Thank you to Netgally, the publishers, and Jessica Ellicott

When I requested this book I was unaware that it was apart of a series, one that requires you to read the previous books for this one to make sense. I am unable to read all the previous books along with this one before the publish date. Therefore, I will rate this a fair 3/5 stars and will adjust the rating and review when I am able to read all the books in the series along with this one.

I bumped up Murder at a London Finishing School in my TBR, the second runner up in August's poll, and am so happy I did. Although this was the 7th book in the series, it was my first introduction to Edwina and Beryl. Set just after World War I, the enquiry agent team of the prim and proper British Edwina Davenport and the American adventuress Beryl Halliwell, are hired by the headmistress of their former alma mater to uncover who is behind the mysterious happenings at Miss Dupont's Finishing School. Neither women really want to return to their old stomping grounds of the school, but they do not feel like they can refuse.

Someone appears to be sabotaging the school--there have been strange sounds at night and items are being misplaced, if not outright stolen. And in the midst of all that a former classmate of Edwina and Beryl's is found dead on the school's property. A murder at the school would be ruinous to its reputation.

The school has already been suffering business-wise, from having had to shut down during the war and then with the changing climate after as interest in schools like Dupont's Finishing School diminish all over. Author Jessica Ellicott adeptly weaves the shifting culture of the times within her story. Not to mention she has created a cast of characters with interesting backgrounds and possible motives, and a mystery that kept me guessing right up to the end.

Coming into the series late can be risky, but this was a great way to get to know the characters and their backgrounds, getting to see where they met and glimpsing some of their childhood memories. Edwina and Beryl are very capable and intelligent women, each with their own strengths. They work well together and make a great team. This was an easygoing mystery with plenty of intrigue. I hope to read more of this series in the future.

Murder at a London Finishing School is the 7th cozy mystery by Jessica Ellicott to feature Beryl & Edwina. Released 25th July 2023 by Kensington, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. The paperback format is due out from the same publisher in December 2023. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

This is a delightfully quirky, beautifully written historical cozy village mystery set in the interwar period. There's skullduggery afoot at Beryl & Edwina's alma mater, and she and Beryl are soon on the case at the exclusive girls' school from which they matriculated years earlier. As with the other books in the series, there are lots of side plots which are engaging in themselves, but which also enrich and entwine with the main story.

There's a very golden age feel to the whole and the author has a deft touch with dialogue and characterization. The characters are nuanced and delightfully rendered with drawing room wit. Although it's not at all derivative in any way, the feel of the story and the narrative voice remind me a lot of why I love Alan Bradley's Flavia de Luce books.

The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 9 hours 23minutes and is -masterfully- read by series narrator Barbara Rosenblat. She has a beautifully modulated quite deep voice and the enunciation and perfection of characters' accents delighted me. There is a moderate amount of quite rapid dialogue in the read and she hops from crisp cut-glass upper class British to indefinite general English with quite distinct Scottish brogue, to a domestic servant's broad midlands without a single stumble. Virtuoso reading, a delight.

It could be read as a standalone, however, there will be major spoilers for earlier books in the series if read out of order.

Four and a half stars, five for the audiobook narration. This would make a superlative choice for public library acquisition, social reading (bookclubs, buddy reads, etc - in fact the author has suggested discussion questions on her website) as well as being a great candidate for a very well written series binge read.

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

Beryl Helliwell is a feisty American adventuress and shy British Edwina Davenport is as proper as they come. They make an unusual team, but are very successful enquiry agents, solving mysteries in England just after World War I.

They were very surprised when Miss Dupont of Miss Dupont’s Finishing School for Young Ladies contacted them about mysterious goings-on at their alma mater. But they were pleased to return to London to assist as they could. What was causing the strange noises and lights at night on the school property? And who was taking students’ possessions?

As Beryl and Edwina search for answers, they discover a great deal about the staff at the school, including a teacher who is a former classmate, school donors, Miss Dupont herself, current and prospective students and more. And then one of their former classmates who has given significant funds to the school is found dead in the grotto. Is it a terrible accident or something more sinister?

Jessica Ellicott takes you to post-World War I England and its customs and morals. She paints a very realistic picture and creates a dynamic mystery. Beryl and Edwina are multi-layered characters and it’s fun to get to know them better.

