There is a murder in Mayfair, that posh London neighborhood. It appears to be a locked room mystery. What happened to David MacAdam? He was thought to be a businessman. Was there more to him? Does this have bearing on his death? Why is there a second murder?

All of this plot unfolds in the 1830s with Inspector Lavender, a Bow Street Runner, and his Constable, Woods. The personal lives of the two are a nice addition to the story. This is a mystery that is more toward the cozy (as compared to the truly violent) genre. It provides an enjoyable read.

Note that this is part of a series. However, it can be read as a standalone.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title. All opinions are my own.

I started this series at book 4 and thoroughly enjoyed it. This, the next in the series did not disappoint. The beauty of the characterisation here is that everyone has their distinct personalities that are always authentic and in most cases creates an immediate bond between them and the reader. I absolutely adore the dynamic between our two main protagonists, their differences in social standing and attitudes make them a near perfect crime fighting team and their immediate circles enrich and inform the thrust of the tale.


Another exciting and involving plot gallops along with plenty of surprises along the way. Intricate enough for fans of mystery, but also atmospheric and historically dense enough to suit a fan of Victorian romances too.

I loved it, I almost just want to say don't take my word on it, just experience it for yourself!!!

Murder in Park Lane is the fifth book in this series.

Description: London, 1812. At a fashionable address in leafy Mayfair, a far cry from Detective Stephen Lavender’s usual haunts, a man is found dead in his room. He has been brutally stabbed, but the door is locked from the inside and the weapon is missing. The deceased is David MacAdam, an Essex businessman with expensive tastes. As Lavender and Constable Ned Woods travel between London and Chelmsford seeking to understand MacAdam’s final hours and unearth the grisly truth, they uncover a tangled web of deceit behind his stylish facade. The unusual circumstances of MacAdam’s death are nothing compared to the shady nature of his life and it seems the house on Park Lane is at the heart of a dark conspiracy. But when a second body turns up, everything they think they’ve learned is thrown into doubt. Can Lavender and Woods find out who’s behind these shocking murders before more lives are ruined?

The story revolves around Detective Lavender and Constable Woods working together to figure out who murdered David MacAdam. Lavender is surprised when arrogant Sir Richard Allison, a renowned physician requests her assistance to figure out how MacAdam could have been murdered in a room locked from the inside?

Things get complicated when a second victim is murdered. So, definitely a great mystery.

Overall, the characters are well defined and the story keeps you guessing until the very end.

I was provided this book free of charge in exchange for my honest opinion. I give this a 5 Star

This is a Bow Street Police story from early 1800 London. Anyone who likes early English fiction will enjoy this book. The characters of Detective Stephen Lavender and Constable Ned Woods are believable and realistic. This is a time for solving crime with questions and intuition. It is the kind of story where the reader can solve the problem along with the character. The premise centers on a suspicious death in a rooming house and follows threads of clues to villages and odd people until a solution finally emerges. Along the way there are lies, deceit and misdirection which adds to the color and vitality of the side characters. The pacing is good and the locations are lively. I enjoyed this book and will look for more by this author.

In Karen Charlton's Murder in Park Lane, the 3rd installment in the Detective Lavender Historical Mystery series, this novel would take you back to time with a twisted ride. It's London 1812. It all started when Detective Stephen Lavender and Constable Ned Woods from the Park Row Police Department received a call about a murder from Dr. Richard Allison, the Medical Examiner. They came to the scene of the crime to discover the body of David MacAdam. As they started the investigation, they learned more about the corpse that had more twists and turns with every clue. It ranged from adultery to being a lothario and a swindler to say the least. Meanwhile Lavender expected his first child with his Spanish wife Magdalena, while Ned dealt with fasting to trim his waist. Together, they come across some unsavory people who might want MacAdam dead for more than one reason. The closer they get to the truth, the more twisted it could be with one step from another until they found the culprit and put him and her behind bars.

