Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of "The Other Half" by Charlotte Vassell. I love discovering police investigators for whom I can cheer and Det. Beauchamp is a new favorite. When an author's words can make me laugh out loud, I am always going to want more. A peek into how others live while still trying to be grounded in reality is what good writing should strive to be. This comes close. I look forward with anticipation for Det. Beauchamp's next case.

Travel to: Kent, England

This book isn't quite sure if it wants to be satire or a murder mystery, and as a result, I don't think it pulls off either one as well as it wants to. I love a good rich-people-behaving-badly trope, but the rich people who behave badly in this are just not fun to read about. Some of them are boring and some are so gross that their antics aren't funny. I also wasn't quite prepared, in a book that is marketed as a comedy-mystery, for the on-page sexual assault. But I do think the one thing that the book does well is show that it's not easy to walk away from your abuser.

All in all, I think the cover is the best thing about this book.

4.5/5!

Things I love in crime fiction: detectives and rich people problems. Charlotte Vassell came through for my reading heart with top notch representations of both in The Other Half.

From the very start Vassell was able to form a bond for me with multiple characters: the one I hate (Rupert), the one I worry about (Nell), and the one I’m cheering for (Detective Caius). Every character in this book is realistic, even those who seem a bit over-the-top, are just ridiculous enough to feel like you would roll your eyes at them just as much in real life as in the book.

Vassell’s characters have a strong relationship core, with many of them knowing each other for a decade or more. That bond leads to the inclusion of past events that I thought really helped to keep the story solid. They not only help the reader understand some of the actions of our characters, but they added a level of depth to the story that would have been missing without.

Clemmie is found murdered the day after her boyfriends strange buthday parry at a McDonald's
I wanted to love this thriller but sadly, I didn't. I struggled to finish it.

Took me a little bit to get everyone straight, but once I did, I realized this was a modern Christie, full of upper-class unlikeables who were mostly concerned with a disappearance of one of their circle (later revealed to be a murder) based on how it affected them. There's a lot going on here, and I'm not sure having the detective be so trend-chasing really worked, but I don't regret the time I spent with this idiot gang. Particularly liked the short chapters as it made it easier to keep up with all that was going on.

Caius Beauchamp , a modern day detective solves a murder. Poor Clemmie has been murdered. But by whom? Her supposed significant other is a very rich and spoiled man child and her friends either are envious of her fortune or have pity on her.
Rollicking read with a few turns. I sometimes had to turn back a page or two make sure I read what I thought I read. I enjoyed this one.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me this ARC. I do recommend this novel.

THE OTHER HALF i- The story takes place at Rupert Beauchamp's 30th birthday when his girlfriend Clemmie is found murdered. Hampstead Heath. While he is a leading suspect, how could he have committed it?

This murder mystery features a cast of extremely dislikable characters. It's witty, not overly complicated, and doesn't have a lot of characters, yet it's action-packed and just a little bit of a twist. I found this book to be a riot, with quick wit expertly done characterization. Most of the characters are vapid and ridiculous, The mystery is the central theme here but what kept me engaged was the satirical undertones.

The detective, Caius Beauchamp was very well done, Beauchamp's DS, Matt, was also a good character. The third officer, Amy, was a good character as well.

The ending was a bit incomplete, 4/5 for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read!

The cover grabbed me, and overall- oh, wow….I really did enjoy this book. It was my first read from this author. I highly recommend!

When social media influencer Clemency O’Hara is found dead in a park, everyone assumes it was probably her stuck up jerk boyfriend who killed her.. Except that he was at his tacky birthday party with about a hundred other people, so….maybe not. But if not Rupert Beauchamp, then who? That’s what DI Caius Beauchamp (no relation, pronounced differently) is trying to find out.

As Vassell takes us through the twists and turns of this mystery, we are privy to how the really rich really live (and die). Turns out, it’s not as pretty as it looks on Insta.

Did I like the book? Um, well, I’m not entirely sure. I absolutely loved the way Vassell kept the book lighthearted and comedic while also taking the time to weave in some thought provoking commentary on some significant social issues: racism, sexual assault, the harmful effects of social media, the vast discrepancy between the lives of the haves and have nots. The characters were as developed as they should be in a book like this. Was I super attached to any of them? No, not really. Was I given enough info to despise Rupert? Absolutely. I found Nell intriguing, Caius entertaining, and Alex…actually a little creepy. But, it’s a mystery and I’m not developing an attachment to the characters - I’m trying to figure out if they are capable of murder.

Overall, I do recommend the book for a quick read. There are some heavy themes, so while there is light-hearted banter and comedy, it is a little deeper of a read than I anticipated.

This book was published last month, so you should be able to find it at your favorite local bookstore.

Thanks to the author, Vintage Anchor and Netgalley for this ARC in return for my honest review.

In a classic English whodunnit, Clemmie O'Hara ends up dead after missing her posh boyfriend Rupert's 30th birthday party. As the old adage goes, more money, more problems. And with this group of friends, there were plenty of both. So who was the murderer?

While predictable at times, The Other Half was full of twists around every corner. Just when I thought I knew what happened, my theory was proven to be incorrect. The characters were written to be the kind you love to hate, and I generally enjoyed it overall. This is the first book in a series following the lead detective in the case, Caius Beauchamp, and I'd definitely pick up the next to see where his story goes.

If you don't like novels that hop between different time periods and perspectives at once, this one may not be for you.

