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Mayfair 100 #4
The Corpses at Waterloo
LONDON, SEPTEMBER 1915
When Constable Billy Rigsby, along with his mother and aunt, goes to the London Necropolis Railway Station at Waterloo, to attend the military funeral of a neighbour’s son, proceedings are interrupted by the unexpected and brutal murder of a young woman.
In a panic, Billy telephones Mayfair 100, to assemble the team, and they descend upon the station to find not only a murder to investigate, but also two empty coffins, plus another coffin containing a headless and heavily tattooed body - obviously not the body of the young Captain whose name is on the coffin lid.
The team then follow a trail of police corruption; a robbery that requires the assistance of the military police, and several violent crimes borne out of a selfish love affair. The investigations of the team take them into unusual and disturbing aspects of wartime life.
When Constable Billy Rigsby, along with his mother and aunt, goes to the London Necropolis Railway Station at Waterloo, to attend the military funeral of a neighbour’s son, proceedings are interrupted by the unexpected and brutal murder of a young woman.
In a panic, Billy telephones Mayfair 100, to assemble the team, and they descend upon the station to find not only a murder to investigate, but also two empty coffins, plus another coffin containing a headless and heavily tattooed body - obviously not the body of the young Captain whose name is on the coffin lid.
The team then follow a trail of police corruption; a robbery that requires the assistance of the military police, and several violent crimes borne out of a selfish love affair. The investigations of the team take them into unusual and disturbing aspects of wartime life.
286 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 16, 2022
32 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Lynn Brittney
67 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 30 reviews
March 10, 2023
The 4th book in the series and characters are well written and can be read as a standalone but it is helpful to have read the previous. A special group working for the police department including women have been formed as many of the male population are fighting WWI. Several murders, desertion, con men and political activism are the basis for the book. I have read all books in order and have enjoyed them and recommend the series. This was my least favorite as it had too many threads to follow, and I felt is diluted the murder mystery a bit. Very good writing and storytelling but it was just a case that it didn't hit the spot for me. 3.5*
February 16, 2023
Four good reads in this series
Good tale with well developed characters and thoughtful plot twists. So little is reviewed about World War I in current fiction that it is worthwhile to consider the first “modern” war and its lasting effects on both soldiers and civilians. Fun to consider how women made important contributions to remedying both social ills and striking through some class divisions.
Good tale with well developed characters and thoughtful plot twists. So little is reviewed about World War I in current fiction that it is worthwhile to consider the first “modern” war and its lasting effects on both soldiers and civilians. Fun to consider how women made important contributions to remedying both social ills and striking through some class divisions.
June 16, 2024
The books in this series are just fun. They deal with serious crimes as well as with the ongoing Great War but the crime solvers themselves are a well balanced though unorthodox team.
February 5, 2023
The best in the series
A well thought out series. The characters are real and easy to enjoy. It is also an interesting and not overly depressing depiction of England at war, the nonsense of bureaucracy and the fight for women to be treated as "equals". I hope the series continues. The author desperately needs a proofreader!!!!
A well thought out series. The characters are real and easy to enjoy. It is also an interesting and not overly depressing depiction of England at war, the nonsense of bureaucracy and the fight for women to be treated as "equals". I hope the series continues. The author desperately needs a proofreader!!!!
November 27, 2023
This is an interesting and relaxing sort of series to read -- the characters are generally likable, if not too deep, and it's always enjoyable to see how they work things out. The set up is that it's the 1910s. There are a handful of police officers who use as civilian assistants a group of smart and dedicated women -- from a variety of classes. Of course, they have to mostly keep the women's roles quiet because, while women have taken jobs in many sectors, they're absolutely not allowed to be police officers.
In this case, a woman is discovered at the Necropolis railway station as a train is preparing to depart to the country for a dozen or more military funerals. Constable Billy Rigsby happens to be on hand in support of his mother and sister who are attending the funeral for the son of their good friend. In thoroughly investigating, several coffins are opened and found to contain either the wrong body or simply weights. Clearly there's something going on, and most likely several somethings.
The writing is simple and clear and gets the job done. The various issues are all mostly resolved by the end -- though there was one minor side plot that wasn't, to me, completely answered. But the main stuff all got sorted. It did feel like a bit of an ending -- and for now this is the last of the series. But there could also be more, and, if so, I'll be watching for them.
In this case, a woman is discovered at the Necropolis railway station as a train is preparing to depart to the country for a dozen or more military funerals. Constable Billy Rigsby happens to be on hand in support of his mother and sister who are attending the funeral for the son of their good friend. In thoroughly investigating, several coffins are opened and found to contain either the wrong body or simply weights. Clearly there's something going on, and most likely several somethings.
The writing is simple and clear and gets the job done. The various issues are all mostly resolved by the end -- though there was one minor side plot that wasn't, to me, completely answered. But the main stuff all got sorted. It did feel like a bit of an ending -- and for now this is the last of the series. But there could also be more, and, if so, I'll be watching for them.
