This title is the start of a new series for this author who also writes books about Lady Hardcastle. Lady H is peripherally involved here as well. A friend of hers suggests that the Dizzy Heights, a jazz group, can help to solve a case. As readers can tell from the title, there are missing diamonds, stolen during WWI.

This mystery, that takes place in the 1920s, is an enjoyable one. There is music, a private members’ club, a dance contest and more on the way to solving the case.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I loved this book! Ol timey jazz band gets involved in a undercover operation! It was quick, enjoyable, and very interesting! I will be giving this book as a gift when it comes out!

This was a fun and lighthearted read. I loved the banter between the band members and the dynamic of the group as they embarked on uncovering the mystery. The story and humour was a refreshing change to some of the more in-depth books I’ve read recently.

Having absolutely adored T E Kinsey’s Lady Hardcastle series, I tucked into The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds with excitement! Skins, Dunn, Ellie and Sutherland are minor characters in the other series but no previous introductions are required to enjoy this one. Set in post-World War I London, our jazz musicians receive a request to help the police with an undercover observance at a gentlemen’s club. Shortly after meeting the key suspects, one of their own is murder and the trio are determined to find the killer.

The banter is lovely and the story unfurls gently but there is a spark missing in this one for me. Perhaps it is the sorrow of the war which each has as part of their story or the much smaller cast, but, in comparison to Lady Hardcastle and Flo, it doesn’t quite measure up. The mystery is a little light on plausibility too. That said, it’s well-written and I thoroughly enjoyed my time reading it. I will be looking forward to the next in the series. It’s a four out of five on the en-JOY-ment scale!

P.S. If you enjoy Jazz, you may want to play a little 1920s music to get you in the mood!

I received a complimentary copy of the book from Amazon Publishing UK through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book had a lot of promise, but it disappointed me greatly.

I was very intrigued by the plot of this book. However, there were a lot of errors in both plot and the writing style that just let this book down.

There was a lot of dialogue in this book. I don't mind dialogue usually, but in this book it was just unnecessary and just slowed the pace of the book down.

This could have been a very great read, but it needs a lot of polishing.

Delightful Characters....
1925, London, flappers and jazz galore. Band Dizzy Heights are enjoying entertaining the masses but events are about to take an unexpected turn. Entertaining and relaxing escapism from Kinsey who creates some delightful characters in keeping with the period. Nicely executed and can happily read well as a standalone.

Well, considering I almost set it aside at 25% and a couple of times after that, I am glad that I finished it, although it was a bit of a slog (13 days?). It was an awfully long book and while it was well written, it ambled along and just wasn't particularly exciting. I liked the premise - musicians helping the police on a case and being the 'eyes on the inside', but I have to say that I also like my mysteries to be a *bit* more exciting, and to pull me along more quickly. There was an exceptional amount of dialogue in the book too, which got a bit heavy at times.

I did enjoy the characters and the dance contest premise, though, it was actually quite fun, and the Alphabets were well drawn.

It's a solid three stars, although I'm not sure I would read the next.

Somehow I don't read nearly enough cozy mysteries even though I do enjoy the genre, so when I saw The Deadly Mystery Of The Missing Diamonds mentioned I simply couldn't resist getting a copy. I loved the sound of both the historical setting and the jazz element, and I've been looking forward to read it ever since... And I definitely ended up having a great time with it. Whether you enjoy historical fiction or cozy mysteries, this first book of a series will sing to you!

I especially loved just how important music is throughout the story. Not only does the story itself focus on the Dizzy Heights band and its members, but there is also plenty of musical performance, band practise and dance lessons with the band. I really liked how the whole jazz scene was described and this element really came alive for me... And the same goes for the historical setting in general. We have references to WWI, we have references to the 1920s London jazz world, we have references to an old hidden treasure... All elements that help turning The Deadly Mystery Of The Missing Diamonds into a big hit.

As for the characters... I found that they were really easy to connect to in general. The story has quite a few different characters in play and it can take a little while to place them all, but once you do it is easy to keep them apart and follow their development. I especially liked the band members; both their dynamics and how they worked together to solve the mystery. Lady Hardcastle and Superintendent Sunderland are less present although still important to the plot, and I'm curious to see what role they will play in the future.

This story uses a multiple POV structure to help you get to know the characters better as well as putting those plot twists in place. The Deadly Mystery Of Missing Diamonds also uses flashbacks to the past and letters to spice things up and enhance the plot structure. While I do have to say that the mystery itself isn't too complicated and quite easy to figure out, it does fit the cozy mystery genre very well and I really enjoyed seeing the band members trying to solve the case.

In short, I ended up having an excellent time with this first book of a new historical cozy mystery series, and if you are a fan of the genre I'm sure you will have a great time with The Deadly Mystery Of Missing Diamonds. The jazz element definitely takes this story to the next level!

