It’s 1894 in London, England, and Albertine Honeycombe is a woman ahead of her time. She’s not looking for a husband and a houseful of children. But when her father dies, her male cousin who inherits the estate plans to marry her off to a local farmer with fifteen children to raise. Albertine and her friend/maid Joan run away to London.

But society doesn’t smile on a working single woman. So Albertine creates Countess von Dagga, a married woman whose husband is conveniently absent, who is a private investigator for women at the top strata of society. This gives her more freedom than a single woman, but even so, society has its rules. To front her detective agency, she hires Spencer, who is, unbeknownst to her, an actual Scotland Yard detective and the Earl of Erleigh. And from there, the adventures begin.

Albertine is suspected in the poisoning death of a man she was retrieving letters from for a client. What she doesn’t know is Spencer is investigating her, even as they take on cases for her agency.

There were a few unlikely adventures and things did get rather silly at times, like an experience that Joan and Albertine shared by the banks of the Thames River.

I was quite entertained by this book. This was my dominant feeling because we have two able protagonists who each like doing their job, but are finding out that living their life and doing that work is not as easily feasible as they imagined for different reasons.

Albertine is trying to make a go as a lady detective but is having a tough time finding ways to pay for it. Like an old movie slip up, she crosses paths with Spencer who is an actual detective, although his title may mean he may not stay that way for long. Once their paths cross, their interaction is definitely filmy.

I think I appreciated the way things ended, in a mix of dramatic and realistic expectations. I might have enjoyed it more if the book had been a little bit shorter.

I would recommend this book to fans of historical romances.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

Historical cozy mystery is a light and entertaining read.

Albertine Honeycombe and her friend/maid, Joan, have escaped to London when her male cousin takes over her father's estate after his death. There is no way Albertine intends to be forced to marry a local farmer and help raise his 15 children. She has reinvented herself as a lady detective and identifies as Countess Von Dagga. The Count is obviously not around to bother her. Albertine and Joan have advertised and have been called upon to help society women with some of their personal issues. Unfortunately, these rich ladies don't seem to want to pay them after they deliver their services, so Albertine decides to hire a man to be the front of the agency. Little does Albertine know that the man she has hired works for Scotland Yard and is the Duke of Erleigh. It seems that a man that Albertine was recently in contact with while doing a job has turned up dead. And, she's the prime suspect.

I liked the characters of Albertine, Joan, and Spencer and their witty repartee. There were several moments of humor, and they all got along great. Of course, neither Albertine nor Joan had any idea that Spencer was a Duke. His lies come back to haunt him later when he falls in love with Albertine. It was all going along so swimmingly in the narrative but then it got really bogged down with the romance and the prose went on and one about how wonderful Albertine was. Gag. I'm not a huge romance fan and, along with some other crazy things that happen in the story, it was just over the top. The whole grandstanding gesture at the end was a bit too far. If most of that lovey dovey stuff was removed, it would have been a lot better.

I listened to the audiobook while following along with the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. I enjoyed both narrators who did a great job of voicing all the characters. Deifnitely provided an entertaining experience with the excellent production.

This book started off strong, in fact I liked it so much, I purchased this book for my daughter. I rushed. The heroine was at times so naive, I just wanted to shake her. I also felt that for this period, the exchanges between the characters was too informal. I did finish it but wished it was just better, like the beginning.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Mayfair Dagger
A Novel
by Ava January
Pub DateApr 23 2024
Crooked Lane Books
Historical Fiction| Mystery & Thrillers


Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books sent me a copy of The Mayfair Dagger for review:



The year was 1894, in London. She never wanted a husband, and certainly not the one her cousin, Aubrey, is trying to marry her off to. She reinvents herself as Countess Von Dagga, a private detective who assists society's upper echelons. She is a married woman with a conveniently absent husband who doesn't exist, which allows her much more freedom than being single.



Albertine is suspect number one when Lord Grendel, whose blackmail letters she has recovered, is murdered. She realizes she is in hot water when the Duke of Erleigh comes looking for her utterly fictitious husband. When Albertine also becomes the prime suspect in her fictional husband’s death, things are looking grim.It gets grim when Albertine becomes the prime suspect in the death of her fictional husband.



It is either stepmothering enough small children to start a school or hanging from the end of Her Majesty's rope until Albertine can prove who murdered Lord Grendel.


i give The Mayfair Dagger four out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

As a female investigator, Albertine has challenges. Her attention is drawn to her when a case results in a man's death. They eventually arrive at Countess Von Dagga, her high class persona. Unaware that the man she hires to assist her with her cases is actually a detective looking into the Countess's possible murder, Albertine engages him. While the investigator is keeping secrets of his own, Albertine must now clear her identity. This is a fantastic tale of mystery, deception, and elite society. This was an amazing book! It was a really enjoyable book that was full of tension and mystery. Without a doubt, I would suggest this book to friends and/or relatives.

