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.

This is an interesting murder mystery filled with unlikable suspects behaving badly. I felt a little adrift while listening to the audiobook as I found the male narrator a little difficult to understand. Perhaps reading a physical copy would have worked better for me. The story itself felt chaotic and while I enjoyed it I'm not sure I followed it or understood the motivations. I will definitely check out this author's next book as there is a lot of potential in her writing.

I personally did not like this book! I thought it was quite messy and was something that I felt like I got off track with. I wanted more from it but I couldnt do it.

Characters you love to hate, a murder whodunit where everyone has a motive, and a devilishly funny satirical take on the British class system, which will leave you saying “Just one more chapter” well past midnight.

I still cannot comprehend how I had so much fun with a bunch of pretentious jerks, maybe I was just hopeful some of them would get what was coming to them 😈 - especially Rupert. He is a git, the fact that more than one woman had romantic feelings for him, let alone tolerated him, makes me fear the future of humanity.

Nonetheless, if you also take pleasure in disliking people and murder – then The Other Half is probably going to be your jam.

Thank you @vintageanchorbooks for the gifted copy.

*3.5 stars

This was a really fun mystery about the upper class, I love a good rich people storyline. You can tell this is the authors first novel, the writing felt very telling and not showing.

"You know how they live. This is how they die." The cover lets us know immediately what we're in for in Charlotte Vassell's The Other Half. This is a deliciously juicy and scathing novel, chock full of ridiculous, stuffy names like Adonis, Minty, Waddingham and Beauchamp (shared by both the main villain and the detective investigating the case). My favorite was Hereward Trollope-Bagshott.

Rupert Beauchamp (villain) is throwing himself a swanky birthday bash. At a McDonalds. Because that's how the posh swing in London? His "friends" all show up in their finest, ready to indulge in shakes and fries, and a bouncy house. It's debauched. It's outrageous. It's over the top. By the end of the evening, somebody's dead!

Enter Caius Beauchamp, our Detective Inspector, and the murder investigation. What a character! Moving at a quick pace, the story delivers red herrings, new suspects, hidden relationships, and dances around things that happened at Rupert's 25th birthday bash and more recently on holiday in Greece.

This was a wicked page turner. Rumor has it Vassell is working on DI Beauchamp's next case, and I'll be in line for it. My thanks to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for the ARC.

This was very different from other murder mysteries I've read before. It was extremely thought-provoking and filled with satirical wit. I loved how it delved into themes of classism and racism against a backdrop of London society.

While the murder investigation was intriguing, the book focused more on exploring the personal lives of characters that, for the most part, weren't likable in the least. For that reason, I can see how it might not be the book for everyone, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a delightfully entertaining read.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.

The Other Half
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
By Charlotte Vassell

Thank you NetGalley and Vintage Anchor Books for the advanced copy of The Other Half. It was truly an experience.

Rupert is a rich jackass, and then his girlfriend Climmie is found dead under a bush the morning after his 30th birthday. Told in two perspectives from Nell, a friend of Rupert and Climmie stuck in a love triangle with them, and Caius a police detective with his own traumas and past.

The book follows a group of people in their late 20s, who attended college together and must react to Climmie’s murder. It jumps back and forth between current day and sometime before the murder.

This was a fun and quirky mystery with satire and dark human. I really enjoyed it. I didn’t give it 5 stars, because it was slow at times. I think it would make a better tv series than a front-to-back book. It wasn’t super climactic. I enjoyed it nonetheless, and I’m here for the sequel (assuming there will be one.)

Favorite quote: “It’s my fault for thinking you could treat a wolf like a Labrador… that it would sit in front of the fire like a good boy. I always knew what he was. I was just naive to think it wouldn’t be me that got bitten.” 🐕

Favorite character: Alex maybe 🤔
Steamy rating: Mild ❄️
Profanity: Moderate 🤬
How I discovered: NetGalley ✅
Method: ARC E-Book on NetGalley 💚

Triggers: murder, rape, drugs & cheating

Thank you to NetGalley and Vintage Anchor for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun read. The characters were pretty interesting and the plot was consistently interesting throughout.

3.5. This is a fun but fairly predictable mystery; while it was fun to read about the terrible ethics and antics of the rich, I wish the horrible people were horrible in more interesting ways, but I enjoyed having a glimpse into the inner workings of Caius Beauchamp's mind; I would read the next installment.

Detective Caius Beauchamp finds the body of Clemmie while he is out for his morning jog. Clemmie was a socialite with a ton of people who could have murdered her. The wealthy have a way of keeping their secrets making investigating harder. He has a ton of suspects to look at and not a lot of time to figure out who the killer is. Follow along as he looks for a killer while trying to make his way through a ton of socialites without upsetting them at the same time. Will he figure out who the murderer is before the case is taken away from him?

I rated this book three stars because I actually finished reading it over a week ago, and when I realized I forgot to write a review, I couldn’t remember anything about it.
Thanks to #netgalley and #anchorpublishing for this #arc of #theotherhalf in exchange for an honest review.