This is a lovely historical cozy mystery with enough suspects and clues to keep you turning the pages quickly.

I wish I had realized when first requested this book that it was book seven in a series. Granted, the book forms part of a series that one does not necessarily need to read in any particular order. I enjoyed the quirky main characters and the interplay between the other players in the story as the mystery unfolded. Did it present anything profound? No. I did not need it to. I found this to be a fun, enjoyable, palette cleanser read.

An enjoyable historical cozy mystery. I enjoyed learning more about Edwina and Beryl and the mystery was good. The characters are very entertaining.
Many thanks to Kensington and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Neither Beryl nor Edwina ever imagine they would be called back to the Finishing School where the two of them first became friends. They certainly would not imagine that the invitation would be as enquiring agents to help the headmistress figure out who is behind the nefarious doings that threaten the very survival of the school.

It is deja vu all over again as they reconnect with one of their school friends now holds a teaching position at the school. The bully who made all three lives miserable is there too as the mother of a student.. The teacher who terrified all the students is still the dragon she once was. There are other familiar faces including the ex husband of the bully whom the girls had fancied during their youth. The elements are there for a tempestuous confrontation. When the two friends discover the bully’s body in a grotto on the grounds, it looks like their investigations might take a deadly turn.

There is no shortage of suspects who might have wanted to kill the woman. But the local police quickly determine it was an accident. Was it? Beryl and Edwina continue to look into the reason they were hired but also cannot resist the lure of uncovering a murder. The reader will be pulled along going from suspect to suspect as more and more information is revealed. The truth, once they discover it, is not at all what they or the reader might have suspected. They had me flummoxed in the best possible way. Five purrs and two paws up.

Jessica Ellicott involve Beryl and Edwina in Murder at a London Finishing School. They are invited back to their finishing school due to Miss Dupont's school suffering a number of unusual events and a decline in students.
They find their nemesis Veronica is back to place her daughter at the school; then Veronica ends up dead. Was it murder? Veronica and her husband are divorcing and he is displeased by his payoff; staff are at war with each other. Join their adventure.

Shy, ladylike Edwina Davenport and bold extrovert Beryl Helliwell met at Miss Dupont's Finishing School for Young Ladies. Now reunited after the war (WWI), they are now private inquiry agents. Neither wants to revisit their old school, but Miss Dupont needs their help to find who is trying to shut down the school. There are thefts and items appearing and disappearing and things that go bump in the night. When they arrive, they find the "mean girl" of their class is there with her daughter and much younger second husband.
As they are following the clues to the "ghost" they find the dead body of the "mean girl" at the grotto where Edwina liked to go during her time at the school.
The dead woman's daughter, current husband, first husband and all the staff of the school all had reason to dislike her, but her death is ruled accidental. Of course, Edwina and Beryl don't take it at face value and investigate.
The do find the "ghost" and how the victim actually died as well as a secret past of another old friend who is now teaching at the school.
So fun to see these ladies learn from each other and expand their horizons in new ways.

A charming and cozy historical mystery set at a finishing school for young ladies.

This is my first crack at this series, and I was pleasantly surprised. The story itself is a good one, well plotted and reasonably complex in terms of the mystery itself, and I enjoyed the setting.

Our sleuths are perhaps a bit more predictable and less appealing than some in this subgenre, which isn’t to say they’re unlikable (they’re lovely) but rather that they aren’t especially unique or distinct. This doesn’t mean the story isn’t worth reading, just a fair warning for those who are pickier about the specifics of their historical cozies.

The specific setting probably helped hold my interest here, but I also liked the tone and appreciated the quality enough to try another from this series.

Murder At A London Finishing School is the seventh book in the Beryl and Edwina Mystery series by Jessica Ellicott.

Beryl and Edwina have been engaged by Miss Dupont, the headmistress at Miss Dupont’s Finishing School for Young Ladies. They are asked to keep their visit a secret as to why they are there. Miss Dupont has suggested that Beryl has a goddaughter from overseas that she is interested in attending. Before the Great War, attendance had been declining, and since the end, there weren’t many young ladies wanting to attend finishing school. There are only about six young ladies presently enrolled. Add to that, and there seem to be items that belong to the young ladies that are going missing and personal possessions being damaged. Some of the students have reported hearing strange noises at night, and others suspect that there are ghosts around.

