First in a new series themed around a Victorian Book Club in Bath. My presumption was that the book club read Victorian mysteries, not that it was a book club set in Victorian times. Although it was well written and plotted, I'm a bit over books set in Victorian times and found it hard going (hence the length of time it took to read this).

That is entirely my issue and has nothing to do with the book itself, which is a reasonable mystery and an enjoyable read the further in you get.

I won't be continuing, but this is recommended for anyone who loves Victoriana.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I normally don't like historical books but enjoyed this one. I felt that it was a little long in the middle, it took a long time to get anywhere in the investigation. The ending was a bit abrupt and surprising who the culprit was. I like to read the next one and hope that the two main characters relationship continues to progress. #AStudyinMurder #NetGalley

Honestly, I'm really not one for British cozies, but I read this anyway because it looked interesting. And it was a fun read. Two things bothered me, there was often a lack of continuity in the storyline. In one case, Eloise is asking her a question and in the same scene it says how Eloise skipped the dance in favor of a movie with her cousin. The other issue I had is that the second murder was not addressed at all once the culprit was unmasked. The resolution left me with more questions than answers. That being said, it was still a fun read and maybe I'm just not familiar with British historical cozies and that's why I didn't understand certain things about the story.

A solidly crafted mystery with interesting characters and a nice sense of place. Would recommend.

Many thanks to the author, NetGalley, and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a big fan of historical mysteries and this one didn't disappoint. The book is well written and the characters are enjoyable. This is a fun whodunit and will certainly provide you with a great day of reading.

A study in murder - Callie Hutton
A Victorian book club mystery
Thank you @netgalley and @crookedlanebooks for giving me the opportunity to read this arc.

Set in the late 19th century England, this murder mystery follows Lady Amy Lovell and Lord William Wethington as they try to discover who has killed Lady Amy's fomer fiance. The race is on against time, polive and the killer still at large.

Although I love this type of novels, set in England, no matter the time frame they depict, I found parts of this novel a bit on the slow side... Not to reveal to much, I just thought that getting back to the murder and rethinking it over and over again was a bit dull... But the author made up for it in the last couple of chapters - I never would have guessed whodunnit 😉 and the last chapter definitely gives way for the sequel - which I would most definitely want to read.


All in all a good 4 stars from me for this one. Pub date 12 May 2020.

cosy-mystery, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, family-dynamics, friendship

What happens when the lady mystery writer in the days of Conan Doyle becomes the, basically, only suspect in the eyes of the Bath constabulary?
Finding the body of her recently ex fiance in her home was bad enough, but that the police know about his business in the opium trade yet appear to have no interest in following that as a lead to a more plausible suspect is beyond tolerance. What else is she to do but investigate for herself with the help of a fellow book club member? Well done cosy mystery with excellent characters and a plot that draws the reader to finish promptly.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

A Study in Murder is a cozy mystery set in Bath, England in 1890. Lady Amy Lovell is the author of murder mysteries who writes under a pseudonym. When her ex-fiancé is murdered in the library of her home she becomes the main suspect. Amy and her friend William set out to find out who the murderer is. There were many turns and twists to the story and it kept me guessing about who the villain was until the end. This is a good and solid cozy mystery that won’t disappoint.

Not normally a fan an historical mysteries, the Victorian book club captured my attention captured my interest and kept it through the mystery.

I will be definitely ordering this for my store - totally enjoyable cozy mystery really. Have several customers that I will be recommending this book to. Looking forward to more in the series!

a great mystery took a little bit to get into but i enjoyed it. great characters and intrigue. a great sherlock holmes type of book.

A Study in Murder by Callie Hutton is a historical cozy mystery that was an entertaining story set in Bath, England in 1890.

Ms. Hutton's description of Bath at that time made the town come alive as I read. Lady Amy and Lord William are friends who belong to a mystery book club in Bath. When Amy's ex-finace is murdered in her home, Amy vows to find the culprit since she is the police's number one suspect. Amy is very intelligent and logical and William seems to admire her and joins in the hunt. A smoothly paced plot with a few twists, several suspects and red herrings keep the plot moving forward. Fans of historical cozy mysteries will enjoy this new addition to the genre.

This is a murder mystery set in 1890 and is the first book in the A Victorian Book Club Mystery series by Callie Hutton. The main character, Lady Amy Lovell, is an author of mystery novels and her father, who disapproves of this, gets her to agree to write under a pseudonym. In addition, she belongs to a reading club that specializes in murder mysteries. She is also the prime suspect in the murder of her ex-fiancé since he ended up dead in her library.