I had a bit of a hard time getting into this book -- while I liked the concept of the alternating points of view between the high society people and the law enforcement officials, I found the rich people vastly more interesting, and kind of dreaded the other chapters (even though they held the meat of the mystery).

I think the mystery was well set up and well examined by all the characters, but it was a bit tedious and dry. All in all, a decent book that just didn't end up being for me.

3.5 stars

This book started out slow for me - but I quickly got wrapped up in the mystery and the side stories that were going on. We get a look into the lives of the elite - the ones who have money and you never really know how. It all starts at a party going on at a MCDONALDS too which I thought was funny.

This book clearly has satire in it - to all the people complaining that they didn't like any of the characters - THAT WAS THE POINT. These characters were not meant to be liked. I did like Caius and his team though. But the rest including the murder victim were all snobby and entitled and I enjoyed that aspect of it.

This book does take place in the UK so some of the jokes were a little lost on me. But I did appreciate all of the Greek literature and mythology that got put into this one. It gave me dark academia vibes in a modern setting.

The mystery of the killer itself was a little easy to guess - but I am 100% wrapped up into how we kinda left on a cliffhanger with the whole second side of the mystery. Not going to spoil it for anyone but if you know you know. I NEED TO KNOW what is going on with that and I hope the second book touches on it.

Overall, this is a police procedural that deals with the lives of the rich and won't be for everyone. But I gave it a 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 for the fact that once I got into it I enjoyed it. There are a lot of characters so it's easy to get mixed up at times. I am looking forward to the second book though and to see what else ends up happening with Caius. Plus I hope we get a peek into Nell's final decisions.

Big thanks to Vintage Anchor, Charlotte Vassell and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions!

Would recommend for fans of…
💰 Glass Onion
💰 The White Lotus
💰 Saltburn

2023 has been the year of books about rich people behaving badly, and The Other Half is another stellar contribution to the genre. It follows Detective Caius Beauchamp as he investigates the death of a young socialite after stumbling upon her body on a morning jog.

It feels weird to describe a murder mystery as comical, but that’s exactly what The Other Half is. Vassell does a wonderful job of skewering the wealthy elite and pointing out the absurdity of their petty problems, while also laying out a complex and intriguing mystery. I found myself alternating between laughing and staring at my Kindle in shock over what I had just read.

Another thing I loved about The Other Half is Detective Caius Beauchamp. I’m not always a fan of books that make the detective and their personal life a central focus but Beauchamp is an exception to that rule. Getting to hear his thoughts and opinions added even more humor to the story, while also giving the reader someone to root for, given how unpleasant some of the other characters were. This is the first book in a series and I’m looking forward to spending more time with Detective Beauchamp when the second book comes out next summer.

The Other Half is out now. Thanks to Anchor and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think I understand the author’s goal, and, for the most part, she was successful. Most Americans find these outdated British class attitudes and mannerisms both ridiculous and shameful. But the same very specific insider references that display the author’s understanding (and successful skewering) of the British class divide may result in much of the narrative being incomprehensible for most American readers.
Other than the three members of the detective team - who I’d happily read about again - few, if any, of the stereotypical characters were likeable, or even particularly interesting. An unsavory story with an unsatisfying ending.

The Other Half is brilliant, well-written and well-plotted, entertaining while forcing the reader to face the injustice which underlies social class, race and gender in matters of crime. Quite frankly, the book is so good that it is hard to believe that it is Charlotte Vassel’s first novel.

The book opens on Midsummer’s Night at a McDonald’s where aristocratic Rupert Beauchamp (pronounced “Beecham”) is celebrating his birthday, slumming it with his similarly-situated friends at a black tie, BYOC (“bring your own coke”) party. His girlfriend Clemmie never makes it as she is lying dead under some scrub in Hampstead Heath. Who killed her? And will they ever be brought to justice? That task falls to the Detective Superintendent Caius Beauchamp (pronounced “Beauchamp”) and his equally amusing underlings Matt and Amy, who lack the social privileges of Rupert and his ilk. I would love to see Charlotte Vassel continue the exploits of these police officers in a series, as Caius is irreverent, sharp, and serious about justice — everything Rupert and his crowd are not. 5.0 out of 5.0 stars. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary advanced copy of this book.

I was intrigued right away – I love a story about a group of friends with drama and secrets, especially when some (or all) the characters are on the wealthy side. I also love a story with the detective’s point of view. I enjoyed the British humor and wit, and the multiple point of views kept things interesting and me on my toes! The mystery was not super predictable, there were a few red herrings – and I did not predict the murderer until the author wanted it known.

There were a lot of moving parts besides the murder, but it was not hard to follow. I was equally invested in all the drama and it made for a very quick read – I didn’t want to put it down. I was a little shocked at the end because I wanted more closure – but then I realized this is a series, so now I can’t wait for the second book!

Thank you Netgalley and Vintage Anchor for this ARC!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell.

I must admit I was out off by the editor’s comments that came with the arc. I found this to be a fun, light, mystery. Nothing that stood out although entertaining.