I am a big fan of this author's Lady Hardcastle series so as soon as I became aware of this spinoff series I had to give it a try.

The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds is set a a time when the most popular dance was the Charleston and people met at a Lyon's Corner House for pots of tea and cakes. Kinsey is a master at the art of setting the scene, both historically and musically. He also writes very appealing and witty characters and there is a lot of amusing banter between the main characters. The mystery is interesting and is resolved in a satisfactory way.

I enjoyed this book very much, not quite as much yet as the other series but I am sure it will grow on me with future books. Lady Hardcastle and Flo do pop in this one for a quick visit, and Flo and Ellie keep up a correspondence throughout the book. I am hoping the author will continue to write their series as well.

I loved this book so much! It was the first book I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters and their story stick with you long after you finish the book.

Author TE Kinsey has created an enjoyable spin-off series with The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds - the first of what will hopefully be several Dizzy Heights books. Unlike the supposedly quiet country setting for the “parent” Lady Hardcastle books, this new series is unabashedly set in busy Jazz Age London. In addition to being friends of Lady Hardcastle’s and Flo’s, the main characters, Skins and Barty, are musicians in the Dizzy Heights band, and they regularly go to sleep when the rest of the world is waking up. In Missing Diamonds, however, they’ve added a spot of detection to their music-making, at the behest of Lady Hardcastle’s friend, Superintendent Sunderland.

Sunderland has had a hint that the thief (and deserter) who stole a valuable packet of diamonds during World War I may be hanging out at the same club where the Dizzy Heights have a “residency”. So he wants Skins and Barty to just observe a few of the members, learn what they can, and report back. Unfortunately, things don’t stop there, and Blanche, one of the band’s two female members, soon dies. Was it murder? Is it connected to the deserter and the diamonds? Or to the rumors of a hidden treasure at the club? And what is so important about the club’s upcoming dance contest? Skins and Barty, together with Skins’ wife, Ellie, dive deeper into the puzzle, and find a tangled web to un-weave.

I very much enjoyed Missing Diamonds – the setting was well-drawn, the characters were fun, and the plot was a nice mash-up of a mystery and some PG Wodehouse. I read this mostly in one evening and the whole time, I kept expecting to see Jeeves make an appearance… And although it raises a few thorny issues related to the recent war (e.g. desertion, conscientious objection), Missing Diamonds really is a quick-to-read cozy. My only minor issue with the book is that I wished the victim had been someone other than Blanche, but that wasn’t enough to spoil my enjoyment.

Please keep in mind that I give very very few five-star ratings, maybe only one in thirty or forty books I read, so four-stars is a solid “read” recommendation from me. Perhaps the best endorsement is that I’m very much looking forward to the next in the series, which is due to come out in July, 2021! And finally, my thanks to the publisher, Thomas and Mercer, and to NetGalley for the advance review copy!

This was my first book by this author and I will definitely be reading more. It starts with a letter sent during the FIrst World War which mentions the robbery of some uncut diamonds in passing. We then roll forward to 1925 and the writer of the letter, Ellie, is now married to the drummer in a Jazz Band, as is known as Skins.
SKins plays in a band called the Dizzy Heights with his friend Barty and various other people. Because of a previous acquaintance, they become embroiled in the hunt for a missing deserter and diamonds.
The story is very good and conjured images of the Jazz era in my head. I felt it was pacy but not so fast that you felt you had missed what was happening.

Now, I haven't read any of T.E. Kinsey's other series with Lady Hardcastle, but his new mystery series following the Dizzy Heights Band includes some crossover characters that will make the transition to a new series even easier for his return readers.

Set in the Jazzy age of the 1920's, the Dizzy Heights musicians get pulled into a mystery that spans decades and centuries... a member of the Aristippus Members only club is thought to be a war deserter who stole a cache of diamonds and is trying to add to his pot by finding the rumored lost treasure hidden in some secret vault at the club. The band has been recruited to play during dance lessons for a new group of club recruits that call themselves the Alphabet Gang, and whose ranks include this deserter/diamond thief who has been on the lam since his disappearance.

I thought this was a great beginning to a series and was well written. Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC!

3.5 stars. The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds was an enjoyable, light-hearted mystery! Set in the 1920's, two band mates - Skins and Barty, are asked to help solve a mystery of a war deserter/diamond thief hanging out at the gentlemen's club where their jazz band - The Dizzy Heights - play regularly. Skins' wife Ellie, and the other bandmates all get involved to try to get information from a group of new members who call themselves the Alphabet Gang and solve not just the mystery of the missing diamonds, but also solve the murder of one of their own that occurs during the investigation.

I found the characters to be quite endearing and quirky which made it an enjoyable read for me. Some parts moved a little slow, but the personalities of the characters and silly banter won me over. I definitely would read additional books by T E Kinsey in this series.

