.
The mystery begins with a dinner at a fashionable restaurant, at which Cynthia is a guest. Afterwards, she accompanies one of the party, Nicholas 'Ticky' Maltravers, home in a taxi. Mr Maltravers feels unwell on the way home and gasps out the word, 'poisoned!' before collapsing on the steps of Cynthia Pilkington-Soames house. When Freddy appears at his mothers, he finds himself involved in removing Ticky's body. For Ticky was blackmailing all of those at the dinner and they are all, including Cynthia, suspects for the murder.
I much prefer the flippant Freddy to the more formal Angela Marchmont and this is a fun mystery, with Freddy despairing of Cynthia's amateur attempts to cover up the crime. Rated 3.5.
March 11, 2022
I loved this so much - a combination of Heyer-esque fun and cosy mystery. Freddy is one of a kind!
January 19, 2022
I enjoyed A Case Of Blackmail In Belgravia very much. It is the first Clara Benson I have read and I’m rather impressed.
The plot is an enjoyable load of old hokum, of course. A group of half a dozen or so socialites in the 1920s go for a dinner together, at which one of them is poisoned. Freddie Pilkington-Soames is a junior reporter for The Clarion and becomes embroiled in the investigation when his mother, who was at the dinner, falls under suspicion. He then buzzes about the place, discovers that the victim was an odious blackmailer and eventually, of course, reveals the true identity of the killer.
It is a lot of light-hearted fun with a distinctly Wodehousian feel to it – and there’s a touch of Galahad Threepwood about Freddie, too. It says much for Clara Benson’s skill as a writer that she manages to pull this off very well. She strikes an excellent tone; quite light and amusing but with some proper Golden-Age mystery content, too. Her characters are well drawn and, while a bit stereotypical, remain well this side of caricature. Freddie’s mother in particular is an infuriating delight; her self-orientated view of the world as a place where inconveniences like rules and laws aren’t meant for people like her and where others will just take care of any difficulties she may create is rather recognisable in a number of prominent people today.
I identified the culprit pretty early on, but I didn’t mind a bit because it was a pleasure to read. Great literature it ain’t, but it’s great fun and a very enjoyable read. Recommended.
The plot is an enjoyable load of old hokum, of course. A group of half a dozen or so socialites in the 1920s go for a dinner together, at which one of them is poisoned. Freddie Pilkington-Soames is a junior reporter for The Clarion and becomes embroiled in the investigation when his mother, who was at the dinner, falls under suspicion. He then buzzes about the place, discovers that the victim was an odious blackmailer and eventually, of course, reveals the true identity of the killer.
It is a lot of light-hearted fun with a distinctly Wodehousian feel to it – and there’s a touch of Galahad Threepwood about Freddie, too. It says much for Clara Benson’s skill as a writer that she manages to pull this off very well. She strikes an excellent tone; quite light and amusing but with some proper Golden-Age mystery content, too. Her characters are well drawn and, while a bit stereotypical, remain well this side of caricature. Freddie’s mother in particular is an infuriating delight; her self-orientated view of the world as a place where inconveniences like rules and laws aren’t meant for people like her and where others will just take care of any difficulties she may create is rather recognisable in a number of prominent people today.
I identified the culprit pretty early on, but I didn’t mind a bit because it was a pleasure to read. Great literature it ain’t, but it’s great fun and a very enjoyable read. Recommended.
August 31, 2021
I was hankering for a good old fashioned whodunit and this fitted the bill perfectly!
Read
February 4, 2017Rather short, and my enjoyment was a little dimmed because I spotted the most likely killer very early, but Freddy is a fun read. A modern series that manages to almost give a feel of classic golden-age fiction.
December 16, 2017
A lead character who is like one of Bertie Wooster's pals from the Drones Club, and a plot with a Golden Age flavor, made this appeal to me. I enjoyed it while reading but within a day could barely remember it.
A good choice when you need a bit of fluff or a palate cleanser type of read.
A good choice when you need a bit of fluff or a palate cleanser type of read.
September 29, 2019
It's not necessarily a bad book, but the characters are all the miserable rich. So, yeah.
It is an interesting look into what some people will do for money and reputation.
I've actually only read it once.
It is an interesting look into what some people will do for money and reputation.
I've actually only read it once.
