Murder at the Beauty Pageant by Helena Dixon (Miss Underhay #12) ⭐⭐⭐

Murder at the Beauty Pageant by Helena Dixon is title #12 in Miss Underhay Series. The story dates back to the spring of 1935 where our lead, Kitty Bryant, has just married Matt Bryant. Kitty and Matt make up a daring duo and also work as private investigators.

Kitty is excited to be hosting the Miss Dartmouth Jubilee pageant at the Penguin hotel. However, things do not go as planned when all participants and organisers start receiving threatening letters. Later, a body is found during the competition and a series of chaotic revelations begins. In this chaos, Matt and Kitty are given one private investigation task by a client that seems very suspicious.

Kitty and Matt set out to find the killer as well as solve the mystery behind all the ruckus. The story takes its own time to build up initially but it keeps pacing as the story progresses. The book is short with less than 300 pages and doesn’t bore you out. Engaging storyline with too many characters gives it a nice murder mystery experience where everyone is a suspect. Character establishment is quite well done.

Writing style is very easy and anyone can easily go through the book. However, I don’t like the fact that there is too much information given out in the blurb on Goodreads. PS: Don’t check it and you are good to go for a read. It did not really give me chills as Matt and Kitty’s personal navigation in their married life balances the darkness of the story.

I did expect a little bit more in the terms of writing, and thrill but overall, it was an enjoyable read. I recommend it to the beginners who are interested in a captivating murder mystery.
The book releases on 2nd May 2023 but pre-order it right now.