Thanks to #NetGally, T E Kinsey, and Amazon Publishing UK for this ARC of #TheDeadlyMysteryoftheMissingDiamonds

Set during the Jazz Age/Roaring 20’s, this mystery seemed fun, light, and entertaining. I love British humour and there is quite a bit of dialogue here to sink into. The characters were bright, interesting, and charming despite this difficult time in history. However, there is almost too much dialogue. I found myself losing interest in the plot pretty quick, it just didn’t capture me the way I hoped this kind of story would. I don’t think it is bad by any means, just slow and moreso focused on the characters than the mystery itself.

Sadly I will be giving this a 2.5/5 due to my loss of interest and I found the mystery to have a bit of a loose line. I really enjoyed the characters and would like to read more from this author, but this one wasn’t for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

I met Skins and Barty in one of the Lady Hardcastle mysteries, and am loving meeting them again.

Set in between the two World Wars, it's a tale of how two musicians end up helping Sunderland to solve an audacious crime that was committed years before and leading to another crime.

Full of misdirection, japes and intrigue, T E Kinsey once again delights with a world of toffs, everyday folk and wrong-doers. The interplay between Skins and Barty is key to this story as they given their narrative of the events of the story.

A great romp!

The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds is the first book in the Dizzy Heights mystery series. This is a spin off from the Lady Hardcastle series of cozy mysteries. If you have read them, you will know Ivor "Skins" Maloney and Barty Dunn as Jazz musicians, and Officer Sunderland as her go to police officer. If you haven't read the Lady Hardcastle books, that's fine, you will be properly introduced to all the players in this first Dizzy Heights book. This book is also set about 15 years or so later than the Hardcastle books.

There is a war deserting diamond thief at large and the Dizzy Heights jazz band is brought in to see if they can help find the culprit. Of course Kinsey always writes in a strong female character, so enter Skin's wife Ellie. Kinsey's books are always a fun read with interesting characters, now we have a whole new series to follow. Thank you #NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to give my voluntary and honest opinion on #TheDeadlyMysteroftheMissingDiamonds.

This is a characyer driven novel sent to me by Netgalley for Kindle review. It moves slowly at times but trying to guess the mystery is fun. Try this one and enjoy. Live daily with the characters and wonder what they might do next. Follow the plot with its twists.

A good, light-hearted, entertaining mystery story. Set during the First World War, we are introduced to a colourful bunch of musicians who are asked to help solve the mystery of some missing diamonds. The descriptions of time and place really paint the picture of what life was like for this group of friends in London at this time. We really feel to get to what they looked like, the clothes they wore, the fashions and trends and also the language used. I found it easy to read, an engaging story and you could go along with the puzzle. I think if you already liked the Lady Hardcastle boks then this is in the same vein. Great escapism!

Take a jazz band with members who are smart, honorable and love word play, add a century ols d tale of missing diamonds, sprinkle with a dance contest featuring a group of men who have no rhythm and toss gently into a well written, well plotted mystery and you've got T E Kinsey's latest book. For anyone who is a fan of Kinsey' s Lady Hardcastle and Flo mysteries, this is a must read. For anyone looking for a good mystery with a lively surrounding story and unique characters, this is also a good choice. It's fun to read, escapism at it's best.
This is a spinoff from the Lady Hardcastle and Flo books, but it isn't necessary to have read that series or the book in that series that introduces the two groups of people. There are some references to the earlier book, but they aren't essential to the story in this novel and the reader doesn't have to have any understanding from the earlier relationship other than, perhaps, to understand that the musicians met and were involved with a Lady Hardcastle and Flo mystery and the now wife of the drummer met the pair of women years ago and Wiwas briefly associated with their activities as government agents.
The reader does need to suspend disbelief in some major ways, including that the police would ever ask for help from ordinary citizens. Considering the policeman is Superintendent (formerly Inspector) Sullivan, and knowing he's had positive results in receiving help in the past, this is easier to accept. At his request, the band agrees to search for some missing diamonds that are rumoured to be hidden in the gentlemen's club where they are playing. The band agrees and the search is on, combined with a healthy dose of personality development of band members, relationships and the like.
Everything takes a turn, though, when a murder occurs. Because it involves the band members on a personal level, they become even more involved in discovering the answers to who is hunting for the jewels and who is desperate enough to commit murder. There are also cameo appearances from Lady Hardcastle, Flo, and Sunderland to help bring the book full circle.
For anyone who is a fan of the Lady Hardcastle and Flo series, this is a must read. It has the same lighthearted, breezy style to the writing that runs through all those books. It will be interesting to see if this series continues and, if so, where the band takes it. By the end I was a definite fan. My thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for providing me an advance copy of this book for review. The opinions expressed here are entirely my own.