At the start, the police seem too eager to convict Amy which gives Amy the motivation she needs to look into the murder and find the killer herself. With the help of her friend, Lord William Wethington, they dig into her s life and come up with a list of suspects with possible motives.

Things I liked: Amy’s constant reminding everyone that the victim is her ex-fiancé – and then everyone saying to her at the end! Laughed so hard at that one. Though I don’t normally read many historicals, I found myself intrigued by this one from the start. Amy is a young woman of society, gently reared, and yet… she not only writes murder mysteries, but solves them herself. I also loved Lord Wethington! He not only supports her, but does so with a sense of humor. And the last line in the book lets you know that Amy and the lord are not done with murders. The ending was satisfying and made sense with the clues given.

Things I didn’t like: In all their digging, did the police never find out that Amy was a murder mystery writer? That seemed a bit odd as it would have given them even more reason to suspect her.

Recommendation: I would definitely recommend this, not just to those who like historical mysteries, but as a crossover for both genres. The society details were well done as well as the mystery. A nice blend of both leading to a satisfying ending and a nice beginning of a new series.

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author, Callie Hutton, for this ARC that I received in return for an honest review. Expected Publication date: 12 May 2020

What a wonderful start to a new series! Set in England in the 1890's, this slightly historic mystery is a delight. The protagonist, Lady Amy is a woman ahead of her time and has a knack for solving mysteries. In this case, finding out who the true murderer is to save herself. When her former fiancé is murdered in her home, she and her cohorts from a book club band together to save Lady Amy from the hangman's noose. I cannot wait for more adventures of Lady Amy and her pals. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

This novel is to be enjoyed as an amateur sleuth, and your task as a reader is to unravel the clues about the murderer. Las ! Careful ! Red herrings alert ! So, definitely, this ends up in reading the book almost non stop, you just want to check if your own deductions are correct. Mrs Hutton certainly had a lot of fun creating and imagining (or so ?) the main activity of the heroine. You'll be surprised, it might not be what you expected. There are numerous references to Sherlock Holmes, and you shall see why.
Apart from the detective story, the setting of the book happens end of the 19th century England. Don't expect a historic novel, and be prepared to accept some modern manerism. Why not ? After all, we have many clichés about the Victorians, it is nice to be challenged.
For all these reasons, I will recommend this book.

When Lady Amy finds her former fiance dead in the library, she has no idea why he was even present, much less who could have done away with him. And when the police show up, they don't help matters when they immediately identify Lady Amy as the one and only suspect. Seeing that they have absolutely no interest in pursuing other explanations, Lady Amy decides to investigate on her own, with the aid of her friend (just a friend, as she protests too much) William.

This was a decent cozy mystery and I enjoyed the interaction between Amy and William, but I think the writing would have been more at home in a contemporary setting. Some of it doesn't read quite right for being placed in the Victorian era.

This is a fantastic first book in a new series! The author has done a great job building this Victorian era setting, and the dialogue was wonderful. I absolutely loved the characters, the slow build of romance between two of the main characters was simply lovely, and I honestly cannot wait to read the next installment!

How dare Mr. St. Vincent come uninvited to Lady Amy Lovell’s house and be murdered in her library? It’s been just two days since she broke their engagement, and the police suspect she’s the murderer.
Lady Amy leads a secret life as the mystery writer E. D. Burton, and she knows how to conduct an investigation. Probably better than those two detectives who don’t seem capable of finding other suspects. She enlists the help of Lord Wethington, who has always seemed a nice, agreeable man, even though he too is afflicted with the idea that gently reared young ladies have weak sensibilities and shouldn’t be exposed to the unpleasant of murder.
Strange things happen. An investigator hired by her father becomes ill. Lord Wethington’s carriage wheel is sabotaged. Mr. St. Vincent’s nephew proposes to Lady Amy. The police aren’t the only ones who want her to stay out of their business.
A light-hearted who-dun-it set in 1890 Bath, England.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

A good, enjoyable cozy mystery. Set in 1890, mystery writer Lady Amy Lowell loves reading and writing mysteries, she even has a book club for it. But when her “ex” fiance is murdered in her library, she tries to solve it before the police. She gets help from William, who is a member of the same book club. It’s a good mystery, I guessed the killer towards the end. I liked the concept and characters. I’d like to read the next one, espicially want to read about the affair between the hero and the heroine.

I loved reading this book. The characters are so delightful. I will miss them. The dialogue is so very agreeable. I so enjoyed the prim language, it was refreshing and funny! I am happy to learn that the cliffhanger at the end could translate into another novel by this talented author. Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.