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Fiona Figg & Kitty Lane Mystery #1
Mystery in Manhattan
Can Fiona catch a killer and find a decent cup of tea before her mustache wax melts?
1917. New York.
Notorious spy, Fredrick Fredricks, has invited Fiona to Carnegie Hall to hear a famous soprano. It’s an opportunity the War Office can’t turn down. Fiona and Clifford are soon on their way, but not before Fiona is saddled with chaperon duties for Captain Hall’s niece. Is Fiona a spy or a glorified babysitter?
From the minute Fiona meets the soprano aboard the RMS Adriatic it’s treble on the high C’s. Fiona sees something—or someone—thrown overboard, and then she overhears a chemist plotting in German with one of her own countrymen!
And the trouble doesn’t stop when they disembark. Soon Fiona is doing time with a group of suffragettes and investigating America’s most impressive inventor Thomas Edison.
When her number one suspect turns up dead at the opera and Fredrick Fredricks is caught red-handed, it looks like it’s finally curtains for the notorious spy.
But all the evidence points to his innocence. Will Fiona change her tune and clear her nemesis’ name? Or will she do her duty? And just what is she going to do with the pesky Kitty Lane? Not to mention swoon-worthy Archie Somersby . . .
If Fiona’s going to come out on top, she’s going to have to make the most difficult decision of her life: the choice between her head and her heart.
1917. New York.
Notorious spy, Fredrick Fredricks, has invited Fiona to Carnegie Hall to hear a famous soprano. It’s an opportunity the War Office can’t turn down. Fiona and Clifford are soon on their way, but not before Fiona is saddled with chaperon duties for Captain Hall’s niece. Is Fiona a spy or a glorified babysitter?
From the minute Fiona meets the soprano aboard the RMS Adriatic it’s treble on the high C’s. Fiona sees something—or someone—thrown overboard, and then she overhears a chemist plotting in German with one of her own countrymen!
And the trouble doesn’t stop when they disembark. Soon Fiona is doing time with a group of suffragettes and investigating America’s most impressive inventor Thomas Edison.
When her number one suspect turns up dead at the opera and Fredrick Fredricks is caught red-handed, it looks like it’s finally curtains for the notorious spy.
But all the evidence points to his innocence. Will Fiona change her tune and clear her nemesis’ name? Or will she do her duty? And just what is she going to do with the pesky Kitty Lane? Not to mention swoon-worthy Archie Somersby . . .
If Fiona’s going to come out on top, she’s going to have to make the most difficult decision of her life: the choice between her head and her heart.
288 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2022
860 people are currently reading
693 people want to read
About the author
Kelly Oliver
63 books424 followersKelly Oliver is the award-winning, bestselling author of four mysteries series:
Jessica James Mysteries (contemporary suspense), Pet Detective Mysteries (middle grade), Fiona Figg Mysteries (historical cozies), and The Detection Club Mysteries (traditional).
When she’s not writing mysteries, Kelly is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.
Kelly lives in Nashville with three very demanding felines.
To learn more about Kelly and her books, please visit her website at www.kellyoliverbooks.com.
Jessica James Mysteries (contemporary suspense), Pet Detective Mysteries (middle grade), Fiona Figg Mysteries (historical cozies), and The Detection Club Mysteries (traditional).
When she’s not writing mysteries, Kelly is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University.
Kelly lives in Nashville with three very demanding felines.
To learn more about Kelly and her books, please visit her website at www.kellyoliverbooks.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 144 reviews
December 18, 2022
My thanks to Boldwood Books for a widget of this book via NetGalley.
Chaos at Carnegie Hall is a comic, cosy historical mystery–thriller which (something I hadn’t realised when I chose to read the book) either continues from author Kelly Oliver’s series featuring Fiona Figg or is perhaps an additional set introducing a new character. While not difficult to follow, it does reference past events which does make one feel a little lost at times.
Twenty-five-year-old Fiona Figg works for British Intelligence and must face the usual disapprovals and snide remarks from her male colleagues as a woman operative. It is 1917 and the midst of the Great War, and Fiona is charged with following and gathering evidence on Frederick Fredericks, a South African suspected of being a German spy, and one who seems to admire Fiona. For this task, she is travelling to New York where Frederick Fredericks has invited her. She is to travel with a colleague, the not-too-bright yet congenial Captain Clifford Douglas who is to act as her chaperone. But before they even start, she finds herself saddled with an unwelcome additional assignment—escorting her boss, Captain Hall’s seventeen-year-old niece, Eliza Baker (accompanied by her Pekingese, Poppy), to school in New York.
On the ship, Fiona’s co-passengers include Margaret Sanger, Emily Hobhouse and Dorothy Parker as well as the chemist Hugo Schweitzer. Soon Fiona witnesses some suspicious activity—something (a body?) being thrown overboard. She begins to snoop around but can’t find much, though there certainly seems to be some conspiracy being hatched. Once in New York, she is drawn into the city’s social life, as well as the activities of the suffragettes, alongside attempting to carry out her mission and look further into the suspicious happenings on the ship. With Eliza, who is to be with her for a further week, she attends the opera at Carnegie Hall to which she had been invited by Frederick Fredericks. Here, though during a recording demonstration by none other than Thomas Edison, a murder is committed, with suspicion falling on Fredericks. But he pleads innocence, and Fiona is inclined to believe him. Will she manage to clear Fredericks’ name? And what of her mission which was to take down Fredericks? With Eliza, New York society, the suffragettes, her mission, and the mysterious activities she witnessed on the ship, Fiona has plenty on her hands. And it isn’t helping that the dashing Archie Somersby whom she is interested in, is on the scene at well.
Chaos at Carnegie Hall was a quick, reasonably entertaining and fun read, which reminded me slightly of Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody books, going into that exaggerated, almost spoofy territory (this I should mention here, is not a genre I particularly enjoy). There is a mystery or mysteries proper at its centre but it all plays out in a mostly comical way, with Fiona also donning some disguises (and at times forgetting she is in one). Fiona might be spirited and resourceful, and perhaps brighter than her colleagues, but she doesn’t always catch on to things right before her, and seems to get distracted often or let her feelings get in the way.
I quite enjoyed the historical setting of the book which gives the reader a good sense of time and place. We get a feel of the atmosphere of war, the young soldiers having to fight, espionage and counter-espionage, and shortages, and on the other side also of New York society and the issues of the day. We have the suffragettes fighting for women’s right to vote, in which Fiona gets involved (and even taken to prison), and Margaret Sanger working for women’s access to contraception. Alongside, Edison is demonstrating his inventions and also involved in the war effort. And of course, we have the various real-life characters including Dorothy Parker and Emily Hobhouse, as well as J Edgar Hoover, among others, woven in, and witness, for instance, Parker’s wit and Hoover’s opposition to the suffragettes. (Having so many historical characters means though, that the suspects are few).
The mystery element or elements were not particularly complex or hard, especially one reveal towards the end which seemed fairly clear part way into the book. Still with the book’s general structure and genre, I suppose these worked fine.
While I do enjoy historical mysteries and mysteries with a thread of humour running through them, this one was a tad too silly and spoofy for me to really enjoy but still fun enough.
Chaos at Carnegie Hall is a comic, cosy historical mystery–thriller which (something I hadn’t realised when I chose to read the book) either continues from author Kelly Oliver’s series featuring Fiona Figg or is perhaps an additional set introducing a new character. While not difficult to follow, it does reference past events which does make one feel a little lost at times.
Twenty-five-year-old Fiona Figg works for British Intelligence and must face the usual disapprovals and snide remarks from her male colleagues as a woman operative. It is 1917 and the midst of the Great War, and Fiona is charged with following and gathering evidence on Frederick Fredericks, a South African suspected of being a German spy, and one who seems to admire Fiona. For this task, she is travelling to New York where Frederick Fredericks has invited her. She is to travel with a colleague, the not-too-bright yet congenial Captain Clifford Douglas who is to act as her chaperone. But before they even start, she finds herself saddled with an unwelcome additional assignment—escorting her boss, Captain Hall’s seventeen-year-old niece, Eliza Baker (accompanied by her Pekingese, Poppy), to school in New York.
