I started reading this ARC with no expectations, as I was not familiar with the author at all; the first scene grabbed my attention, as it drops the reader in the middle of an interview-turned-confession that raises more questions than it answers; the following scene, however, is full of “as you know, Bob”-type exposition as the author setup the characters and their circumstances. It turns out that though she had published a trilogy of children’s books, this was her adult fiction debut, as well as the first in the Mayfair 100 series.

I was intrigued enough by the premise to keep reading, and I was very glad I did, as once the author his her stride, I kept reading until until the last page (who needs sleep?); in fact, despite the quibbles I detail below, the rest of the books in the series are now on my to-be-bought list.

Beware: drug addiction; spousal rape; domestic violence; PTSD; copaganda, British white nationalism.

Despite being weighted slightly towards exposition in the first couple of chapters, the narrative soon finds its footing, fleshing out all five main characters–the members of the special team CI Peter Beech puts together–and weaving a lot of historical fact into the story in ways that support both the premise of the series and the plot of this novel, as well as bring the historical period to life.

CI Peter Beech disappointed his family by turning to policing after being invalidated from the front; though we are never told what their rank of nobility is, it’s made clear that they consider such work to be beneath their class, and therefore, he’s somewhat estranged from them.

Being devoted to his new profession, Beech is quick to realize that, as the war in Europe rages, taking away so much of the male youth, and bringing tens of thousands of young women to London to take their place in all manners of industry and commerce, crime in the city is changing: there are now more women involved than ever before, both as victims and perpetrators.

However, and despite women volunteer organizations rushing to cover increased public service needs, thus freeing official resources for more important tasks, the Metropolitan Police, having a long history with suffragettes, was not keen to admit them into its ranks.

Beech’s idea is to start small, with a team composed equally of qualified women and police officers; the women to add their own perspective and lived experience in areas beyond men’s ken, and the coppers to both provide policing experience and actual brawn, and to produce the necessary official documentation of any cases the team undertakes.

Eventually, should the team succeed in their mission, and solve enough important and/or difficult cases specifically involving women, those documents would help pressure the powers that be to change their view on women coppers.

The death of one Lord Murcheson is the perfect case for this particular team to tackle: the victim was not only a son of an Important Family, but had been part of the war intelligence efforts (apparently a failure, but still); his murder must be solved beyond a shadow of a doubt, whether at his young wife’s hands or someone else’s, and as swiftly as possible.

As soon as his superior gives him the go, Beech rushes to recruit the members of his team: first is doctor Caroline Allardyce, who works at London’s Women’s Hospital, and is already looking after the just-widowed and very fragile Lady Harriet Murcheson; second is Victoria Ellingham, who studied law for three years prior to her marriage, and whose “deductive brain” is above everyone else’s. Both of them are women of a certain class and privilege, which would give them the freedom and time to pursue investigations, as well as being longtime friends of Beech’s.

On the other side, we have young PC Billy Rigsby; a commoner war vet, he was hired by the Metropolitan Police because he’s generally able-bodied, though not enough to go back to the war front–much like Beech. Rigsby is intelligent and earnest, though he lacks policing experience, and needs to work on his self-control when provoked. He’s also extremely virile and attractive as well as a flirt, so he can often chat up female staff, bystanders and witnesses, and glean information to advance the investigations.

The last member of the team is DS Arthur Tollman; a once-retired copper, and the widowed father of three young women, he has the investigative experience both Rigsby and Beech lack, and so quickly takes the former under his wing. He also happens to have a very calm demeanor, an inquisitive mind, and an eidetic memory; the dynamic between him and Victoria is fantastic.

“It’s a copper’s job to understand human nature, lad. If you understand people, then you know what to expect from them. You can anticipate what they are going to do.” (Arthur Tollman to Billy Rigsby, chapter 12)

One of Beech’s talents is identifying people who can be assets to the team, and being quick to recruit them. Mabel Summersby, the pharmacist at the Women’s Hospital, is one such person; Victoria’s mother, Lady Maud, is another. Even PC Rigsby’s mother and aunt end up contributing to the investigation.

Although Beech originally wanted to mostly pair Rigsby with Caroline, and Tollman with Victoria–in part for selfish rather than strategic reasons–the five members of the team end up working together in different combinations, depending on what is happening with the investigation and elsewhere.

