This book takes place in the late 1800's in London, England. The British Museum is having and Arthurian exhibit when the main scholar, Professor Lance Pickering, is murdered. This is the second book in the series and it can be a stand alone. However, I feel you get more context if you read a series in order. This has a Sherlock Holmes feel to it. I liked it enough to want to go back and read the first one.

I’m intrigued by stories set in museums, mainly because I love seeing what authors think curators do with their time (hint: less of the jungles, secret societies and revivified mummies; more ferreting around in dusty boxes. Or maybe that’s just me). This particular book caught my eye because it’s set in my own stomping ground. How could I resist a murder mystery in the hallowed halls of the British Museum? In retrospect, I probably should have done: partly for the usual reason (indignation at a lack of familiarity with what the building actually looks like), and partly because I didn’t think it was particularly well-written. But there’s still a measure of interest to be found in this tale of dastardly doings in Bloomsbury, and in the enterprising duo who are called in to help solve the crime and – more importantly – salvage the Museum’s reputation.

When I requested this book from Netgalley, it wasn’t made clear that it was the second book in a series, and so I spent most of the novel feeling like a latecomer to a conversation. It felt as though everyone already knew each other and was trying to explain to me, rather laboriously, how they’d met. It is, in fact, the second of three books: the first is called Murder at the Fitzwilliam and the third, with the kind of grim inevitability that you can see thundering towards you from a distance, is Murder at the Ashmolean. I suggest that the UK police force set up immediate cordons at the Pitt Rivers, the Horniman and the Geffrye Museums, because clearly nowhere is safe. On the other hand, you could just decide not to keep yourself out of danger by not setting foot in a museum for the rest of your life. The choice is yours.

Professor Lance Pickering is dead. To be precise, he was brutally stabbed by a mysterious assailant in the men’s toilets of the British Museum, just before he was supposed to give a lecture on the new exhibition The Age of King Arthur. The incident has been reported to the Metropolitan Police, but Sir Jasper Stone, director of the Museum, has decided to hedge his bets. He also approaches Daniel Wilson, a private investigator and former policeman, who has a track record of solving potentially embarrassing crimes with discretion and honour. Daniel and his partner, Egyptologist Abigail Fenton, are more than willing to help, but it is a baffling case. Why on earth would a respected academic be murdered? Was it a case of mistaken identity? A scholarly dispute? (Pickering has recently published a book on Ambrosius Aurelianus, one of the theoretical prototypes for the Arthur legend; but surely academic disagreement doesn’t lead to murder?) Perhaps he was just the innocent victim of an act aimed not at him but the Museum itself? Who would hold a grudge against a mild-mannered professor?

Of course, it soon transpires that Lance Pickering was slightly more complicated than anyone had anticipated – or been willing to say. As Daniel and Abigail plunge deeper into their investigations – with the tacit encouragement of Daniel’s former Met colleague, Inspector John Fisher, and the profound loathing of Superintendent Armstong – a whole tangle of new possibilities make themselves known. Was Pickering really the beloved and upstanding husband that his wife claims? If so, why does she seem to have a suspiciously close male friend? Was he the selfless paragon promoted by his publisher? Could it really be true that a vindictive secret society was after Pickering? Or could the whole thing be the result of political action by Irish terrorists? Daniel and Abigail must find the truth – and quickly, because presently it becomes clear that Pickering won’t be the only casualty of this peculiar case. To make matters worse, gutter journalist Ned Carson is on their trail and will stop at nothing to get his scoop – even if it’s gossip about the precise nature of our detectives’ partnership.

