This is the first in a new series Victorian Book Club Mystery. Lady Amy Lovell is a Victorian lady who is 25 years old and resides in Bath with her Aunt Margaret. She is engaged to a Mr. St. Vincent and she has felt pushed into this engagement from her Father. She attends a weekly book club that discusses mystery book such as Sherlock Holmes. She is intelligent and is also a mystery writer writing under a pseudonym because she is a woman. Another gentlemen Lord William is going to let Lady Amy borrow a book on unsolved mysteries and plans to deliver the following week. She has been thinking about getting out of the engagement when an anonymous letter arrives indicating her fiancé is selling opium. Lady Amy summons St. Vincent and breaks her engagement. He is angry and vows she will regret this. The following week as Lady Amy is expecting Lord William she is told Mr. St. Vincent has arrived so she ask that he be put in the library and advises them to put Lord William in the drawing room. Lady Amy goes to see Mr. St. Vincent but he is not there and she sees the doors to the garden open so she goes outside to see if he is there but she still cannot find him until she comes in and stumbles over his dead body. As she is screaming Lord William and her servants arrive. The police come and Lady Amy becomes the prime suspect. Her Father must come down from London along with a barrister. The police are rude to the “toffs” as they call the aristocracy and believe Lady Amy is the guilty party. Lady Amy plans to investigate herself and convinces Lord William to help. He is shocked to learn she is the author E.D. Burton whose novels they have read in the book group. He begrudgingly agrees to help. Of course you sense the attraction between the two. Lady Amy does let her Aunt Margaret know what she is about as well as her best friend Eloise. This was a good mystery and I did not know who the guilty party was and I was shocked. It is also a little frustrating to watch how long it takes to solve in part because of the societal conventions of the times. I have not read many books from this time period and was interesting to learn about Bath as well. Will definitely want to the read the next in the series.

I liked this! I don't often read historical cozy mysteries but was interested in trying this one due to the fact that it featured a Victoria book club and a female mystery writer. I liked the time period and all the little details about life and dress during the era. Lady Amy was a great heroine and I liked the relationship between her and Lord Wethington. A bit slow at times but this was an overall fun read with a mystery that had a pretty good twist. I would probably read the next instalment.

This book made for some nice quarantine reading: it's fairly lighthearted for a mystery. I always try to guess the culprit as I read, and in this case, I guessed the killer at about 70% through, though I wasn't *quite* sure. There are some anachronisms in both the language and social customs, but the characters are likable and intriguing enough to make me want to read another book in the series.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for a digital ARC for the purpose of my unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this cozy. It is a mixture of Anne Perry and her Victorian mysteries but lighter like Ellery Adams or Kate Collins. So fun. Lady Amy Lovell has just kicked her crooked fiance to the curb. Shortly thereafter, he turns up dead in her home! This is 1890 and Ladies don't write murder mysteries nor do they solve them, but this one does. The constables believe she killed her ex-fiance, but there are many more suspects. With the help of her friend Lord William Wethington they set out to prove her innocence. Lots of suspects along with some red herrings make this a throughly enjoyable read. It kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next.

A charming period piece mystery murder.
Set in 1890s Bath England, Lady Amy is an author writing popular murder mysteries under a nom de plum. She tries to keep this identity secret from all but her inner circle because it isn't proper for a lady of her station.

Then someone is murdered in her library and she needs to use all the facts and scenarios she's studied in her research to clear her own name. It's so fun to go back in time to when murders needed to be solved without DNA testing and video footage or cellphone tracking to find a killer.

I'd definitely read another book in this series.

*I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher and I am required to disclose that in my review in compliance with federal law.*

I thoroughly enjoyed the start of this new mystery series! I especially liked the Victorian setting, the protagonist of Amy Lowell, and the well-told cozy mystery. Recommended for fans of historical mysteries!

I enjoyed this book. I’m a big fan of historical fiction and cozy mysteries, so this was a perfect mix. The only thing that bothered me was the extremes of Lady Amy’s personality. She is portrayed as a strong woman, bending historical norms for women of the time. Yet, she swoons like a delicate flower at the first sign of trouble, then proceeds to involve herself in the murder investigation. One moment she is a woman who has no problem researching gruesome murders to help her write her books or she’s a “delicately reared young woman” that swoons at the sight of a body. The difference is too drastic. I do look forward to reading the next book in the series to see if her character evens out.