For example, Caroline has regular hospital shifts, but she’s also needed to help Beech interpret the medical information in the case, and in fact ends up going undercover with him to interview one of the suspects. For his part, Beech has regular duties at Scotland Yard, separate from this particular investigation. Of course, this also means that he also has access to all their resources, which he can funnel to his two subordinates in ways the team otherwise wouldn’t have.

There is a lot–and I do mean, a lot–of historical detail in the story; from the state of medicine in the first years of the 20th Century (did you know there were no antibiotics in general use, or that doctors prescribed heroin and cocaine with abandon?), to the Zeppelin bombings of London (51 such missions, followed in the later war years by 52 aeroplane bombings), and more, and all of it matters, as it influences both what the characters can do and how they think about the investigation.

The war is not just the background of the action, but what makes the story work, from Beech’s limp to Rigsby’s scar and maimed left hand, to Tollman’s weary view of the world, to Victoria’s guilt and Caroline’s drive, they are all affected by it. World War I was the war that changed how nations make war on each other: it was the first time nations could kill at that scale and at such distances, thanks to fast-evolving technology.

“Beech felt his chest tighten at the memory of returning on an ambulance train, and he cursed the fact that there was no other way to get to Berkshire. He noted the faces of the new recruits change swiftly from casual grins to barely disguised discomfort when the trains disgorged their maimed cargoes in front of their eyes.” (Chapter 3)

On the other hand, people are still people; British upper classes, never particularly keen on change, are struggling to adapt to rapidly changing social mores. It’s not just women doing men’s work and earning men’s wages, but all the attendant challenges to the moral and financial status quo (which would be even more marked given the heavy losses of the British armed forces by the end of the conflict). And while sodomy (and queerness in general), was no longer punishable by death at the time, imprisonment was certain.

All of this, and more, affects the course of the investigation, and I was soon very invested in both the characters and the case; I found the tangents engrossing and rewarding, the solution consistent, and fates of all the characters by the end of the novel, very appropriate. There were a couple of places where I literally shed a tear, and a couple more where I cheered.

Now, the not-so-good stuff.

First, the book sets up a love triangle between Caroline, Beech, and Victoria, one that has apparently been simmering for years, as the three have known each other since childhood. I am very much not a fan of the trope, and the setup here does not hint at a workable resolution; not only are the two women close friends, but both Caroline and Beech are also on intimate, familiar terms with Victoria’s mother, Lady Maud.

Which brings me to my second quibble: the author plays fast and loose with the forms of address. I get not using the complete formal title every time Victoria is introduced (footnote 3), but I cannot believe that a man of good breeding, as we are told Beech is, would address Lady Maud by just her given name; not only because of her dignity, but also because it’s 1915, and she’s old enough to be his mother. (For that matter, my eyebrows almost reached my hairline when the author had Victoria addressing Lady Maud as “ma” in front of non-family members.)

The last thing that gave me pause was the emphasis on British nationalism; it’s period-accurate as it pertains to the characters’ feelings (stiff upper lift and all that), but I was left with a niggling suspicion that it may also reflect the author’s feelings, which, given everything going on in the world in 2024, may give readers pause.

All in all, however, an engrossing read.

Murder in Belgravia gets an 8.75 out of 10.

While the blurb sounded like something that would have me enthralled from page one, the book itself fell short of pretty much what it was supposed to deliver. I could not finish it unfortunately due to the many plot twists that were hard to follow and characters that were somewhat unbelievable.

A treat for fans of historical mysteries. Set in London during WWI, it's nicely twisty with good characters. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

This was a great read! It kept me guessing from beginning to end. The plot was logical but twisted enough to keep me engrossed. I enjoyed all the characters, but I think Billy was my favorite! I can’t wait to find out what happens with this group in book 2 and 3.

"Murder in Belgravia" had a synopsis that wound up sounding far better than the overall book. I was initially intrigued at the idea of murder having to be solved when it takes place in London during WW1. It certainly sounded far more interesting than the actual story wound up being. I found the characters rather uninteresting and the plot was predictable.

