Detective Caius Beauchamp has been a self-improvement kick since his girlfriend left him. He's taken up healthy eating and jogging. However, a morning jog before he takes off to Paris to try to convince his girlfriend to come back is interrupted by the discovery of a corpse.

As he and his Detective Sergeant try to discover who the dead young woman is, we are introduced to more characters from her social set. They are the wealthy and connected, well educated at Oxford where they studied Classics, and who are now trying to find themselves as they are nearing thirty.

Nell Waddingham has a Classics degree from Oxford and is working for a niche publisher in London. She also dealing with relationships. She's recently broken up with Caspar and has a long-term crush on Rupert Beauchamp. Meanwhile, Alex has had a long-term crush on Nell and is jealous of Rupert's hold on Nell. And Rupert is the modern equivalent of a Regency Rake with a new girl every minute including the murder victim Clemmie who was determined to convince Rupert to marry her.

Nell and Alex are reluctant to attend Rupert's 30th birthday celebration. Not only is it being held as a black-tie affair at a local McDonalds, but Nell is trying to stay away from Rupert who is suddenly pursuing her relentlessly. They arrive late and leave early going off to spend the night together.

As Caius learns who Clemmie is and digs into the twisted relationships among the uber rich he finds himself discovering a drug ring and an antiquities smuggling operation. And he finds himself sidelined when other law enforcement agencies take over his case. But he can't let it go since he's afraid that the participants are going to use their wealth and privilege to slither out from under their crimes.

I had a hard time getting into this story at the beginning because it was so filled with British slang and pop cultural references that I didn't know. Once I got into the rhythm of the writing the story worked for me. While I'm still sad about all those young people with no purpose other than self-indulgence, I came to like some of them.

Not my favorite I was just expecting more and it fell flat I felt it wasn’t interesting and plot all over the place was almost DNF for me .
Thanks for letting me review the to Netgalley and publisher

Thank you NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is a debut novel and I never would have thought that. The writing is crisp, funny, a bit ironic, and well plotted. Rupert Beauchamp (Beecham to you) has his 30th birthday party in McDonald’s, to show that he can. It is a black tie affair after all. However, the next morning, Rupert’s long time, and long suffering, girlfriend is found dead in the shrubs of Hempstead Heath. Whodunnit? Our detective, Caius Beauchamp (Bochamp to you) works hard to solve the case while lamenting the breakup of his own relationship with the irritating and lovely Heloise. Amy and Matt round out Caius’ team and they are great. I hope Vassell writes a sequel, but even if she doesn’t, I’ll be sure to read her next book. This would be fun for a not-so-serious book club. Read this and thank me later!

(4.25 ⭐️) I really enjoyed this! Would definitely call this more of a slowburn mystery than a thriller, but I enjoyed that more character-centric storytelling a lot. This follows a group of characters that are either absurdly rich and high-class or trying to blend in with that subset, so this was written in purposefully pretentious and asinine language, which I found really fun. The standout to me was definitely Nell, a character who was constantly in turmoil but also in denial. I thought the treatment of her trauma was handled quite well and realistically, which absolutely broke my heart. My main qualm with the story was definitely the ending. I didn't think it was objectively bad--I understood what the author was trying to do--but I wish there was a bit more answers and satisfaction. Despite that, I still really connected with this story and would love to see what this author puts out next!

***I received a review copy from Vintage & Anchor and Netgalley for free and am leaving an honest review***

This was one of the most tedious books I’ve ever read. The only reason this was not a DNF was that there were rare, sparklingly witty one-liners that gave me false hope that the book would improve.

If you think of all the stereotypes you know of the British upper class - white, titled, entitled, Oxford educated - and you have most of the characters. With names like Araminta, Mungo, Clemency & Rupert, everyone is exactly how you’d expect them to be. I just couldn’t like any of these people & struggled to care about finding out who the killer was.

The banter between the police was good but it wasn’t enough to save it for me. My favourite character was Rupert’s grandfather - he’s only on a few pages but his takedown of Rupert was magnificent. It’s a pity that everything else couldn’t come close to meeting this gem.

Thank you Anchor for an advance copy for review!