On one level this is a fun period detective story, but I couldn’t help feeling that it would have benefitted from a firmer editorial hand. Many of the issues that I had with the novel were stylistic and could have been ironed out, especially given that this is not a self-published novel but one published through an established house. My main problem was that the dialogue very rarely felt natural. Much of it was designed to give us information, and it felt dull and didactic. I don’t know if you’re familiar with the term ‘As You Know, Bob’, but it’s used to describe conversations in which people explain things to one another that really shouldn’t have to be explained because they both know it. It’s done for the benefit of the reader, and it always jars. Here, unfortunately, there is quite a lot of ‘As You Know, Bob’, and little of it is helpful to the plot. Take, for example, an episode in which Daniel and Abigail head to East London. Abigail observes, ‘“Looking at the names of the stations we’ll be going through, many of them seem to be associated with docks”‘. This gives Daniel a chance to explain to her that they’re passing into the Docklands and to give her some history about the Isle of Dogs. This leads into an explanation about Millwall, the history of local London football teams, and the dangers of sporting rivalry. These may well be the kinds of random conversations that we have in real life, but they’re usually cut out of fiction because they aren’t immediately relevant (or interesting). You don’t get people in Agatha Christie novels having long conversations about whether there’s enough milk. Real life does not a gripping novel make.

Unfortunately, that’s just one example of a rather pernicious kind of conversation that crops up throughout the book. I’m afraid the next three paragraphs are a bit of a rant, so do feel free to skip them. Now, I haven’t read Murder at the Fitzwilliam, the first book in this series, but the premise here is that Abigail has been working out in Egypt for some years and so needs to have quite a lot of very obvious things explained to her. It’s all done so that the reader understands, but the result is a rather irritating and repetitive conversation in which a man explains things to a supposedly highly intelligent woman. Usually the one doing to the explaining is Daniel. If I were Abigail – a graduate of Girton, with extensive archaeological experience under my belt and, one presumes, a good deal of common sense – I would have lost patience with such mansplaining long ago, and belted him round the head with my handbag. But maybe that’s just me.

The frustrating thing is that Abigail is obviously meant to be a modern female protagonist who is the equal of her male counterparts. As the book opens, people at the British Museum are falling over themselves to tell her how much they admire her. The archaeological world is a small one, they tell her. Word spreads about good people. Great! Merit is receiving its just rewards. But unfortunately not everyone seems quite so well-informed about Abigail’s activities. Or, more accurately, their awareness of her work is… patchy. Take, for example, the scene where she goes to visit her old friend Charles Winter. He’s delighted to see her, of course, and greets her with: ‘So, is it your Roman work that’s brought you here …?’ Then, less than TWO pages later, he’s obviously had a brain bypass: he gets caught up in explaining the Druids to her, only for her to say something about Boudica; after which he gives an ‘apologetic smile‘ and says, ‘I keep forgetting that Roman Britain was another of your areas of scholarship‘. Good God, Charles, you haven’t forgotten, because you mentioned it two pages ago. But maybe the author forgot that you hadn’t forgotten, because he needed you to dump some information for the benefit of the reader, i.e. mansplain.

Poor Abigail. When does she get to explain anything to the men? She’s meant to be smart and widely admired, but unfortunately none of the men have got the memo. The one time she defies Daniel’s warnings to be careful, she gets herself in a sticky situation (God forbid women taking the initiative and trying to do Things That Men Should Do!). She’s used for two main functions: first, to show how terribly modern Daniel is, because he’s domestic while she’s charmingly backward in that area; and second, as a straw (wo)man for men to explain things to. Things that any halfway intelligent woman, even one who has just spent years in Egypt, probably already knows. It just narked me. Over the course of my career I have (relatively rarely, thank God) had things explained to me by men, including, in a classic example, something on which I had just published an article, and I feel angry on Abigail’s behalf that she doesn’t have a better plot.

The thing that baffles me is that Jim Eldridge is not some rookie novelist just finding his feet. According to his biography at the back of the book, he’s written more than a hundred books and sold more than three million copies, so he is, by any definition of the term, an expert. With that in mind, it’s rather frustrating that plot and characterisation aren’t better served here. And it isn’t just Abigail, poor martyr that she is. The plot flounders around and the grand denouement demands us to believe a lot of rather implausible things about people secreting weapons on their person in public places and so forth… It just didn’t hold together. I could never lose sight of the fact that I was reading a book, because the characters never felt like real people, no matter how much I wanted them to. And I did; I really did. But it just didn’t quite work.

