A murder in the British Museum!? Duh, of course since that's the title of this intriguing mystery featuring former Scotland Yard officer and now private detective Daniel Wilson and his partner (in all things) Abigail Fenton, an archeologist. That the head of the museum called in Wilson to solve the murder of Professor Pickering has really irritated Scotland Yard, especially Superintendent Armstrong who THINKS he's in charge. That won't stop Wilson, however, from untangling things with Abigail (and with little secret assistance from Inspector Feather). You'll learn a little bit about the museum, get a good sense of 1894 London, and generally have a good time. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I read this as a standalone (there's only one earlier one) and greatly enjoyed it. Now I'm looking forward to the next one.

Murder at the British Museum is an entertaining who-done-it that puts its detectives on the trail of a clever murderer who seemingly can penetrate the British Museum at will. Full of twists and turns, it should be enjoyed by mystery buffs who read Charles Finch.

1894. A well-respected academic is found dead in a gentlemen's convenience cubicle at the British Museum, the stall locked from the inside. Professor Lance Pickering had been due to give a talk promoting the museum's new 'Age of King Arthur' exhibition when he was stabbed repeatedly in the chest. Having forged a strong reputation working alongside the inimitable Inspector Abberline on the Jack the Ripper case, Daniel Wilson is called in to solve the mystery of the locked cubicle murder, and he brings his expertise and archaeologist Abigail Fenton with him. But it isn't long before the museum becomes the site of another fatality and the pair face mounting pressure to deliver results. With enquiries compounded by persistent journalists, local vandals and a fanatical society, Wilson and Fenton face a race against time to salvage the reputation of the museum and catch a murderer desperate for revenge.

I didn't realize this was part of a series, but I think it works well as a stand alone. I was entertained all the way through and could really feel the strong connection between Daniel and Abigail. The setting and plot were well-researched and laid out.

This is the third (or maybe second) book in a series about former police officer Daniel Wilson (he worked on the Jack the Ripper case and is now a private investigator) and Abigail Fenton (archaeologist and explorer, and now investigator). Everyone else whose reviews I've read seems to have enjoyed this book, but I'm afraid I'm going to be the dissenting vote here. I found it terribly difficult to get into and to finish reading, the characters one-dimensional, the romance tepid, even the feud between the male protagonist and one of the police officers was dull. Even worse, the moment one particular character was introduced, I guessed immediately this was the murderer of Professor Pickering, and I usually don't pick up on these things.

Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton have to be two of the dullest Victorian lovers ever. Every time they're at home and she's cooking for him I wanted to fall asleep. I don't get any sense of them as living, breathing human beings. Plus Abigail, already unconventional for being an archaeologist, is really bucking convention by living with a man out of wedlock. While they don't go around broadcasting this fact, a lot of people either seem to know or have guessed, so I would expect a lot more negative acceptance of Abigail because they believed or suspected she was "living in sin." Even worse, Americanisms and modern sayings—at one point Abigail talks about someone "hanging around" someone else (while "hang out" goes back to the 19th century, I believe "hanging around" is a 20th century term)—infiltrate every chapter. I'd no sooner gotten into what sounded like authentic British Victorian dialog when up would come one of those anachronisms to toss me out of the story.

There are so many better male/female Victorian crimefighting teams: the Pitts, the Monks, and especially Amelia Peabody and Radcliffe Emerson. I eat up their adventures; this was just tedious.

An enjoyable murder mystery set at the British Museum. I think the concept of mysteries at museums is a great one and I particularly liked the strong female lead especially as she is an archaeologist, like myself. I hadn’t realised that this was the second in the series but this book can stand alone. I’m sure if I had read the first then I’d have appreciated the relationship between the main characters more but felt their strong connection particularly at the end. I was most intrigued by Daniel’s work on the Ripper case.

Very well written and interesting book. It really grabs your attention from the first page, which is something that is incredibly difficult to achieve. I highly recommend this!

Murder at the British Museum by Jim Eldridge, a great little Murder Mystery. Full of twists and turns, these characters come alive and make you root for them.

Professor Lance Pickering is stabbed to death in the British Museum’s gentleman’s conveniences before giving a talk about his book on the origins of King Arthur during an exhibition.

Daniel Wilson, ex policeman turned private investigator, and his partner (personal and professional) archeologist Abigail Fenton are called in by the museum director, Sir Jasper Stone, to investigate, much to the annoyance of the policeman in charge, Superintendent Armstrong, a pig headed not overly talented but very ambitious man.Luckily Daniel has a friend on the team in the form of the delightfully named Inspector Feather.

There were one or two historical inaccuracies and the dialogue between Daniel and Abigail was at times a little stilted, but this was otherwise an enjoyable and entertaining read.

I was really looking forward to this when I saw it was available for review on Netgalley as two of my favourite things are museums and murder mysteries.Plenty of historical titbits thrown in to the mix add to the atmosphere and I shall look out for the other two books in the series.

By the by I found out whilst doing a bit of research about the author that among other things he was the man behind the very jolly Parsley Sidings the recently repeated radio sitcom featuring some of the Dad’s Army gang.

Really enjoyed this period murder mystery.
Set in Victorian London, former police detective, Daniel Wilson and archaeologist Abigail Fenton are called in to solve a murder at the British Museum.
An eminent historian has been murdered and the clues to the killer could be found in the new exhibition.
Lots of twists and turns this keeps you interested right to the end. The relationship between Daniel and Abigail is an interesting dynamic.
A good read if you like a murder mystery.
Thanks Netgalley for the advanced copy in return for a review.

