Took a bit to get my head around it, but once I got into it I really enjoyed it. Stick with it - it’s worth it. Thank you for letting me review your book.

Highly original, this is a murder mystery that has no relation to Miss Marple except in cleverness. A great parody of the feckless upper classes and a fast paced romp through London, this is entertaining. I found the first part a bit protracted, could have done with a bit of editing but then it all gets tighter.

In the UK at the moment, it feels as if we are being constantly reminded how the other half live. Whether it’s frustrating legislation from politicians, TikTok influencers showing their naivety or celebrity comments in the media – we are reminded that the cost-of-living crisis is not universal. We are all in the same storm, but some people have Super Yachts!

The Other Half is a crime thriller which focuses on (and satires) the upper-class elites and the shady world in which they live. We meet a cast of infuriating characters: from rich play-boy Rupert, influencer girlfriend Clemmie and the mysterious Nell. The day after Rupert throws an extravagant birthday party upstairs in a Macdonald’s restaurant, his girlfriend is found dead and its up to DI Caius Beauchamp to find out the truth. We are led through a trail of yoga classes, health food, social media, gyms and drugs to discover the truth.

I’ll start by saying that this book is an astonishing debut from Charlotte Vassell, and she is an author to keep an eye on in future. The writing style is beautiful and the way that the book is told walks a fine line between making a point that should enrage us as a reader and making us laugh with its absurdity in places. That said, I did find it dragged a little and could have been improved with a touch more editing.

The plot is interesting with a lot of twists and turns to keep you engaged. The narrative shifts chapters between Caius and Nell’s perspective which was refreshing. I initially did not enjoy the chapters about the birthday party as it all seemed very shallow, but stick with it and you’ll see what Vassell is trying to achieve. I thought Caius was a good choice as the detective in this case and it was nice that the character didn’t fall into a lot of the stereotypes that can be seen in other crime thrillers. After being dumped by his partner, he is trying (and failing in places), to cope which sees him go on a bit of a health kick. I’d be interested in reading more books with him as a leading character.

The plot winds a meandering path and although I kind of guessed the killer correctly earlier on, I changed my mind lots of times before the reveal happened! There wasn’t really a time when I could easily see where the plot was going, and it certainly wasn’t predictable. The ending was a little unsatisfying, but I think this is done to make a point as well. It is also heavily setting up for a sequel or even a series. The last few paragraphs which set up a shock twist cliff-hanger for Caius I felt was unnecessary and too abrupt.

Overall, The Other Half will frustrate you with its selfish characters yet make you question society and keep you chuckling whilst you work out the murder mystery! Thank you to NetGalley & Faber & Faber for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a book that was nearly a miss for me. Populated by characters I hated, I very nearly ditched it at the first chapter despite the glorious prose - who books Mackie D’s for a Tory toff’s birthday party - which would have been a mistake.
Caius - still not sure how to pronounce - is an excellent addition to the crime genre. If you like Chief Inspector Gamache you should like this. The writing is comparable.

Wow. This is a really, really good novel in its own right, and a cracking good crime novel. Hard to credit that it's a first.

It's pitch perfect satire. I was afraid -- the cover really doesn't do justice to this novel -- that it would be a clichéd and facile class satire: the party-going silly rich compared to the hard-working, smart ordinary folk.

Well it is this, but neither clichéd nor facile. It in fact very cleverly brings all the characters down to earth and portrays them as very credible people. Most of them are clever, and all of them are unique. The satire runs at a deeper level, touching not only on superficial class differences (champagne, clothes and pricey shoes) but on abuse of power, origins of wealth, and racial and gender discrimination.

The novel is extremely well written. The dialogue is quick, witty and funny. But it's not just jokes thrown in for entertainment: it really does use the classic 'show, don't tell' to bring forth the personality and identities of each character, and their relationships, or to reveal plot details and move the story forward. For example, there's a running joke between two of the detectives that is never referred to by them specifically - it just happens. It's great for character-building and for demonstrating the nature of their relationship, and it feels very real.

As for plot, well, it kept me guessing to the end. There are some unresolved threads that leave room for further development, hopefully in a series. DI Beauchamp and his colleagues Matt and Amy form a great team and I'd love to see them again.

It's not often I'm this impressed by a first novel. I look forward to more.

One thing I hope will change before publication is the cover design. Again, it does not do the novel justice. It warrants a cover designed to convey a darker and more erudite vibe.

Rupert Beauchamp throws an outlandishly extravagant 30th birthday party. Its success is marred by the murder of his girlfriend, Clemency "Clemmie" O'Hara. DI Caius Beauchamp (definitely no relation) investigated the murder and must wade through this obnoxious, entitled world of privilege. In addition to being a good mystery, the novel does a great job in highlighting the class/money divide in London to show how certain people live, as set forth in the title.

Bitingly Satirical…
A glitzy birthday party for Rupert with no expense spared is marred by the discovery of murder the morning after. When the victim is declared to be Rupert’s girlfriend, all of the party goers clearly have the perfect alibi. Don’t they? Enter Detective Caius Beauchamp. There is more to this than meets the eye. Central here is the solid and enjoyable whodunnit set against a bitingly satirical look at the upper classes in all their dreadful glory. With a whip sharp narrative and a keen observational eye the author creates a perfectly horrid cast of over the top characters and an engaging detective. Glorious.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for an advance copy of The Other Half, a stand-alone set in London.

Clemency O’Hara is murdered on the evening of her boyfriend Rupert Beauchamp’s thirtieth birthday party. All the partygoers have alibis so it is up to DI Caius Beachamp to sort through the morass of privilege to find Clemmie’s killer.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Other Half, which is an amusing look at how the other half live. I must admit that I didn’t get it all (my local supermarket doesn’t stock much of the food mentioned and I don’t have an Instagram account), but I got the intent - the pretentiousness and monetisation of the healthy living industry. The ridiculousness of it made me laugh, but I’m old, so what do I know?

Apart from having a poke at the influencer lifestyle the novel revolves around the rich. Clemmie didn’t have to work and Rupert is obscenely rich, rich enough to make problems disappear in ways that the rest of us always suspected. Oh and there’s way too much about classics and poetry that I don’t see the point in, having outgrown that kind of intellectual snobbery many years ago when I had to start dealing with the realities of life - is that the point?

All these extraneities aside the novel has a very good murder mystery. I was engrossed in who did what, why and how and didn’t guess. There is a partial solution, but not all the crimes are resolved or their perpetrators held to account. This slightly frustrating, but in keeping with the themes of the novel. I would love for it to be the gateway to a sequel, but I don’t think so as the author has rested her case.

I really liked the characterisation in the novel. The upper class characters are generally loathsome with their sense of entitlement and bad behaviour, but the lesser mortals are generally likeable. I like Caius Beauchamp with his aspirations to good health and well-being that he slowly abandons, the chip on his shoulder and his dedication to solving the case. I like the banter between him and his deputy, DS Matt Cheung, that shows true friendship and a confidence in themselves. It is pleasant to see a harmonious team.

The Other Half is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Loved this book - it was great fun with adorably pretentious characters and a great storyline with plenty of twists and turns. Some things were quite over the top but that only added to the fun of reading it.
On a serious note it is a pacy crime novel with plenty of sly wit thrown in.

Not only was this an amazing who dun it full of suspense, twists and turns but what I loved about this book was the honesty and how realistically the class divide is and how UK culture has always been built on favouring one side over the other and the power and ebenifts that brings along with how unbalanced it is. Its oiterally two different worlds in the space of the same postcode. But enough about that, the nook is really well written. Because it is so accurate and relatable then it's impossible not to just get lost in it! There were a few twists and turns and it kept me guessing throughout. It's one of those that he's under your skin!

What an original debut! The Other Half is a London based crime novel set amongst the privileged Oxford set that powerfully looks at many issues in society whilst being witty, strong on satire and full of literary references and culinary details. There's a cast of unlikeable young wealthy characters who contrast with the likeable detective Caius Beauchamp and his team.
I absolutely loved the fast paced, incisive writing and this was a joy to read. I hope Caius and his team return! Recommended.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.
4.5 stars

A really enjoyable read that I couldn't pout down. Great writing with a gripping storyline and well developed characters. It was fast paced and twisty and I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. I loved it.

Great book with not only a edge of your seat storyline. But I also really enjoyed the parts where the author highlighted the things that were glaringly wrong with British hierarchy well at least some of the things. Well done.

This is such a fun, biting take on the thriller genre - absolutely skewering of the English upper classes, but also a pacy, exciting mystery at the same time. I loved this book!

Billed as “an incredible crime debut”, Charlotte Vassell’s “The Other Half” is receiving rave advance notices proclaiming she is about to become our next favourite crime writer. The book is due for release by Faber & Faber in January 2023 and it’s the first in a new crime series by this young and talented author.

I can see why the book is creating a stir. Vassell writes with energy, wit and a clever satirical eye. For those who love “whodunnits” every desire will be well satisfied – the shocking discovery of a body following a slap-up birthday party for Rupert Beauchamp (a filthy rich, rakish, champagne guzzling, handsome, inveterate womaniser, snob and all-round obnoxious prat), the pursuit of various red herrings by the police investigators on the case and many twists, turns and surprises before the totally unforeseen finale.

Part of the strength of the book is that it’s not just a whodunnit. Along the way Vassell takes aim at some sitting ducks of contemporary life and English life in particular. She says her aim was to highlight the glaring disparities between the have’s and the have not’s, evident everywhere but more blatantly obvious in the UK with its archaic class system and, according to Vassell in London, where the book is set. A native Londoner, Vassell comments in a note about the book that “in London you can literally be from the wrong side of the tracks … the multi-million-pound townhouse overlooks a block of damp council housing”. On the bus you see “two worlds rubbing shoulders … coughing over each other, swaying together as the bus turns a bend, but so impossibly separate.”

Hence the title of the book. It’s a novel take on the ageless theme of insiders and outsiders, one brought vividly up to date in the engaging characters of DI Caius Beauchamp (pronounced differently from the toffee-nosed Rupert’s surname) who is part Jamaican, and DS Matt Cheung, his offsider, who is part-Chinese. Her other target is the modern-day cult of self-improvement and all its offshoots like joggers, gym addicts, superfood junkies and the whole foods movement. Instagrammers, so-called influencers on social media and the overhyped affiliate marketing crusade come in for their share of lampooning, as does the British reverence for the worlds of Oxbridge, classical scholarship, elite institutions, the posh, the entitled, the filthy rich and those with a pre-ordained path to the House of Lords.

If you’re looking for a page-turner, a laugh and entertainment with a subtle message, you’ll love this book.
Many thanks to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for providing me with an advance review copy of the book.

Thank you for the advance copy! I enjoyed the book and the style of writing! It did take me a while to get used to the characters but once in the story you just want to carry on.

I would like to thank the author, the publisher and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of this book. I enjoyed this book, some of the characters were particularly unpleasant, but the team of detectives were brilliant, it kept me guessing throughout and I will be recommending it to everyone I know.