The Other Half follows Detective Caius Beauchamp as he investigates the murder of Clemmie, a member of the upper class in London. As he investigates, he digs deeper into the world of the other half, and the sometimes unbelievable things that the rich and titled can get away with. But, the deeper he gets into his investigation, the more intricate the mystery gets, until it’s no longer just about the death of a young woman.

When I first started reading this book, I wasn’t sure if it was going to be for me. The prose felt a bit too high level (I like my first person romance novels, sue me), and while I at one point in my life really loved an intellectual read, I felt like my brain might not be able to comprehend this one. However, as I got further into the book, I realized that the prose really worked well for the story, and the underlying message related to classism in England. As someone who is in fact American, this isn’t something I’ve spent a lot of time researching, or have a lot of experience with (goddess knows we have our own problems over on this side of the pond), but I think I can say I did like how it was threaded throughout the story. Additionally, the mystery itself and the intertwining relationships become so intriguing I got past the prose that maybe didn’t sit right with me at first.

I think Vassell did an excellent job interweaving the relationships in the books and the characters, and there were definitely moments where I went “WOAH I didn’t see that coming…”, and I genuinely think that is a top indicator of a wonderfully written mystery. I think I also found myself kind of attached to some of the characters, wanting things to work out well for them.

I don’t love how it left off on a bit of an unsatisfying note, I wanted a bit more closure with some of the characters, but I think that there will be more in this world with Detective Beauchamp, and I can only hope that we’ll revisit the things that happen in this book as well. Also, it’s probably a really good parallel to the classism issues this book explores as well (I can’t say more without possibly spoiling).

Overall this was a solid 4 star read, and I look forward to reading more from Charlotte.

This one let me down a little bit - I was expecting more but since i have read quite a lot of mysteries and thrillers by now, this one felt a bit short. It was just average for me.

Let's be real. This one confused the ever-living FUCK out of me.
What was I even reading. I am really thankful to the publisher, audio, and hosting platform for letting me attempt this one, but it just wasn't for me.

I was unable to finish this book and thus will not be posting a full review on my blog. I found it absurd to the point of being painful to read. The premise was fine but the execution was poor. Thank you for the opportunity.

This literary-minded mystery was a refreshing change of pace and a fun but thought-provoking read. It begins by following two mostly-disconnected characters. Nell is a young editor trying to avoid attending the loathsome Rupert's birthday party; she wants to end the friendship, but is continually drawn in by Rupert's wealth and purported love for her. Detective Caius Beauchamp, recently dumped and feeling inadequate, is out for an improving jog and discovers the corpse of a woman who turns out to be Rupert's girlfriend. Nell and Caius's stories involve the same characters but only occasionally intersect, and the book is just as interested in mocking the internet bourgeoisie, skewering the upper class, and exploring the personal lives and philosophies of its characters as it is in solving the mystery.

This book will not be for everyone: the mystery thread bifurcates, and its more interesting branch is never solved; hardcore mystery loves may find it too frustrating. But as a satirical exploration of race and class, a deliberately-paced and entertaining read, it was delightful.

Rupert Achilles de Courcy Beauchamp has the good fortune to be born into obscene wealth and to be incredibly good looking as well. Because of this, he believes everything in the world is his for the taking with no repercussions. That is why he finds himself in something of a mess as his 30th birthday party gets underway, with several females who have had relationships (one way or another) with Rupert invited. He decides to hold his birthday party in the upper dining room of a London McDonald's restaurant, finding it beyond hilarious to have his rich friends turn up in black tie and evening gowns. He becomes upset when Clemmie, his girlfriend of many years, doesn't turn up. He tells everyone that if she doesn't show up, he's going to end their relationship. It turns out that Clemmie has a very good reason for not showing up when her body is discovered the next day by a police officer who is out for a jog. The officer, Caius Beauchamp (no relation to Rupert), then begins the process of trying to find out how Clemmie, an Instagram model and influencer, met her death. The case takes a lot of strange directions, involving drug rings, art thefts, MI6 investigations, and cover-ups.

The characters are all a bit odd and unsympathetic (well, mostly the spoiled rich brats, not necessarily the cops). All of the women seem to be infatuated with Rupert, and ALL of the men are instantly madly smitten with Nell, a college friend and sometime girlfriend of Rupert. The banter among the characters is very annoying and at times hard to follow. I'm still not sure at the end how everything was connected (particularly a second death, which never seemed to be completely fleshed out or resolved). Everyone has complicated, messy romantic entanglements and the whole thing left me feeling somewhat depressed. I generally give a huge bonus to any book set in London, but even that goodwill quickly evaporated.

