In 1966 a woman’s body was found in the Local school in Trill. Beatrice Barnes May not have been the town’s favorite but no one really wanted her dead. There was a celebration at the school earlier so how did a murder occur? This is a well written murder mystery that will keep your attention until the end. I really enjoyed the detectives from Scotland Yard.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion..

I was unable to finish reading this book. I tried for over a year. The pace was slow, the writing thick and convoluted, and the plot line boring. My attention couldn't be kept.

Thanks to the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

A re-issue of a 1960 cozy mystery series..the first in the series. When Beatrice Baynes, a generally disliked individual, goes missing, she's not missed. When her body is found it causes a mess because.there are just too many suspects!
If you like the older mysteries this is for you. A little slow for me but not terribke. 3 stars.

I am not big on 'historical' type mysteries but I was invited to read and review this so I figured I could give it a chance. This book was originally published in 1967. I believe this is the 1st of a 17 book series written over a span of 20ish years. The description sounds interesting but this just did not catch my attention. I guess it just seemed a bit boring to me, without all the technology of today. Which I understand, since it was written so long ago. But not my kind of thing.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Sapere Books and the author, Elizabeth Lemarchand, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of Death Of An Old Girl in exchange for an honest, unbiased opinion.
I thought this book was really good. The storyline was well written as were the characters. A quick, easy read that will keep you entertained
Worth a read.

This is a book that's been re-issued and it is a gentle, cosy mystery with no overtly gory details.

There's a good plot, plenty of suspects and red herrings. The characterisation can be a bit dated but overall a good read.

The first in the series featuring Chief Detective Inspector Pollard and Detective Sergeant Toye from Scotland Yard. Set in 1966 in a rural part of England the body of a murdered woman is discovered at Meldon School. The school has just been holding its annual Festival where old girls congregate to reunite with former friends and celebrate the school's achievements. The victim Beatrice Baynes was one such old girl, an interfering and spiteful elderly lady who clung to the old styles of teaching and vehemently opposed any modern changes at the school. But were her rather poisonous ways enough to warrant her murder? Local police are struggling so help is requested from Scotland Yard but even Pollard is stumped as to a decent motive and even more so a window of opportunity for the murder. This is a well written nice gentle murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie. It has well rounded characters and a good plot which was fairly easy to work out but still nice to be proved right! It took most of the book to feel like I knew much about the two lead detectives and I hope that is something that will be expanded upon in future stories which I look forward to.

Murder mystery in the traditional mold. Credible characterisation with a steady and intriguing plot. An excellent read and never as predictable as you may, at first, expect. Recommended for anyone who enjoys a cleverly and well written mystery.

First written and published in the 60’s, This is the first in the Pollard and Toye series.

The rather unpopular Beatrice Baynes is missing but no one is too worried until her body is discovered in a classroom at the nearby private school.

Inspector Pollard and Seargeant Toye are sent to Upshire from Scotland Yard to investigate.

Death of an Old Girl is a classic police procedural with several suspects with seemingly no motive. There is some great writing in the vein of classic authors like Josephine Tey and George Bellairs, with great characters and intriguing mysteries.

thanks to the Publishers/NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review

Elizabeth Lemarchand is a new author to me, and I am glad I “discovered” her. This novel, first published in 1967, is a police procedural/ traditional style British mystery. It is well written, and the novel is a quick, easy read.

I thought this novel started a bit slowly, but the slow start did serve to clearly delineate both characters and setting. The crime is a murder in a girls boarding school. Lemarchand describes the setting and her characters quite well. Pollard and Toye, the Scotland Yard detectives who handle the case, complement each other, and a lot of the novel focuses on their actions and musings. Pollard’s character is revealed to some extent, but Toye remains somewhat nebulous.

The ending was a surprise to me, although it was plausible.

This is really very unlike most mysteries being written today. It is a gentle novel, without overt violence, or objectionable language. This may not appeal to a reader who is looking for lots of page turning action, but it really appealed to me.

There are 17 books in the Pollard & Toye Investigations Series, and this is book 1. The series is being re-released and I'm glad it is, as I'll be reading them all! This is an excellent bridge series from Agatha's classic styled mysteries to the modern British procedurals we all know and love. Pollard & Toye are making use of the beginning of police forensics to help solve crimes, and in this nod to Agatha closed room mystery, those forensics end up being very important to solving the crime, and ruling out suspects! It's an interesting look back at policing, and a satisfying mystery, that will keep you reading long into the night!

A slow start, but well worth the perseverance! An old time mystery set in Upshire and investigated by Scotland Yard.. With a twist at the end! A different way of life shown excellently. A good read.

*Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for providing me with ARC in exchange for my honest review.*
If you are into classic mystery murder story, then this book is for you. Written in 1967, it is the first in the series featuring CDI Tom Pollard and Sergeant Toye. The mystery revolves around death of a busybody, Beatrice Baynes, who is killed during the annual reunion at a school where she herself was a student many years ago. It seems that several people may have wished Beatrice to die and Pollard and Toye have to check several suspects' alibis. This is a solid novel of a good old school and it reads well. At times Pollard's internal monologues seem too long, and some readers may find the pace of the novel too slow. I enjoy discovering authors who were popular fifty, sixty years ago and I will definitely try at least one more book by Elizabeth Lemarchande.

Excellent book with a great storyline. Characters that are so well written. I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

This was a well written cozy mystery which for some unknown reason I simply could not get interested in. I am sure that other will enjoy the story, just not this reader.

This is a very good old-style mystery.
It was like travelling back in time and reading a pleasant and gentle mystery.
I'm not a fan of action packed thriller and I can say this book was right for me.
The style of writing is a bit old fashioned but pleasant.
The cast of characters is likeable and sometimes funny.
The plot was entertaining and engaging, full of red herrings. It kept me guessing till the end.
I'm happy I discovered this author and look forward to reading further instalments in this series.
Highly recommended to classic and cozy mystery lovers.
Many thanks to Sapere Books and Netgalley for this ARC

Quite a slow read... nothing much seemed to happen. I'm afraid I've become to used to shocks thrown every ten mins.
Set in the 60's it's a typical village murder.
As for the murder,I couldn't fathom the who or why of that without help.
For the first in a series,I felt it lacked interaction between the two main characters,and I came away not feeling that I knew them at all.
Hopefully this improves in next books.
A clever who dunnit though,with plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing.