2.75 stars. It was OK, just a bit formulaic, bland characters with a bit of stereotyping, and lots of ham writing (far too many characters smirking or snarling, etc). I spotted the murderer a mile off.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Apologies for the delay in providing this.

A finely done classic style mystery that adequately meets most of the criteria for quality in the genre but doesn’t offer much that we haven’t seen before.

This is a fairly well-plotted and structured mystery and pays good homage to golden age mysteries. But it’s also one of those books that I probably won’t remember a thing about in a few months because there’s nothing about it that stands out from its peers.

I’m never bothered by slow pacing in a mystery, but I do need more atmosphere and sense of place out of this style, and there’s little to none of it present here. The characters too are competently drawn but unmemorable, and all of this adds up to the reader’s mind wandering.

In the end, this isn’t an unpleasant read at all and there are no specific quality issues with the mystery itself. But I need more atmosphere out of a book like this if there isn’t anything unusual about the story itself.

It’s 1920’s England, a woman has been murdered and it seems that everyone has a secret of their own. A very engaging whodunit mystery that keeps you guessing to the very end!

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A good Mystery thriller. Recommend

On the surface, this is a good old fashioned murder mystery. That’s about all it is, though. It is all surface. If you go any deeper, it doesn’t stand up. This is the beginning of a series, so maybe it will get deeper in the future.

The actual first book in the series has Mr Quayle in a secretarial position to a man whose son he once knew and might owe his life to. There is more there than we are told in this book. It remains to be seen what the author will do with that thread and whether I will like it. There is an air of secrecy and anticipation in the party that is ongoing because of a possible announcement by the Earl. It is in this setting that a body of a possibly unknown woman has been found, killed by a dagger from the Earl's connection. Mr. Quayle has been tasked with helping solve the situation before the police and ensuring the family's good name. If the prequel was more fun because of the way the narration progressed, I enjoyed both the plot and the voice here. I found myself breezing through the book, highly anticipating the next turn. The setting is well done with the family well introduced that they all stand out as individuals. There was a time when I realised that I used to like Agatha Christies more than many of my classmates because I enjoyed the interactions amongst the suspects (and almost suspects). The things people said and did were what drew me to the books. The mystery itself was a very (very) close second.
I highly recommend this book to people who like historical mysteries with an emphasis on people and the whys and wherefores of the behaviour. I was quite surprised by the twist at the very end. I was not expecting it and that is the bonus that I took away from it. I eagerly await the next.
I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

A Most Efficient Murder By Anthony Slayton

Its 1925 and the Earl of Unsworth’s decides to throw a party the first party in over a decade, for his niece birthday and the family believe for him to announce who will inherit the title when he dies, but this is all spoiled when a body is discovered in the grounds of his house.

Mr Quayle is Earl of Unsworth’s dedicated new secretary and is given the task of finding the killer by the Earl himself even if that means investigating the family of the Earl

I really really enjoyed this book, its easy to read and is paced well. The mystery works and there are twists and turns which leaves the reader guessing right up to the last minute.

Mr Quayle has a bit of shady past which is alluded to as his time in the War office (where he resigned or did he..) and he has a past friendship with Detective Inspector Wintle that comes from the battlefields of WW1 and secrets between them that I hope are explored more..

I really liked Mr Quayle and I want to know more.. is it me or am I reading into a past relationship between Mr Quayle and the Earls late son???

A great cosy post war mystery with a excellent story, a great cast that leaves you wanting to read the rest in the series.. bring it on! More Quayle More Wintle and yes more of the family!

#NetGalley #AMostEfficientMurder #postwar #England #Cosy #Murder

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- fabulous cover on this one!

This was probably one of the best historical "who-done-its" I have read this year. Fantastically written and well paced. A well-crafted plot full of twists and red herrings. A wonderful time period and setting, and a plethora of intriguing characters. I can't wait to see what these characters get up to in the next book.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

A brilliant murder mystery novel that has a host of intriguing characters. A really strong plot and well thought writing

A cozy murder mystery that was reminiscent of Agathe Christie.
I really enjoyed this one and loved the characters.

This was an engaging cozy mystery set in the 1920s. It had personable characters and a likeable protagonist. It read like an old fashioned English mystery. I highly recommend this book to other cozy mystery readers.

A very interesting start of the series - is Mr. Quayle's Mysteries by Anthony Slayton.
I found the character of Mr. Quayle, a talented if reluctant sleuth, very attractive.
A girl is found murdered in the garden of a vast estate in the middle of a big party. This party should have revealed several important secrets. And earl should have made several important announcements. The whole extended family was waiting for these to occur... But the murder throws everything off-kilter.
Who is this girl? How did she end up in the gardens? And who killed her and why?
Those questions and many more will be answered by talented and strict village detective and earl's secretary Mr. Quayle. Mr. Quayle finds himself acting as a liaison between police and gentry. And the police detective finds himself constantly walking on eggshells. Until they both have enough...
A Most Efficient Murder is a light suspenseful read set in the English countryside in the 1930s. The setting is still full of 'upstairs downstairs' intricacies and echoes of WW1 but is very hopeful as well.
Looking forward to Mr. Quayle's next adventures.

I really loved this murder mystery. It was plotted so well and i thought all the characters were done in a way that you could imagine them so easily. This felt like it could easily fit into any of the Golden age writers cannon as it had that mix of character and drama they did so well. There were a couple of plot points that were a bit much but they didn't detract from the main story too much.

Absolutely loved this one.

This is the first in a new cosy mystery series with quite an unlikely sleuth – though there is a prequel which I’ll review later this month, so look out for it!