Read
August 11, 2020A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia (2016) is the first of a series of five books (so far) featuring Freddie Pilkington-Soames and set in 1920s–1930s London. Freddie was first introduced in another series by the author, the Angela Marchmont mysteries some of which I’ve read and enjoyed very much. In that series he and his set came across as something almost from Wodehouse—I even thought of him as a version of Freddie Threepwood but with brains, for this Freddie can solve mysteries and is not left astounded simply reading them. Freddie Pilkington-Soames is a reporter on the Clarion, I think at his mother’s (who ‘secretly’ writes a gossip column on the paper) bidding, though they are very much a part of the society elite.
This adventure opens not with Freddie but his mother attending a birthday party at a fashionable London restaurant with other society elite—the party is for Nicholas ‘Ticky’ Maltravers who seems to be at the centre of society at every party and gathering. But one gets the sense that people aren’t quite as fond of him as they make out. At the end of the party when Ticky heads home, he happens to share a taxi with Cynthia, Freddie mother. He is unwell on the way and when they reach Cynthia’s home, Ticky drops down dead at the doorstep. Cynthia panics and when Freddie happens to arrive there (back from another party and rather drunk), she convinces him to take the corpse away. Next morning, it is discovered not in front of Ticky’s own home but his neighbour’s, and soon enough, the police are involved for Ticky has been poisoned. Freddie of course realises that he and his mother will be in a fair bit of trouble for while they may be innocent of the murder (he wonders about that too), they have tampered with the body. So it seems he must investigate the matter himself and find the real murderer before he and Cynthia are drawn into the whole matter. Looking into the case, Freddie finds that Ticky was not at all liked by his ‘friends’ and they were so only for a reason, and more than one wished him dead. But which of them had a strong enough reason to actually kill him?
In the Angela Marchmont books, Freddie Pilkington-Soames adds a comic touch while also certainly helping Angela solve the mystery. That comic touch continues in this book as well, his solo adventure, but being a mystery of course, there are the more serious touches—it isn’t policemen’s helmets that are being stolen or hidden as in Wodehouse but bodies, and the blackmail is not silly but sinister. Still despite the more serious murder investigation, the tone remains fairly light, and the opening sequence of Freddie rushing about with the body in his toy cart is pretty funny (even though it is a body).
Freddie does a fairly good job of investigating, though the police aren’t as unaware of things as he thinks they are. But he does have an advantage over them, his social standing being what it is for while those involved may not be likely to open up to the police (most are glad Ticky is out of the way), they will more likely speak to him. While he is initially more keen only on clearing his and his mother’s name or rather averting suspicion away from them, a pretty young lady convinces him that they need to solve the mystery as well for leaving it unanswered would simply not do, for any of them (her mother was also at the said dinner party). Cynthia on the other hand, after putting all the responsibility on him, is content to put everything out of her mind. She is rather a handful actually!
The mystery itself wasn’t particularly complicated and though I didn’t guess whodunit right at the start, it was quite clear some way in. Even though the author didn’t weave in any unexpected twists at the end, I still found it enjoyable enough and the solution pretty satisfactory. (I was reminded of an Agatha Christie by it, in fact.) More than the mystery, it is the general 1920s atmosphere and comic touches that the reader enjoys.
I don’t know if I would say that I enjoyed this one as much as the Angela Marchmont books but it was still a quick, light, and fun read!
This adventure opens not with Freddie but his mother attending a birthday party at a fashionable London restaurant with other society elite—the party is for Nicholas ‘Ticky’ Maltravers who seems to be at the centre of society at every party and gathering. But one gets the sense that people aren’t quite as fond of him as they make out. At the end of the party when Ticky heads home, he happens to share a taxi with Cynthia, Freddie mother. He is unwell on the way and when they reach Cynthia’s home, Ticky drops down dead at the doorstep. Cynthia panics and when Freddie happens to arrive there (back from another party and rather drunk), she convinces him to take the corpse away. Next morning, it is discovered not in front of Ticky’s own home but his neighbour’s, and soon enough, the police are involved for Ticky has been poisoned. Freddie of course realises that he and his mother will be in a fair bit of trouble for while they may be innocent of the murder (he wonders about that too), they have tampered with the body. So it seems he must investigate the matter himself and find the real murderer before he and Cynthia are drawn into the whole matter. Looking into the case, Freddie finds that Ticky was not at all liked by his ‘friends’ and they were so only for a reason, and more than one wished him dead. But which of them had a strong enough reason to actually kill him?