On the ship, Fiona’s co-passengers include Margaret Sanger, Emily Hobhouse and Dorothy Parker as well as the chemist Hugo Schweitzer. Soon Fiona witnesses some suspicious activity—something (a body?) being thrown overboard. She begins to snoop around but can’t find much, though there certainly seems to be some conspiracy being hatched. Once in New York, she is drawn into the city’s social life, as well as the activities of the suffragettes, alongside attempting to carry out her mission and look further into the suspicious happenings on the ship. With Eliza, who is to be with her for a further week, she attends the opera at Carnegie Hall to which she had been invited by Frederick Fredericks. Here, though during a recording demonstration by none other than Thomas Edison, a murder is committed, with suspicion falling on Fredericks. But he pleads innocence, and Fiona is inclined to believe him. Will she manage to clear Fredericks’ name? And what of her mission which was to take down Fredericks? With Eliza, New York society, the suffragettes, her mission, and the mysterious activities she witnessed on the ship, Fiona has plenty on her hands. And it isn’t helping that the dashing Archie Somersby whom she is interested in, is on the scene at well.
Chaos at Carnegie Hall was a quick, reasonably entertaining and fun read, which reminded me slightly of Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody books, going into that exaggerated, almost spoofy territory (this I should mention here, is not a genre I particularly enjoy). There is a mystery or mysteries proper at its centre but it all plays out in a mostly comical way, with Fiona also donning some disguises (and at times forgetting she is in one). Fiona might be spirited and resourceful, and perhaps brighter than her colleagues, but she doesn’t always catch on to things right before her, and seems to get distracted often or let her feelings get in the way.
I quite enjoyed the historical setting of the book which gives the reader a good sense of time and place. We get a feel of the atmosphere of war, the young soldiers having to fight, espionage and counter-espionage, and shortages, and on the other side also of New York society and the issues of the day. We have the suffragettes fighting for women’s right to vote, in which Fiona gets involved (and even taken to prison), and Margaret Sanger working for women’s access to contraception. Alongside, Edison is demonstrating his inventions and also involved in the war effort. And of course, we have the various real-life characters including Dorothy Parker and Emily Hobhouse, as well as J Edgar Hoover, among others, woven in, and witness, for instance, Parker’s wit and Hoover’s opposition to the suffragettes. (Having so many historical characters means though, that the suspects are few).
The mystery element or elements were not particularly complex or hard, especially one reveal towards the end which seemed fairly clear part way into the book. Still with the book’s general structure and genre, I suppose these worked fine.
While I do enjoy historical mysteries and mysteries with a thread of humour running through them, this one was a tad too silly and spoofy for me to really enjoy but still fun enough.
November 4, 2022
Um... I really liked the writing here - very snappy and alive. I saw that this Fiona Figg appeared in a previous book by Oliver, and now I'm wondering if I missed something by not having read that one first. However, that wasn't why I gave up on this book. If these are the type of people who the British Home Office sent abroad on espionage missions during the Great War, it is a wonder that the allies ever won the war. They're all so preoccupied with everything else around them (romance, their dogs, flirting with women), that I can't see them solving any kind of mystery or catching even a fly! And they all seem so... well... stupid (even having a photographic memory doesn't mean you can figure out the meaning behind what you're brain has photographed) and far too talkative for people wandering around under cover. Plus, all the "famous" people here - Dorothy Parker, Margaret Sanger, Thomas Edison, J. Edgar Hoover - just felt all to convenient and inserted just to drop their names. Sorry!
September 24, 2025
This is another interesting mystery where the recurring cast moves from London to NYC when Frederick Fredericks invites Fiona to the opera at Carnegie Hall. Clifford accompanied Fiona since Captain Hall of the War Office wants Fiona to continue watching Fredericks. A new addition to the cast is introduced as the Captain's niece is going with the group to the city. What an adventure that begins on the ship and moves to the city. This one has a different narrator from the first three. Willow Nash does a good job.
January 29, 2023
I’m really enjoying this mystery series and the addition of another female spy has made it even more fun! Old favorites like Clifford Douglas and Archie Somersby are still there as Fiona follows German spy Frederick Fredericks again.
Set during World War I, Kelly Oliver mixes historical figures in with fictional characters which makes each story more interesting. This time Fiona heads to New York after the mysterious Fredericks invites her to the opera. Her boss, Captain Hall, also puts her in charge of his niece, Eliza, who’s traveling to New York to go to music school. Fiona is not happy to be chaperoning Eliza in addition to her spying duties.
Like the other books, I find some of Fiona’s bumbling mistakes funny and some of them annoying. The addition of a new spy to the team adds to the story, and this female spy is very competent! I love it when they outsmart the men.
I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!
Set during World War I, Kelly Oliver mixes historical figures in with fictional characters which makes each story more interesting. This time Fiona heads to New York after the mysterious Fredericks invites her to the opera. Her boss, Captain Hall, also puts her in charge of his niece, Eliza, who’s traveling to New York to go to music school. Fiona is not happy to be chaperoning Eliza in addition to her spying duties.
Like the other books, I find some of Fiona’s bumbling mistakes funny and some of them annoying. The addition of a new spy to the team adds to the story, and this female spy is very competent! I love it when they outsmart the men.
I’m looking forward to the next book in the series!
August 22, 2023
Sadly this is a DNF for me. Turns out it's not the 1st in a series but actually something like the fourth, but the author just added another character so now instead of being the "Fiona Figg" mystery series it's the "Fiona Figg & Kitty Lane" series. A lot was assumed in the opening sections that must have appeared in previous books, so that didn't work for me. The tone just didn't work for me as well, so setting this aside.
December 6, 2022
Fiona is sent on assignment to New York City. Frederick Fredericks has invited her, and despite her coworkers still not seeing how capable she is, her boss is beginning to appreciate her. Except, he saddles her with a blonde and ringletted young woma, Eliza, that she must chaperone on the trip over and once there.
Frederick Fredericks is his usual smug self, and is spending time with suffragettes, campaigning for birth control, among them the later revealed eugenics-loving Margaret Sanger, and attending demonstrations by Thomas Edison. J. Edgar Hoover shows up to be bigoted, and Fiona also has the bluff Clifford along to keep an eye on her.
When Frederick Fredericks appears to be framed for the murder of a German spy, once they’re all in NYC, Fiona and Archie argue about what must be done about Fredericks, even while Fiona’s heart is also fluttering because she’s finding herself even more attracted to Archie. And Eliza begins demonstrating wells of knowledge and skills very different from those of a girl who has just completed Finishing School.
Fiona is repeatedly on the backfoot thanks to her teen charge Eliza’s unexpected and surprisingly useful skills and knowledge. All of which comes in use as Fiona must deal with new Frederick Fredericks’ and other German spies’ problems.
The pacing is quick, and Fiona is amusingly exasperated between dealing with a too-chummy Fredericks and a teen who rarely stays where she’s told. Clifford is his usual ridiculous self, though, he’s beginning to appreciate Fiona’s unconventional detection methods and disguises. I appreciated how Fiona grew a little worried and disenchanted about how Britain is deploying some spies, and their assignments; it’s a far cry from what she thought her country’s espionage efforts comprised.
This is a fun, and despite its silliness (no one ever recognizes Fiona whilst disguised??!) but I am enjoying this series for its pacing, humour, and underlying commentary about the bigotry of the period.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Boldwood Books for This ARC in exchange for my review.