Set in the aftermath of WWI, this series revolves around Mr. Quayle, a war veteran employed by Lord Unsworth, the father of Quayle’s commanding officer during the war. You can’t miss that there is a lot of history in Quayle’s relationship with this family, but it’s only hinted at, and I have to say, I’m so curious to know more about it in the coming novels.

Quayle is a very sober, very quite man. But he’s also very observant and knows a lot about human nature – I suspect him to have a soft heart too. It serves him well when a murder happens in the middle of a party.

I loved the atmosphere of the ancient English Estate where all the action takes place. It breathes family history, and Lord Unsworth is a dedicated historian who knows everything about his ancestors. Lord Unsworth’s family, though not very large, has a very complicated history, and I enjoyed watching all the dynamics and how Quayle navigates them with wisdom and tact.

All the characters are real, and it isn’t difficult at all to sympathise with them. And you do sympathise, with all of them, including the murderer (before you discover who that is).

Though not prominent in the story, the undercurrent of WWI is strong enough to give it personality, and it’s one of the things I enjoyed the most. In one way or another, every character has been touched by the experience of war. Teddy, Lord Unsworth’s heir and Quayle’s commanding officer, cast a long shadow on the story even if it never becomes the centre of it, and I loved this. I sense that sooner or later, this story will become prominent. But at the moment, it’s brewing in the background, and it adds more layers.

The mystery was quite complex but never confusing in a negative way. The end was absolutely a Golden Age classic.

I loved all of it.

3.5 stars.
A fun mystery set in the period soon after World War I, this is the first of a series with Mr. Quayle, Secretary to Lord Unsworth of a great old pile, Unsworth Hall.

Mr. Quayle was an officer in the war, then worked in the War Office, and left under a cloud. Now, he attempts to bring some order to Lord Unsworth’s papers and arrange the man’s affairs.

When a murdered young woman is found during a party (and what should have been the moment when his Lordship announced his heir) for Lord Unsworth’s niece Fanny, Quayle is drafted by Unsworth to keep an eye on the police and their investigation and apprise the Lord of their progress. This all gets more complicated when all the suspected family members lie and shade the truth from the police, whether about the potential Unsworth heir or missing diamonds at the Hall.

Quayle proves to be a stand up guy, and I doubt we’ve heard the last about his War Office shenanigans. I liked police inspector Whittle, and how once Quayle and he repaired their friendship (begun during the war), they worked well together, finding the solution to the case. I got most of the way there, too, but missed a detail or two, which I was glad about. I like when a mystery writer surprises me, and look forward to the next Mr. Quayle case.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Victory Editing Netgalley Co-op for this ARC in exchange for my review.

I really enjoyed this back-in-time murder mystery!

I felt like I had suspicions about who the guilty party is and I turned out to be right - what a great feeling! :)

The writing was engaging, I felt like I had to look up a lot of meanings for words, but I enjoyed that! The story was easy to follow and I liked how we learned more about the characters as the pages went on.

I was curious to learn more about how things were back in the day (1920's) - a lot of things I found extremely odd, like the casting system, and marrying a rich cousin being especially favoured. Oh well! You live and you learn. :)

Overall, I enjoyed this read and would absolutely read the next instalment in the series, given the chance.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC!

A Most Efficient Murder is an efficient and promising start to a new historical cosy mystery series. I have been reading a lot of cosy mysteries lately and wondered how this would fare but this turned out to be highly entertaining. The plot gets right into the thick of the action from the first chapter itself and maintains a steady pace throughout with some effective twists and turns to keep the readers guessing till the end. What begins as a murder of a complete stranger at Lord Unsworth's party turns into a complex plot involving Lord Unsworth's estate, a riddle pointing to the lost Unsworth diamonds and the identity of the murdered woman. All the characters introduced have something to hide and are good at keeping up appearances which contributes to the twist and turns of the plot. I had a good time reading this book and look forward to the series especially getting to know more about Mr. Quayle, secretary to Lord Unsworth, and Detective Inspector Wintle who seem to share a few secrets of their own.

I received an e-Arc of the book by Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op and the author Anthony Slayton via NetGalley.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

A Most Efficient Murder hearkens back to 1925 in England. The House of Unsworth, their castle and their devoted secretary Mr. Quayle, form the heart of this mystery.

A reclusive Early Unsworth throws a party and a mysterious murder victim is found. A rather classic whodunit ensues. Rather like Agatha Christie (of whom I admit I am a great fan!) the pace, the dialogue and the mystery itself are a more leisurely pace than today's "psychological thrillers," and more delicious. There is charming dialogue with some humor thrown in. This book is neither dull nor so bushy rushing to the end that is can't be savored.

With a fine cup (or maybe pot) of tea this book will provide the reader with a most satisfying experience.

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Definitely creepy. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I’m a huge fan of cozy mysteries thanks to Agatha Christie. If you’re looking for a new mystery series then definitely give Anthony Slayton’s 𝘈 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 a read. It’s the first in the Mr. Quayle Mysteries series and it’s definitely going to keep you guessing. ⁣
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⁣The Earl of Unsworth has thrown a huge gala on behalf of his niece with a surprise planned at the end of the night, but it seems the biggest surprise is going to be the unknown dead body that’s discovered in his vast garden. Lord Unsworth asks his trusty secretary Mr. Quayle to assist the police in the investigation (but really he’s there to solve the crime before they can and to keep the Unsworth name safe).
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⁣The connections between the characters will unfold as Mr. Quayle and the investigator do their due diligence and what they uncover will be an emotional surprise. I had a few guesses that came true but I couldn’t discern the reasons why until the end. This is a smart and historical mystery. I’d definitely continue the series!