Another great story in a fun cozy mystery series. If you like Agatha Christie you will love this series. Kitty and Matt go to the train station to pick up someone, but he is found dead in the first class car. With a limited number of people in the car it narrows it down to who, but still takes a bit to figure it out. Fun read and hard to put down. Highly recommend.

Kitty Underhay's fiance Captain Matthew Bryant is informed that he will have a temporary house guest, a witness in a notorious jewel heist. But when Kitty and Matthew arrrive at the station to collect their visitor, they discover his dead body instead. The killer must have been one of the other passengers in the enclosed first class compartment, but which one...?
Murder in First Class is the 8th cosy murder mystery book in the Kitty Underhay series. I have previously reviewed: Murder at Enderley Hall, Murder at the Playhouse, Murder on the Dance Floor, Murder in the Belltower, Murder at Elm House. and Murder at the Wedding.
It should be a happy time for Kitty and Matthew as they make preparations for their wedding but instead they find themselves investigating another murder. There are a limited number of suspects due to the circumstances of the closed carriage compartment. However their prime suspect becomes the next victim, leading to further plot twists.
I continued to enjoy the romance and respect between Kitty and Matthew. The peripheral characters were easy to discern and had unique personalities. This book had the very classical feel of an Agatha Christie novel, with a capsule cast and the sleuths unpicking the truths and motives.
Meanwhile, Kitty's ongoing quest to find out what happened to her mother continues as she attempts to visit the prison where the villainous Hammett is being held. This plot thread has been woven through all of the previous books and, now he is in custody, a resolution may be imminent.
Murder in First Class is an enjoyable historical cosy murder mystery and I love the lead characters.

Murder in First Class is the 8th Miss Underhay cozy by Helena Dixon. Released 16th Feb 2022, it's 258 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free along with the rest of the series.

This installment sees Kitty investigating a locked room murder (in a moving train) and trying to figure out how the victim ties in to a cold case from her past. She's also trying to move on with her life and plan a future with her fiance. There are several disparate subplot threads which entwine to a satisfying denouement and resolution.

It's a consistently well written and entertaining modern classic English mystery series with well wrought characters and clever plots. The dialogue flows smoothly and isn't clunky or overwrought. With ten books out now, and an 11th due out in 2023, it would be a nice candidate for a series binge read. Although the mystery is self contained in this volume, the characters' relationships have developed over the length of the series, so I recommend reading them in order to avoid spoilers. There's also a multi-book overarching subplot which turns on the long ago murder of Kitty's mother.

Well worth a look for mystery lovers and fans of the golden age. I love interwar British mysteries and this is a good light series.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Murder in First Class is the eighth installment of the Miss Underhay mysteries. In this series, Kitty Underhay investigates the murder on a train. This was a very fun series! It reminded me of Agatha Christie’s novel, Murder on the Orient Express! The mystery was very compelling and filled with twists and turns! I recommend this for fans of the Eleanor Swift Mysteries, Lillian Crawford Mysteries, and the Lily Adler Mysteries!

I’ve read and been a fan of this series since Book 2, and am so glad that Book 8 is just as fun to read as that first one was. In this offering, there is a murder inside of a closed train carriage, meaning one of the occupants is guilty. Nothing is quite so simple, though, as secrets, lies, and additional crimes complicate things. Kitty and Matt are a great team, building their sleuthing skills as their relationship continues to progress. The additional cast of characters are well done as usual. Another quick, entertaining read that has me eagerly anticipating the next book!

Murder in the First Class is the eighth book in the Kitty Underhay series and it continues to entertain and yes I still have to cover my backlog of the series.

