I voluntarily read and reviewed an eARC of this book via NetGalley and Vintage Anchor. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 2/5 Stars
Publishing: November 21, 2023
Series: Debut Novel
Pages: 368

This is a first time read by Charlotte Vassell, new author to this reader. This debut novel started off good but eventually crumbled about halfway. Based on the description, there was a bit of humor and satire with this whodunnit of aristocrats in London. I thought the writing mediocre, and predictable as I continued to read through the chapters. There is potential with this story, however the overkill in descriptive writing distracted me too much that I could not concentrate on the mystery or thrilling scenes in the book. A bit unhappy that I almost DNF this one but completed the book in spite of my disappointment.

This book reminds me of the best parts of some of my favorites - The Secret History, The Maidens, anything Agatha Christie. It could be difficult to keep up with the number of characters introduced in the beginning, but I felt the author did a good job of giving the needed context throughout the book. It’s a quick read that keeps you pulled in

It was good! A bit tough to follow at times, mostly because of references I didn’t quite relate to, not being from London. The characters were not likable which made it interesting the plot was well thought out and funny at times. I enjoyed it overall!

It's always fun to read about rich entitled people, especially in England, but it wasn't enough. The Other Half had moments when the dialogue crackled, but it's a very uneven book. I couldn't get a sense of the characters and the plot had some larger than normal plot holes.

This took me a little bit to get into and even then I wasn’t fully invested. The characters were interesting and it showed a different type of life for sure. The ending didn’t really do it for me though, I wanted more.

I received an ARC copy courtesy of NETGalley.

The book started off pretty good, however it fell through for me about halfway through. I enjoyed the banter and the satire comedy and humor. However, the ending just didn’t do it for me and I felt unsatisfied. It’s as if we don’t know what ended up happening with the characters. Maybe there is a sequel in the works and that is why it was left unresolved.

A quick read about rich people and their high stake risks. I always enjoy British humor and found the Detective Caius funny on his quest of personal improvement. The story ends with a shocking twist in the vein of Agatha Christie. Many references to Greek mythology and archaeology I'd read another book in this series. 3.5⭐

Thank you to the author and publisher for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

Less cheesy than a cozy mystery but lighter than your typical detective/mystery novel. Strong satire & funny commentary on today’s influencer culture. Sped through this one! Didn’t want to put it down.

Thank you NetGalley & Anchor Books!

The plot got more and more tangled, and then fell flat for me. I found some conspiracies left completely unexplained. The characters were quirky but with not much depth. The writing was basic. and too simple and little explanation or elaboration. There were dozens of sentences like this . The lack of care in the writing stopped me from being able to appreciate the book. 2.5 out of 5 ⭐️

The Other Half was a PERFECT late-summer murder mystery. Set among the upper echelons of British society, The Other Half focuses in turn on the elite community surrounding a murdered socialite and the detectives trying to solve her murder. This was a fabulously fun commentary on social class and a delicious whodunnit with all sorts of elements - there were affairs and art forgery and references to Greek classics. I had so much fun reading this. I hope there's a sequel!

Definitely something to pick up if you're a murder mystery reader :)

Thanks so much to Charlotte Vassell and Vintage Anchor for this ARC through NetGalley! The Other Half will be out November 21st, 2023.

I really enjoyed this book. It’s a murder mystery that keeps you guessing. It has a some very unlikable characters but what good book doesn’t. I love that it really shows how out of touch and how untouchable people with a ton of wealth think and act. I loved having all the POV it really makes for an interesting story that way. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am not sure why I requested to read this book. Reading about influencers and how snotty they are in just not enjoyable for me. I think I liked the idea of a murder mystery but this was way over the top for me.
Figuring out who killed Clemmie, the influencer, was not difficult as her closest friends and acquaintances were revealed. This story has so many unlikable and uninteresting characters. Some seemed to be over the top just for the sake of it. I know this was supposed to be a satirical look but it just got to be too much! Thank you to Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Oh man this was a great read and a twisty mystery which left me at the edge of my seat. Every time you thought you knew what was going on the story went into another direction. I really love the lead detective DI Caius Beauchamp and his partner Matt whose banter together Is hilarious and they are a great team together with Amy. While usually I hate when I get date or time on each chapters since I never pay attention to them enough to keep track. I really like that this gives just the day of the week and not a specific date since the book goes through from Sunday when the body is found through to the week after Wednesday and the day is indicated before a group of chapters not on each chapter. This definitely ended with the initial murder being solved but it uncovered something bigger which definitely opens it up for a sequel. I really enjoyed how the plot unraveled and the unreliable narrator that was Nell and Rupert was a jerk. I can’t wait to see what DI Beauchamp and company get up to in the next one.
Thanks to Vintage Anchor and Netgalley for the complimentary copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for the arc!