A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton is about a mystery author charged with murder. The story takes place in the late 1880’s in England. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives a letter that her fiancée is involved with something nefarious. She breaks the engagement. Two days later, her fiancée returns to her house. She sends him to the library while she waits for another man from the mystery club to arrive. When she returns to the library, she finds him dead. As a suspect, she must launch her own investigation with her murder club. This was an excellent book. Throughout the plot, they drank plenty of tea. Wherever they went. A cozy historical mystery. There were many suspects and clues and the plot was well done. Amy needed to solve the mystery before she was arrested with help from her friend, Lord William. Thank you to Net Galley for an advanced readers copy of this book for review.

This would have been a good Cozy mystery except for the proofreading errors. As a purist, the wording used distracted me from an enjoyable, witty mystery, part Romance, don't get excited, it is extremely disappointing in that area. The wording would not have been used during the Victorian Era, nor would Lady Amy be going around Bath without a companion, or a lady's maid with a single man! All of these things added to my irritation with the proofreaders, and the reading became a distraction instead of getting lost in the story, I became bogged down with the mistakes. What a shame, because I love this time period, I love Mysteries with a Romance, it would have ticked all of my boxes!
Thank you,
carolintallahassee.com

A nice twist on the cozy mystery genre. By having this set in the 1800s, this book balances a murder involving a feminist mystery writer, all while trying to manage expectations of those around her. I liked the build up to the list of potential suspects, and the author does a good job of building up each suspect until the ending, where a nice little twist is thrown at you. And the relation between Amy, Aunt Margaret and Lord Wetherington were sweet and charming.

This book was okay. I wish it had more to it, but even I got bored while finishing it. I was hoping the end would be interesting, but it wasn't. It was one of those, "it's just okay" books. I will admit it did a good job with giving the characters, well, a character. I understood their motivation perfectly. The murder was one of the best parts, since it was hard to figure out. This book did a good job of that. Despite this book being long-winded at times, I look forward to the next one. The characters make the journey worthwhile, despite it being a little dragged out.

The main character Amy Lovell, is a secret murder mystery writer in Bath and her father disapproves of this but allows her to do this. He attempts to finally marry her off, and her fiance is mysteriously murdered. Now she is the center of the policeman's case, and must find the murderer since she is believed to have done it. For those who love cozy mysteries, this a must for you.

Thanks to Netgalley for the advance copy!

A Study In Murder by Callie Hutton is an excellent read. A historical set outside London that focuses more on complex storyline and a wide cast of characters. Also provides a unique insight into the frustrations of an intelligent woman in a time controlled by men. This is a delightful read.

Lady Amy, who is secretly a successful mystery writer loves to attend her weekly book group and talk about the latest mysteries with her friend Lord William. Amy has been set up in an engagement with Mr. Ronald St. Vincent but after she ends the engagement they find him dead in her library. She then has to use her mystery-writing skills to find St. Vincent's murderer before the police decide it was her. I enjoyed this Victorian mystery and the team of Lady Amy and Lord William. The plot moved along and the characters were interesting and propelled the story forward. Lady Amy had plenty of obstacles as she attempted to be a moving force in a society that does not yet value women’s involvement in such matters. This is a fun historical mystery with a nice touch of romance.

I obtained this book from Net Galley and have left an honest review.

4★

This highly enjoyable cosy mystery is a great introduction to a new series. A total page turner, with delightful characters,this novel will keep readers guessing until the end.

Unfortunately, I was unable to read this title before it expired. The cover and premise are intriguing, so I will definitely seek out a published copy.

A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton
Book #1: A Victorian Book Club Mystery
Source: NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books
Rating: 4½/5 stars

As member of the peerage, Lady Amy Lovell is privileged, but because of her gender, those privileges only go so far. With a mind as quick and as strong as any man’s, Lady Amy often chaffs at the restrictions placed on her. One of the ways in which she fights against those restrictions is via her secret identity as a mystery/crime author. She is one of the most popular among English authors and one of her greatest delights is hearing others talk about the quality of her books!

Writing about murder, mayhem, and crime is one thing, being accused of such things is quite another. Unfortunately, being accused is exactly where Lady Amy finds herself when her ex-fiancé is found dead in her home just days after she has broken their engagement. With her research and experience writing about murder, Lady Amy knows the ways and methods of the police and she fully appreciates they aren’t going to make much effort to look beyond her as a suspect. With nothing left to do but trust a friend and ask for help, Lady Amy reveals her secret to Lord Wethington and launches her own investigation into the death of her ex-fiancé.