I love a book that grabs you on page one. This was a wonderfully written book, with great characters, that where full of humor and feeling. The story line kept me turning the page till the end. It was a lovely combination of romance and mystery but it was a wonderful relaxing read. I received this as an ARC and freely give my review.

London 1894. It was not a good place for a single woman with a guardian who was self centered and whom she loathed.

Albertine came to London with the idea of earning her living as a female detective but realised very early on that without a man as a front her efforts were doomed. Her first foray, very successful getting back letters ended when the Lady just ignored Albertine after getting them into her own hands.

To her dismay the gentleman whom she took the letters from was found dead the next morning and Albertine is the chief suspect.

Enter Duke Erleigh actually investigating the death of Lord Grendel and trying to get to the bottom of the story and also trying to trace Albertine’s non existent husband, do things get complicated, interesting and a touch romantic.

The classic female investigator of 19th century England is a little more savvy than Albertine and this was the negative factor in the story. Setting of contemporary London at the time spot on.

I thought this was really well written and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future. I think it will find readers at our library, so we will definitely be purchasing for the collection.

What an absolutely delightful story.

I adored the independent streak of Albertine and her offsider Joan, and had a few giggles about their outlandish adventures in these prim and proper times. However, the most fun for me was watching the reactions of Spencer as he tried to work out what was going on... and delighfully falling for Albertine along the way.

The ending gives me hopes there will be more hijinks and adventures to come!

This is a light hearted and fun read with a mystery to solve and a romance to develop. Albertine appears likeable but a little silly at times and this gets her into some quite funny scrapes. Spencer was a very likeable character. as well being the sweet but strong type who comes to Albertine's rescue throughout the story which was lovely and entertaining. It did end on an interesting note that suggested there could be more to follow. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is a fun, if slightly hard to believe, historical mystery. Series starters are not my favorite, but I enjoyed that this didn't take itself too seriously. Albertine is hard to root for at times, but this can usually be chalked up to the fact that "feminist" historical books are hard to balance well with the realities of the time period. A good choice for the casual histmyst reader who doesn't want to commit to a long series.

This was an incredibly fun, sometimes silly, and totally unlikely murder mystery. The heroine, Albertine, is pretending to be a Countess while also trying to be a detective like Sherlock Holmes. The hero, Spencer, is a detective at Scotland Yard. And he also happens to be a duke. Yeah, sure, this is all quite likely, isn’t it?

Through several silly adventures, Albertine tries to find out about the murder of a blackmailing nobleman whom she may or may not have accidentally poisoned. Spencer takes a job working for her in order to figure out what she may be hiding. Because that’s what the head detective on an important case might do.

It was all quite lighthearted and rather sweet. It wasn’t much of a mystery who the real murderer was. Maybe if Spencer wasn’t busy pretending to be a down-on-his luck ordinary man working for the mysterious countess, he could have figured out who the real murderer was. But that wouldn’t have been as much fun as hanging out with Albertine and her saucy servant. And it all gave him time to fall in love with the secretive countess.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

4.5/5 stars

I really enjoyed this historical mystery and am keeping my fingers crossed that it might be the beginning of a new series?

Set in 1894 London, Albertine Honeycombe, the daughter of a deceased earl, is a woman on a mission to style herself as a private detective for the ton’s wealthy women and save herself from having to marry her cousin’s (the new earl) choice of a husband…a widower with 15 children.

Albertine is promoting herself as the Countess Von Dagga, complete with a fictitious absent husband which allows her entrance to the upper class and a more independent lifestyle. For her first major job, she is tasked with retrieving intimate letters for a client from Lord Grendel who is using them as blackmail. She becomes the number one suspect in his murder as she was the last to see him alive.

The Duke of Erleigh, who is also a Scotland Yard inspector, inadvertently/mistakenly finds himself undercover investigating Albertine as both a murder suspect for Grendel and possibly her missing “husband" as well.

This was a fun romp with lots of sly humor, some heart-tugging moments and the slow development of a sweet friendship between the mains. On a side note, Albertine’s “maid” Joan, who is actually a staff member from her childhood home who was treated more as a sister as they were growing up, steals the show with every scene she is included in. With her obsession with handsome men, her irreverent humor, as well as very little deference to her supposed mistress, she is a total hoot…but also a loyal friend.

I fell for these characters hook, line and sinker and am (hopefully!) looking forward to more from them all.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for providing the free early arc of The Mayfair Dagger for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

London 1894

A fun, entertaining historical mystery with an excellent cast of characters! Albertine Honeycomb (how can you not love that name!) sets herself up as a private detective. Inventing a name and a dead husband she navigates the upper society and finds herself a suspect herself in a murder.