This was the first book I have read in this series, and was an enjoyable read.

The story was set in the British Museum (one of my favourite places) and surrounds the death of Professor Pickering who was there to give a talk on Arthurian legends, which was the subject of his new book and to also promote the new exhibition at the Museum on the same subject.

The story was very carefully weaved through with tales of London in Victorian times, which I found very interesting.

Great range of characters, good to see a strong female lead.

Recommended

3.75 stars

This is the second entry in a series featuring retired Scotland Yard detective Daniel Wilson and his partner (in life and in crime-solving) archaeologist Abigail Fenton. When a professor is found murdered at the British Museum, the museum director calls in Wilson to insure a quick solution to the mystery.

I did not read the first series entry and I think that would have provided interesting background, but there are enough details to figure it out. This was nicely written with well-drawn characters and makes for a mystery with a lot of suspects.

It doesn't always feel accurate to the historic time period. The fact that the main characters live together and are not married would have been very unusual, and I felt modern sensibilities intruding. But that doesn't interfere with the enjoyment of the read. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This is the second book in the Museum Mysteries series. In 1894 former Scotland Yard detective, now private investigator Daniel Wilson and his partner, archaeologist, Abigail Fenton are asked by the British Museum to help find the person who murdered a scholar at the museum. This is a well-researched mystery, full of twists and turns. I loved the descriptions of Victorian London and the characters. I have not read the first book in this series but I will be now!

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Allison & Busby in return for an honest review. I loved this book! Its the second book in a series but easily read as a stand-alone. Abigail Fenton, archeologist, and Daniel Wilson, former police detective, have joined their personal and professional lives to establish a private investigations office in 1894 London. This story involves the British Museum and a new exhibit on the various legends and 'truths' of the Arthurian history. When the author of a related book is murdered, the museum hires Abigail and Daniel to look into both his murder and several, possibly related vandalisms. When a second murder occurs, things get even more challenging, particularly because the Scotland Yard Detective Chief Inspector wants nothing to do with Daniel and Abigail. Luckily, Daniel still has friends on the force who help him. The characters are very well written and I appreciate the attention to detail of the facts and myths that Mr. Eldridge provides to discuss the Arthurian stories, as well as his development of the stories characters. I really look forward to the third book in this series and will read the first.

This book is the second in a series but it reads a standalone. An interesting mystery, engaging characters and just enough twists to make it well worth the time. The lead character seems a bit out of time....behaves and speaks in a way that doesn't really seem to fit the era but that's not too hard to overlook. Now I want to read the first and am hoping for a third! Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

I enjoyed this story set in 1894 in the British Museum in London. Daniel Wilson is a private investigator and former police detective, and with his companion, Abigail Fenton, he has been hired to look into the murder of a historian at the museum. Although Scotland Yard is investigating the murder, Daniel and Abigail are to protect the reputation of the museum while also finding the killer. Abigail is an interesting female - she is a scholar of Egyptian and Palestinian history and has recently spent time on a dig at Hadrian's Wall. She's very modern, and lives with Daniel without being married to him (a big deal for the upper classes). Their sleuthing takes them all over London, sometimes into slum areas and also into the finest homes. It was interesting to learn about Ambrosius Aurelianus, a living man who may have been the real King Arthur. Also, it was fascinating to learn about the tunnels under London. I would love to read more in this series.

A light, entertaining mystery. This is the second book in the series but the first I have read. There are plenty of plot twists and an element of suspense. The story is set in 1894 but I can't say that I got a strong sense of the historical setting. There are a number of digressions in which the author has the characters spouting facts that are supposed to inform on the setting but they seemed unnecessary and slowed the story down. I felt that the leading female character was too strong and independent for the period and so I found that she lacked credibilty.
Overall, it was a relatively quick read but rather predictable.

This is the first book in the series that I've read but that didn't take away anything from the story. The mystery itself was interesting and well plotted with excellent characters. In particular, I really enjoy when the female protagonist is both strong and intelligent but not too out of character for the time period and we have that here with Abigail. I'll definitely check out the previous book in the series.

I haven't read any others in this series, but I have enjoyed a couple of Eldridge's DCI Paul Stark books set in the 1920's.

Murder at the British Museum kept me entertained. :) I found the supporting characters and the plot interesting, and I like learning things while enjoying myself.

NetGalley/Alison & Busby.
Historical Mystery. July 18, 2019. Print length: 318 pages.

This book was a delight and hard to put down. The murder of a professor was the main story line, but the information of the professor’s subject was very informative and interesting. One of the units I taught was on the King Arthur legend. I have always been fascinated by the legend and have done extensive research on King Arthur. Mr. Eldridge also has done his research which was tied in beautifully with the storyline. Greed, pride, and plagiarism are the reasons for the murders which were very cleverly done. This mystery was enjoyable and informative. Mr. Eldridge’s writing style is easy to read, and it does keep the reader engaged and entertained. I highly recommend the novel.

1894, England and when a respected professor and author is found dead in the gentleman's conveniences in the British Museum, Sir Jasper Stone, curate in charge decides to employ private enquiry agents to aid the police. Daniel Wilson is an ex-Scotland Yard Inspector and his partner Abigail Fenton, an archaeologist are employed.
Professor Lance Pickering was at the Museum to give a talk to promote his new book and the museum's new exhibition concerning King Arthur.
But what could be the possible motive for his death, especially when this is not the last murder. Is there a connection between the two.
An enjoyable and interesting Victorian mystery. A delightful read with its likeable array of characters.