Excellent reference to authors of period. Factual reference of how women were viewed during the time. Enjoyed that Lady Amy Lovell was smarter than the men in charge.

This was a very good whodunit and a great start to a new series. There were many suspects and clues., with a cliffhanger at the end. I really liked the characters and look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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<p>Initially you'd see the similarities between Amy and Williams budding relationship and that of Jane Austen's Emma and Mr Knightly</p>
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<p>They are both members of the Murder Mystery Book club which is really novel for the time and period. Men of the time still believed a woman's place was either in the kitchen or rearing the children. So its a bit surprising that this book club has a good mixture of Lords and Ladies particularly when they discussed gruesome books.</p>
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<p><strong>Amy </strong>I found was a weird combination of head strong and duplicity especially when she's given a lot of leeway from her father and brother. She's a famous Murder Mystery Author not that any one would know as she's sworn to secrecy by her father. The duplicity kicks in when she's talked into getting engaged to a man that she doesn't have any feelings for. </p>
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<p><strong>William</strong> <em>*what can I say about William*</em> he doesn't give off the love sick vibes, though you do get glimpses that he feels a bit more for Amy that he would have her believe. She was very vocal about not getting married and then "<em>accidentally</em>" gets herself engaged! It doesn't feel like he's been waiting in the wings - waiting for her to figure out that he's the man for her BUT also he hasn't really gone out of his way to show her that she'd be better off with him in her life! </p>
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<p>The whodunit elements are pretty darn good, I mean Amy and William had worked their way through their list of suspects and they didn't really detect who the murder was until the murder showed his/her face </p>
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This was a great read and I look forward to many more. Historical cozy mysteries are probably one of my favorite sub-genres of cozies. I liked the main character, Amy, and her side-kick, William. I enjoyed the other characters as well. The murderer surprised me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Bath in the 1890's was a very pleasant place to live if you were a member of the middle or upper classes. Lady Amy Lovell, a successful mystery writer, is recently betrothed to local businessman, Ronald St Vincent, and enjoys calling the historic city her home.

When she finds out her betrothed is not the man he purported to be she has no hesitation in calling off their engagement and considers the matter closed. Unfortunately her ex-fiance comes calling two days later and when Amy makes her way into the library to remind him of her previous decision she finds him dead, the knife used to kill him still protruding from his chest.

With the help of her friend and fellow book club member, Lord William Wethington, Amy decides the only way to persuade the local police officers she had nothing to do with her ex-fiance's untimely demise is to discover who did. This quest takes them to all parts of the city and they have no intention of leaving any stone unturned as they get drawn deeper into their own and the local detectives' investigation.

This started quite slowly and at first I did wonder if it was for me. However, I was drawn in and I totally hooked. Amy and William are great characters and I look forward to reading more stories with them at the heart of everything. There is no rushing around, no heart pounding tension, instead the clues are discovered, investigated and either discounted or filed away for future reference which is a refreshing change.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys this author's work or is looking for a slightly different type of murder mystery. It is a gentle, intriguing and easy to read story which is a genuine pleasure to experience.

Bath, England, 1890. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives an anonymous letter containing shocking news: her fiance, 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 fiance 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?

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked the 1800's setting. Lady Amy is a mystery author who breaks things off with her fiance and then is accused of his murder

I loved the characters and it's a solid non gory mystery.

A fantastic series start!

Five stars to this engaging Victorian cozy mystery. Hutton balances all of the elements perfectly for an enjoyable read. The mystery keeps you intrigued, the interplay among all of the characters is realistic, quirky and charming, the descriptions pull a reader into the time period, and the plot is unique. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys losing themselves in a good book.

A new cozy mystery series that is off to a great start. The mystery was interesting and the characters engaging can't wait to read more.

Well...you can definitely see that this author is new to writing mysteries because the plot waaaaanders around and it actually gets kind of boring in the middle. However, I would definitely read another book in the series because I like the characters and would love to revisit them. Not bad. Definitely worth the read.

Thanks so much for the ARC of A Study in Murder the first in a new cozy historical mystery series by Callie Hutton. This was a lot of fun to read -- finished it in one day. Lady Amy was a strong character that defied the molds women were supposed to fit during her time. The setting of Bath was perfect. I enjoyed getting lost in this mystery!

This book is a historical cozy mystery. It had all the standard elements but just didn’t grab me.
Fans of this sub genre of cozies will enjoy it.

I had a great time reading this book. I love period mysteries. I liked the characters. I enjoyed the story. There were parts of the story line, murder investigation that didn't really work for me so that part was weak. I am looking forward to reading more of this series and I am hoping that as it goes, the story lines get stronger. I like the characters enough to keep going for the time being. I am looking forward to seeing if the romance progresses with our main character sleuths.

The story starts on a promising note, turns lengthy in the middle and ends abruptly. I liked the main characters - Amy and Lord Wethington. They make a good pair - as a couple and as sleuths. A mystery author as the main suspect in her ex-fiance's murder, a book club, drug trade and addiction and everything Victorian, this story had a lot of potential. Somehow, it failed to impress me.

The mystery is good enough. There is so much tension and suspense built up until the end so an abrupt ending is not what I expected.

Overall, this was an okay read.

The start of a new mystery series is always quite fun. This one has interesting characters and intriguing story lines. I can't wait till the next book!

Book One of A Victorian Book Club Mystery

Lady Amy Lovell writes mysteries. In England. In the 1890s. Her father isn't happy about that and wishes she would use a different name at least.

The tale begins in Bath, England where Amy has received a letter from a mystery person telling her that her fiance', Ronald St. Vincent, has been engaging in some disturbing and illegal activities. She immediately breaks off the engagement. 


A  few days later as Amy is awaiting the arrival of a fellow book club member, Lord William, who should show up at her door but the recently ex-fiance'. She has him sent to the library but when she enters all she sees is his dead body with a knife in it.


As Lord William arrives to find a screaming Amy, the police also arrive and promptly suspect her of murder.

Now she and her friend will have to try and find out who did the deed before Amy goes to the gallows!

I enjoyed this first book in what I hope will be a series. It started slow but was soon going well. The characters were well done. Historical Fiction Cozy Mysteries are the best! You learn so much while you try and solve the mystery.

NetGalley/ May 12th, 2020 by Crooked Lane Books

Overall, I quite enjoyed this new series; I do wish she was a little less headstrong and he was a little less of a prude, but found it enjoyable and that I wasn’t too annoyed by the protagonists.

This was an intriguing mystery book club story set in Bath 1890 and featuring a female mystery writer. The plot was well-defined and the characters were certainly interesting. I look forward to a sequel.

I love the start of this new series. Combining an independent woman who writes mysteries during the Victorian era with a bit of a romantic relationship with her bookclub friend makes for a different twist in this genre.

It is always enjoyable to lose yourself in time and in a good read, and this book is definitely the ticket to losing yourself for a while. Well executed plot and full bodied characters make this a read you do not want to put down.