Frederick Fredericks is his usual smug self, and is spending time with suffragettes, campaigning for birth control, among them the later revealed eugenics-loving Margaret Sanger, and attending demonstrations by Thomas Edison. J. Edgar Hoover shows up to be bigoted, and Fiona also has the bluff Clifford along to keep an eye on her.
When Frederick Fredericks appears to be framed for the murder of a German spy, once they’re all in NYC, Fiona and Archie argue about what must be done about Fredericks, even while Fiona’s heart is also fluttering because she’s finding herself even more attracted to Archie. And Eliza begins demonstrating wells of knowledge and skills very different from those of a girl who has just completed Finishing School.
Fiona is repeatedly on the backfoot thanks to her teen charge Eliza’s unexpected and surprisingly useful skills and knowledge. All of which comes in use as Fiona must deal with new Frederick Fredericks’ and other German spies’ problems.
The pacing is quick, and Fiona is amusingly exasperated between dealing with a too-chummy Fredericks and a teen who rarely stays where she’s told. Clifford is his usual ridiculous self, though, he’s beginning to appreciate Fiona’s unconventional detection methods and disguises. I appreciated how Fiona grew a little worried and disenchanted about how Britain is deploying some spies, and their assignments; it’s a far cry from what she thought her country’s espionage efforts comprised.
This is a fun, and despite its silliness (no one ever recognizes Fiona whilst disguised??!) but I am enjoying this series for its pacing, humour, and underlying commentary about the bigotry of the period.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Boldwood Books for This ARC in exchange for my review.
August 22, 2025
An easy read, liked the characters but a bit light going for my tastes.
November 29, 2022
Favorite Quotes:
Eliza had taken to calling me “Aunt Fiona.” Only seven years her senior, I was hardly old enough to be her aunt. Technically, I suppose I was old enough. Still, “Aunt Fiona” sounded positively hideous— the kind of homely aunt one locked in an attic and only allowed out when the company had gone home— and altogether too informal for my tastes.
I may have overdone it with the face powder, but she’d been overly enthusiastic with her rouge. She looked like a radish.
I had to admit, there was something reassuring about Clifford and his carefree manner— an ease born of a life of comfort, privilege, and abstaining from contemplation.
I was just telling Marc about my in-laws. The only obscenities they don’t use to describe me are the ones they can’t pronounce.
This was a task for Clifford. He could chat up a turnip and find out what lay beneath its roots.
My Review:
This was an easy, enjoyable, and lively read that kept me guessing and entertained. I admired Feisty Fiona, she was independent and ahead of her time. The writing style was easy to follow and descriptive and pulled colorful and detailed visuals to my mind's eye. The engaging storylines were well-paced and populated with unique, amusing, and authentic characters. I’m already looking forward to more of Ms. Figg’s breezy adventures.
Eliza had taken to calling me “Aunt Fiona.” Only seven years her senior, I was hardly old enough to be her aunt. Technically, I suppose I was old enough. Still, “Aunt Fiona” sounded positively hideous— the kind of homely aunt one locked in an attic and only allowed out when the company had gone home— and altogether too informal for my tastes.
I may have overdone it with the face powder, but she’d been overly enthusiastic with her rouge. She looked like a radish.
I had to admit, there was something reassuring about Clifford and his carefree manner— an ease born of a life of comfort, privilege, and abstaining from contemplation.
I was just telling Marc about my in-laws. The only obscenities they don’t use to describe me are the ones they can’t pronounce.
This was a task for Clifford. He could chat up a turnip and find out what lay beneath its roots.
My Review:
This was an easy, enjoyable, and lively read that kept me guessing and entertained. I admired Feisty Fiona, she was independent and ahead of her time. The writing style was easy to follow and descriptive and pulled colorful and detailed visuals to my mind's eye. The engaging storylines were well-paced and populated with unique, amusing, and authentic characters. I’m already looking forward to more of Ms. Figg’s breezy adventures.
May 23, 2024
Though the pacing is good and the characters are fun, these are starting to get really repetitive, and plot quality has really gone downhill.
Technically this is the beginning of a new series, but I can’t fathom why. It’s just another installment in the Fiona Figg series. This feels like a marketing rebrand rather than anything that’s actually fresh or different, and I guess I can see why they felt they needed it since all of this felt like it was recycled from Oliver’s previous novels focused on this character.
It’s strange to title the book Chaos at Carnegie Hall when more than half of it takes place on a transatlantic liner, and the first murder takes place there too. Perhaps most disappointingly for me personally, Carnegie Hall is a really exceptional building and this book didn’t bother at all with attempting to bring the setting to life. Even the ship feels a bit like an afterthought while the characters are on it.
What Oliver does best is write dialogue, so I suppose that’s why there is so much of it in these books. Still, its excess comes at the expense of a more compelling plot and a stronger (or really ANY) sense of place.
And the “disguises” are just really rough. Very Scooby Doo ridiculous. It’s a shame because I really enjoyed the first book I read from Oliver about this set of characters, but it seems the material has more than run its course.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
Technically this is the beginning of a new series, but I can’t fathom why. It’s just another installment in the Fiona Figg series. This feels like a marketing rebrand rather than anything that’s actually fresh or different, and I guess I can see why they felt they needed it since all of this felt like it was recycled from Oliver’s previous novels focused on this character.
It’s strange to title the book Chaos at Carnegie Hall when more than half of it takes place on a transatlantic liner, and the first murder takes place there too. Perhaps most disappointingly for me personally, Carnegie Hall is a really exceptional building and this book didn’t bother at all with attempting to bring the setting to life. Even the ship feels a bit like an afterthought while the characters are on it.
What Oliver does best is write dialogue, so I suppose that’s why there is so much of it in these books. Still, its excess comes at the expense of a more compelling plot and a stronger (or really ANY) sense of place.
And the “disguises” are just really rough. Very Scooby Doo ridiculous. It’s a shame because I really enjoyed the first book I read from Oliver about this set of characters, but it seems the material has more than run its course.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
October 18, 2022
A fun and entertaining read with lots of characters to judge and react to. I felt well immersed in that time period and liked the melodrama of the piece.
I do think having read the previous books in the series would have further added to the enjoyment but still a nice read.
I do think having read the previous books in the series would have further added to the enjoyment but still a nice read.
January 13, 2024
The basic premise of Chaos at Carnegie Hall by Kelly Oliver is not a bad one. Fiona Figg, the protagonist, works for the early British intelligence service during the World War I years. She is assigned to follow a man who is on his way to New York, to gather proof that he is working to delay or diminish the involvement of the United States in the war. Crossing the Atlantic, she encounters another individual who she thinks may be a German spy. After arriving in New York, she attends the opera (as a guest of the man she's been assigned to follow!). There's a gunshot. She discovers the suspected spy has been murdered. The man she's been following is arrested for the murder. She's sure he didn't do it, so looks for evidence to exonerate him.
However, I did not care for this book, for several reasons. The characters were fairground caricatures of their expected roles - too broadly and hastily drawn, with no depth or nuance. The action was a bit too frenetic. The main character was frankly, rather silly. There were sections that could have used tighter editing.
I considered 3 stars. That is a rating I give to books that didn't particularly appeal to me, but are generally well-written enough that I could recommend them to others whose tastes in reading are different from mine. This didn't quite rise to that level.
However, I did not care for this book, for several reasons. The characters were fairground caricatures of their expected roles - too broadly and hastily drawn, with no depth or nuance. The action was a bit too frenetic. The main character was frankly, rather silly. There were sections that could have used tighter editing.
I considered 3 stars. That is a rating I give to books that didn't particularly appeal to me, but are generally well-written enough that I could recommend them to others whose tastes in reading are different from mine. This didn't quite rise to that level.
November 5, 2023
This was a fun romp but the writing was somewhat disorganized. I also think that at times the details weren’t fully historically accurate, and while this doesn’t bother me for some authors/books, for some reason it did bug me more with this one. I think because my suspension of disbelief was already broken fairly often.