April 15, 2023
The detective team are back and what starts out as a funeral outing quickly becomes a murder and then the scene of four crimes. It's all a bit much for the team. As always though they rise to the occasion taking care of the forensics, the grieving families, an orphaned baby, some criminal gangs and multiple army deserters.
The characters are well established by now so it's nice to dispense with some of the introductions and get straight into the action. Brittney always manages to involve all the characters somehow so no-one feels unused. As the war rolls on and social unrest increases its interesting to see how it affects each of the team. As always looking forward to the next book.
The characters are well established by now so it's nice to dispense with some of the introductions and get straight into the action. Brittney always manages to involve all the characters somehow so no-one feels unused. As the war rolls on and social unrest increases its interesting to see how it affects each of the team. As always looking forward to the next book.
August 6, 2022
Plots galore
There are so many story lines in this book, however they are all nicely resolved in the end. I hope there will be more Mayfair 100 books in the future.
There are so many story lines in this book, however they are all nicely resolved in the end. I hope there will be more Mayfair 100 books in the future.
September 16, 2022
A good premise, but too many subplots.
December 1, 2022
Five reasons I’m giving Five Stars to The Corpses at Waterloo by Lynn Brittney:
1. The Background - The year is 1915, England is settling into the WWI, and Chief Inspector Peter Beech has already been to the front, been wounded and is back at work for the police. Peter is worried about the Yard’s inability to address delicate matters and gets permission to set up a secret task force with a couple of special policemen and some extraordinary women.
2. Gender Equality - At a time when no females were allowed into the police force, the women in these books do pull their weight! They are all intelligent and resourceful, some more educated than others, but all are amazing and great characters.
3. Class Equality - The task force bonds from one book to the next. The characters range from all walks of life, some wealthy and titled, others from the slums of London, but they soon come together to create their own kind of family.
4. The Plot - While the atmosphere is nostalgic and cozy, the plot - beginning with the body of a young woman discovered at Waterloo station - is complicated and full of twists and turns. There are also many sub-plots to keep things lively. This is the fourth book in the series, if possible, I would read in order.
5. The Fun - Characters you can really love, plots that keep you guessing, woman power and interesting snippets of history thrown in… If you like lighthearted, moreish historical mysteries, this could well be the series for you.
1. The Background - The year is 1915, England is settling into the WWI, and Chief Inspector Peter Beech has already been to the front, been wounded and is back at work for the police. Peter is worried about the Yard’s inability to address delicate matters and gets permission to set up a secret task force with a couple of special policemen and some extraordinary women.
2. Gender Equality - At a time when no females were allowed into the police force, the women in these books do pull their weight! They are all intelligent and resourceful, some more educated than others, but all are amazing and great characters.
3. Class Equality - The task force bonds from one book to the next. The characters range from all walks of life, some wealthy and titled, others from the slums of London, but they soon come together to create their own kind of family.
4. The Plot - While the atmosphere is nostalgic and cozy, the plot - beginning with the body of a young woman discovered at Waterloo station - is complicated and full of twists and turns. There are also many sub-plots to keep things lively. This is the fourth book in the series, if possible, I would read in order.
5. The Fun - Characters you can really love, plots that keep you guessing, woman power and interesting snippets of history thrown in… If you like lighthearted, moreish historical mysteries, this could well be the series for you.
July 6, 2023
Quite a twisty tale
This time around, the ladies of Mayfair are called to help with not just one mystery, but several.
While I enjoyed this story, I felt a little lost at times, as there was so much going on, and a lot of ppl to try and remember. Also trying to remember which criminal committed which crime. I had to go back a few times to remember how each character played into which crime.
This one deals a lot with the military and the police, and each crime and criminal has some thread relating it to the others. In the end, it's all explained. I just felt like some of them weren't really given a proper explanation as to why they did what. The resolution of each crime, however, was fairly thorough.
I would recommend this book with the warning to perhaps keep a running log of who , what, when, where and how.
Good story.
This time around, the ladies of Mayfair are called to help with not just one mystery, but several.
While I enjoyed this story, I felt a little lost at times, as there was so much going on, and a lot of ppl to try and remember. Also trying to remember which criminal committed which crime. I had to go back a few times to remember how each character played into which crime.
This one deals a lot with the military and the police, and each crime and criminal has some thread relating it to the others. In the end, it's all explained. I just felt like some of them weren't really given a proper explanation as to why they did what. The resolution of each crime, however, was fairly thorough.
I would recommend this book with the warning to perhaps keep a running log of who , what, when, where and how.
Good story.
May 21, 2024
I really love this series. The arrival of a funeral train at the Waterloo Necropolis Station is meant to be a somber event for families who have lost someone in the war. But it turns into a scene of murder and mayhem. An apparent mourner is found murdered, which also leads to the discovery of all kinds of slights of hand going on with the coffins. It's a perfect case for the Mayfair 100 crew, a wonderful group of women from wealthy ladies to house cleaners who come together to solve mysteries when there just aren't enough men at Scotland Yard to do it - or because the case is a delicate one. There's a lot of interesting twists and turns in this one, and we continue to learn more about each one of the women. I really hope Brittney keeps writing them.