Many employees working when Beryl and Edwina were enrolled in the school are still around. Miss Glover, Miss Dupont’s assistant, can still intimidate them. Edwina was pleased to see that Mrs. Jenkins, the housekeeper, and her husband, Mr. Jenkins, the butler, were still working at the school. Mary, their friend from their school days, is now an art teacher at the Finishing school. In a mysterious event, Mary falls down the stairs from the second floor. Was she sleepwalking, or was she pushed?

Soon, another former student, Veronica, arrives with her daughter, who she plans to enroll. Edwina and Beryl are unhappy about seeing their nemesis from their school days. When Veronica’s body is found in a little pond on school property. The police are convinced that she simply slipped and hit her head on a stone, causing her death.

Beryl and Edwina disagree with the police and set out to investigate. Naturally, her husband is first on the list of suspects, but they soon find other suspects.

I love this series; Edwina is a sedate person, not wanting to anger anyone's feelings, Whereas Beryl tends to be a free spirit. The story is well-written, plotted, and wonderfully descriptive. The characters were all fascinating and believable. There were enough twists and turns that I kept guessing until the end of the book as to the killer's identity.

I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this enjoyable historical series.

Edwina and Beryl are just getting to settle in and enjoy some down time when a letter comes from their very own finishing school. There have been some mysterious noises and thefts that are causing an already stressed school to lose even more students. Their former headmistress, Miss Dupont, needs help. And they are startled to realize they recognize even more face including a former student who is now a teacher. Also there? The school bully whose younger daughter is about to enter the school.
Too bad said bully doesn't seem to have improved with age. In fact, she seems to be wielding an even bigger stick. Or at least trying to. So is it any surprise that she's the person who ends up dead? And, of course, leaving behind any number of people who are happy to see her go.
The ending of this one was rather surprising to me because I remember the other Ellicott books being rather fairly clued but this comes basically out of nowhere. It was fine, just unexpected.

Four stars
This book come out July 25, 2023
Follows Murder through the English Post
ARC kindly provided by Kensington Books and NetGalley
Opinions are my own

Brought to you by OBS Reviewer Jeanie

This is such a great mystery! I continually learn from this delightful series and enjoy looking up terms or events that I’m not familiar with. While our lives are completely different, there was something in both Edwina and Beryl with which I felt a kinship. The settings sound picture perfect, especially the gardens.

Edwina and Beryl met at Miss DuPont’s Finishing School for Young Ladies, one a proper young English lady and one an American who hated being there. Their lifelong friendship began when they were roommates and classmates. Beryl currently lives at Edwina’s family estate, where they opened Davenport and Helliwell, Private Enquiry Agency after helping the constable solve complex cases.

Edwina received an invitation to attend the school’s prospective students’ week. Included was a personal letter from Miss DuPont. She asked Edwina and Beryl to come in a professional capacity, under cover as if checking the school for a goddaughter or relative, with all due discretion. Intrigued, Beryl drove them to the school that afternoon.

Miss DuPont told them that student numbers declined before the Great War. When reopening after the war, there were fewer students as young ladies no longer wanted to attend. Lately it seemed as if someone were trying to shut their school down. Students’ personal items went missing. Some reappeared later, others did not. Moans and other distressing sounds awoke them during the night. Students began to leave, and the current enrollment was only six. The headmistress hoped they could find who was behind the trouble before they were forced to close.

They saw Miss Glover, who was older now and still a stickler for the rules. She had an even sharper tongue that struck terror into the hearts of the meek. They were surprised to see Mary, a former fellow student, now a confident teacher of art and culture. Edwina was delighted to find Jennings, the butler, and his wife, the cook, were still there.

As they began the charade of checking the facility for Beryl’s “goddaughter”, they saw Veronica, another former classmate. Veronica was there with her daughter, Florence, who she hoped would attend the school even though she doesn’t want to. Veronica had tormented some of their classmates with incessant bullying, especially Mary. Veronica was as snarky as ever, and acted as an advisor to Miss DuPont. Veronica’s daughter was as different from her mother as night and day. She wants to become an engineer and join the family firm, Montrose Aeronautics.