This was okay. Kind of predictable and I didn’t really care for one of the perspectives but felt a lot like gossip girl with murder.

This book has a lot of potential but gets lost in all the extras. The book is about the Posh group of English friends and foes who may have been the one that killed their friend Clemmie. You have her arrogant and entitled boyfriend d Rupert. Alex his friend from school who he fights for the attention of Helena aka Nell with Rupert. Clemmies boss who she is quite involved with. DI Caius must figure out the case as he was the one whose discovered Clemmies dead body on his morning walk. The book has a good story \ plot however there is a lot of historical art history and Greek mythology added in. They do pertain to the story but at times they take away from the story because the detail is just to much. Overall, I had to push through at times due to the extensive details but did really enjoy the mystery of the book.

Rupert hosts his 30th birthday party at McDonalds, an ironic place for the titled and posh partygoers to celebrate and sip champagne. But the next morning his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered, her body dumped in a park. Detective Caius Beauchamp is tasked with solving the murder, and he has a plethora of suspects. The investigation becomes a mess of aristocrats, social media, and who knows who. Caius has to untangle the mess of how the other half lives so solve the case before it is wretched from his hands.

Thank you @netgalley, @vintageanchorbooks, and @vassellcharolette for the ARC! I love a good whodunnit and this definitely delivered! This book was so charmingly British and I really enjoyed it. It definitely had lots of humor throughout and was a great satire on the British class system. This book was clever, witty, and complex, but still a fun mystery that left the reader wanting to tie up all of the loose ends. The cast of characters were very diverse and well written. I really hope this becomes a series and would love to hear more from Caius and his team! The Other Half will be published in the US on November 21!

Thank you for the opportunity to read/review this book. Unfortunately I’m having a hard time getting through it and will DNF it. I don’t think I’m quite intellectual enough for this book.

It’s Rupert’s 30th birthday and after a black tie dinner party his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered the next morning. Everyone from the party has an alibi, so who killed her? A great mystery debut.

The Other Half is a book about the rich trying to get away with crime and in this book the crime is murder. At Rubert's black tie birthday party in McDonald's his influencer girlfriend Clemmie is missing. Rupert chalks her not attending to some ploy to get him to notice her but it turns out she was murdered in a park. But who would want Clemmie dead?

It's up to detective Caius and his colleagues Matt and Amy to solve the whodunnit mystery of who killed Clemmie. Was it Rupert, one of her instagram followers, or someone right under their noses?

I enjoyed reading this mystery and all the twists and turns it had. But I didn't like most of these entitled characters and was relieved when the chapter switched to Caius and his gang.

Synopsis (from Netgalley, the provider of the book for me to review.)
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You know how they live. This is how they die...

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.

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? Bitingly funny, full of shocking twists, and all too familiar.

First off, I started by looking up Kentish town – with its above-average violent crime rate and an above-average property crime rate for London I guess that these elitist twerps (I have a better noun to go there but won’t use it…) were playing the SLUMMING GAME.

This is more than a mystery, it’s savage and biting and sewers the class system in England, you know that country where useless princesses and princes (some from countries that no longer exist, some with super skeevy fathers….!) matter to so many or so few people. I thoroughly enjoyed the detectives picking this crime apart and how awful these poshly named, yet repulsive people are at the core of this novel. It's possible you might not even mind that they were murdered. As Cyndi Lauper once “sang money changes everything”, and spending your money on this book is a really good idea 'cause it is really twisted and dark and deeply barbaric how awful these people are.

I'm so glad that this book finally came to the North American market as my one sister has been talking it up to me for months now – she actually mailed me her copy in the spring and I read it then but had no idea it would pop up on Netgalley eventually – glad that it did!

I see that reviews for this are all over the map: there was a lot of love and a lot of hate: I found it very relevant in regards to the social structure where I live so for it it was a no-brainer when it came to rating it: but that is me.
#shortbutsweetreviews