For the review, please see my blog:
https://theidlewoman.net/2019/08/01/murder-at-the-british-museum-jim-eldridge/

Murder at the British Museum
Author: Jim Eldridge
Publisher: Allison and Busby
Publication Date: July 18, 2019
4 Stars

An exhibit on King Arthur is being showcased at the British Museum when Lance Pickering, a professor whose work is prominently featured in the exhibit, is found murdered in a bathroom in the museum. Daniel Wilson, a former Scotland Yard detective and private enquiry agent, has been asked by the museum’s director, Sir Jasper Stone, to investigate the matter. Daniel Wilson is accompanied by his new partner, Abagail Fenton, to help him look into the matter. Scotland Yard is also on the case, but the museum’s director wants to protect the museum’s reputation, and he trusts Daniel’s expertise and discretion in solving the killing. Daniel and Abagail have their work cut out for them though, especially since Pickering’s murder won’t be the last.

Murder at the British Museum is the second book in the Museum Mysteries series. Both books are very good, and I think that readers that are fond of historical mysteries will enjoy both of them. While I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, I thought the second book was even better.

The author has done a superb job of developing both the primary and secondary characters. They are all unique and fascinating, and they work well together. I especially appreciated the growth that Abagail has undergone between the two novels. She is still as fiercely independent and strong, but she is not nearly as brusque. She is a much more likable character.

The mystery in this story takes center stage, and it is very captivating. The further I got into the book, the harder and harder it was to put down. Daniel’s detective skills are top notch, but that doesn’t mean he knew from the outset how the case would go. He follows leads and hunches that sometimes pay out and sometimes don’t. He works hard to get from point A to point B, and it was enjoyable to watch him build and unravel the mystery. It was a heck of a ride all the way until the end.

I’m looking forward to the third book in this series.

Thanks to Net Galley and Allison and Busby for an ARC of this book. #NetGalley #MurderAtTheBritishMuseum

This is the second book in the series however I haven't read the first book and feel it could be read as a standalone without issue.

Overall I did enjoy this murder mystery however I felt they were a few too many clichés and that the author was too detailed at times which slowed the pace of the novel and I ended up skim reading a fair bit which is a shame.

Thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc.

I had high hopes of this book, given I enjoy history and murders, but it didn't quite grab my attention.

I liked what the book showed me of Daniel and Abigail, but found them a little flat as characters. Abigail's not wanting to marry would have rather made her stand out badly given the era, and I don't think those around her would have approved of her at all if they'd worked out she and Daniel were lovers, but apart from her estrangement with her sister that seems to have been largely glossed over. Which I wasn't entirely convinced by since they are apparently fairly newly in a relationship and are often apart (her digs).

The mystery too didn't rocket along at an engrossing rate, there was rather too much repetition of the various points. In fact, I was about to give up reading when the second murder was discovered, which persuaded me to continue.

All in all, a bit of a flat read sadly.

Thank you to Netgalley and Allison and Busby for the review copy.

Synopsis:
Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton are a team of private detectives. He a former detective inspector with Scotland Yard who works as a private enquirer now and she an archaeologist. In the London of 1894, they are investigating – as the title suggests – a murder, at the British Museum.

Sir Jasper Stone, the museum director, hires them to investigate the murder of one Professor Lance Pickering. A murder which occurred on the premises of the museum is a threat to its reputation.

Review:
The casual manner of acquaintanceship of here and now makes us forget about the formality of the yore. There is so much respect, even while rebuking someone. It is after a long time that I'm reading fiction set in that era and it is making me nostalgic for things that I didn't even experience. And, ironically, I'm reading an e-copy of this book! It is, after all, a good old murder mystery with the old-fashioned charm of solving crimes. Following the murder, threats are received, detective work is carried out with a fair amount of guesswork, leads are followed, proofs are gathered, etc. etc. etc.