With the help of a Duke, she tries to prove her innocence and find the murderer.. Cannot wait for more!

I think that this enjoyable mystery is an excellent stand alone mix of historical mystery and comedy of manners set at the end of XIX.
Albertine is a funny characters able to put herself in awkward situations and to find the solutions to the troubles she brought on herself and solve mystery.
Well plotted and entertaining, I enjoyed and had fun.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for an advance reader copy of “The Mayfair Dagger.” All opinions and comments are my own.

If you like pure romance with a mystery plot thrown in, then you’ll enjoy “The Mayfair Dagger,” a new Victorian series by Ava January. In it you will get an aspiring female private detective who likes to work in disguise, a Scotland Yard detective who’s also a peer, false accusations of being a murderess for our heroine, and did I mention the growing attraction between said detectives?

It’s a tangled tale of blackmail, theft and eventually, murder, with our protagonists Albertine Honeycombe and Spencer Sweetman, the Duke of Erleigh seeing their way through, while realizing their growing attraction to each other. And all’s well that ends well, of course. Even to the hint of further assurances of goodwill (and a job for Albertine!) from the head of the Home Office. Author Ava January handles it proficiently, characters and plot, I will agree, although my preference will always be mystery over romance.

In the beginning, this book felt a lot like Miss Scarlet and the Duke, which is an instant win for me. It was funny, had interesting characters, and set up a great mystery and romance. However, as the book went on, some of the mystery/investigation scenes ventured into the realm of the absurd.

Also, this almost felt like book 2 in a series because there was so much backstory that impacted where the main character was in her life during this book.

So, a mixed result for me. I would read another book in this series because I want to know what happens to the main characters.

Wickedly, joyous Lady Detective!

After her father, an Earl and renowned scientist dies followed by her brother Algernon, Albertine Honeycombe is left to the mercy of cousin Franklin, who’s always considered her as uncontrollable. When Franklin decides to marry her off to a farmer with fifteen children, Albertine decides to flee in the kitchen dogcart, along with her friend Joan.
She’s come to London to become a detective. A dream she and her brother Algernon always had.
Albertine (or Bertie) takes on the personae of Countess Avon Dagga, whose husband the Count is supposedly still abroad.
Breaking into the detecting business is not easy. She takes on some small tasks, but is never paid. When one of those tasks has her being arrested for murder Albertine has no-one to turn to, except maybe the Scotland Yard Inspector.
Albertina had taken on the case of retrieving some ill advised letters written by a prominent ton member Lady Roche to Lord Grendel from his study. Lady Roche is now being blackmailed by the powerful Lord. Albertine has a close call when Grendel finds her there during a masquerade ball. She manages to drug him and escapes. Unfortunately the next morning Grendel is found there dead! Not only that, but Albertine’s been accused by Baron Wallop (a vindictive man who Albertine had dealings with in a prior case) of theft, and possibly murdering both Lord Grendel and her non existent husband!
After Lady Roche cannot or will not pay Albertine for her services, she and Joan decide they need a man to assist in their detecting business. Particularly the payment part.
Sweetman, Marquis of Reading, has recently inherited the family business. He’s now the Duke of Everleigh. Spencer is bowed down with responsibilities he doesn’t enjoy. Laughter has fled his soul. That is until he gets to know the utterly, lovely, and unruly Countess. He’d answered her advertisement as part of his cover to investigate her.
The problem is his dual occupations (Inspector and Duke) haven’t been disclosed to Albertine. When they are it’s in dire circumstances. Can Sweetman save her and thus himself. Will she forgive him his duplicitousness?
A giddy, thoroughly enjoyable mystery romance with heart and lightness. A story that zings and sings with all the tensions and delights.
(I so enjoyed this novel I’m off to discover more by works Ava January!)

A Crooked Lane ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

This is what I would describe as a cosy mystery / romance set in the late 1800's. Albertine, escaping her cousin's intention of marrying her off for a profit, reinvents herself as Countess Von Dagga, a lady detective to fulfil a childhood dream she had with her now deceased brother Algernon. As a married woman she can also deflect unwanted attention and scandal that comes with being a single young woman. Albertine somehow manages though to find herself in the middle of a murder investigation with herself as a prime suspect, and having given a Lord a sleeping pill she begins to wonder if she indeed is the culprit.
Albertine's deceptions keep piling up and the more she tries to dig herself out the deeper she seem to get. Unknowingly, she employs and undercover Scotland Yard investigator, Spencer, as her assistant and things get even more complicated.
The book contained quite a lot of humour and was an enjoyable read overall. Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read this digital ARC.