Im thankful that I was provided a copy of this book. It had positives and some things that did not quite worked for me. I found the cast of characters to be on the larger side. It was harder for me to keep track of all people because there weren't a lot of descriptions or identifying tones to distinguish them from each other. Overall the book pace was slow but it explored different turns and events that eventually led to solving the mystery. I would have like more character writing to help the reader connect with the story. The plot around the murder made a lot of the people involved not likable characters.

This was a good mystery. Well written and paced well written. I enjoyed all the characters and look forward to more from this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!

This a fast-paced, sharp-witted thriller that offers a deliciously dark look at the lives of London’s wealthy elite. The story follows the murder of Clemmie, a social media influencer who turns up dead on Hampstead Heath after attending a lavish, cocaine-and-champagne-filled birthday party hosted by her boyfriend, Rupert. As Detective Caius Beauchamp delves into the tangled lives of Clemmie’s high-society circle, readers are treated to a wickedly funny, twist-filled investigation into love, lies, and privilege.

The author excels in creating a satirical portrayal of the aristocratic set, capturing their vanity, backstabbing, and obsession with appearances. From the impossibly rich godmother to the morally questionable gallery owner, the characters are as ridiculous as they are compelling. While the mystery at the heart of the story is engaging, it’s the biting commentary on wealth and privilege that gives the book its edge. The prose is sharp, the pacing fast, and the plot filled with unexpected twists that keep the reader on their toes.

Detective Beauchamp is a perfect foil to the self-absorbed suspects. His dry wit, keen intellect, and ability to see through the façades of London’s elite add a refreshing layer of complexity to the story. His struggles to break through the wall of privilege surrounding Clemmie’s circle make for a tense, satisfying investigation that unfolds with great suspense.

While the novel delivers a lot of fun, it occasionally dips into the realm of caricature, especially in its depiction of the socialites, and some may find certain plot points a bit over-the-top. However, these moments are part of what makes the book so enjoyable. If you’re looking for a mystery that’s as much about the characters as it is about solving the crime, Who Killed Clemmie? is an excellent choice.

With its dark humor, clever plotting, and satirical edge, this book is an engaging read for anyone who enjoys a well-crafted murder mystery with a touch of societal commentary. Four stars for a highly entertaining, twisted ride through the world of the super-wealthy!

I ended up DNFing this one. It was amazing how quickly I could hate all of the characters. Sadly, this was a no for me.

This was a fresh, entertaining spin on the “rich people behaving badly” trope. After a wild night of partying, someone ends up dead—but everyone has an alibi. The story unfolds as a clever whodunit with sharp, satirical undertones. The plot was gripping and fast-paced, and the twists were absolutely wild, keeping me hooked until the very end!

This one wasn’t for me. I had to DNF.

Thank you Net Galley & to the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Didn't love this one. I could see why people would like it, but the pretentiousness was a bit over the top for me. Granted, that was part of the point of the story, the rich, upperclass, highly educated and a murder in their ranks, but I just couldn't get myself to care very much about the mystery/murder part. The characters were incredibly unlikeable so I just didn't care. I was more invested in the potential relationship of Nell and Alex than I was who the killer was. I know that it was meant to be satire and mocking of the rich, but I just didn't like them so there was no investment in the story. Detective Caius Beauchamp comes back in another book, and while I liked him and his partner for the most part, I don't know that I will continue with the series.

4.5 stars. I really liked this book. Not necessarily for the plot, but for the characters. Caius Beauchamp, and his fellow detectives Matt and Amy, are all dedicated cops, slightly weird, and totally entertaining. I enjoyed the little side oddities, such as Matt getting into (and then getting the department into) lavender biscuits. As for the storyline- it was a bit convoluted, with some twists and turns that might have been a bridge too far- but I didn’t really care. Again, the character development. I want terrible things to happen to Rupert in the rest of his life. Unfortunately, he is exactly the type of entitled shit that makes our world suck. I really hope Nell ditches the whole scene and finds real people to be friends with. She is damaged by all of them. Lastly, I can’t wait to read more about Caius and his investigations. Hurry up and release another one!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this as an ARC.

Everything about this one should’ve worked for me - British, high society, mystery, influence - but I just could NOT find a reason to give a fig about our MC. Such a bummer.

