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

A good mystery that was interesting to read. Involving the wealthy upper class of London. When Rupert's live in girl friend is found murdered, he becomes the main suspect. Rupert is a highly unlikable character. Most of his friend group are also unlikable. Nell, his on again off again ex is one of the more likable characters but even she has flaws. Right from the start of the book, Nell kept saying she was going to end all contact with Rupert. Instead, she keeps going back to him over and over. I did not like this. I don't get why all the ladies were attracted to Rupert; he was a giant asshole.

The three featured detectives are a good group and I liked watching their investigation. Detective Caius Beauchamp would make a good character for a series.

I received a free copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

I received an ARC of this book from Vintage Anchor via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. Based on the gorgeous cover and the description, I was excited to start. But basically from page 1, the author lost me with the utterly over-the-top satire and puns/ inside jokes. I honestly wondered how she came up with so many intricate sentences full of descriptions - it seems like way too much work! Meanwhile, the characters are totally unlikable, especially Rupert. They are not realistic - I guess this is sort of the point with satire, so then maybe I am just not the target audience here.

I wanted to stop reading within the first 10% of the book but urged myself to keep going till about halfway. It was not getting any better, in my opinion, and the murder mystery was not developed enough to keep my interest.

DNF at 49%.

I feel like this one had so much potential, but it fell flat for me. I've read so many books with the similar 'rich people doing bad things' plot and just hoped this would be something a little more unique.

I loved the premise of this book, murder mystery among the filthy rich, and the London setting. It was posh and fun. I did find the storyline a bit slow and the characters were very unlikeable (sometimes that draws me in but I struggled with it here). Overall, this is a well-written book with a really enjoyable set up and I think many readers will have a great time with this one. I felt a bit lukewarm about it by the end but I did stick with it to find out the conclusion. I hope lots of people give this a chance because I think it's a great entry in the mystery genre for the right audience! Thanks to Charlotte Vassell, Vintage Anchor, Anchor, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately this book just did not resonate with me. It didn’t hold my interest. I didn’t connect with the characters. It just was to my personal tastes. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced free copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley

Name of Book: The Other Half
Author: Charlotte Vassell
Publisher: Vintage Anchor/Anchor
Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Pub Date: November 21, 2023
My Rating: 2.3
Pages: 368


Rupert is celebrating his 30th with a black tie dinner.
The morning his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered.
Who killed her?
Was it the sociopathic boyfriend ~
However, it appears there are many suspects.

As the title hints the investigation is going to be centered around ‘the other half”; mainly Rupert and his snob aristocrat friends who are unpleasant rich characters with Oxford degrees.

I struggled with this story – not that it is bad ~it just wasn’t a typical read for me. I do like to branch out of comfort zone every once in a while. However, I just didn’t connect with it -Perhaps you will think it is great as plenty of others gave it high praise.

Want to thank NetGalley and Vintage Anchor/Anchor for this eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 21, 2023. First published January 17, 2023

Reminded me of the ever-increasing income gap, which then made me feel depressed. Not exactly a light read.

This book is a who-done-it storyline. People with big egos and too much money and little value for other people’s lives. I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

First of all, Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC! This was one of those books that was difficult to put down.
Detective Caius Beauchamp has just sort of been dumped by his French girlfriend Héloïse. His response is to completely alter his lifestyle - healthy eating, exercise, Yoga, classical literature... and a trip to Paris to try to reconcile. But first - a jog in the park and yet another attempt to run up Parliament Hill. Once again, he does not succeed but on his way back, he finds a well-shod leg sticking out from under some shrubbery. Fortunately, it is attached to a body. Unfortunately, the young lady is quite dead. Clemency 'Clemmie' O'Hara, live in girlfriend of one Rupert Beauchamp (definitely no relation to Caius) has been murdered. Caius' Paris vacation is canceled and he and his team - DS Matt Cheung and DC Amy Noakes - begin the rather grim investigation. Who murdered Clem - and why? So many suspects!
The story is told partially from the perspective of Helena Waddingham, whom everyone calls Nell. She has been a part of Rupert's circle since college days but has decided to break ties with him permanently for so many reasons. And Clemmie is definitely a frenemy (she calls her Phlegm). I liked Nell. A lot. The other POV is from Caius. I was also quite enchanted with Caius. Fortunately, I hear that there is a second Detective Caius Beauchamp book so that is great news!
The book is definitely a murder mystery but also a satire of the British peerage with all of its privileges and the racial prejudices that still permeate the aristocracy. Also - drugs and social media influencers. Complicated love triangles... or quadrangles? And people that are above the law. And classic literature! As I said - different POVs. And also a few flashbacks to college days and other events from the past that impacted the major characters.
I truly enjoyed this book - it's a quick, engrossing read. And I'm looking forward to the second book.

I liked Caius, Matt and Amy who are the three detectives on this case and it was a good mystery. We learned more about Caius, Matt and Amy as the plot developed. We also learned much about Nell, one of the main characters that I liked and could empathize with, though sometimes I wanted to shake her. The story also had a rogues group of characters that were fun to hate, and who live a hedonistic life of wealth that is alien to most of us. The book also exposes the subtle race and class systems that still exist in England. All in all, a good read and a promise of more from detective Caius. (Personally--thanks to this book, I am going to reread Persuasion ) Thanks to NetGalley for the arc, and for not influencing my review.

Such a clearly talented author!! I found this read throughly enjoyable from start to finish. The humor was fantastic. The mystery was intriguing. I will be reading more in the future.

First off, you NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is just not my cup of tea! Unfortunately, I did not enjoy this story and found myself struggling to get through it. It was extremely slow and boring. The synopsis sounded like an amazing mystery to solve and the cover is so cute! I had such high hopes and it just did not deliver. You know it’s not good when you find yourself skimming the pages. I was left with more questions after a disappointing ending.

I was looking for a darkly comic send up of classism and entitlement but mostly what I found was just a series of Rich People Behaving Badly, which seems to be a new genre of its own, and frankly it irritated rather than amused me. I didn't get humor so much as eye rolling and just never connected to this one... It was not a good fit for me.

Definitely worth reading! Well written, a good story, keeps you in the edge of your seat. This is a newer author and I look forward to what they will come up with in the future.

This book answers a question.

If a generation is so deluded that, even in fiction, when accurately portrayed, it instills feelings of loathing, does it reflect on the book?

Yup... it does indeed.

The writing, the crime, the solving... all good.

The characters? Not one did I enjoy (other than to hate with a brutal joy).

Look, I am not of the millennial generation, so blame it on my X-ness... but the portrayals of the monied elite... while on-point... we're perhaps TOO on-point.

We're the point of the book not a police procedural, but a stunning take on societal norms amidst a self-tortured generation, I would have mean able to explain away the characters actions...

But it wasn't. And it made me hate everyone. Even the "hero".

In all honesty, though? Cut thru the millennial chaff... this was a decent crime drama!

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.