In the Angela Marchmont books, Freddie Pilkington-Soames adds a comic touch while also certainly helping Angela solve the mystery. That comic touch continues in this book as well, his solo adventure, but being a mystery of course, there are the more serious touches—it isn’t policemen’s helmets that are being stolen or hidden as in Wodehouse but bodies, and the blackmail is not silly but sinister. Still despite the more serious murder investigation, the tone remains fairly light, and the opening sequence of Freddie rushing about with the body in his toy cart is pretty funny (even though it is a body).
Freddie does a fairly good job of investigating, though the police aren’t as unaware of things as he thinks they are. But he does have an advantage over them, his social standing being what it is for while those involved may not be likely to open up to the police (most are glad Ticky is out of the way), they will more likely speak to him. While he is initially more keen only on clearing his and his mother’s name or rather averting suspicion away from them, a pretty young lady convinces him that they need to solve the mystery as well for leaving it unanswered would simply not do, for any of them (her mother was also at the said dinner party). Cynthia on the other hand, after putting all the responsibility on him, is content to put everything out of her mind. She is rather a handful actually!
The mystery itself wasn’t particularly complicated and though I didn’t guess whodunit right at the start, it was quite clear some way in. Even though the author didn’t weave in any unexpected twists at the end, I still found it enjoyable enough and the solution pretty satisfactory. (I was reminded of an Agatha Christie by it, in fact.) More than the mystery, it is the general 1920s atmosphere and comic touches that the reader enjoys.
I don’t know if I would say that I enjoyed this one as much as the Angela Marchmont books but it was still a quick, light, and fun read!
July 4, 2020
Set in the 1920s or 30s, the book was completely enjoyable from the start to the finish. Freddy Pilkington has to solve the mystery of the murder of a man who had blackmailed a lot of people around him.
The story had me chuckling and the writing was thoroughly enjoyable. The writing brought on the flavour of the era so beautifully well, adding to the charm of the stories.
The story had me chuckling and the writing was thoroughly enjoyable. The writing brought on the flavour of the era so beautifully well, adding to the charm of the stories.
January 18, 2021
A pleasant read for what it was - a mild, cozy sort of mystery. The protagonist brought to mind Bertie Wooster, though the wit was not Wodehouse level. Still, it was entertaining and light, just what one needs now and then.
October 22, 2021
An enjoyable mystery
Written in an upbeat and homely style. Something one can relate to. A perfectly enjoyable read, the characters of this novel are well etched.
Written in an upbeat and homely style. Something one can relate to. A perfectly enjoyable read, the characters of this novel are well etched.
October 2, 2018
I need a break from the scholarly reading marathon that I somehow found myself been doing of late; this murder mystery story was a pleasant surprise and I thoroughly enjoyed it--overall a neat reading and cleverly done. The culprit wasn't easily suspected but like any murder(s) committed in the "haves" society--alas, one always suspect the butler and in this case, close to that position! Huh.
I find it hard to finished a book when I'm travelling, I guess I'm one of those who only thrive in "controlled environment" but this book proved to me with a great book I can aced it and perhaps I just need to silenced the noises and read and read. The author is unknown to me but I love what she had done with this book, so I'll follow this series.
Bravo!
I find it hard to finished a book when I'm travelling, I guess I'm one of those who only thrive in "controlled environment" but this book proved to me with a great book I can aced it and perhaps I just need to silenced the noises and read and read. The author is unknown to me but I love what she had done with this book, so I'll follow this series.
Bravo!
June 2, 2019
Quite fun. I'll probably listen to more in this series.
September 17, 2019
Multiple murders and blackmail among the posh set in London, written with a wry sense of humor. The year wasn't mentioned, but judging by the forms of technology and transportation, I'm thinking the 1920's or 30's? Freddy Pilkington-Soames is himself a member of this monied elite, but he's also a newspaper reporter and inadvertently gets himself involved in the whole mess. His mother is a riot. She's the initial suspect, and says, "But I refuse to take it too seriously, either. After all, nobody is really going to arrest any of us, are they? Our sort don’t get arrested. Why, we’re in the papers all the time. People want to know about our clothes, and our hair, and which parties we’ve been to, and which people we’ve spoken to. Nobody could possibly believe that any of us would murder someone. That’s not the sort of thing we do. It’s only common people who get arrested—you know, the sort who hit other people over the head and steal their money. We’re nothing like that, are we?" This book is the first in a series and I'm looking forward to finding more by this author
February 23, 2023
This was actually pretty good for the first book in a series and the large number of characters it had. Sadly, I suspect many of the characters will not be making an appearance in subsequent books, but you never know. The story isn't deep or particularly well-developed, and the plot is nothing unique - blackmailer poisoned, presumably by one of his victims - but the humor and sheer audacity of some of it is entertaining. Biggest complaints were the shallowness of many characters (almost caricature-like) and, because they were not distinctive, haw hard it was to remember who they were every time they came up in the story again.
September 9, 2016
Entertaining
I'll be honest, this book will not win a Pulitzer, but is is an entertaining read.
As a fan of the Angela Marchmont series, I was sad to finish the last book. I was very happy to hear that a new series starring Freddy, one on my favorites from the AM series, was being written. I was not let down.
This book ticks the boxes that I enjoyed about the AM series. It is great light reading. If you liked Angela Marchmont, and enjoyed Freddy's character, then this book will be right up your alley.
I'll be honest, this book will not win a Pulitzer, but is is an entertaining read.
As a fan of the Angela Marchmont series, I was sad to finish the last book. I was very happy to hear that a new series starring Freddy, one on my favorites from the AM series, was being written. I was not let down.
This book ticks the boxes that I enjoyed about the AM series. It is great light reading. If you liked Angela Marchmont, and enjoyed Freddy's character, then this book will be right up your alley.
October 21, 2024
"Oh, very good,' said Freddy appreciatively. 'Do they teach you jokes like that at place school? Would they accept me, do you think?'
Story: 8
First MC: 10
Second MC: ?
Secondary characters: 8
Mystery: 7
Sexual tension: 0
Humor: 6
Hotness: 0
Product placement: 2
Ridiculousness: 3
Annoying: 1
Audio: 10 (5hr 59min)
To re-read: 10
Freddy is young man who decides to solve a murder. The mystery itself wasn't very hard to solve but it was the journey for me. It was fun and I enjoyed some giggles.
Story: 8
First MC: 10
Second MC: ?
Secondary characters: 8
Mystery: 7
Sexual tension: 0
Humor: 6
Hotness: 0
Product placement: 2
Ridiculousness: 3
Annoying: 1
Audio: 10 (5hr 59min)
To re-read: 10
Freddy is young man who decides to solve a murder. The mystery itself wasn't very hard to solve but it was the journey for me. It was fun and I enjoyed some giggles.
January 10, 2022
Having read the Angela Marchmont series by this author, I had met Freddy Pilkington-Soames before. Freddy is a young news reporter on the newspaper where his mother writes a gossip column. This story begins with a dinner party held at a fashionable restaurant in London, to celebrate the birthday of a Mr Maltravers aka Ticky. There he is given a present of a silver engraved flask. Leaving the restaurant, he shares a taxi with Freddy's mother. Ticky is not feeling well and when they alight from the taxi, he is promptly sick, and collapses dead, gasping that he as been poisoned. Almost immediately Freddy arrives at his mother's home, heavily under the influence of drink, having been out with his friends. His mother, does not want the body to be found at her house and ropes Freddy into moving the body to Ticky's house. She then explains to her son that Ticky has been blackmailing her for some years, and it turns out that all the people who attended to birthday celebration were also victims of Ticky's blackmailing, this making his mother and the rest prime suspects for murder of Ticky. In order to clear his mother, and his rash action of moving the body, Freddy finds himself investigating this murder.
I knew from his part in the Marchmont series that Freddy is a humorous, intelligent person, and following him through this investigation did have it's lighter side. From about halfway through I did have an idea who the murderer was, but the book did hold my interest to find out why.
I knew from his part in the Marchmont series that Freddy is a humorous, intelligent person, and following him through this investigation did have it's lighter side. From about halfway through I did have an idea who the murderer was, but the book did hold my interest to find out why.