I’m not sure if I’ll read further in this series. I may poke at books 2 or 3 to see if it improves at all, but I don’t know. There’s so many other series out there for me to read!
I’m not sure if I’ll read further in this series. I may poke at books 2 or 3 to see if it improves at all, but I don’t know. There’s so many other series out there for me to read!
October 6, 2024
Average murder mystery with intriguing characters that feels more about setting up the series than solving the mystery. It is solved, but unsatisfactorily so. Felt a bit cheaty drawing on all the historical figures rather than coming up with their own but the author has fun with it.
Am not tempted to read the series so that’s a shame.
Am not tempted to read the series so that’s a shame.
May 1, 2025
First off, this isn’t the first book in the series so not sure why this is listed as book 1 … I guess it’s just the first book where we meet Kitty?
All of the characters are insufferable, nothing happens for most of the book, and when something actually happens I was so bored I missed it.
Also the audiobook narrator was dreadful.
All of the characters are insufferable, nothing happens for most of the book, and when something actually happens I was so bored I missed it.
Also the audiobook narrator was dreadful.
November 17, 2022
Funny and intriguing!
Another great story of Fiona Figg's adventures. The author keeps you reading to see how Fiona will outsmart all and solve the mystery with witty antics and dialogue.
Another great story of Fiona Figg's adventures. The author keeps you reading to see how Fiona will outsmart all and solve the mystery with witty antics and dialogue.
February 5, 2023
no I need the next one I NEED IT
April 17, 2025
Not sure why I finished this, even skim-reading it. Full of utterly unconvincing spies.
December 18, 2022
Enjoyed this fun, funny cozy mystery! Kelly Oliver is a new to me mystery author and I’m excited to read her other books. Her style reminded me a bit of Carola Dunn with that tongue-in-cheek humor and those zany characters.
Fiona is a spy for Britain during 1917. She’s sent to America when international spy Frederick Fredricks invites her to hear a famed soprano sing at Carnegie Hall. Frederick is sympathetic to the Germans and Fiona is charged with finally catching him in his crimes.
On the ship voyage over, Fiona is accompanied by fellow agent Clifford, a somewhat silly man, and forced to play chaperone to her supervisor, Captain Hall’s niece Eliza and her dog. But, strange things are happening on board. Fiona witnesses what she believes is a body thrown overboard, and meets an illustrious group of guests who all seem suspicious including a German speaking chemist.
When she finally gets to New York, one of her chief suspects winds up dead at the opera and Fredrick Fredricks appears to be guilty. Fiona doesn’t necessarily believe it and vows to get to the truth. What follows is a madcap investigation involving suffragettes, jail time, disguises, another murder, J. Edgar Hoover, a demonstration by Thomas Edison, and even infamous eugenicist Margaret Sanger. While investigating Fiona also finds her flighty schoolgirl charge, Eliza actually learned more in her French boarding school than just deportment. She knows the latest investigative techniques and winds up really helping Fiona.
Along with the intrigue, there’s a bit of romance as fellow colleague Archie Somersby, whom she has a tendre for, shows up at various times. And of course, Frederick Fredricks is a total flirt who claims he has a passion for Fiona. I enjoyed all the historical aspects of the book as well. Many real famous people and actual historical events were woven into the story. I also appreciated the often humorous critiques of early 20th century American culture through the very British Fiona.
Definitely recommend to historical mystery fans! It’s a fun, easy to read, witty mystery that had me happily turning the pages. My only regret is that I hadn’t read the previous series involving Fiona. While the author does a great job bringing new readers up to speed, I still felt a little lost until I became more familiar with the characters. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through Partners In Crime Tours. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.
Fiona is a spy for Britain during 1917. She’s sent to America when international spy Frederick Fredricks invites her to hear a famed soprano sing at Carnegie Hall. Frederick is sympathetic to the Germans and Fiona is charged with finally catching him in his crimes.
On the ship voyage over, Fiona is accompanied by fellow agent Clifford, a somewhat silly man, and forced to play chaperone to her supervisor, Captain Hall’s niece Eliza and her dog. But, strange things are happening on board. Fiona witnesses what she believes is a body thrown overboard, and meets an illustrious group of guests who all seem suspicious including a German speaking chemist.
When she finally gets to New York, one of her chief suspects winds up dead at the opera and Fredrick Fredricks appears to be guilty. Fiona doesn’t necessarily believe it and vows to get to the truth. What follows is a madcap investigation involving suffragettes, jail time, disguises, another murder, J. Edgar Hoover, a demonstration by Thomas Edison, and even infamous eugenicist Margaret Sanger. While investigating Fiona also finds her flighty schoolgirl charge, Eliza actually learned more in her French boarding school than just deportment. She knows the latest investigative techniques and winds up really helping Fiona.
Along with the intrigue, there’s a bit of romance as fellow colleague Archie Somersby, whom she has a tendre for, shows up at various times. And of course, Frederick Fredricks is a total flirt who claims he has a passion for Fiona. I enjoyed all the historical aspects of the book as well. Many real famous people and actual historical events were woven into the story. I also appreciated the often humorous critiques of early 20th century American culture through the very British Fiona.
Definitely recommend to historical mystery fans! It’s a fun, easy to read, witty mystery that had me happily turning the pages. My only regret is that I hadn’t read the previous series involving Fiona. While the author does a great job bringing new readers up to speed, I still felt a little lost until I became more familiar with the characters. I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through Partners In Crime Tours. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review.
October 29, 2022
1917. New York.
Notorious spy, Fredrick Fredricks, has invited Fiona to Carnegie Hall to hear a famous soprano. It’s an opportunity the War Office can’t turn down. Fiona and Clifford are soon on their way, but not before Fiona is saddled with chaperon duties for Captain Hall’s niece. Is Fiona a spy or a glorified babysitter?
From the minute Fiona meets the soprano aboard the RMS Adriatic it’s treble on the high C’s. Fiona sees something—or someone—thrown overboard, and then she overhears a chemist plotting in German with one of her own countrymen!
And the trouble doesn’t stop when they disembark. Soon Fiona is doing time with a group of suffragettes and investigating America’s most impressive inventor Thomas Edison.
When her number one suspect turns up dead at the opera and Fredrick Fredricks is caught red-handed, it looks like it’s finally curtains for the notorious spy.
But all the evidence points to his innocence. Will Fiona change her tune and clear her nemesis’ name? Or will she do her duty? And just what is she going to do with the pesky Kitty Lane? Not to mention swoon-worthy Archie Somersby . . .
If Fiona’s going to come out on top, she’s going to have to make the most difficult decision of her life: the choice between her head and her heart. (NetGalley synopsis)
I have read a previous novel by Kelly Oliver, and I’m still not sure how I feel about Fiona. I can say that I am not a fan of Kitty, but that’s all I can say without spoilers. Fiona still did not seem like a spy to me. She was more like an overeager teenager wanting to play dress-up. However, because of the times, I do believe that the only way for her to succeed is with her disguises.
I still liked the historical portions of the novel. It was interesting to “experience” the suffragette movement as well as the opinions during that time. I liked to dislike John Edgar Hoover, but it also makes me wonder how the man became president with his “secrets” and chauvinistic demeanor.
The mystery was okay. I figured out the ending long before Fiona did, but I continued to see the trajectory of the novel. I really need more Frederick Fredericks, because he is probably the more intriguing character. I can also say that I am not a fan of Lieutenant Archie Somersby, but it is not because of his job or his missions. I just don’t like him.
Overall, I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars.
Notorious spy, Fredrick Fredricks, has invited Fiona to Carnegie Hall to hear a famous soprano. It’s an opportunity the War Office can’t turn down. Fiona and Clifford are soon on their way, but not before Fiona is saddled with chaperon duties for Captain Hall’s niece. Is Fiona a spy or a glorified babysitter?
From the minute Fiona meets the soprano aboard the RMS Adriatic it’s treble on the high C’s. Fiona sees something—or someone—thrown overboard, and then she overhears a chemist plotting in German with one of her own countrymen!
And the trouble doesn’t stop when they disembark. Soon Fiona is doing time with a group of suffragettes and investigating America’s most impressive inventor Thomas Edison.
When her number one suspect turns up dead at the opera and Fredrick Fredricks is caught red-handed, it looks like it’s finally curtains for the notorious spy.
But all the evidence points to his innocence. Will Fiona change her tune and clear her nemesis’ name? Or will she do her duty? And just what is she going to do with the pesky Kitty Lane? Not to mention swoon-worthy Archie Somersby . . .
If Fiona’s going to come out on top, she’s going to have to make the most difficult decision of her life: the choice between her head and her heart. (NetGalley synopsis)
I have read a previous novel by Kelly Oliver, and I’m still not sure how I feel about Fiona. I can say that I am not a fan of Kitty, but that’s all I can say without spoilers. Fiona still did not seem like a spy to me. She was more like an overeager teenager wanting to play dress-up. However, because of the times, I do believe that the only way for her to succeed is with her disguises.
I still liked the historical portions of the novel. It was interesting to “experience” the suffragette movement as well as the opinions during that time. I liked to dislike John Edgar Hoover, but it also makes me wonder how the man became president with his “secrets” and chauvinistic demeanor.
The mystery was okay. I figured out the ending long before Fiona did, but I continued to see the trajectory of the novel. I really need more Frederick Fredericks, because he is probably the more intriguing character. I can also say that I am not a fan of Lieutenant Archie Somersby, but it is not because of his job or his missions. I just don’t like him.
Overall, I rate this novel 3 out of 5 stars.
November 21, 2022
There are times when you just need a nice, light-hearted book with just enough of an edge to keep you hooked and Chaos at Carnegie Hall by Kelly Oliver fulfilled this perfectly.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
Fiona Figg is the unlikely hero in this cosy thriller- a woman who is simultaneously ahead of her times and yet shares a few of the prejudices against women of those times. I loved that contradiction and giving Fiona an edge and making her fascinating and perhaps a little more realistic.
Fiona is the first-person narrator and her voice is humorous and chaotic but never boring. Her struggles to be accepted seriously as a spy despite her accomplishments is something that unfortunately women today can still relate to. Things come to a humiliating low when she is dispatched to track the German Spy Fredrick Fredrick but has to babysit her boss’s teenage niece and has to be chaperoned by the pathologically genial Captain Clifford who doesn’t always approve of Fiona’s method.
The result is a thrilling and humorous romp featuring intrigue, espionage, murder, romance and women’s rights. The plot and action races along with plenty of suspects and motives but no real gore ( thankfully).
The book is littered with real historical figures such as Hoover and Mrs Parker- a suffragette who also is an advocate for contraception which was illegal in the USA at the time. The author's note help add a little more detail to these fascinating real-life people.
I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
Fiona Figg is the unlikely hero in this cosy thriller- a woman who is simultaneously ahead of her times and yet shares a few of the prejudices against women of those times. I loved that contradiction and giving Fiona an edge and making her fascinating and perhaps a little more realistic.
Fiona is the first-person narrator and her voice is humorous and chaotic but never boring. Her struggles to be accepted seriously as a spy despite her accomplishments is something that unfortunately women today can still relate to. Things come to a humiliating low when she is dispatched to track the German Spy Fredrick Fredrick but has to babysit her boss’s teenage niece and has to be chaperoned by the pathologically genial Captain Clifford who doesn’t always approve of Fiona’s method.
The result is a thrilling and humorous romp featuring intrigue, espionage, murder, romance and women’s rights. The plot and action races along with plenty of suspects and motives but no real gore ( thankfully).
The book is littered with real historical figures such as Hoover and Mrs Parker- a suffragette who also is an advocate for contraception which was illegal in the USA at the time. The author's note help add a little more detail to these fascinating real-life people.
December 6, 2023
I really really did not like this book.
As I read along, my guess was that this was written for a more juvenile audience. The writing was cringey, choppy, and generally not interesting. But then there were innuendos here and there, which made me think that it wasn’t written for middle schoolers.
The murder part of the murder mystery didn’t happen until around 130 pages in. I felt like I was wading through quicksand to get to that part, and once it happened, I thought “okay, it’s going to pick up now!” But it didn’t. It still trudged along and I was honestly just waiting for it to be done.
The characters were silly. Fiona was just very weird to me. Her whole thing is wanting to be respected as a woman, but I hated her because of her inner dialogue. She was very annoying. And her costumes made 0 sense. Why was she able to sneak around pretending to be an admiral in the navy with just a costume and a fake mustache? How on earth would that have worked?
Eliza was also super annoying and her character made no sense. Clifford was pointless and I don’t understand why he was even around; he added nothing to the story. The villains were totally not interesting. The dog Poppy was probably the best character, and even she was unbelievable. The dog just learned how untie ropes? Okay.
Nothing was believable at all. I was confused pretty much the entire time. And even when the murder is solved, it was super unsatisfying and honestly you could argue that Fiona didn’t solve it at all, it just “resolved” on its own.
I only finished it because of my own stubbornness and hatred of marking a book DNF. I would’ve been DNF by page 50, but I was determined.
As I read along, my guess was that this was written for a more juvenile audience. The writing was cringey, choppy, and generally not interesting. But then there were innuendos here and there, which made me think that it wasn’t written for middle schoolers.
The murder part of the murder mystery didn’t happen until around 130 pages in. I felt like I was wading through quicksand to get to that part, and once it happened, I thought “okay, it’s going to pick up now!” But it didn’t. It still trudged along and I was honestly just waiting for it to be done.
The characters were silly. Fiona was just very weird to me. Her whole thing is wanting to be respected as a woman, but I hated her because of her inner dialogue. She was very annoying. And her costumes made 0 sense. Why was she able to sneak around pretending to be an admiral in the navy with just a costume and a fake mustache? How on earth would that have worked?
Eliza was also super annoying and her character made no sense. Clifford was pointless and I don’t understand why he was even around; he added nothing to the story. The villains were totally not interesting. The dog Poppy was probably the best character, and even she was unbelievable. The dog just learned how untie ropes? Okay.
Nothing was believable at all. I was confused pretty much the entire time. And even when the murder is solved, it was super unsatisfying and honestly you could argue that Fiona didn’t solve it at all, it just “resolved” on its own.
I only finished it because of my own stubbornness and hatred of marking a book DNF. I would’ve been DNF by page 50, but I was determined.
October 11, 2024
One of the worst three books I have read all year, and then some. Absolutely dreadful. Such a major letdown because I LOVE historical mysteries, I love mysteries set in real cities where they have character (such as Manhattan here), and I love female detective protagonists. And it was about spies, and I love espionage! This book failed across the board.
The writing style felt like it was a draft of a high schooler's novel. The book constantly recapped all the clues and happenings even though NOTHING was happening, so by the third recap with nothing new added, you're just screaming, "I KNOW that all happened, I just read that part, get on with it!"
Although the book was said to be the first in the "Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery" series, it turns out that there were three or four other books before this that were just "Fiona Figg Mysteries." Okay, lame. It constantly referenced past events and previous relationships with characters.
Fiona Figg, as a character, was miserable. The book is set in 1917 in the heat of WWI, and Fiona is a spy working for the British Intelligence, a male-dominated field where she is constantly mistreated and discriminated against. You're meant to empathize with her as she wants to prove herself and get things done, not as a "female spy," but just as a spy. And of course, women as a whole are equally competent to men as a whole. But Fiona IN PARTICULAR was proving the opposite point.