Kitty and Matt Bryant are now engaged and planning their wedding when they unwittingly become part of another murder investigation after Simon Travers, a witness in a high profile trial and whom Matt has been assigned to watch over in protective custody, is found murdered on the train he was travelling in. Mrs. Craven, Kitty's grandmother's good friend, who also is one of the passengers in the compartment where Simon is found murdered insists on being part of the investigation which does test everyone's patience. Meanwhile, things take a shocking turn with Kitty's mother's murder case and a four pawed character makes its debut in the series in the form of Bertie, Simon Travers' dog, who Matt ends up taking care of during the course of the investigation. Another entertaining book with an equally eye catching cover!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and the author Helena Dixon for the e-Arc of the book.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐💫

This was an enjoyable read. I hadn't read the previous books in the series but felt like I could catch up well enough. The mystery was good, the characters were fine. The descriptions were a bit repetitive, liking food is not a particularly unique character trait but ok, and I was (spoiler alert? I don't think so but maybe?) really expecting the dog howling to become a plot point instead of just like.... a thing that happened, because it was mentioned so dang often, but ok.

I liked that her partner was very supportive of her and didn't try to take over anything.

Another enjoyable romp in the Miss Underhay series.

This was a well written and enjoyable tale, set in the West Country of Great Britain in 1933.

There were enough plot turns to keep you interested, and propel the story along. Nothing to gruesome happened though, or if it did it was off the page.

An entertaining read.

A classic cosy mystery. This is the 8th in the series and whilst I hadn't read all of the previous book I had read some so knew some of the context of cases before which I think was useful.

A bit obvious but overall a quick, fun, easy read.

Thank you for the arc.

Murder in First Class is the #8 installment in A Miss Underhay Mystery. It is a very light, enjoyable, and quick cozy mystery set on the English seaside between the wars.
Kitty Underhay gets to solve a crime, tie a few loose ends, and finally set her wedding date with Captain Matthew Bryant.
I found this story very easy on the mind and soul even though Kitty gets to deal with some very evil and shady characters and situations. Somehow, given that evil and baddies are positioned in the seaside Bed and Breakfast among teapots and flowers, makes them more digestible.
Murder in First Class is a cozy mystery through and through and it is very good at it.

This is the first book in this series I have read but this didn't affect my enjoyment although I will be going to the beginning to see how the romance between the main character's developed. It's a fast paced mystery with 7 people on a train no one leaves or enter's the carriage and no-one see anything but someone end's up dead so who did it?

I received this book in exchange for an honest review as given above

KItty Underhay and her fiancé Matthew Bryant are involved in another murder.
A colleague of our hero is found dead on the train and it is only the other people in the compartment who could have done it - a clergyman, a travelling salesman, a missionary, an opera singer. Kitty's grandmother's indomitable friend and a young, spoilt heiress.
Family secrets, stolen jewels and London gangsters mean that nothing is quite what it seems.
Great

This book was enjoyable and entertaining. It featured an engaged couple who set out to solve two murders. It was action packed and filled with intrigue. It left me wanting to know what was coming next for Kitty Underhay and Matt Bryant. I highly recommend this book to other mystery readers.

I really truly enjoyed this book, so I am giving it 4.5 stars rounded up.
I am a huge fan of Murder She Wrote and this cosy mystery really was a nice palette cleanser - and I truly enjoyed the language used, the time it was set and the strong female lead (for the time it was set!).
There is nothing much more to say about this book, I am happy I picked it up and now am looking forward to reading more books from this series :)

If you have been following my reviews or blog you will know that I have been with this series of books since the beginning. The delightful sparky Kitty Underhay is still keeping everyone including her fiancée Matt Bryant on their toes and as readers we get to see it all played out with the delightful backdrop of Dartmouth as well.

Of course it wouldn’t be a murder mystery series unless there was at least one murder involving a train! Hoping for a quiet week off, Kitty and Matt find themselves called to help in the murder of Simon Travers on a train from London to stay with Matt.

Simon Travers was one of the passengers in the first class compartment, the others being a travelling salesman, a singer, a vicar, a young flapper, a poorly missionary and just to add to Kitty’s headache, Mrs Craven. Long term friend to Kitty’s grandmother and who always has an opinion of everything. The murder on this train is no different.

It all points to the travelling salesman but then his body is washed up.

Can Kitty and Matt find the truth as it appears at first that none of these people have any connection between each other. However as truths are uncovered and secrets from the past exposed, it leads Kitty nearer to the truth. But can she get there in time when she is suddenly face to face with her own past?