This is a cozy historical murder mystery the 5th in the series but easy to get into. It's 1812 and Regency England is fighting with basically everyone (France, the US, Spain, etc). Lavender and sidekick Woods are called to the scene of a locked room murder in an upscale neighborhood in London. They're soon on the hunt for a murderer (or murderers). The plot is appealingly twisty and the characters are fairly well defined. There is humor to be found here and some of the interactions are lightly comedic. I recommend to any cozy mystery fan

Murder in Park Lane by Karen Charlton, is book five of the ‘Detective Lavender Mysteries’, however it can be read as a stand-alone book.
I read this as a stand-alone read and thoroughly enjoyed the book without reading the previous books in the series; however, I now want to read the whole series as I loved the mix of historical fiction and mystery which this book gave. It is set in Mayfair, London in 1812, and Detective Stephen Lavender is investigating the death of a man who has been killed by fatal stabbing but surprisingly the body is found behind a door which is locked from the inside and the murder weapon is missing. So begins Detective Lavender’s investigations, the author brings the sights and sounds of both London and Chelmsford alive as the Detective travels between the two to solve the mysterious death of businessman David MacAdam. When a second body turns up, Lavender along with Ned Woods, the Constable, learn that the house on Park Lane has a dark conspiracy and the two must learn the truth behind the murders and who is doing them.
This is a fast paced book and it took me along for the journey, I was hooked from page one. Definitely recommend the ‘Detective Lavender Mysteries’ series.

I enjoyed this! This is the first ‘Inspector Lavender’ Book I’ve read, although apparently it’s the fifth in the series. I liked both the main character and his sidekick, as well as the whole cast of interesting and well-drawn characters of all ages and walks of life. The initial mystery—how was a lodger stabbed to death in his locked room?—is quickly resolved, but just as quickly escalates into an increasingly larger mystery that gets more complex and more puzzling with each new development. Kept me guessing until the end, The vivid descriptions of life in early London added depth, life, color, and smells—not all of them good!—to the story and made for a very full and satisfying reading experience.

MURDER IN PARK LANE is the fifth instalment in a series featuring Detective Lavender and Constable Woods. Although it was my first encounter with the duo, I thought this mystery worked really well as a single read. Karen Charlton seamlessly touched on earlier happenings so I didn’t feel I was missing out on anything important.
Although I love them, I liked that this mystery was not a twisted psychological thriller or a novel about psychopathic serial killers, for a change. Instead, the focus of this wonderful mystery was a comparatively inoffensive murder case in a pleasant part of historical London.
The main characters were very likeable, as were the outlandish suspects. The plot was well-paced and there was a number of red herrings to figure out. Overall, MURDER IN PARK LANE was a very enjoyable and entertaining book that I highly recommend.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel, at my own request, from the publisher via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Murder in Park Lane is the 5th Detective Lavender mystery by Karen Charlton. Released 12th Feb 2019 by Amazon on their Thomas & Mercer imprint, it's 313 pages and available in paperback, ebook, and audi formats.

This is a cozy historical murder mystery. 1812 and Regency England is fighting with basically everyone (France, the US, Spain, etc). Lavender and sidekick Woods are called to the scene of a locked room murder in an upscale neighborhood in London. They're soon on the hunt for a murderer (or murderers). The plot is appealingly twisty and the characters are fairly well defined. There is humor to be found here and some of the interactions are lightly comedic.

I found the author's use of casual endearments somewhat wearying and quite a lot of the dialogue was tough going. I was repeatedly yanked out of the story by anachronistic turns of phrase and if -any- policeman, however highly placed, had dared speak to even minor nobility like Lavender does, he'd have been horsewhipped at the very least. Start to finish, this was a book with modern sensibilities and interactions written for modern audiences. Also, the phonetic dialect was hard going for most of the book. I didn't find it added much verisimilitude and most of the time it just made me roll my eyes internally.

Much of the language and slang used in the book are British and American readers may have to use the 'lookup' feature on their e-readers; but that doesn't present any problems.

Three and a half stars.

Written by Karen Charlton — Some book titles are far too clever for their own good and can leave the reader puzzled. An oblique reference to an as-yet-uncovered crime, maybe? A play on words? Yet another variation on the ‘Lies’ or ‘Girl’ theme? No such subterfuge here, Murder in Park Lane is about a murder, in London’s swanky Park Lane no less!