This is the first book in the Mayfair 100 Murder Mystery series. What a fun historical mystery! Set in London during WWI, a small team made of women and one man unable to fight in the war, solve crimes that the Metropolitan Police can't or won't. The premise is great and characters are well-drawn and really interesting. I really liked this book and hope there will be many more in the series.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is an early 1900’s mystery set during the first world war but the focus is the home-front. The main character is Chief Inspector Beech who is both a survivor of the war and a policeman out of his depth. He is aware of the great majority of women in London but is unable to convince his superiors of the necessity of a woman’s police force or even women police officers. This over population of women cause more crimes to be done by women and as the male officers struggle with this novel and unusual problem Chief Inspector Beech decides to offer a solution by creating an educated women's group capable of solving crime with the guidance of police officers of the male sex as guardians and protectors. This supposition gives the author license to add some interesting and funny situations and dialogue. The women hold the floor most of the times without need of protectors or guardians subtly showing the male police they can do the job. This is a well paced read with likable, strong characters in a time of unheard of suffering. The author touches briefly on the results of the ongoing war but focuses mainly on the crime at hand. I will definitely read more of this author.

It sounded so good in the blurb. A murder mystery set in London at the time of WW I. A cobbled together team of female detectives, who were unofficially working with Scotland Yard, but paving the way for women in the police force.

Unfortunately, I found the characters in the book very bland. The dialogue felt stilted. The first few chapters were convoluted with backstory. Yes, backstory has to be introduced at some point, but it was heaped onto my plate.

A shame, this could have been so much better. Still, I am hoping book two in the series has more character depth.

Lynn Brittney assembles a team of ladies and police to solve a case of Murder in Belgravia in 1915. London police need to solve the murder of a wounded veteran upper middle class gentleman; his wife is suspected. Drugs, prostitution and other seamy sides of London life is on display. Will they find the criminal before more murders and crimes and under the bombing of London by German zeppelins ?

*Many thanks to Lynn Brittney, Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
This was a fun weekend read, with a murder story set in London in 1915, and mainly female characters, who under the supervision of Chief Inspector Beech form an unofficial investigative team. In the second year of the Great War, women become more engaged in all kinds of professions reserved earlier for men only, The historical background is nicely presented , and various problems of those days are tackled, such as mental and physical scars of the soldiers who returned or women's demand to be recognized as equal. The characters are likeable, and each has some characteristics that make them special.

This year I had decided to read fewer psychological thrillers, as I found so many disappointed me last year. I also decided to avoid thrillers, mysteries that included, girl, mother or sister in the title, which I have for the most part. This left my more time to indulge in my first love, which are police procedurals and historical mysteries. This, the author first mystery for adults, was a very entertaining historical that certainly kept my interest.

The first World War is on, the Kaiser using Zeppelin's to bomb certain areas of England. Men are beginning to return, those lucky enough to return at all,with injuries and shell shock. Ruthless gangs and doctors are supplying these men with all sorts of drugs, heroin, cocaine and the like. When a member of the peerage, one of the walking wounded is found murdered, his wife injured severely and covered in blood, a group is formed to solve the crime. A secret group, led by one vetyy able policeman, two associates and in a break from protocol, one woman doctor and sn upper class woman with an eye for details. I loved this group. Using women, was of course frowned on by most, and this added an area of special interest for me. This team worked together very well, and while there was a journey through the degredations of the day, sex workers of both sexes, gangs and corruption, there were also moments of humor.

Times were changing. With so many men gone, women were beginning to take a more active role in various parts of life. The classes were beginning to blend, as servants left for the war, or had opportunities for better means of employment. This story blended all elements very well, gave us a good group of characters and a pretty good mystery to boot. Looking forward to more from this rag tag team, and this talented author.

ARC from Netgalley.

#NetGalley #Murder in Belgravia

A mystery set in 1915 London, WWI. Lord Murcheson recently back from the war is murdered, his wife is the main suspect. Chief Inspector Beech of Scotland Yard needs extra help to solve the murder, he gets his superiors to approve of a special investigative team. This team also includes women, which is not accepted by many of the men of this era. The story to me was a little slow at times, but a very interesting story.

It is a great mystery and the main character is Chief Inspector Beech of Scotland Yard. He is called to investigate the murder of Lord Murcheson. I really enjoyed the story - nice plot, love the characters.
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher for this copy.