She CONSTANTLY failed as a spy. She was clumsy, constantly dropping things, obsessing over a gun that the narrative made to seem so important and yet was barely used, she spent hours fussing over clothes, whining about things, complaining about missing home, etc. At one point she puts on a male disguise with a mustache, even complaining about the smell of the spirit glue that holds it on, and then immediately FORGETS she's in a disguise and tries to flirt with someone as a woman. It's like, Mr. Bean levels of comedy failure. It's impossible to take her seriously as a competent spy. She barely seems like she has enough wits to get out of bed.
She is also OBSESSED with Archie, another spy, and I swear every third page she's getting distracted because she can't help but remember the time she was in his arms, or the time he kissed her, or wondered if she loved him, or got teary eyed about how hard it must be for him, on and on and on. She seemed completely useless and helpless. You were left agreeing with all the men who were saying she wasn't qualified to be a spy--she was completely inept!
She also gets sent to New York with a "chaperone" to maintain cover, Clifford, but it seems like Clifford was barely aware of his purpose. She'd lie to someone about her identity to keep up a cover and he'd say "wait, but you're not his wife!" or whatever, giving her away, and she'd have to stomp on his foot to shut him up, and it's like. Should there be a laugh track here? Is Clifford aware he's on a spy mission? Another completely idiotic character.
That being said, Fiona was also crap at this - she'd see Archie, her spy love interest, working on an undercover mission. Arche was undercover getting close to an enemy spy. She'd see them being chummy, as was his literal mission that she knew about, and she'd think, "gosh, they seem awfully friendly - what if Archie is a double agent? Can I REALLY trust him??" Girl THAT'S HIS JOB! HE'S UNDERCOVER!
The use of so many historical figures made the book even more absurd. She meets J. Edgar Hoover and Thomas Edison and Margaret Sanger and half a dozen other historic figures in the course of like three days. Come on.
The J. Edgar Hoover plot was ESPECIALLY bad. I'm no Hoover fan but she used incorrect history and made it his whole character. Every time Fiona was in her male disguise, Hoover acted flamingly gay towards her. And at the very end, for absolutely no reason whatsoever, Fiona sees Hoover in a dress, cross-dressing. In the notes after the book, it's noted as "fact" that Hoover did this. In ACTUAL fact, Hoover's sexuality is completely unconfirmed (asexual is a good bet, or just "married to the job"), and the cross-dressing rumors are complete historical fiction, completely fake. This suggests that the author did absolutely no real research and just used the pop culture legend, and not even for any good reason!
Manhattan is never really a major point in the book either. It could've been set anywhere. They go to the Carnegie Opera Hall but it could've been any theater in any city. New York had no character whatsoever.
SPOILERS:
At the end, it's revealed that of the three deaths, one of them was just an unrelated coincidence accident, another one wasn't even a death or a body in the first place, and the main one was in fact Archie, Fiona's fellow spy, assassinating a German spy.
Fiona is FLOORED by this and cries and cries, how can Archie be a killer? Doesn't Britain stand for everything good and pure, how could he kill someone in cold blood, how could he??
Fiona. You are SPIES and it is ACTIVE WARTIME. What the hell do you think your job is about?? Are you that fucking dense??? No shit he killed an enemy spy! What do you think happens in a WAR Fiona?? I can't believe I read all the way to this stupid ending just to find out this is the resolution, it was ridiculous, she held him at gunpoint but then let him get away because she was crying and just still loved him so much wah wah the end. The ending was exactly as satisfying as the rest of the book, which is to say, negatively.
Also the whole twist that the girl Fiona is chaperoning, Eliza, is ACTUALLY another spy herself, Kitty Lane, is COMPLETELY ruined because you realize very early on Eliza is on top of things and very smart and very strong, the hints were NOT subtle, plus the mystery is literally called "A Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery" and when it's Fiona and Eliza doing all the mystery solving, it doesn't take a genius to figure out fifty pages in or less that Eliza is this other character. Duh.
Oddly enough, Eliza/Kitty was REALLY competent, strong, smart, capable, the works. (At various points she actually TAUGHT things to Fiona, which continually reinforces how stupid Fiona is in comparison.) I feel like a book about JUST Kitty might have been great! But obviously I'm never reading anything else by this author.
Honestly there is so much more wrong with this book too, I could keep going on for double this length, I only finished it because it was relatively short and the elementary writing style made it fast. Truly awful. This book asks "can women be effective spies?" and dares to answer "probably not this one, no!"
The writing style felt like it was a draft of a high schooler's novel. The book constantly recapped all the clues and happenings even though NOTHING was happening, so by the third recap with nothing new added, you're just screaming, "I KNOW that all happened, I just read that part, get on with it!"
Although the book was said to be the first in the "Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery" series, it turns out that there were three or four other books before this that were just "Fiona Figg Mysteries." Okay, lame. It constantly referenced past events and previous relationships with characters.
Fiona Figg, as a character, was miserable. The book is set in 1917 in the heat of WWI, and Fiona is a spy working for the British Intelligence, a male-dominated field where she is constantly mistreated and discriminated against. You're meant to empathize with her as she wants to prove herself and get things done, not as a "female spy," but just as a spy. And of course, women as a whole are equally competent to men as a whole. But Fiona IN PARTICULAR was proving the opposite point.
She CONSTANTLY failed as a spy. She was clumsy, constantly dropping things, obsessing over a gun that the narrative made to seem so important and yet was barely used, she spent hours fussing over clothes, whining about things, complaining about missing home, etc. At one point she puts on a male disguise with a mustache, even complaining about the smell of the spirit glue that holds it on, and then immediately FORGETS she's in a disguise and tries to flirt with someone as a woman. It's like, Mr. Bean levels of comedy failure. It's impossible to take her seriously as a competent spy. She barely seems like she has enough wits to get out of bed.
She is also OBSESSED with Archie, another spy, and I swear every third page she's getting distracted because she can't help but remember the time she was in his arms, or the time he kissed her, or wondered if she loved him, or got teary eyed about how hard it must be for him, on and on and on. She seemed completely useless and helpless. You were left agreeing with all the men who were saying she wasn't qualified to be a spy--she was completely inept!
She also gets sent to New York with a "chaperone" to maintain cover, Clifford, but it seems like Clifford was barely aware of his purpose. She'd lie to someone about her identity to keep up a cover and he'd say "wait, but you're not his wife!" or whatever, giving her away, and she'd have to stomp on his foot to shut him up, and it's like. Should there be a laugh track here? Is Clifford aware he's on a spy mission? Another completely idiotic character.
That being said, Fiona was also crap at this - she'd see Archie, her spy love interest, working on an undercover mission. Arche was undercover getting close to an enemy spy. She'd see them being chummy, as was his literal mission that she knew about, and she'd think, "gosh, they seem awfully friendly - what if Archie is a double agent? Can I REALLY trust him??" Girl THAT'S HIS JOB! HE'S UNDERCOVER!
The use of so many historical figures made the book even more absurd. She meets J. Edgar Hoover and Thomas Edison and Margaret Sanger and half a dozen other historic figures in the course of like three days. Come on.
The J. Edgar Hoover plot was ESPECIALLY bad. I'm no Hoover fan but she used incorrect history and made it his whole character. Every time Fiona was in her male disguise, Hoover acted flamingly gay towards her. And at the very end, for absolutely no reason whatsoever, Fiona sees Hoover in a dress, cross-dressing. In the notes after the book, it's noted as "fact" that Hoover did this. In ACTUAL fact, Hoover's sexuality is completely unconfirmed (asexual is a good bet, or just "married to the job"), and the cross-dressing rumors are complete historical fiction, completely fake. This suggests that the author did absolutely no real research and just used the pop culture legend, and not even for any good reason!
Manhattan is never really a major point in the book either. It could've been set anywhere. They go to the Carnegie Opera Hall but it could've been any theater in any city. New York had no character whatsoever.
SPOILERS:
At the end, it's revealed that of the three deaths, one of them was just an unrelated coincidence accident, another one wasn't even a death or a body in the first place, and the main one was in fact Archie, Fiona's fellow spy, assassinating a German spy.
