Synopsis: Rupert’s girlfriend, Clemmie (or Phlegm as Nell calls her), is found dead the night of Rupert’s 30th birthday party. Nell, Rupert, and Alex - all frenemies from their college days - are caught in a love triangle, while Caius and his band of misfit detectives tries to investigate this murder, which gets more convoluted every day and with every new piece of evidence they uncover.

Review: This book read very well, it was a crazy and intriguing mystery with lots of fun banter amongst the characters despite the depth of concepts within the story. The one and only downside is that it is very British, so there were a few turns of phrase that went a bit over my head. And the dialogue is all very quick - which I love! - but with the British elements, it sometimes was hard to follow. All in all, a very enjoyable book! Thanks to @netgalley @vassellcharlotte for the advanced copy.

I did not finish this book. The characters were over the top awful. I could not get through it.

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell had me hooked from the shocking first chapter. This debut novel throws you headfirst into a world of wealth, privilege, and a murder most foul.

What I loved most was the dual protagonist approach. We see the investigation unfold through the eyes of both Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp, a man burdened by his family's past, and Rupert Beauchamp, the wealthy playboy whose girlfriend, Clemmie, is the murder victim.

Caius is a complex character, riddled with self-doubt but driven by a strong sense of justice. His investigation delves into the murky underbelly of Clemmie's world – a world of social media influencers with outrageous lifestyles and hidden secrets.

Rupert, on the other hand, is a fascinating study in entitlement. He's initially portrayed as shallow and self-absorbed, but Vassell cleverly peels back the layers, revealing a surprising amount of depth beneath the bravado.

The mystery itself is cleverly plotted, with enough red herrings and plot twists to keep me guessing until the very end. Vassell's sharp wit shines through in the dialogue, especially when it comes to the interactions between the Beauchamp family members. The "old money" versus "new money" dynamic adds another layer of intrigue to the story.

While the book tackles some serious themes – class, privilege, and the dark side of social media – the overall tone is darkly humorous. I found myself laughing out loud at some of the outrageous situations and witty exchanges.

Overall, The Other Half is a fast-paced and entertaining mystery with a fresh take on the classic whodunit. It's a perfect read for fans of Louise Penny or Agatha Christie, but with a modern twist. If you're looking for a clever mystery with complex characters and a touch of dark humor, then this book is definitely worth checking out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
This was a so so mystery. Not really what I was expecting after reading the summary. I had higher hopes for it and it was just ok.

I thought this book had so much promise but I just didn't love it. It was ok in parts but overall, just a miss for me.

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell initially drew me in because of the cover, and as much as I hate to say it, it honestly might end up being my favorite part of the entire book. 🙈 I did like what the author was going for here, and I always love a book that revolves around rich people's bad behavior and quirks, but it still missed the mark for me. I was surprised by the whodunnit, and I am definitely in the minority here, so if you think it sounds good, I would still recommend picking this up and trying it out for yourself. I was quite fond of Detective Caius Beauchamp but not anyone else, and all of the humor was apparently lost on me as I didn't laugh once.

I will say that I think partially where I went wrong was the audiobook, and while I really enjoyed Imogen Wilde's narration, I was not a big fan of Michael Muyunda who voiced Beauchamp. I personally thought he was somewhat hard to understand, even when I had the speed slowed way down, and I hated having to keep speeding it up and slowing it down between viewpoints. For this reason, I would recommend reading the book over listening to the audio. Some parts dragged a little at times as well, which I don't always love in a 350-ish page novel, but it still held my interest, and I did want to keep going until the end. I would love for Vassell to focus more on the detective piece if she does move forward with this as a series.

I really wanted to enjoy The Other Half, and picked it up because it sounded like more of a "light-hearted" murder mystery (but perhaps I made that assumption based on the cozy-mystery style cover). This book was a really hard book for me to get through. I did not like the characters, and they felt incredibly one-dimensional to me. While this can be okay with a really good plot, I thought the story's pacing was too slow for me to really stay engaged. This was definitely not a book for me, but I did appreciate other reviews that pointed out the satire and British humor aspects. I honestly think that concept went over my head, but maybe it would have read differently had I known to expect it. Overall, I do think many will like this book, I just wasn't one of them this time.

Oh this is a fun one, guys. In addition to being sharp (and funny) as hell, it gave me major Saltburn vibes. (And I mean that as a compliment, bathwater notwithstanding.)

It’s a fast-paced mystery-thriller satire with a wicked sense of humor, set in the world of some of London’s snobbiest and most ridiculous socialites, those with more family money than sense. When a bright star amid their social scene — Clemmie, a gorgeous, seemingly vapid fitness influencer with a questionable personal life — turns up dead on Hampstead Heath when she should’ve been downing champagne at her wealthy boyfriend’s 30th birthday bash, her murder opens up a Pandora’s Box of heated love triangles, revenge, stalled ambition, and a team of detectives determined to unravel it all no matter how hard these 30-somethings attempt to hide behind the steep, perfectly manicured hedges of daddy’s money.