Rupert's 30th birthday party is a black-tie dinner at the Kentish Town McDonald's—catered with cocaine and expensive champagne. The morning after, his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered on Hampstead Heath, a single stiletto heel jutting from under a bush.

This is quite a good debut novel from Charlotte Vassell.

Friendships and love can be tricky things, then throw in some highly self absorbed and obnoxious characters and you have the makings of a very good book. A great plot that took me in and the book was read in an afternoon. The character development is excellent, I could not have disliked Rupert more if I tried and I found a lot of depth in Clemmie's that both contributed to growing the story. The other supporting characters such as Nell were also well portrayed. There are different themes in the book that focus on class, gender and the lasting side of friendships that span years back. Also loyalty, integrity and other wonderful human traits have flown out the window. If you are looking to pass a few spare hours I would highly recommend the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book, all opinions are my own.

I had hoped to like this book because of the cover and the blurb. The setting sounded interesting. But the writing style doesn't appeal to me. I don't care about the characters and don't feel drawn into the story.. Sorry, but I am a DNF for this book.

Such a fresh change from the regular Thrillers I have been reading. This book takes us into the world of influencers, the upper crust in England, and the differences and issues for individuals not from that world, or people of color in relation to that subsection. The story follows a young woman who is murdered, is an influencer, and is dating a very rich, posh, man. The descriptions were wonderful but the story itself was what kept me interested in the book. There were various different storylines that all worked together to make a fun and quick read. I highly recommend this book if you want something different, but still enjoy a good thriller!

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Who killed Clemmie? Was it her boyfriend? Her godmother? The gallery owner with whom she’s been having an affair. Or maybe it was something else. There are so many suspects.

Detective Caius isn’t sure who the main suspect is, and so many of them have alibis. He’s the one who found Clemmie’s body, literally tripping over her on his morning run. With so many high profile suspects, he must wade through the facts, and put this case together delicately before the case is wrenched from his hands.

I struggled with so much of the book being written in conversational tone. This made for a lot of quotation marks, and it really made the book read choppy to me. Definitely not my preferred way to read a story. This book is split genre. Half is police procedural, and the other is the story of the privileged rich. I found almost all of the characters to be very unlikable. What kept me going and reading was the mystery, the strong whodunit. The mystery was fun and complex, and held my interest. The satirical nature of this book was also enjoyable, and I enjoyed the humor. I appreciated how everything came together in the end and things were wrapped up nicely.

I would recommend this one to those looking for an entertaining British whodunit.

Thank you so much to Vintage Anchor and Netgalley, @netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Publication Date: November 21, 2023

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. At times a murder mystery, a police procedural, and an immersion into dramatic English academia - it had a little bit of everything.

Think Agatha Christie but bougie millennials. DI Cauis Beauchamp has come across quite the case. While out running, he finds a young woman murdered. As Beauchamp and his partner take on the case, they soon realize a stonewall will make it hard to solve. Life is so much easier for wealthy aristocrats and social media influencers. Who's willing to cover their tracks to tuck this murder neatly under the antique rug?

This had such potential in the beginning. I love a book about rich people behaving badly. It follows a loose police procedural with the splash of wealth. However, about 60% in, it slowed down and through in some plot lines that I didn't find necessary. It didn't add or take away anything. Characters, fantastic. I loved some and despised others. The plot felt a little drawn out, and lagging in spots. It's worth the read if you don't mind the added "stuff".

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy.

This was an interesting read. The difference in views between the really rich characters and the middle class characters were believable and well -developed. I enjoyed the plot line.

i'm not sure whether or not it was intentional that the two different storylines in this book felt so far removed from each other, due to the differences in class depicted, but i thought it was very cleverly constructed regardless. i really was rooting for the main female character 'nell,' even though her decisions surrounding the men in her social circle were so frustrating sometimes. during the middle section i did think it dragged on a little bit, and how complex the mystery element quickly became was a little hard to follow, but overall i thought it to be a very witty commentary.

thank you to netgalley and vintage anchor for an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found it difficult to read. The characters are very unlikable. I was hoping the murder mystery would draw me in, but it sadly failed to do so.