Fiona is FLOORED by this and cries and cries, how can Archie be a killer? Doesn't Britain stand for everything good and pure, how could he kill someone in cold blood, how could he??
Fiona. You are SPIES and it is ACTIVE WARTIME. What the hell do you think your job is about?? Are you that fucking dense??? No shit he killed an enemy spy! What do you think happens in a WAR Fiona?? I can't believe I read all the way to this stupid ending just to find out this is the resolution, it was ridiculous, she held him at gunpoint but then let him get away because she was crying and just still loved him so much wah wah the end. The ending was exactly as satisfying as the rest of the book, which is to say, negatively.
Also the whole twist that the girl Fiona is chaperoning, Eliza, is ACTUALLY another spy herself, Kitty Lane, is COMPLETELY ruined because you realize very early on Eliza is on top of things and very smart and very strong, the hints were NOT subtle, plus the mystery is literally called "A Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery" and when it's Fiona and Eliza doing all the mystery solving, it doesn't take a genius to figure out fifty pages in or less that Eliza is this other character. Duh.
Oddly enough, Eliza/Kitty was REALLY competent, strong, smart, capable, the works. (At various points she actually TAUGHT things to Fiona, which continually reinforces how stupid Fiona is in comparison.) I feel like a book about JUST Kitty might have been great! But obviously I'm never reading anything else by this author.
Honestly there is so much more wrong with this book too, I could keep going on for double this length, I only finished it because it was relatively short and the elementary writing style made it fast. Truly awful. This book asks "can women be effective spies?" and dares to answer "probably not this one, no!"
November 13, 2022
This is a nice light hearted historical mystery full of spies and dead bodies. Set in 1917 during The Great War, Fiona Figg is starring in her fourth outing. She started out as a file clerk in the War Office Special Intelligence and then promoted to a temporary special agent. After a year on the job she has shown she is up to the task, much to the dismay of the men. They have little use for her and don't keep their opinions a secret.
Since book one (Betrayal at Ravenswick) she has been after German spy Frederick Fredericks, a South African posing as a journalist for a New York newspaper. Now she has been invited by him to join him at Carnegie Hall. Off we go, following her and her partner, Clifford in London then on shipboard across the Atlantic with their arrival in New York. She has the added twist to her assignment - supervise Captain Hall's niece, Kitty. What follows is a twisty mystery with several red herrings and the guest appearances of Thomas Edison, J. Edgar Hoover, Dorothy Parker and suffragette Margaret Sanger. Add a touch of romance, as well. Fiona Figg may not be the kind of person one thinks of as a spy but that is what makes her successful. It's the person one would least suspect
My thanks to the publisher Boldwood Books and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Since book one (Betrayal at Ravenswick) she has been after German spy Frederick Fredericks, a South African posing as a journalist for a New York newspaper. Now she has been invited by him to join him at Carnegie Hall. Off we go, following her and her partner, Clifford in London then on shipboard across the Atlantic with their arrival in New York. She has the added twist to her assignment - supervise Captain Hall's niece, Kitty. What follows is a twisty mystery with several red herrings and the guest appearances of Thomas Edison, J. Edgar Hoover, Dorothy Parker and suffragette Margaret Sanger. Add a touch of romance, as well. Fiona Figg may not be the kind of person one thinks of as a spy but that is what makes her successful. It's the person one would least suspect
My thanks to the publisher Boldwood Books and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
November 2, 2024
I loved this story it had several different characters that were interesting to read about. It was exciting and action packed. A German spy, J Edgar Hoover and a murder all combine into a excellent conclusion. Fiona Figg, Clifford and Eliza head to New York to pursue Fredrick Fredricks at Carnegie Hall and a Murder is committed during Intermission. I loved it.
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January 4, 2025Confusing. This book goes by two names Chaos at Carnegie Hall and Mystery in Manhatten.
November 21, 2022
If there's one thing that I like doing, it's discovering new authors. Kelly Oliver is certainly a new author for me. Anybody who knows me well, knows that not only am I a book geek but I am also a history nerd. So you can probably appreciate why the synopsis of 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' appealed to me so much. I couldn't wait to start reading and so without further ado, I grabbed a cup of tea, grabbed my Kindle and settled down for a fun afternoon of reading. I thoroughly enjoyed dreading 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' but more about that in a bit.
As soon as I started reading, I knew that I wasn't going to be doing anything other than reading for the rest of the afternoon. I started reading and found that I just couldn't stop. My Kindle wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn't bear to miss a single second of the story. I absolutely loved the character of the Fiona and I warmed to her from the very start. In fact Fiona ended up feeling more like a friend rather than a character in a book. To say that reading 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' became addictive is a wee bit of an understatement. The more of the story that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I soon got to the end of 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' and I had to say a temporary goodbye to Fiona. I found 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' to be a light hearted, fun, cosy mystery. I was gripped by the story from start to finish and I loved every single minute of it.
'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' is superbly written. Kelly has an easy going writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading this book felt more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a steady pace throughout. I loved all the historical detail that was woven into this story. The story is set during 1917, which is a period that fascinates me and this story brought that time period alive. I love the way in which Kelly makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the story. That's how I felt at any rate.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will be definitely reading more of Kelly's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
As soon as I started reading, I knew that I wasn't going to be doing anything other than reading for the rest of the afternoon. I started reading and found that I just couldn't stop. My Kindle wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. I couldn't bear to miss a single second of the story. I absolutely loved the character of the Fiona and I warmed to her from the very start. In fact Fiona ended up feeling more like a friend rather than a character in a book. To say that reading 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' became addictive is a wee bit of an understatement. The more of the story that I read, the more I wanted to read and the quicker the pages seemed to turn. I soon got to the end of 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' and I had to say a temporary goodbye to Fiona. I found 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' to be a light hearted, fun, cosy mystery. I was gripped by the story from start to finish and I loved every single minute of it.
'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' is superbly written. Kelly has an easy going writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading this book felt more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained a steady pace throughout. I loved all the historical detail that was woven into this story. The story is set during 1917, which is a period that fascinates me and this story brought that time period alive. I love the way in which Kelly makes the reader feel as though they are part of the story and at the heart of the story. That's how I felt at any rate.
In short, I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Chaos At Carnegie Hall' and I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will be definitely reading more of Kelly's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
December 5, 2022
Exciting cozy mystery set in historic WWI-era New York featuring espionage and murder.
Chaos in Carnegie Hall is a complex, action-filled historical cozy mystery set during the late 1910s and World War I. The U.S. is an ally of Britain but has yet to join the fighting in France. The luxurious shipboard setting and the descriptions of early 20th New York City are enchanting, and the author peppers the work with entertaining though admittedly highly fictionalized versions of historical figures.
Fiona is a likable and earnest young woman trying to do her part in the war effort. She is fully committed to doing what is right, and I felt her anguish over accomplishing her mission and following her ideals of what was right and ethical. I look forward to Fiona sorting out her feelings and relationships with Frederick and Archie. Clifford made me smile almost every moment he was on the page. I so enjoyed his sociability and his guilelessness. Eliza and her little dog, Poppy, were adorable. The appearances of the actual persons from the time added extra interest to the action, and I got a better feeling for the period.The plot is not simply about keeping eyes on Eliza and Frederick, though. There are mysterious and puzzling deaths to investigate along the way. Fiona pulls out all the stops (and a few of her famous disguises) to get the information she needs, and Eliza surprises her (and me) by being able to efficiently lend a hand. Together they mount an effective investigation and get to the bottom of everything: murders and espionage.
This is the fourth book to feature Fiona and Clifford but the first to feature them with a new team member. It was my first book to read in the series, and although I enjoyed the story overall, for the best reading experience, I should have read the previous books first.I recommend CHAOS AT CARNEGIE HALL to cozy historical mystery readers who enjoyed the previous Fiona Figg mysteries, WWI-era tales, shipboard stories, or New York City settings.