Another excellent book in the series, and if you discover it now you have some great mysteries to go back and solve. Kitty is very much before her time and it is always great to read books with strong female protagonists. Familiar characters to the series still feature, like Alice the maid and faithful companion to Kitty. We get to see more of her Alice’s family which is always a delight.

For fans of historical mystery fiction and those that want to lose themselves in a series well written and that keeps you hooked from beginning to end. I heartily recommend and look forward to the next as always.

In this 8th Miss Underhay Mystery, Kitty and her fiancé Captain Matthew Bryant are asked by the Brigadier (Matthew's former boss) to watch over a man who gave testimony in a trial in London. They head to the railway station to pick up him up so he can spend some time with Matt, but before the train unloads, they hear an ear-splitting scream. Mrs Craven, Kitty’s grandmother's friend and a pain in the butt to Kitty, was at the door to the first-class carriage, yelling that a man had been murdered. Matt has a bad feeling and he is right, it was Simon Travers, the man that was supposed to hide out with Matt. Someone in that carriage had to be the murderer. Inspector Greville not only gives his blessing, but encourages Matt and Kitty to investigate. With Kitty having a week off from the Dolphin Hotel, they have lots of time to ask questions and poke around.

I continue to enjoy this historical cozy mystery series. I really like both Kitty's and Matt's characters. They have such a great relationship and I love how they treat one another, work together to solve the mystery, have each other's back and their great banter. They are both quite intelligent and can fit the clues together to solve the crimes or puzzles. I love how Helena Dixon combines the mystery with Kitty's life and her family's history. There are some sub-plots that have been ongoing involving the person who murdered her mother many years in the past and boy, did it ever add some excitement and tension. The murder of Simon Travers only had a small pool of suspects, but trying to figure out which of them were guilty kept Matt and Kitty busy. I will say I was pretty sure who the killer was, but I didn't know why. I was correct, but the story behind the characters was a shocker. I would be remiss if I didn't mention mischievous, Bertie. Matt takes Travers' dog home with him and he keeps them on their toes as well as adding some humor to the story. This was a great addition to this series and I am definitely looking forward to what is next for Kitty Underhay and Captain Matthew Bryant. I recommend this series to those who enjoy an historical fiction mystery or a cozy mystery with a great setting, characters and story.

The latest entry in the series, and it's as good as ever. Newly engaged Kitty and Matt are on their way to meet a crucial witness in a trial, Matt having been employed to look after him until the verdict. The train pulls into the station, there is an ungodly scream, and, well I never, said Mr Simon Travers is found murdered in the first-class compartment. As the compartment had no corridor, the number of suspects is limited, like a locked-room mystery. And so, as ever, our sleuthing duo set to finding the killer. And when a second person is murdered the list of suspects decreases by one.

If you liked the previous books in the series then you will, of course, by equally invested in this. The developing back story of Kitty's mother's murder rumbles along nicely in the background, and with the first murder victim having no close relatives, Matt finds himself becoming the owner of Bertie, a doleful and mischievous cocker spaniel. What better way to improve the series than with a cute dog!!

Just a lot of fun, with the usual dose of feminism, snobbery and the truly dreadful Mrs Craven. Great stuff.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to read this story. Kitty Underhay and her fiance are to meet the train from London. Matt is to take care of a man who is a witness to a jewel robbery until the trial. He was in the first class car with six other people. Mr Travers was stabbed. Kitty and Matt are working to find out which one of the people in the car could have done it. Seems there are five of them who could have done the deed. Which one will it be?

I love how this series goes from strength to strength. The settings in and around Dartmouth and Torquay are so beautifully described and still the same today. I look forward to the next in the series and hope that nothing goes wrong when Kitty and Matthew finally get married.

A pleasing read that brings to mind the wholesome nature of Downton Abbey and Agatha Christie.
An engaged couple revel in solving a crime while on holiday in Devon.
Murder on the train, while the bodies mount up elsewhere.
Well told and can imagine a neat adaptation on the screen if possible