Though Lord Wethington doesn’t initially believe Lady Amy and her claims of being one of the foremost authors of the day, he quickly realizes not only is she telling the truth, but she is also bound and determined to prove her innocence. If he has any hope of keeping her out of more trouble, Lord Wethington has no choice but to help his friend. With lists of possible suspects and a large number of unanswered and quite troubling questions, the two begin asking questions and looking under rocks someone certainly doesn’t want overturned and examined.

As their investigation intensifies, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington find themselves mired in intrigue and danger. Between the illegal drugs, the sketchy (and unknown to Amy) background of her ex-fiancé and an unexpectedly pregnant member of the lower peerage, there are plenty of suspects and not nearly enough answers. What’s more, the police are none to pleased with Lady Amy’s involvement in their “investigation” and want nothing more than to see her behind bars or swinging from a rope. It isn’t until the eleventh hour that the police begin to believe Amy and her evidence, but it may very well be too little, too late.

The Bottom Line: I am always going to be a fan of a strong female lead, especially one who is living well ahead of her time and place and Lady Amy Lovell certainly fits the bill. Lady Amy is smart, feisty, determined, and driven and those are all qualities I like in my characters. While trying to clear her name, Lady Amy also discovers she has a lot still to learn and she can learn some of it from her friend, Lord Wethington. What’s more, over the course of their shared investigation, Lady Amy begins to see her friend in a whole new light and that certainly paves the way for a whole host of possibilities. While Lady Amy is already a strong character, there is always room for evolution, and I am very much interested in what her evolution is going to look. Certainly, the woman who is one of England’s most popular crime writers will have many, many adventures ahead of her.

Description
Bath, England, 1890. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives an anonymous letter containing shocking news: her fiancé, Mr. Ronald St. Vincent, has been dabbling in something illegal, which causes her to promptly break their engagement.

Two evenings later, as Lady Amy awaits a visit from Lord William Wethington, fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club, her former fiancé makes an unexpected and most unwelcome appearance at her house. She promptly sends him to the library to cool his heels but later discovers the room seemingly empty--until she stumbles upon a dead Mr. St. Vincent with a knife in his chest.

Lord Wethington arrives to find Lady Amy screaming and sends for the police, but the Bobbies immediately assume that she is the killer. Desperate to clear her name, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington launch their own investigation--and stir up a hornet's nest of suspects, from the gardener who served time in prison for murder to a vengeful woman who was spurned by St. Vincent before he proposed to Lady Amy.

Can they close the book on the case before the real killer gets away with murder?

My Review
The first book in the Victorian Book Club Series - A Study in Murder is amazing.

Very well written with great-crafted characters. Delightful, easy to read full of twists and turns.

Definitely a winner!!

5 stars

This is the first book in the Victorian Book Club mystery by Callow Hutton.

In the style of the classic Sherlock Holmes mysteries, Hutton has created a true gem with her new series featuring Amy Lovell and her good friend and book club cohort, Lord Wellington. Set in Bath, England, this murder mystery was so captivating I almost didn't want it to end. The setting, the mystery and everything inbetween made me fall in love with this Victorian world.

Basic premise, Amy wants to break her engagement with the man her father had betrothed her to, Mr. St. Vincent. She does so since his connection to the opium trade was discovered via an anonymous note. Days later, the man calls on her and when she goes down to see why he had come she discovered his dead body and this thrust herself straight into the path of the detectives who seemed to believe her capable of murder.

I loved the idea that Amy was a mystery author and took action by diving right into an investigation to clear her name. Since this is set at the turn of the century it might not be everyone's cup of tea but I believe if you start reading you won't put this one down until the murder is solved.

Totally digging this book and look forward to any new offering this author will come up with. This is one roller coaster ride you won't want to miss!

If you love a good Victorian cozy mystery, definitely check this one out. You won't be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC via NetGalley in return for an honest rebiew. I thank NetGalley the author and the publisher for allowing me to read this book.

I really enjoyed this book it was well written and not my normal sort of murder mystery book but it took me into a little time capsule to the time when things were done 'properly'. It almost turned into a farce on occasion and made me smile

I wasn’t sure how I would receive this book as it was set in a different time frame to that I usually would read. However it was about crime and murder and I do love Agatha Christie type plays so I thought I’d give it a chance.
Lady Amy Lovell is given information suggesting her partner is engaging in illegal activity to which she immediately breaks up with him. Cue him turning up at the house and to cut a long story short a guest is then found murdered. This has humour at times and twists and turns which the reader will likely find intriguing.