I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours.
November 24, 2022
This is the start of a new set of titles in the Fiona Figg series, and while it does stand well on its own, I found that I will most likely need to read the previous books to gain a better appreciation of Fiona’s earlier adventures. Fiona Figg is a spy for the British government with a penchant for disguise and a love of Sherlock Holmes. She knows that women need to work incredibly hard to be seen as equal to their male counterparts, even as they are chronically underestimated. When the War Office decides to use Fredrick Fredricks’ seeming infatuation with Fiona as a way to get more information on the German spy, she is thrilled at the chance to prove her ability to be an effective agent. Being assigned to watch over her superior’s flighty girlish niece, however, proves to be the harder assignment. Eliza Baker is an enigma of a character. She appears to be the essence of a silly schoolgirl, all ruffles and giggles. Only���.she has the oddest set of skills for a schoolgirl, and can easily keep up with Fiona’s investigations. Almost always accompanied by her Pekinese, Poppy, Eliza is a character that keeps you guessing.
Chock-ful of colorful and memorable historic figures, the author brings both time and place alive with vivid details. Truly, the amount of research needed for this book is astounding. You meet the likes of Edison and J. Edgar Hoover, Margaret Sanger, Emily Hobhouse, and my personal favorite, Dorothy Parker. You can easily picture the opulence of the Hotel Knickerbocker and the grandeur of Carnegie Hall. It’s easy to forget that history doesn’t occur in a bubble, and that multiple historical moments like the Suffragettes, War of the Currents, the Comstock Laws, and Planned Parenthood all grew in the shadow of the Great War.
Chaos at Carnegie Hall is a different sort of mystery. Taking place in the midst of World War 1, it has all the trappings of a cozy mystery and all the action and verve of a spy thriller. Fast-paced action and intrigue combine in a brilliant read with an ending I definitely didn’t expect!
Chock-ful of colorful and memorable historic figures, the author brings both time and place alive with vivid details. Truly, the amount of research needed for this book is astounding. You meet the likes of Edison and J. Edgar Hoover, Margaret Sanger, Emily Hobhouse, and my personal favorite, Dorothy Parker. You can easily picture the opulence of the Hotel Knickerbocker and the grandeur of Carnegie Hall. It’s easy to forget that history doesn’t occur in a bubble, and that multiple historical moments like the Suffragettes, War of the Currents, the Comstock Laws, and Planned Parenthood all grew in the shadow of the Great War.
Chaos at Carnegie Hall is a different sort of mystery. Taking place in the midst of World War 1, it has all the trappings of a cozy mystery and all the action and verve of a spy thriller. Fast-paced action and intrigue combine in a brilliant read with an ending I definitely didn’t expect!
October 1, 2025
I really wanted to like this book, but what kind of idiotic female spy dressed as a male naval officer (I believe) forgets that she has on a disguise and then acts like a woman sweetly talking to a hotel employee of the hotel at which she's staying? Get that? A woman dressed as a man -- complete with mustache -- forgets that she's pretending to be a man? Huh?
Welcome to the strange world of Fiona Figg, a spy and main character to whom I never warmed up. Tolerate, yes. Adore, no. ...Admittedly, I was hoping this book would come to an end. ...Now that I finished it, it's hard to tell you exactly who Fiona Figg was. Few facts were given. It would have been nice to learn more about her -- that would have made her more likeable...
I think this book is part of a series so a lot was left up in the air. I won't read any more of these. As for the end, it wasn't very satisfying either, and there were a few loose ends, without sharing more. Thankfully, I listened to the audiobook and could speed through it... The best part of the book was the march of suffragrettes, which was based on events taking place in New York in 1917, all in support of women getting the right to vote. Also, while it was intriguing to see a fictional version of John Edgar Hoover, Thomas Edison, and Dorothy Parker, in a way doing was sacrilegious. And considering the three of them as potential suspects, abominable!
...And it was awful to kill off Anna Case when it never actually happened. (Anna was a character in the book, but she was a real-life American, Metropolitan Opera lyric soprano active in the early 20th century.) Now it was interesting to learn -- I Googled it -- that she was known for her performances with Thomas Alva Edison, making recordings for Edison Records. She also was part of his "tone tests" to distinguish between a live voice and a recording.... Anyhow, time to read another book to erase the discomfort caused by this.
Welcome to the strange world of Fiona Figg, a spy and main character to whom I never warmed up. Tolerate, yes. Adore, no. ...Admittedly, I was hoping this book would come to an end. ...Now that I finished it, it's hard to tell you exactly who Fiona Figg was. Few facts were given. It would have been nice to learn more about her -- that would have made her more likeable...
I think this book is part of a series so a lot was left up in the air. I won't read any more of these. As for the end, it wasn't very satisfying either, and there were a few loose ends, without sharing more. Thankfully, I listened to the audiobook and could speed through it... The best part of the book was the march of suffragrettes, which was based on events taking place in New York in 1917, all in support of women getting the right to vote. Also, while it was intriguing to see a fictional version of John Edgar Hoover, Thomas Edison, and Dorothy Parker, in a way doing was sacrilegious. And considering the three of them as potential suspects, abominable!
...And it was awful to kill off Anna Case when it never actually happened. (Anna was a character in the book, but she was a real-life American, Metropolitan Opera lyric soprano active in the early 20th century.) Now it was interesting to learn -- I Googled it -- that she was known for her performances with Thomas Alva Edison, making recordings for Edison Records. She also was part of his "tone tests" to distinguish between a live voice and a recording.... Anyhow, time to read another book to erase the discomfort caused by this.
October 6, 2022
This very fun romance-tinged mystery seems like a cross between an Agatha Christie and a Sherlock Holmes sleuthing story to me. The characters lend snap, crackle and pop, especially the illustrious British spy Miss Fiona Figg, keeping an eye on the villian to catch him if she can; Captain Clifford Douglas, the chaperone; Captain Hall, the boss; and frilly Eliza Baker with her Pekingese. What merry chase across the Atlantic! Then there were Fredrick Fredericks and Archie - could either of them be trusted? How was John Edgar Hoover involved, was it more than just the heckling? How about Mr. Edison, was he implicit in this case and who killed Schweitzer; each are good questions for Miss Figg to figure out.
Having the setting to be during WWI, gave birth to double agents of the male variety here and there with plots and foiled plots, intermingled with suffragettes and murder. Chaos, indeed, all around! "Just, brilliant!" as the British would say.
Any reader who's not British may take exception to some of those kinds of expressions and vocabulary but they do lend flavor to the tale and overall, I'd say this is a good, clean, fun book which I totally enjoyed and one that will keep the neurons popping. Happy Reading, all!
After the addenda of "acknowledgements" and "about the author" the reader is treated to a foretaste of a next-in-the-series book of Miss Fiona Figg mysteries, that'll have your curiosity peaked and you begging for more. Oh well, at least in my opinion.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
September 2022
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary copy sent by NetGalley and the Boldwood Books publisher.
Having the setting to be during WWI, gave birth to double agents of the male variety here and there with plots and foiled plots, intermingled with suffragettes and murder. Chaos, indeed, all around! "Just, brilliant!" as the British would say.
Any reader who's not British may take exception to some of those kinds of expressions and vocabulary but they do lend flavor to the tale and overall, I'd say this is a good, clean, fun book which I totally enjoyed and one that will keep the neurons popping. Happy Reading, all!
After the addenda of "acknowledgements" and "about the author" the reader is treated to a foretaste of a next-in-the-series book of Miss Fiona Figg mysteries, that'll have your curiosity peaked and you begging for more. Oh well, at least in my opinion.
~Eunice C., Reviewer/Blogger~
September 2022
Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion based on the complimentary copy sent by NetGalley and the Boldwood Books publisher.
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