Jim Eldridge has spun a tale of mystery which kept me guessing till the very end as to the identity of the murderer. He has built up the entire story meticulously, linking several aspects of the case and thereby reaching the conclusion. It was fun reading this one!

There is a myriad of characters but never does it overwhelm the story in any way. Rather, they complement each other and fit in perfectly. I especially loved the substance given by the author to the character of Abigail. She holds her own, and considering it is the year 1894 it may not have been easy to write such a character! A murder means that along with the private detectives there will be the police as well - the Scotland Yard. And it also means that there will be the usual tussle between the authority and the private detectives! There are a number of suspects to be investigated and some history lessons too (it is a museum, after all).

The romantic angle, which is quite modern for 1890s sensibilities, fits into the story beautifully. I believe it is the only connection from the first book – Murder at the Fitzwilliam. The domesticity that is shown, albeit briefly, is amusing. This book makes me want to watch the fictional Arthur's fictional TV Series – Merlin – the one starring Bradley James as King Arthur. This story is a classic whodunit which you will want to read again and again.

I was expecting to love ‘Murder at the British Museum’ but I just liked it. I love murder mysteries and whilst the last quarter of the book had me so hooked, the first part was just very slow. (I'm glad I pushed through as the end of the book definitely saved the beginning). The style was really simplistic and didn't flow at all which was a shame because it made the characters feel a bit superficial. I didn't realise that it was the second in a series and you don't need to have read the previous book to enjoy this one. Overall, I was hoping for more from this book.

Former Scotland Yard Inspector Daniel Wilson now works as a ‘private enquiry agent’ – private investigator to the rest of us. Along with new partner (which would be a spoiler for book 1, it turns out), historian Abigail Fenton, he’s called in to investigate a murder in – as the title suggests! – the British Museum. Who would have wanted to viciously stab the author of a book about King Arthur?

Set in London not long after the Jack the Ripper investigation, one of the appeals of this book was the period setting. I don’t think it worked quite as well for me as I’d hoped, nor the handling of the female lead. She’s quite kick-ass, and modern, and then does some daft girlie things that had me rolling my eyes a little.

I could imagine the author identifying quite strongly with his lead character, but the rest of the cast can be a little flat. In particular, the Scotland Yard Chief Inspector feels like quite a stereotype. I also found the author’s expansive historical knowledge a little too spelled out at times, with mini-info dumps at regular intervals. Likewise the geography of London is a little too in-depth at times.

And yet, despite these perceived flaws, I still fairly enjoyed the read. The chapters are short and the pace brisk, and the tone is relatively light but not remotely fluffy. I was in the mood for an easy read, and this fit the bill well – so much, that I’ve requested the first installment from the library.

Jim Eldridge has put together a interesting whodunnit in “Murder at the British Museum.” Our main characters are Daniel Wilson, ex-Scotland Yard police inspector, and his beloved, Abigail Fenton, archeologist, who won’t marry him but will live with him. That’s a recurring theme through the book, as you can imagine. And must be kept secret, as you can also imagine. It’s 1894, after all.

Daniel’s a private enquiry agent and Abigail assists with the investigations. And this is a big one. A leading Arthurian scholar has been found dead in the “Gentlemen’s” at the Museum, and it’s not an accident. Daniel’s called in by the head of the museum to investigate. It’s soon determined that Professor Pickering was not a popular man, and so the quest begins to find out which one of a long list of possible suspects did the deed.
Jim Eldridge employs quite the list himself of mystery tropes – the helpful policeman, the unhappy wife, the possible lover, the nosy newspaper reporter. Then there’s the cliched buffoon of a superintendent. Could do without that from the get-go. We’ve seen quite enough of those characters in books lately, haven’t we?

However, the twistings of plot helps to overcome my quibbles about character letdowns. There’s possible blackmail, possible political ties, worries about exhibits in the museum, Pickering’s personal life and eventually his dubious scholarship, and plenty more to keep you busy deciding why, how, and eventually, who, of course.