Thank you to Helena Dixon, Bookouture and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of Murder at the Beauty Pageant, which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

~~~ review contains slight spoilers for the previous books in the series, but not for this book ~~~

The Miss Underhay Mysteries are one of my favourite cosy crime series, and I was very excited to get my hands on Murder at the Beauty Pageant.

It was lovely to return to 1930s Devon, and catch up with how Kitty and Matt are getting on since their marriage. I always enjoy the mixture of mystery and personal life that is expertly blended in this series, and this book is no exception.

I very much enjoyed the mystery. There was a plethora of excellent suspects, all with their own secrets and motives. The story was well paced, and kept me guessing until the dramatic conclusion.

Overall, this was another excellent mystery in this great series. I’m so looking forward to the next one!

I was given a copy of this book, my opinions are my own.

Another excellent addition to this historical cozy mystery series, in which Helena is now married to Captain Bryant and as such is looking to be more involved in the detective business.

Helping her grandmother and her friend organise the local beauty pageant, Helena is once again faced with a death when one of the contestants mysteriously is found murdered during the contest.

Once again she and her husband face off against the bad guys and her friend Alice is luckily around to help save the say when The Bryant’s and others face being taken down by the murderer.

Well written, fun and full of the usual characters. Excellent for lovers of this genre.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Another solid entry in this series. Kitty and Matt are now married, and Kitty is trying to adjust to married life as she also helps Mrs Craven run a beauty pageant at the hotel. There is, of course, a murder, and Kitty and Matt investigate while navigating a difficult relationship with a new police inspector.

Another absolutely delightful read from Helena Dixon. Kitty and Matt are now married and continue to investigate crimes together. I love the period details: the black Bakelite telephone, corned beef sandwiches and a housekeeper who leaves them supper to be warmed up. This is a perfect period cosy crime series.

It is 1935, which, as a silver jubilee year, means celebrations, parties, and competitions in Dartmouth and the surrounding area. It also means Mrs Craven is in her element, recruiting anyone she can to help organise everything, including newly married Kitty Bryant, much to her dismay.

With the town needing to raise money for the children's party, Kitty finds herself helping to arrange a beauty contest at The Dolphin Hotel rather than spending time with her new husband. As Matt works to find clients for their private investigations business, Kitty is concerned about a spate of poison pen letters sent to the organisers of the pageant. Then a body is discovered and they begin to investigate, much to the annoyance of the recently appointed police inspector. With newly promoted Chief Inspector Grenville no longer as readily available to them will Kitty and Matt be able to count on the local constabulary, as they have in the past or, as the stakes are raised, are they on their own?

Book 12 begins a new chapter in Kitty and Matt's lives as well as other familiar characters and it did have a slightly different feel to it. I thoroughly enjoyed the changes which have been made and as there is the promise of more to come mentioned in the author's notes I have no doubt this series will continue to go from strength to strength.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a great addition to the series, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the period details. Highly recommended.

I do love the Kitty Underhay (now Bryant) series - she’s now married to Captain Bryant, living with him and dropping by the Dolphin Hotel to see her Grams and the staff. She helps organise a beauty pageant for the jubilee, and one of the contestants is murdered - it turns out there’s blackmail, drugs, theft and all sorts going on in Dartmouth. Definitely recommend, and I’m already waiting for the next book when this one isn’t even out until May!

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

Another great installment in the Miss Underhay Mysteries! I was very excited to be allowed to read this book early as I own the rest of the series and have read them all multiple times.
After following Kitty and Matt's adventures, and watching their relationship grow it's nice to see the new dynamic as they work out their roles now that they are married. Plus with the added friction of a new Inspector in town, it's an entertaining read
The book is beautifully written, and I couldn't put the book down- finishing it in a night.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookature for the advanced reader copy.

1935, cozy-mystery, Devonshire, hospitality-industry, threats, suspense, amateur-sleuth, private-investigators, relationships, relatives, historical-fiction, historical-research, extortion, drugs-issues, murder-investigation, murder, family-dynamics, family-drama, law-enforcement, theft, unputdownable*****

The town is hosting a beauty pageant to raise money for the local children in advance of a Royal Jubilee. Sounds boring? Maybe. But then an unknown begins sending threatening notes to the contestants with phrases like "leering eyes of respectable men". Not nice, but nothing like having one of the contestants found stabbed to death after she missed the competition. Turns out that she was hardly a model citizen, and the new police detective doesn't like "amateurs mucking about in the case". That would hardly keep our intrepid newlyweds from doing their own type of sleuthing, and things get terribly interesting. Another great read from a more than capable author!
I requested and received an uncorrected advance review ebook copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for a copy of "Murder at the Beauty Pageant" in exchange for my honest review.

This is book 12 in the Miss Underhay series and a fabulous read filled with suspense and excitement. It starts as always with an article from the Torbay Herald - this time dated April 1935, regarding the Silver Jubilee Celebrations for King George V. Another article is about a Bonny Baby Contest that was organized by Mrs. Millicent Craven. Along with an article about Sir Vivian Hardcastle holding a lecture about Egyptian artifacts.

Kitty Bryant is now happily married to Captain Matt Bryant. Mr. Lutterworth runs the Dolphin Hotel since Kitty's marriage at Christmas. Mrs. Smith manages Matt's house as their housekeeper. Kitty while a full partner at Torbay Investigative Services find she is at loose ends with not much to do. She ends up being commanded by Mrs. Craven to do committee work with her for the Jubilee Celebrations. A Beauty Pageant will be held at the Dolphin Hotel. The daughter and step-daughter of Sir Vivian the Egyptologist are entered. He has hired Matt and Kitty to investigate his step-daughter Victoria Carstairs who he feels is in with bad company and possibly with a drugs habit.

Matt and Kitty's old friend Inspector Greville is now a Chief Inspector and his replacement doesn't fill them with joy as it's Inspector Lewis whom they met at Lady Woodcombe's wedding in Yorkshire and he was not impressed with private detectives working alongside the police.

The girls of the pageant have been receiving threatening notes asking them to withdraw from the competition. When one of the girls goes missing Inspector Lewis doesn't take it seriously. Then there is another death - are they related? Matt and Kitty seem to be the only ones gathering clues. In this book they come the closest to coming to real harm than they have in any previous book. Alice once again proves what a great friend she is to Kitty.

A great new addition to Matt and Kitty's household is a kitten that Kitty rescues from an alleyway. Bertie and Rascal quickly become great friends. Very much looking forward to seeing where the next story takes Matt and Kitty!

I was drawn to this book by the front cover and it didn't disappont. It is well written with a compelling storyline and well developed characters that I loved. I really enjoyed it. The storyline was engaging and really pulls you in, with the suspense level increasing as the story progresses.
The characters are realistic and believable, and you can certainly feel yourself sharing in their emotions throughout.

An enjoyable addition to this series with an insight into how Kitty and Matt's roles will work now they are married. I did guess the villain in this mystery before the end but there was the usual multiple choices and red herrings. The ended new difficulty in this book is the new inspector being less amenable but I wouldn't say more so no spoiler's here. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Kitty is back trying to solve another murder mystery. This time it is a beauty pageant being held at her hotel, and when contestants start showing up dead it gets scary. I generally like this series, but must admit I struggled a bit staying involved in this one, and skimmed a bit at times. Still though, would recommend, but like others in the series more.