A very post Edwardian Mystery!__________3.5 stars

I enjoyed the characters in this new series who seem to have wandered out of a post Edwardian soap opera. More like a social justice version of Upstairs Downstairs.
Chief Inspector Beech is tasked by the Commissioner of Scotland Yard to bring together an elite group to meet the changing face of crime. Beech's team consists of intelligent women with special skills, a doctor, lawyer and eventually one other, to investigate situations where it's difficult for the Yard to conduct their inquiries, particularly if women are the central focus. The male members of the team have proven specialised skills of one sort or another.
WW1 is underway and that's bringing about its own special problems.
The group is operating secretly as an experiment. Women are not accepted in the police force as yet.
Beech's contacts lead to their operating out of a house in Mayfair with the telephone number 100 Mayfair.
As I said I'm enjoying the characters but something's not quite jelling yet.
Still, it's early days for the group and the series.
I do want to read more!

A NetGalley ARC

This debut mystery puts together a crack team of men and women to solve mysteries during the first World War I in London. I found the premise of women doing police work in an almost professional capacity intriguing, An aristocrat has been murdered, men are in short supply and the aristos's spouse is the chief suspect. The mystery is well put together and the characters of a female doctor and a female lawyer, rare though they may be in 1915 add a wealth of knowledge and ability to the Inspector's "team". Secrets are uncovered, lives are in danger and war is falling down around their ears with the advent of the Zeppelin. All in all a great start to a new series. Characters need further development but the unique combination of characters working together held my attention and I look forward to additions to the series. I received this book in return for an honest review from NetGalley.

An historical cozy murder mystery set in Mayfair, London in 1915 at the start of World War 1.

Chief Inspector Peter Beech becomes concerned about the inability of the police force to deal with crimes relating to women and the prejudice against women being included in the police force when he finally gets tentative permission from the Commissioner,Sir Edward, to set up an investigative team which two outstanding women, a doctor (Dr Caroline Allardyce), a lawyer (Victoria Ellingham) and later on a female pharmacist (Mabel Summersby) who loves analysing and helps identify substances related to the murder. Added to this is a retired Detective Pullman (skilled in intelligence gathering) and P.C. Billy Rigsby (strong and lively though wounded in the war). This small team starts by investigating the murder of Lord Murcheson with his wife Lady Harriet seriously wounded but claiming have been responsible for his murder.
The story was slow moving (almost horse and buggy pace compared with a motor car pace) and while the story was interesting it was hard to read at any pace. It finally comes to an end with a satisfying conclusion though the progress was a little too slow.

While the characters are of some interest they are a little too simplistic with their personalities lacking depth and a little too stereotyped.

The story supports and promotes women in a period when they were generally second class citizens and during WW1 the shortage of men meant an opportunity for them to take a more active role in society and the workforce.

Overall I enjoyed reading ‘Murder in Belgravia’ but it was quite a slow read with some quite laborious parts which could have been edited to streamline the story and its pace.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Crooked Lane Books for an ebook copy to read and review.

This is the first book in a series known the Mayfair 100 Murder Mysteries. The story takes place in Mayfair, London, in 1915. Mayfair 100 is the telephone number for the home where the special crew of investigators base their operations. Following are my Pros and Cons:

Pros
1. The author described the time period and locations well. I love historical novels in just about any genre, so I enjoyed this aspect of the book. It was a solid historical mystery.
2. I definitely appreciated the focus on intelligent women and their abilities. This was a time when women were just beginning to really have the opportunity to prove their worth and competence in traditionally male roles and/or occupations. War is never good, but one thing both World Wars did do is prove to the world that not only can women step up and get things done when the men aren’t around, but they can also do it well and sometimes better!
3. The story included a female doctor and a female lawyer on the investigative team. I liked that the women were strong, smart, and capable. I also liked that the men on the team were protective of the women and tried to shield them from things they felt were inappropriate, even though they knew the women were capable and knowledgeable partners on the team. We were able to see both male and female viewpoints of this changing time within this story. The men on the team weren’t protecting the women to be rude or condescending – they were legitimately trying to protect them from things they simply thought ladies shouldn’t be exposed to. In the story, one of the women even accepted that she probably shouldn’t go into a male brothel as part of the investigation and left it to the men. This was no different than the men on the team felt that the women were better suited to question other women with regard to the investigation. Was any of this right or wrong? For the time period, it was probably neither actually... it was just how it was. Men and women were both dealing with enormous changes in “how things are done” and there was obviously a lot of adjustment from both sides. I thought the author incorporated a good mix of the changes beginning (with women taking on more non-traditional roles) with long-standing old values and traditions (men had to be the protectors of women, men adjusting to working with women, etc.).
4. I didn’t predict the murderer. That is a huge plus because I usually do figure it out!