There’s even another death. It’s suspicious, if you’ve been reading closely. Have you?

Of course, the cliched superintendent jumps to the wrong conclusion – don’t they always? And Abigail gets to spend several paragraphs explaining Sigmund Freud to Daniel and the search for the real killer goes on.
Well, we come to the end, and things get interesting. Abigail gets super-involved. Really, involved, shall we say, in a heart in your throat way. But I felt that there’s a missing scene here, in a kind of “you went to the kitchen and missed it” way. I can’t say more without spoiling a really important part of the plot, but It’s almost as if the author couldn’t think of a reason for the killer NOT doing something. Of course, for fans of our dynamic duo, that’s a very good thing, but the ending fell flat for me in this particular regard. Wish I could tell you why, but I can’t. So, had to take down a star for that.

All’s well that ends well, at least for those we’ve come to know. And that’s a very good thing. We’ll see how that goes, too.

Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for a copy of this book, in exchange for this review.

Love me a good mystery!! This book is amazing!! Definitely need to give it a chance. It’s such a well written story that you don’t want to end.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review! I really enjoyed this mystery, and I will absolutely be following Eldridge for the next book in the series. This is a well-crafted mystery with interesting and relatable characters, which is becoming a rarity in mysteries these days. Both characters have their quirks, but you can understand their actions- Abigail's mention of when she was on a dig in Egypt and had to physically protect herself felt wonderfully modern (but still accurate).

I also loved the subject matter of the exhibition itself- the Arthurian legends are in my academic wheelhouse, and it was dealt with quite smartly. It didn't take away from the murder of the professor at all, and made it much more enjoyable than most mysteries. Quite a gem of a book!

In 1894, there is a Murder in the British Museum. Private Inquiry Agent Daniel Wilson and his live-in lover Abigail Fenton, a famous archaeologist, investigate at the request of the museum director.

Esteemed Professor Lance Pickering is most famous for his work on the new King Arthur exhibit and for his new book about Arthur’s uncle, Ambrosius. That is until he is stabbed in the museum’s restroom behind a locked cubicle door.

Daniel quickly guesses how the murder was done. Unfortunately, he must work even faster to discover the who before his nemesis, Superintendent Armstrong of Scotland Yard, beats him to it.

If you enjoy learning some Arthurian and 19th century London history while reading an engaging mystery, you will enjoy Murder at the British Museum. There is also a strong feminist as the detective’s side kick plus the almost obligatory bumbling Scotland Yard employee complicating the case. I liked the no-nonsense romance between Daniel and Abigail. The mystery was good too. Overall, I rate it at 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars!

Thanks to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This is a great story which keeps you interested throughout. It is basically a murder mystery and a love story rolled into one with a historical context. Lead characters are ahead of their time by "living in sin" and sharing the domestics, as well as challenging the old gender perceptions of the time.

The plot is good and rolls along at a good pace. Definitely a light, entertaining read which I would thoroughly recommend.

The fact that it is part of a series of stories means I will now happily read the other books too!

An excellent historical mystery, well written, engrossing and entertaining.
It's a page turner I read it as fast as I could.
I appreciated the cast of characters, well written and fleshed out, and the detailed and well researched historical background.
I especially loved Abigail, a strong and unconventional woman.
The mystery was very good, full of twists and turns, and it kept me guessing till the end.
Even if this is the second installment in a series I had no issue in understanding the plot or the characters.
I look forward to reading the next installment.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

My thanks to Allison & Busby of Jim Eldridge’s ‘Murder at the British Museum’ in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second in his Museum Murders series set in 1890s England featuring former Detective Inspector Daniel Wilson, who had been involved in the Jack the Ripper case. After leaving Scotland Yard he has set up as a private enquiry agent. He is assisted by Miss Abigail Fenton, an archaeologist.