The latest outing for Detective Stephen Lavender, a Principal Officer with the Bow Street Police Office, and his trusty sidekick, Constable Ned Woods, opens with a conundrum in the salubrious surroundings of Mayfair. A man has been found dead in his bedchamber and none other than renowned surgeon Sir Richard Allison has demanded Lavender’s assistance in the matter. Sir Richard has often been called upon to help the Bow Street officers in their investigations and there’s no love lost between him and Ned Woods, who calls the doctor a ‘wheedling sawbones’. Looks like the sparks are about to fly.

It’s an instantly engaging and hugely entertaining start to number five in a series that goes from strength to strength. Lavender soon cuts through Sir Richard’s bluster and realises the victim has, indeed, been murdered. But who would want to kill businessman David MacAdam, a lodger in the home of impoverished Mrs Palmer, the widow of a returned British Army Colonel?

The case is a puzzling one, and the more that Lavender discovers it seems the less he actually knows. Because MacAdam was a practised liar, and the list of his victims is long. There’s nothing that Lavender loves more than an intriguing puzzle – and this case has them in spades!

It’s autumn, 1812 as this story unfolds and Charlton evoke the period with vivid precision. Lavender and Woods work well together, combining intuition with good solid police work to uncover, bit by tantalising bit, the sorry tale of David MacAdam – a lothario, cheat and philanderer. It’s a refreshing change to leave the high-tech behind and get back to the basics of police procedure and there’s something really satisfying when the clues begin to slot into place and a clearer picture emerges.

Alongside the cleverly constructed mystery, there’s the further development of the characters of Lavender and Woods. The former is about to become a father, while the latter gets himself into all manner of trouble by following his own deluded version of Regency Weight Watchers! Both storylines add depth and humour to a book where the pages just fly by.

Unlike others in this series, Murder in Park Lane is a tale taken entirely from the author’s imagination. Life in London and Chelmsford in the early 19th century is lovingly recreated here. Our main story may be centred upon London’s posher side, but Charlton also takes the reader to the capital’s less moneyed areas, evoking the sights, sounds and even the pungent scents of a busy city. Her characterisations are imaginatively rendered, with streetwise urchin Will and snooty surgeon Sir Richard particular favourites in a delicious cast of supporting characters.

Central to it all though is Lavender and Woods, a duo that has developed into a team to rival Holmes and Watson. If you’re longing for a break from the modern day crime milieu then I recommend making a date with this series. The Heiress of Linn Hagh (reviewed here as The Missing Heiress) is an excellent place to begin.

Historical crime fiction picks from various eras can be found in this feature by Barry Forshaw. London’s more recent history is evoked in Dominick Donald’s Breathe.

Thomas and Mercer
Print/Kindle
£4.99

CFL Rating: 5 Stars

Having loved the author's previous works it was an easy decision to make purchasing her latest offering. Not only was I delighted to find detective Lavender at his most tenacious at crime solving but I loved reading about his family.
I look forward to Lavender's further exploits.

Another enjoyable read in a great series - the charming gentlemanly detective, Stephen Lavender, has a locked room mystery, some sensitive dealings with more than one colleague to negotiate and an intriguing mystery to solve. These stories conjure up a great sense of that time period and the partnership (and friendship between Lavender and his Constable, Ned Woods, is written in an engaging believable manner giving an enjoyable extra dimension.
This story has mystery, intriguing misdirections and will satisfy those who enjoy the puzzle element of crime fiction but the flavour of the historical setting, the glimpses into their wider family life makes for an even more satisfying story.

Book five in the Detective Lavender series. A locked room mystery set in Mayfair, London 1812. An intriguing tale which excels with excellent character development and atmospherics. An engaging read.

This 5th instalment of Inspector Lavender once again takes you away from yourself and immerses you in yet another compelling yarn featuring Society, “gold diggers” and of course, murder in the early 1800’s. Opening with a mysterious death and up against closed ranks of High Society Lavender and Woods are starved of reliable information (and in Woods case - food!) before unpicking the thread of romance and deceit with a healthy dollop of scandal thrown in. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Hi Karen,

My Next review is:-

“Murder In Park Lane (The Detective Lavender Mysteries Book 5)”, written by Karen Charlton and published in Paperback by Thomas & Mercer on 26 March 2019. 315 pages ISBN-13: 978-1503955622