This one just wasn't for me. I'm not sure if it was the British focus or what, but I just couldn't enjoy this one.

Unfortunately had to DNF this as I couldn't get into the plot and didn't like the characters. Not the book for me.

Not my favorite read. This author is new to me and I did not like the prose and found it difficult to read.

This was a great mystery and could not believe this was the authors debut story.I love the modern day mystery with the aristocrats and of course the, influencers. The story keeping me guessing and the twists were great! This was a fantastic debut novel

#TheOtherHalf #NetGalley
Awesome.
Who killed Clemmie? Was it the blithe, sociopathic boyfriend? His impossibly wealthy godmother? The gallery owner with whom Clemmie was having an affair? Or was it the result of something else entirely All the party-goers have alibis. Naturally. This investigation is going to be about aristocrats and Classics degrees, Instagram influencers and whose father knows who.Or is it 'whom'? Detective Caius Beauchamp isn't sure. He's sharply dressed, smart, and thoroughly modern—he discovers Clemmie's body on his early morning jog. As he searches for the dark truth beneath the luxurious life of these London socialites, a wall of staggering wealth and privilege threatens to shut down his investigation before it's even begun. Can Caius peer through the tangled mess of connections in which the other half live—and die—before the case is wrenched from his hands?
Thanks to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for giving me an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this early copy in exchange for a review. Sadly, The Other Half just didn’t work for me. I very much disliked the main character. To the point where I’m a little surprised that I actually finished the book. I just felt no investment in the story. I wasn’t connecting to any of the characters and the murder mystery was not keeping me interested in the story.

Book 1 of a new series featuring private detective Caius Beauchamp leaps out as the potential for a very engaging new series. Caius, mourning the his recent breakup, discovers the body of a socialite one morning while jogging. The story splits, taking the reader through the past birthday bash of Rupert Beauchamp (same spelling, different pronunciation) as he waits for his socialite girlfriend to show up so he can break up with her.

This book reminded me somewhat of Robert Galbraith's Cormoran Strike series, but a little lighter and with more humor. A great new private eye/whodunit series if you are in looking for one. I'm going to be following this author (who is promised to be working on Book 2 by her editor!) and looking forward to more in this series.

Thank you Netgalley, author and Anchor books for the ARC.

DNF , when you cannot even force yourself to read more than 17 pages and I am someone who hardly dnf's books.
I couldn't follow through the story, words were in English but it felt like I was reading another language, when you have so many words in two pages that I have to repeatedly Google to find the meaning - 'Salvete', 'pleb' , 'cosset', 'triumvirate'. I lost interest.

I couldn't understand the satire, the characters couldn't even grab my attention enough to read further.

The Other Half is the first book in a police procedural series by Charlotte Vassell. Released 21st Nov 2023 by Knopf Doubleday on their Vintage Anchor imprint, it's 368 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. Paperbakc due out in Aug 2024 from the same publisher.It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

There are moments of levity and humor, but for the most part, the book is quite full of highly unpleasant characters upon whom readers will actually *wish* harm. The writing is well wrought and the plotting is well engineered, but perhaps a little less awfulness in the characters would have rendered the whole read a more pleasant experience overall.

There's also a large dose of social satire and poking fun at the upper classes which has more spite and snark than actual humor. There are numerous books which do the upper classes behaving badly trope with humor and delicacy (Crazy Rich Asians, Malibu Rising, and Big Little Lies for example), this, sadly, isn't one of them.

Another book in the series released April 2nd 2024 and has considerably higher ratings overall. It's probably worth slogging through the first book in order to give the second book a fair try; as said, it's generally well written and moderately well plotted.

Three stars. Worth a look for readers who enjoy hating most of the characters and don't mind some serious -stupidity- in action from the same.

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

I couldn’t get into this book. I don’t think I’m the specific audience for the book. I recognized the satire and humor but it wasn’t really for me.
There wasn’t anything I disliked about the book, I just couldn’t get in to it and wasn’t enticed to keep reading. I DNF it at 1/3 of the way through.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the copy of this eARC.

This book had a lot of twists and turns. It was hard to stay engaged. There were a lot of characters to keep track of and I found my self having to go back and remind myself who was who.