Cons
1. The book is actually quite complex, but I felt the story meandered a bit, particularly with the part about the bombing of London. That wasn’t really an integral part of the story (other than to introduce Rigsby’s mom and aunt) and it felt like padding to me.
2. I honestly don’t know why, because I usually devour books like this, but this book took me forever to read. It was really slow and it felt like it was a bit too long. There wasn’t a lot was happening at all until the last 25% or so of the book. There was a lot of sitting around, planning, and talking… but not enough action! I also felt like the author did a lot of unnecessary explaining (even for some very basic situations). It was as if the author assumed the average reader couldn’t figure out what was going on without detailed explanations. Overall, there was simply not enough murder mystery! I’m glad I ultimately finished it, but I almost lost interest a few times at the beginning.
3. While I do love the pro-women aspect of the book, it felt a little preachy to me at times, which didn’t help with the meandering feeling I mentioned earlier.
4. I felt like there were some plot lines that were left hanging – like the previous relationship between Victoria and Beech. It was mentioned a lot at the beginning of the book and then just seemingly forgotten. Perhaps the author is saving that for future books in the series.

This book would have easily been a 5 star book if it had been a little more succinct… not necessarily shorter, but reducing some of the explaining I mentioned, quickening the pace of the book a bit, and focusing much more on the murder mystery would have improved it greatly in my humble opinion. That said, I loved the story and I will very likely read more in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a free electronic ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

London May 1915 and Chief Inspector Beech is convinced, and convinces the Chief Commissioner, that he needs the help of various females in his latest case. That is the case of Lady Harriet, who will only speak to a lady of a superior standing to explain the death of her husband. Beech collects his team and relocates to Mayfair, Mayfair 100 being their telephone number. Apart from Beech there is retired detective Arthur Tollman, P.C. Billy Rigsby, Dr Caroline Allardyce and Mrs Victoria Ellingham. Aided and abetted by various relations.
An enjoyable well-written mystery, with a good selection of likeable characters. A good start to a new series.

Murder in Belgravia is the first in a new mystery series. It is set in London in 1915. During this time men were going off to war but women were still not allowed to take all types of jobs. This novel revolves around the creation of a new investigative team that takes advantage to people's skill sets no matter who they are. This team, while not officially approved, is lead by Chief Inspector Peter Beech. In need of female officers to help with crimes involving women, he puts together a team consisting of Victoria (a trained lawyer who cannot practice), Caroline (a doctor at a woman's hospital), Constable Billy Rigsby (the muscle and the heart) and Mr. Tollman (a retired policeman who is brought back when the war breaks out).

They investigate what appears to be an open and closed case but none of them believe it. This was an enjoyable mystery and I will definitely continue to read the Mayfair 100 series as they come out.

Of all the mysteries I read, historical mysteries head my list. When I saw this one listed I knew I had to get a copy. The setting is 1915 London and the early days of WW! are turning daily life upside down. As the men are sent off to battle, women fill in some of the gaps. That applies to the police force. Chief Inspector Beech is confronted with a sensitive case - Lord Murcheson has been stabbed to death with a pair of scissors and, at first it looks like his wife, Lady Harriett, is the killer. As soon as Beech realizes she couldn't have done the deed, he figures out that he will need some unusual assistance solving the case. He convinces the powers that be to let him put together a secret group to investigate crime at all levels of London society. The team is named the Mayfair 100 and is comprised of Dr. Caroline Allerdyce, Victoria, Rigsby and Tollman. Because women are not allowed to serve in Scotland Yard, and only the men fit that bill, the group sets up operations in Mayfair.
From the upper class drawing rooms to the seediest parts of Londons dark side, this is a very well crafted mystery. The world is changing rapidly as the war forces everyone to adjust and women are on the verge of getting the right to vote. Drugs are everywhere with cocaine and morphine available at the corner chemist. As men return from war, those drugs play a major part in their new lives after war.
Even though the Mayfair 100 team has no police power of arrest, etc. and must conduct all of their investigating sub rosa, they get the crime solved and I will be ready to enjoy the next case for the Mayfair 100 team when they appear in A Death in Chelsea.