When Professor Lance Pickering was found stabbed at the British Museum where he was due to give a talk for the new exhibition, The Age of King Arthur, the Museum directors ask Wilson and Fenton to investigate on their behalf.

The police are naturally also investigating and while some welcome Wilson’s involvement, others are not too pleased. Then there is another stabbing.

This was an interesting historical mystery with two likeable leads in Daniel and Abigail. I especially enjoyed the Arthurian aspect of the mystery. I did spot whodunnit early on and was quite pleased to have been right.

I plan on reading the other books in this series as I enjoy these kind of mysteries and also love museums. The first book was set at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge and the third at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.

3.5 rounded up to 4.

Murder at the British Museum by Jim Eldridge is a very enjoyable and engaging historical crime novel that is easy to read and got me hooked from the beginning.

Despite not having read any of the previous books in the series I had no issues with following the main story and with understanding the back stories of the well fleshed out main characters.

I will be picking up the other books in the series.

Thank you to Netgalley, and Jim Eldridge for aneARC in exchange for an honest review.

Set in the late 19th Century Murder at the British Museum is an interesting, easy read. It follows ex police officer Daniel Wilson and his partner Abigail Fenton as they investigate the murder of a well-respected academic who was found dead in a gentlemen’s convenience cubicle at the British Museum, Forced to work alongside a police chief who bears a long standing grudge and fanatical group of King Arthur fans, Wilson and Fenton face a race against time to salvage the reputation of the museum and catch a murderer desperate for revenge.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it mixes fiction with snippets of historical fact which leaves you wanting to explore a little bit deeper.
The plot was clever and constantly lead you in different directions and seemed surprisingly relevant today.

A great murder mystery and thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is an excellent British crime mystery taking place in the British Museum in 1894. Ex-Scotland Yard detective, now a 'private inquiry agent', Daniel Wilson and archeologist Abigail Fenton are romantically involved and work together on crimes that come Daniel's way with a historical bent - when she is not abroad on a dig. This is an excellent mystery - and I loved both the action and the tip of the hat to those women fighting quietly against the social mores hemming in females in turn-of-the-20th-century British culture. Abigail Fenton is a brave soul, and Daniel as well, and the perpetrator of our mystery didn't have a chance of escaping their combined talents. Jim Eldridge has a fine writing style, placing you mentally in the time and place he chooses to take you. This is a series I must follow. London has been long on my bucket list, but Eldredge moved it up a few notches.

I received a free electronic copy of this British murder mystery on May 3, 2019, from Netgalley, Jim Eldridge, and Allison & Busby publishers. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

Within the first few pages I was intrigued. A murder at the British Museum and an adventure over an area of London that I know very well. Now, depending on the quality of the work, this could have gone two ways - fantastically or dire. I'm happy to see it walked a fine line and for 95% of the tale, it was accurate.
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A couple of things that the historically accurate pedant in me needs to highlight are two points that probably could have been caught and fixed. 1; UCL was not UCL in 1894. It was "University College, London" not "University College London". Yes, the difference is a single comma but until 1977 (and one other version of the name), the point stands. 2; Eldridge has his characters go to Birmingham via Watford. While this is correct, it should be noted that even in 1894, the Junction was known as Watford Junction and had been since 1858.
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At times I also felt I was being bludgeoned by historical information. Some of the repetition was also wearing. Eldridge does go overboard with informative tidbits. I will acknowledge, however, there will be readers for whom London's history isn't a primary concern.
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What can be said is the greatest element of this book is Eldridge's ability to control and tell a story. Again, within the first few pages, the reader can be reassured they're in safe hands, even if the story delivers them to rookeries and rat infested tunnels.

Murder at the British Museum by Jim Eldridge is a very enjoyable and engaging historical crime novel that is easy to read and got me hooked from the beginning.

Despite not having read any of the previous books in the series I had no issues with following the main story and with understanding the back stories of the well fleshed out main characters.

The book moves along at a decent pace with a number of red herrings thrown in to keep you guessing until near the end.

Overall a book that I would thoroughly recommend