Beryl and Edwina could find no cause for the disturbances. Some thought the school was haunted, which neither students nor the shoestring staff found amusing. The pair went to the grotto, where Edwina used to spend hours reading as a student, to speak privately. They were horrified to find one of their former classmates with a head wound, dead. Upon advice from one of the men, the local inspector passed it off as an accident, that the woman slipped, fell, and hit her head. Edwina and Beryl didn’t buy it.

The engaging characters come to life through the author’s expert descriptions. She captures their essences beautifully, providing far more than their physical descriptions. Some of this is done through relatable conversations and some through past and current escapades and behavior. My equal favorites are Edwina and Beryl, and I enjoy the Jennings couple as much as Edwina did. I was fascinated to see the school, past and present, through the very different views of the two friends.

Things I found enlightening included the impact of the Great War and the influenza pandemic on everything. Some decided to live for today as tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed, which led many to poor decisions. Both events contributed to low numbers at the school. The death of the former classmate, however, could shut the doors for good. Beryl and Edwina continue to look for the prankster while seeking the truth about the death. There was no shortage of suspects and motives when considering the last 24 hours of her life. The end was a total surprise, for both the death and the disturbances in the school. I was very pleased to see the outcome, and highly recommend this novel and series!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Silva Moreno-Garcia for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for Silver Nitrate coming out July 18, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Montserrat is used to being overlooked. It’s the 1990’s in Mexico City. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club in charge of the film industry. And she also feels invisible to her best friend, Tristán who she’s been in love with since they were children. Tristán is a charming if faded soap opera actor. 

Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the famed cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legend thinks he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like unattainable fantasy. The magic film was never finished. Urueta swears his career ended overnight because of it. He is cursed.

Now the director wants Montserrat and Tristán to help him shoot the last scene and end the curse. Montserrat soon feels a dark presence following her, and Tristán starts seeing the ghost of his ex-girlfriend.

As they work together to solve the mystery of the film and the obscure occultist who once traveled their city, Montserrat and Tristán may discover that sorcerers and magic are not only the stuff of movies.

I have all of Silva Moreno-Garcia’s books and I really love her writing. I learned Spanish, so anything to do with Spanish literature is really fascinating to me. I also love the genre she writes about. The first part of the book was a little slow. I definitely think it picked up during the Film part of the book. It had more of the horror elements I loved. I also loved the background on what it was like in the Mexican film industry. I loved that it was set in the 90s. It felt nostalgic. Tristán and Montserrat’s friendship was my favorite part. I loved that they took the journey together and ended up being there for each other. The ending was perfect.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys horror novels about the occult!

I love Edwina and Beryl and always enjoy their antics and investigations. I found this one a bit darker and more complex than other as it brings them back to their finishing school.
I studied at a private school and, even if it was decades later, I can say that the author did an excellent job in describing the atmosphere and how some people was mean and petty.
It's a solid mystery and I loved how the author kept past and present together surprising me till the end.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for this Advanced Reader Copy and the opportunity to review “Murder at a London Finishing School.” All opinions and comments are my own.

It’s another voyage of discovery for Edwina and Beryl in “Murder at a London Finishing School,” the seventh in the historical mystery series by Jessica Ellicott, as the two proprietors of the Davenport and Helliwell Private Enquiry Agency are tasked to investigate some mysterious goings-on at the school they attended as sprightly young ladies, many years ago (our story is set just after WWI). Beryl is not too happy about this, as her school days were not among her best (besides, she had a vacation planned); but the headmistress is distraught, Edwina is feeling the old school ties, and, well, they are getting paid for it. So, off to London they, go. Needless to say, they get much more than they bargained for -- including a murder.

The story is told from both Edwina’s and Beryl’s perspective, as they search for first, who would want to put the school out of business, and then, for the murderer (ignore that the local police say it’s an accident -- along with our ladies, “we” know better) of a school bully from back in “their day,” who is visiting the school to prepare her own daughter for attendance -- a daughter who is not at all happy at the prospect. The “modern woman” sensibilities are much in evidence, and we read plenty about how this shapes personalities -- new characters and our old, well-established ones.

In between the investigations, author Ellicott gives us the personal stories; Edwina’s away from Walmsley Parva, and she’s, to put it bluntly, homesick. Beryl realizes that the school shaped much of the rest of her life, and knows now that wasn’t such a bad thing. Some readers may think this slows down the narrative, but to me such knowledge only adds to the richness of the story and its characters, as it lends variety and description. And besides, as the author provides knowledge, she also provides investigative clues -- after all, for both the trouble at the school, and especially the murder - who benefits? Beryl and Edwina know that all they have to do is figure that out, and they’ll have both cases closed, not just the one they were hired for. So, everyone is gathered together, and the truth is revealed, with a twist that goes deeper than anyone could have imagined.