March 28, 2018
Freddy didn't expect an evening on cocktails to take the turn it does, after he ends up at the wrong end of town to get back to his flat he decides to sleep the night at his parents ... only to find his mother with a corpse! From there on in it is a comedy and tragedy combined with Freddy trying to figure out what is going on, no one wanting to talk to anyone (least of all the Police!) and then another body, Freddy's hangover seems to be the least of his problems (holding on to his job is another - still having an "in" with the people last seen with Ticky helps with that bit!)
September 28, 2024
A pleasant, if bland, murder mystery set in 1920's London: a man dies from poison following a dinner with a group of socialites, and they all had a pretty good reason to murder him, but which one? The detective is a young Bertie Wooster-ish (but without the money) newspaperman. I found the protagonist unconvincing; but then he's a spinoff from another series which I haven't read.
January 14, 2020
I really liked this writing style. 4’5 stars
May 26, 2020
This is probably a quarantine 3.5 or 4. It has plenty of dry wit and twists, even to the very end. Super enjoyable.
December 18, 2020
A cute, old fashioned murder mystery with sassy British characters.
July 18, 2020
Good prose,mostly good characterization, mostly good puzzle. Right off the bat Freddy reminded me of Bertie Wooster and it took a while to shake that feeling (I'm fond of Bertie). Freddy is not Bertie. A silver flask figures prominently and almost immediately. A later scene mentions the flask and it raises significant suspicions about a person and this person is continually ignored as a suspect deep into the novel. So, it was kind of easy to figure out early on who the culprit was. This is the second Clara Benson I've read and the second to have this kind of puzzle problem. But it was still a fun read.
September 18, 2025
Let me get this out of the way, Clara Benson is a great writer. This first installment of the Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventure series is very entertaining. It's a murder mystery that also has an undercurrent of humor, thanks to the bumbling amateur sleuthing by Freddy, the MMC.
The large cast of colorful characters are handled perfectly by the author. The murder mystery has plot twists and turns that should keep readers on their toes trying to figure out (along with Freddy) 'who did it'. It's a quick read and a perfect escape into this world of upper class London between the World Wars.
The large cast of colorful characters are handled perfectly by the author. The murder mystery has plot twists and turns that should keep readers on their toes trying to figure out (along with Freddy) 'who did it'. It's a quick read and a perfect escape into this world of upper class London between the World Wars.
September 29, 2019
A rather funny easygoing detective story, perfect bedtime reading, hardly any suspense but it's quite humoristic.
November 3, 2022
3.5 stars, rounded up
This book has been buried in Mt TBR for several years, and I finally picked it up because I needed a “universal symbol” for a challenge spot (the skull and crossbones works nicely!). It is the first in a series by an author I’ve never read before, and I liked it as much as I’d hoped, although lately I seem to be reading a lot of historical mysteries with upper crust main characters.
Many of the primary characters were too “upper crust” for my liking. I still roll my eyes when someone says “Oh, he couldn’t have done it, he’s one of us!” Freddy needs to grow a spine as far as his mother is concerned, but overall, I liked him and the way he conducted what turned out to be his investigation. The motive behind the murder was clear relatively early in the book, but I didn’t figure out the killer’s identity until just before it was revealed in the book. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
This book has been buried in Mt TBR for several years, and I finally picked it up because I needed a “universal symbol” for a challenge spot (the skull and crossbones works nicely!). It is the first in a series by an author I’ve never read before, and I liked it as much as I’d hoped, although lately I seem to be reading a lot of historical mysteries with upper crust main characters.
Many of the primary characters were too “upper crust” for my liking. I still roll my eyes when someone says “Oh, he couldn’t have done it, he’s one of us!” Freddy needs to grow a spine as far as his mother is concerned, but overall, I liked him and the way he conducted what turned out to be his investigation. The motive behind the murder was clear relatively early in the book, but I didn’t figure out the killer’s identity until just before it was revealed in the book. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
October 4, 2021
Satisfying
Blackmail stories might be a favorite of mines. Murder mayhem and resolution all fit the bill. The writing had me chuckle a few times. No glaring down sides just a worthy book that is a true whodunnit which is very easy to read. Clara Benson is one for one in my reading and I'm looking forward to read other titles by her.
Blackmail stories might be a favorite of mines. Murder mayhem and resolution all fit the bill. The writing had me chuckle a few times. No glaring down sides just a worthy book that is a true whodunnit which is very easy to read. Clara Benson is one for one in my reading and I'm looking forward to read other titles by her.
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