London, 21st September 1812. Detective Stephen Lavender a principal detective with the Bow Street Runners ,a forerunner to the Metropolitan Police, is called to a fashionable and expensive Park Lane, Mayfair address where a man is believed to be dead in his room. Unusually, the bedroom is locked from the inside. When entry can be attained the man is found to be dead from stab wounds but the killing weapon is missing. Could this be suicide or was it murder?
The dead man is a David MacAdam, a commercial traveller from Chelmsford in Essex whom seemed to be living a life of lies and deceit. Detective Lavender and his assistant Constable Ned Woods journey to Chelmsford to try to discover the deceased’s family and background. Whilst looking into this they find a second murder and a need to get to the bottom of these murders as quickly as possible.

The two policemen journey back and forth between Essex and central London,( a day’s travel by horseback at that time) interviewing all the background witnesses and relations to the deceased. Whilst all this is going on Constable Woods is trying to lose weight by missing out on meals and this causes him to lose his temper with witnesses and to be less than his usual discreet self.

The authors stories are the fictional adventures of Stephen Lavender, who was a real-life Principal Officer with the Bow Street Police Office in London. By the early 19th century, Principal officers had a variety of different and important roles although they were still nicknamed 'Bow Street Runners' as if they were messenger boys. Apart from supporting their colleagues solve crime in the capital, they were often sent out to help magistrates in the provinces with difficult cases. They also took part in undercover work in periods of insurrection, for example, during the Luddite riots in the Midlands and were available for hire by wealthy landowners.

This author has done extensive research into the Regency period and I was totally transported into the period and completely absorbed by this very exciting story which I read very quickly. I have not had the pleasure of reading her four previous Regency crime mysteries but have bought them on the strength of this one and look forward to reading them soon.

The author is an English graduate and a former teacher, She now writes full-time and live in a remote fishing village on the North East coast of England. I strongly recommend this book.



Best wishes,

Terry
(To be published on eurocrime.co.uk in due course)

Detective Stephen Lavender is called to investigate a murder in 1812 Mayfair district of London. David MacAdam is found dead in his room with the door locked from the inside. He was stabbed sometime the night before. The investigation leads the detective to Chelmsford where they find that MacAdam died months ago and has been buried by his wife. The more Lavender investigates with his partner Constable Woods the more interesting the case becomes and they are determined to find out what happened.

This is a fun classic mystery. There's lots of action and suspense. Detective Lavender and Constable Woods are called to Mayfair, where lodger MacAdam has been stabbed in a locked room with no murder weapon. Mrs. Palmer had three Dodgers, the others being Bentley and Collins. Collins has been away on business for some time. The detectives see a men's corset and realize that he probably didn't bleed much until undressed. Thus was probably was murdered before arriving home.

Lavender and Woods find MacAdam was about to marry a very wealthy young Indian woman, but was also squiring three elderly ladies for pay, and he was still married. When the detectives visited the wife, they find the wife was about to marry Ike Rawlings; several months previously, she had received a coffin delivered by Collins, which he said contained her dead husband. The detectives now realize that there must be a second murder in the coffin and have it dug up.

There are a lot of suspects for two murders and a robbery. In the end, Lavender and Woods figure everything out, but not until a wild chase after the killer/kidnapper and robber.

London 1812 and Detective Lavender is called out to the home of Mrs Sylia Palmer, as she has discovered one of her lodgers dead. Dead in a locked room. The lodger was a David MacAdam but who was he really and why was he killed. Lavender aided by Constable Woods must untangle the mystery.
Another well-written enjoyable mystery is this series, with its likeable characters. The book is easily read as a standalone novel but I would recommend reading the first four as they are such good reads.

I haven’t read any other books in this series but this proved to be no obstacle to my understanding or to my enjoyment of my first encounter with Lavender and Woods. This pair are a crime cracking partnership that bridges social classes of the time-making their team both more effective and more engaging narratively. The historical setting seemed well researched and the mystery to be solved was intriguing- the clues and unravelling story of the events leading to the murder kept me hooked. I enjoyed the portrayal of both lead characters-rounded individuals dedicated to their jobs and their families. I would very happily pick up more books in this series for an afternoon of ‘cosy’ escapist historical crime solving.
Thanks to NetGalley, Karen Charlton and Amazon Publishing UK for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.