It’s so important to understand the characters of Beryl and Edwina. Especially Edwina, who might be an enigma to modern readers. A strong woman who’s unhappy at being away from home for a couple of days. Who found her finishing school a happy place, while Beryl did not. That author Jessica Ellicott continues to make us “see” these two fictional people as real, and that their stories remain recognizable, is a testament to her skill as a world-builder. And above all, Beryl and Edwina are good detectives, and “Murder at a London Finishing School” shows them at their comfortable best.

Love that the mystery wasn’t at first a murder, that the mysterious death was near the middle of the story, Also Edwina and Beryl was hired for a job outside their small village, not all murders should be always on the Homefront. Hired on by their old school mistress to discover the odd going ons at their former finishing school has also brought back memories of how they met. Many twists and turns and several could have done it characters will keep you guessing till the end. Unusual twist at the end, but during that time period was very possible.
I give it 3.5 stars and rounded up. Thank you NetGalley for this eARC. I am voluntarily posting an honest review after reading an Advance Reader Copy of this story. #NetGalley #MurderataLondonFinishingSchool

Murder at a London Finishing School is the seventh book in the Beryl and Edwina Mystery series. When are invited back to their old finishing school to help look into the mysterious sounds occurring around the grounds, they uncover secrets around their old stomping grounds that they weren’t expecting.

This is the first mystery I have read in this series and it was a good one! I loved the combination of Beryl and Edwina and enjoyed their sleuthing style. The mystery in this book was intriguing and held my attention, keeping me guessing until the very end. Even though this is the first I have read in the series, I feel like I already know Beryl and Edwina and I can’t wait to read their other mysteries! This is a great book and appears to be part of a great series. It’s definitely worth the read for cozy mystery lovers!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

If you love a cozy mystery housed in a historical fiction tale set in England, I have a recommendation for you. Murder at a London Finishing School by Jessica Elliott takes her readers back to the end of World War I with the hovering threat of another war. The former teacher of Beryl Helliwell and Edwina Davenport, Miss Dupont, runs the school and becomes concerned about who she can trust. She sends for the two women who have established a detective team since their years at her Finishing School for Young Ladies. The school has lost status since its heyday when they were enrolled and current happenings have added to loss of enrollment. Strange noises at night may indicate that the school is haunted or that a sinister person is afoot. In addition, items regularly go missing from current student rooms.

Both Beryl and Edwina have their own reasons for reluctance to leave Walmsley Parva, where they have established their reputation as sleuths, to go to London. Yet, they still care for their old teacher. With a cover story that they are checking the school out as a possible place for Beryl’s goddaughter, they arrive to investigate the strange night noises and missing items from current students’ rooms.

They are surprised when Veronica Delisle, their nemesis from bygone days, shows up and is also looking into the possibility of a school for her daughter. Complicating the scene are Veronica’s current and former husbands. Then Veronica is found dead in the grotto. Did she accidentally slip and fall or is there foul play? Suspects abound. Joining the husbands are the gardener, a long time strict teacher at the school, and even Miss DuPont herself.

The book is a good light read, a relaxing pastime with no attempt to make you better informed or a better person.

3.75 stars

This was a strong and well-written entry in an entertaining series. Two independent women, who were friends years ago at finishing school, became reacquainted and started an investigative business. Beryl is an often-married adventure-loving world traveler, intrepid and fearless. Edwina stayed home, cared for her difficult mother, and tried to weather financial difficulties and the barren social landscape of post WWI England.

But together, they are indomitable, playing to each's strengths. This time, they return to the school where they met at the request of the headmistress to look into odd noises and thefts that are harming the school, which is already reeling from low enrollment in changing times. It's not long before the first body turns up and there are ample suspects, most of whom Beryl and Edwina know from the past.

This story was a bit more introspective than most. They are both very aware of the precarious nature of Europe's politics and the possibility of another war with Germany. And re-visiting the past causes them both to consider their own foibles and strong points and to appreciate their solid friendship.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.