Thank you to Anchor books for a free copy of The Other Half in exchange for an honest review. As always, all opinions are purely my own and should be taken with a grain of salt!

I really wanted to love this but I just couldn’t get into it and I just wasn’t interested at all no matter how much I tried.

Boy, I am "odd woman out" when it comes to my thoughts on "The Other Half" by Charlotte Vassell. It's ranking around 3.5 stars, but I'm giving it a solid 2.

This starts out with a whodunnit scenario. Who killed Clemmie, the socialite? Detective Caius Beauchamp finds her, and he spends the ENTIRE book interviewing people. We meet a slew of London socialites, and not a one of them is likable. Or interesting. Oddly, a lot of people aren't even that distraught that one of their "circle" is dead.

I could barely hang on until the end.

Special thanks to Vintage Anchor for the advanced reader copy of the book via the NetGalley app.

The only thing I liked about this book was the cover and when it was over. All the characters were unlilkeable! Seriously, not even one character to empathize/root for. The actual story was messy too. Because of the characters, I was not into this.... at all. I honestly skim read this to get to the good parts.

Cannot recommend. Do not waste your time.

Thanks to Netgalley, Charlotte Vassell and Vantage Anchor for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available

I really liked this book, it was different than anything else I've read which was a breath of fresh air. I will be recommending this to my friends, and auto buy this author!

I wanted very much to like this book more than I did. It was not a bad book. I just could not get myself to read it for very long. I found the characters hard to like. That isn’t always a bad thing, but there has to be a reason to keep reading. Even loving to hate them would be good. I just didn’t care about them as they were written.

I enjoyed the story as the author cleverly captured the world of the other half through a myriad of interesting but truly unlikeable characters. While it was satirical in nature, there was always an underlying sense of despair and desperation as the players grasped for recognition and place. Cais and his team could have fallen into the trap of feeling intimidated by this world but did their job despite being looked down upon and challenged internally. While I wanted to know who killed Clemmie, that part of the story almost took a back seat to the intrigue of the despicable Rupert, the conflicted Nell and Alex, the man intent on saving her.

If you like mysteries and all things British, this quick read is for you. When Rupert has his birthday catered at a McDonalds and his social media influencing girlfriend fails to show up, then later found dead in a London park, a delicious whodunit ensues. Chock full of quirky characters, scheming, love triangles and more, this twisty mystery is the first in a new series of books with charming detective Caius Beauchamp. I look forward to reading the next installment!

Thank you to Charlotte Vassel, Vintage Anchor and NetGalley for an advance e-copy of this book for an honest review.

So this book is not for me, I almost DNF it, well I should DNF it.
I hate the characters, usually I'm okay with unloveable characters, I mean that usually makes everything more interesting, but with this one, I just hate them, there's nothing to like about them, super annoying and I just can't stand with all the complaining and bickering and pretending and lying, at some point I just don't care.
As for mystery, it's dragging and confusing, I'm clueless most of the times, there's murder but I don't know who is the victim almost halfway through, it took a very long time for me to finally get it, most just about those crazy characters, so the mystery is kinda lost for me. By the end I just stop caring about everything.

The Other Half is quite the page-turner. It will make you laugh, keep you in suspense and keep you terribly hungry. The characters, richly naive or pretending to be, the officers, although wondering what their next meal will be are instinctively, acutely deviously wonderful at their jobs!

Rupert Beauchamp an extremely wealthy (family money), not very liked, want to be but too lazy to be writer has decided to celebrate his 30th birthday with a black-tie affair at the local McDonalds. With added champagne the guests minus his girlfriend who he was planning on dumping anyway, all get smashed. They can barely remember how they got home.

Unfortunately, Rupert’s girlfriend Clemmie is found very dead the next morning in bushes by no other than police detective Caius Beauchamp (no relations) as he was on his morning run deciding what to eat when he got back. 

Of course, all the party goers are suspects but Caius and the police feel it just had to be the obnoxious, spoiled Rupert. But as hard as they try, and they do try, they can’t get the puzzle pieces to fit him being the killer. But they do discover a few things about him that raise questions in other matters.

They soon find that with wealthy suspects comes secrets and lies and warnings to be careful who you accuse. But the more information they receive, the more the murder looks like a game of Clue! And when someone else is found dead, well, that changes everything! Are the two murders connected?

Suspects include, the woman Rupert really loves, although she hates him, his godmother, or perhaps the gallery owner who Clemmie was having a fling with. With so many suspects, it makes sense that the police are always hungry and talking about food! But the police investigators stumble into an even more sinister plot!

Will they be able to catch the murderer before another one occurs? Also, what will they be having for dinner? Inquisitive minds need to know in this hysterical story with terrific twists and suprising turns and suspects you love to hate!

Thank you #NetGalley #Anchor #TheOtherHalf #CharlotteVassell for the advanced copy.

I marked 4 stars, but really it was 3.5 for me. I think the mystery was pretty well crafted although I figured who it was, but I just didn't grasp all the reasons and I really like Amy, Matt and Caius (except for Caius' constant moaning about his ex, it was distracting and had no feeling.) I rooted for a couple of characters (you'll know who) until I realized how messed up one was. Then, don't get me started on the rest of the characters. I felt like I needed a shower after reading this book. Would I read a next in series? Probably, as long as the same cop team are together and as long as it goes down a different path and we aren't stuck with a bunch of skeevy characters.

Thank you to Vintage Anchor, Anchor and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.