The TL;DR of it all is: I really, really f*cking enjoyed this book. It’s ridiculously entertaining despite all the, y’know, murder, satirizing the British class system while still delivering on the mystery front. I had a blast trying to piece together the intricate puzzle of motives, money, and murder right alongside DI Caius Beauchamp (an excellent character, btw) and his colleagues. Suffice it to say I’m very much looking forward to their next investigation.

I love a good who done it mystery and this one did not disappoint! The witty dialogue between characters made this story so enjoyable. I did find there wasn't much of a surprise here, but I did like getting to know the characters even though I found most of them annoying at times too. It was great to see how the other half lives, but sometimes I felt like there was so much going on within this book. I would recommend it to mystery readers.

The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell is a unique novel. It attempts to show the difficulties of the rich as well as be a murder mystery. This book was really hard to get into because the characters were not very likable and it was hard to get attached to them. Overall, it was an okay book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

I found this book enjoyable. I liked Nell a lot for her individuality and quirky attitude. The book made me think about the consequences of the choices we make.

Detective Caius Beauchamp is on an early morning jog across Hampstead Heath when he stumbles across a body lying half hidden by a bush. Once he's assigned to the case, he learns that the woman in question had come from a party held by Rupert Beauchamp, no relation <em>thank you very much</em>. They don't even pronounce it the same way! Rupert and Caius are not destined to be friends, as their existence is antithetical to the other. Rupert is a spoiled rich kid from old money, and Caius is mixed race, hard-working, a little insecure and trying to educate himself more thoroughly in order to win back his French girlfriend. The shared name is a stroke of brilliance; every time someone says "Are you two related?" it is a shorthand way of referencing years of race relations and unfair advantages gained by one group at the expense of the other.
To celebrate his 30th birthday, Rupert had come up with the precocious idea of having his party at a McDonald's, a black tie affair serving burgers and nuggets with top-shelf champagne, BYOC (bring your own coke). Caius is unimpressed. Rupert seems the obvious suspect--it helps that he's so obnoxious!--but try as they can, nothing seems to stick. Meanwhile the police investigation is continually hampered by the privilege and protection that wealth brings. As Caius and his partner investigate art galleries (was the dead women having an affair with the owner?) and auction houses, several suspects emerge, and before long there's another body!
There are really two protagonists, and the other is Nell. Rupert loves her but she's not sure about Rupert. Nell has her own secrets, plus a delightful sense of style. I loved the sections told in her voice, and she is an intriguing character.
I thoroughly enjoyed this glimpse into how the other half lives--or to be more precise, I loved the characters of Caius and Nell, and enjoyed being annoyed by many of the others.The Other Half skewers the modern class system in Britain, and is a delightful combination of social satire and police procedure. I loved it! Highly recommended!

I would like to thank NetGalley and Anchor for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book in exchange for an honest review. Look for it now in your local and online bookstores and libraries.

This was a fun classic mystery read with a slightly bumbling detective with a mysterious past informing his drive to solve murder cases. The suspects in this novel were delightfully posh and snobby, which was an enjoyable aspect and made this novel easy to read. I didn't guess the killer which is a win in my book!

I thought this was a fun read! A mystery novel with aristocrats and instagram influencers.. you know this will be an entertaining read. I thought the writing was great and this was my first novel from Charlotte Vassell. Definitely will recommend this to friends!

I thought this was fun and moved quickly. It was a great mystery set in an interesting world. Really enjoyed.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting access to this book in exchange for my review.

I enjoyed this book. I thought it had both humor and drama. I thought the characters were very well developed. I would definitely consider reading another book by Charlotte Vassell in the future!

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I couldn't decide if this book wanted to be a romp through the British countryside or an actual thriller. A murder occurs, and the characters are all pretty well written cliches of British stereotypes, but something about it fails to make it particularly interesting or compelling.

This book was just “meh” for me. I felt like I was reading it because I had to finish it instead of reading it because I wanted to finish it. I can’t quite put my finger on what it was.

Something to pick up if you're a murder mystery reader, I enjoyed this book, with mysteries of who dun it.

The author does a really good job of introducing these characters with extremely extravagant and dislikable personalities but writes them in a way that the reader continues to want to read from the perspective of these insanely rich characters.

Detective Caius Beauchamp is on an early morning jog when he discovers the body of a dead woman in the park. He’d just stumbled into the world of “the other half” as the woman was later identified as Clemency (Clemmie) O'Hara, the longtime girlfriend of Rupert. Who killed Clemmie? well, you have to read it to enjoy it. I did, Thank you.