September 27, 2024
Another good Mayfair 100 mystery. As with #3, however, this book suffers from incredibly poor copyediting that is extremely distracting. Too many commas, commas in the wrong place, hyphens instead of dashes, a few missing verbs and incomplete sentences, and even two instances where a character did something in a scene, but two sentences later was just entering the room. Still, I enjoy the stories, the plotting, the historical details, likeable characters, and positive, helpful community that has sprung up as part of their work.
August 27, 2023
I’ve really been enjoying this series. It’s not a very well known one, and that’s a shame. Fabulous characters, mystery, setting. The entire concept is great and it’s so well written. I can be very picky about historical fiction but you can tell the author does her research. The plot line involving teenage soldiers volunteering to fight for Britain in WW1 was as heartbreaking as it was interesting. It led me down a research rabbit hole and some very illuminating BBC documentaries.
January 4, 2023
I love this strong and varied cast and this was cleverly done as always, even if once again it has proofreading misses and terrible typesetting. Worse, an Anglo-Indian character is twice referred to as exotic. Yikes. Exoticism as character description? No thanks. There’s no place for othering in historical fiction.
June 27, 2023
Again, absolutely loved this book. I learn something new every time about England during WWI! I fly through Lynn's books because I want to know what will happen next. I also loving seeing how the different characters will solve the case. Hoping she is working on another. Remind me in some ways of the Maisie Dobbs series.
October 5, 2024
I really enjoy this series and I think it would make a great show from BritBox or the BBC channel. In this latest installment of the series the team members are coming into their own more and more with the addition of new crimes to solve and new characters. I hope there are more books by this author.
March 13, 2025
This was a great look into early 20th century England - early WWI, and I don't doubt a bit of what those mortuary train stations was like. Unraveling the mysteries around the fake/mis-identified coffins took us to so many more depths of what life was really like then in London. Did any of you duck your head when the Zeppelin was dropping bombs? I did.
October 1, 2022
This series is excellent! I knew WW1 was 'The War to End All Wars", but I did not realize how little I truly knew. I love the characters and am totally invested in all of their stories. Please keep on writing them...
October 23, 2022
Great Series
The Mayfair 100 Series takes place during the First World War. Each book is well researched, well written, and the characters are people one would want to call friends. I certainly hope there will be more Mayfair 100 books to come
The Mayfair 100 Series takes place during the First World War. Each book is well researched, well written, and the characters are people one would want to call friends. I certainly hope there will be more Mayfair 100 books to come
December 16, 2022
Engrossing World War One series
Interesting characters and well developed stories. Realistic action with believable London settings. I hope this series continues...... Can't wait to read more of the groups' adventures.
Interesting characters and well developed stories. Realistic action with believable London settings. I hope this series continues...... Can't wait to read more of the groups' adventures.
June 21, 2023
Really like this series, and especially liked this 4th book. It dealt with all the hardships the First World War inflicted on the home front. An interesting mystery that starts with the workings at the Necropolis Railway station. Class system in place here, too.
July 24, 2022
a lot of characters
Nice historical cozy mystery. Well done historical research. Lots of details about how they lived during the war. Nice series.
Nice historical cozy mystery. Well done historical research. Lots of details about how they lived during the war. Nice series.
October 2, 2022
Wonder full reading
I have just finished the 4th book and have really enjoyed all of them I do hope there will be more in this series
I have just finished the 4th book and have really enjoyed all of them I do hope there will be more in this series
February 6, 2023
A joy to read. The main characters feel like old friends. There's a lot going on in this book, but it all works out splendidly in the end. Looking forward to the next book in this series!!
April 22, 2023
Fun series with interesting characters.
August 23, 2023
Enjoying this series enormously. Well-drawn characters, mixing real people like Sylvia Pankhurst in to the mix very neatly.
January 13, 2024
Just as good as the other in this series. I think there is one more I'll have to find.
January 20, 2024
As always, a good cozy mystery with great characters with some development/growth.
June 7, 2025
September 1915. At the London Necropolis Railway Station, the team find a female body draped over a coffin. On opening all the coffins there are a few surprises and events to investigate by the team.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast oflikeable and varied casts. Another enjoyable mystery to this series.
An entertaining and well-written historical mystery with its cast oflikeable and varied casts. Another enjoyable mystery to this series.
August 27, 2023
Absolutely brilliant series. I'm hoping there will be more!
The characters feel like family since book 2, now that I've read what is currently available, I miss them already and it's not even been an hour!
The writing was fantastic, the story was interesting and had me in suspense, laughter, filled with joy, shock. Had it all in there!
Don't know what I'll read now!
The characters feel like family since book 2, now that I've read what is currently available, I miss them already and it's not even been an hour!
The writing was fantastic, the story was interesting and had me in suspense, laughter, filled with joy, shock. Had it all in there!
Don't know what I'll read now!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews