The House on Graveyard Lane by Martin Edwards is the fourth book in the series. I wish I would have know this prior to reading the book however this book can be read as a standalone. I didn’t feel lost while reading it so I don't think it's necessary to read the other books in the series first.

Rachel Savernake’s is invited to an art exhibit by Damaris Gethin and Damaris asks Rachel to help solve her murder which was a strange request given she was alive. Moments later Damaris is doing a reenactment of Marie Antoinette’s execution using a guillotine and to the surprise of everyone…she dies.

The story follows Rachel’s quest to find out the truth behind Damaris’ death. The story also follows Jacob who is a journalist for a newspaper and he is digging the truth behind a very dangerous criminal who was believed to be dead. Jacob faces many challenges and hurdles when it comes to covering this story and all of a sudden he finds himself in the middle of the story.
As the story unfolds we learn the truth behind Damaris’ death as well as other secrets that come to the surface.
Overall the book was really good. It had a slow start and I had to adjust to the way it was written because the story is based in the 1930’s so the way the characters spoke was mirrored to that time. I don’t think this should stop anyone from reading it because the storyline was really good!
Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press. All opinions are my own.

""I want you to solve my murder," said the woman in white.

Rachel Savernake gave a sardonic smile. "Quite a challenge."

The woman in white - surreal artist Damaris Gethin - has invited a select group to the opening of her exhibit "Artist in Crime," held in the eerie subterranean Hades Gallery. As costumed models reenact famously violent deaths, the artist herself portrays Marie Antoinette on the day of her execution, complete with a guillotine on the stage. It's not a prop; within ten minutes of Rachel's promise to solve Damaris's future murder, the artist slips her neck into the collar of the device and the very real blade sends her head rolling at the feet of her horrified audience.

As everyone reels from the shock, Rachel quickly learns that Damaris herself accomplished the deed with the push of a button - a suicide. So then why did she ask Rachel to solve her "murder?"

Keen for the hunt, Rachel begins sniffing around the other invited guests, including a former lover with shady financial dealings, his widowed sister-in-law, and her has-been songwriter friend. Meanwhile, crime reporter Jacob Flint - also in attendance, in hopes of meeting celebrated French beauty Kiki de Villiers, allows his fascination with her to endanger his own life when a ruthless gangster returns to London, looking to take back what's his.

Equal parts thriller and whodunit, The House on Graveyard Lane leads Rachel and Jacob into a viper's pit of suspects, each sneakier and more venomous than the last."

Yes, I'm sure you too want to know how a suicide is murder...

How can you solve a murder before it's happened?

'This is my challenge for you,' the woman in white said. 'I want you to solve my murder.'

London, 1930s: Rachel Savernake is attending renowned artist Damaris Gethin's latest exhibition, featuring live models who pose as famous killers. But that's just the warm-up act...

Unsure why she was invited, Rachel is soon cornered by the artist who asks her a haunting favor: she wants Rachel to solve her murder. Damaris then takes to the stage set with a guillotine, the lights go out – and Damaris executes herself.

I didn't realize when I started reading this book that it was the 4th book in the series. Although I was a bit confused at some parts it was an enjoyable read.

I didn’t realise this was book 4 of the series but it was a happy accident as I raced eagerly through the earlier books to be able to read this one

Rachel savernake is basically a more fun, female Sherlock Holmes. Her intelligence is beyond sense, and her dark secrets add nothing but mystery to everyone who encounters her. After an artist asks her to solve her murder before killing herself during an exhibition, how can she say no? The curiosity and challenge is too much to turn down. Along with her friend, Jacob flint, crime reporter, the search leads us down the rabbit hole to gangsters, songwriters, doctors and of course, the famous Kiki de Villiers

Definitely a book to completely immerse yourself in to thoroughly follow the various storylines and characters motives, something I fully enjoyed doing. Rachael Savernack and journalist Jacob Flint find themselves at a living art presentation staged by avant garde artist. She asks Rachael to solve her murder, and then takes her own life. Not one to shy away from a mystery, Rachael dives into getting to know the various characters who may have been involved, while Jacobs own investigation into some of the same people is brought to an abrupt end by his editor. Set in the 1930’s, London and the countryside are portrayed as home to both the wealthy and those hit hard by the depression. With plenty of suspects who are willing to plant red herrings, I didn’t see the ending coming. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Head of Zeus, for an advance readers copy. Martin Edward’s Lake District mysteries have long been a favorite series of mine, and this one, while very different, is just as good. Just a note, if you follow this series the book was published in the US with a different title in 2023.

"I want you to solve my murder."
This challenge from surrealist artist Damaris Gethin to Rachel Savernake opens The House On Graveyard Lane (Poisoned Pen Press), the fourth novel in Marin Edwards' Golden Age Detective Fiction series.
When Gethin dies by guillotine a few minutes later during her Artists In Crime show at the Hades Gallery, the logical conclusion everyone comes to is that she committed suicide. However, Rachel is not so sure and sets out to solve the murder. Little does she know that Version's death is one of several murders to follow with each case connected to one another.
Edwards has created a fascinating detective in Rachel Savernake. She is brilliant and fearless. The crimes are complex and thoroughly puzzling. In true Golden Age fashion, Edwards puts all the clues out there for the reader to find and be able to solve the crimes themselves. He even helpfully provides a clue finder to guide readers through the evidence.
If you haven't discovered the Rachel Savernake novels, you are really missing out. Not only has Edwards created a thoroughly fascinating detective, but he fills these novels with rich historical detail that transports the reader to 1930s England. Do yourself a favor and get acquainted with Rachel Savernake.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for the advance copy of this book via NetGalley. No other consideration was received in exchange for this review.

Thank you to the publishers and netgalley for the digital copy.

Unfortunately it's a dnf at 24%. I had no idea this was book 4 in a series when i requested it. I have found it hard to connect with the characters including the main character Rachel Savernake. I'm putting this down to it being a series and maybe if I'd read the first book I may have connected better.

This was my first Rachel Savernake novel. Even though it is a series you can definitely read it as a stand alone. It captured my interest from the very start. Rachel is a tenacious and somewhat nosy lady. She just can't help but figure out the puzzling murders placed before her. I love the relationship she has with Jacob and the Truemans. They add a lot to the story and make it all more interesting.

The golden age with a touch of modern flair makes this mystery a great read.

Martin Edwards is an expert in vintage crime, and he showcases his knowledge brilliantly in this book, which combines 1930s adventure with modern sensibilities. The tale of criminal gang leaders, secret government agencies, a potential femme fatale, and a dashing adventurer fits well into the crime adventure genre of that era. Similarly, the characters like the newspaper man and the wealthy investigator with helpful servants are familiar, but here, the lead is a woman, and the plot addresses issues that would not have been explicitly included in fiction of that time.

Some of Rachel Savernake's deductions may seem to push the boundaries of believability, much like Miss Marple's uncanny intuition. However, when the story is enjoyable, it feels nitpicky to criticize. Keen readers may solve many of the mysteries presented in the story but will still be surprised by a few final twists.

This is the fourth book in the series. I haven't read the others in the series, but this book left me wanting to!

Copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review through NetGalley.

thriller, suspense, historical-mystery, crime-fiction, 1930s, reclusive, relationships, secrets, lies, amateur-sleuth, artist, gallery, bizarre, investigations, crime-journalist, melodramatic, family-by-choice, friendship, friends*****

The artist asked Rachel to solve her murder. But the bizarre manner of the highly witnessed death was shown to be a suicide. Why Rachel? She was a nurse in the Great War but is not any sort of recognized detective. But she is wealthy, confident, and is astute enough to employ simple logic and determination to see any investigation through. She is aided and abetted by her very personal household staff and the impulsive crime reporter Jacob Flint. The investigation is like a double helix and the red herrings made me nutz. Of course I loved it!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

tl;dr
More thriller than mystery. A reasonably fun and twisty tale, but be advised that the description and the actual book aren't entirely in line.

Thoughts
This is fourth in a series, a thing I was entirely unaware of when I started it. Thankfully, there was enough catchup woven in that it wasn't a pain point for me to jump into the story. That being said, maybe I would have known better what to expect when the story took a sudden swerve from a very interesting hook to an entirely different plotline. There are two leads here - Rachel and Jacob - and despite the book description spending more time on Rachel, the book itself spends a lot more time on Jacob. The story begins with the death of Damaris Gethin (Rachel's case), but immediately takes a turn to follow the life of another woman, Kiki de Villiers (Jacob's case). Kiki is a person of interest for unspecified reasons. She's got history in this town, and there are a lot of different threads connected to her: the police, organized crime, a mysterious third party? Is Damaris also part of her story? Only somewhat. Jacob and Rachel intersect a few times, more out of coincidence than connection, but the lion's share of the story is about Kiki. There's plenty of cat and mouse in here leaning more into a thriller than a mystery, with a large amount of legwork in Rachel's case being done off the page. It's a shame, because she and the case are incredibly interesting, and I would have liked to follow that thread more. Still, if you want to follow the adventures of a crime reporter tracking down a woman with a mysterious past as she tangles with a crime organization, then this might be the book for you.

I want to start by thanking the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book. Again this was a book outside my comfort zone of my typical genre. I just didn’t really resonate with the story, but don’t let that stop you from reading if you enjoy this genre.

8% in and I just couldn’t do it anymore. The writing style is not for me and I just never had any idea what was going on and which character was speaking. There was not enough intrigue presented in the first 3 chapters for me to keep going. I feel like having that type of death be a murder is a big stretch and not one I cared to explore.

I have a soft spot for murder mysteries, especially when they unfold in historical settings, revealing a unique glimpse into intelligence and deduction before modern technology. 'The House of Graveyard Lane' dives right in with a gripping start: our protagonist Rachel is tasked with solving a murder—'solve my murder,' a chilling request that sets the tone for the entire book.

Rachel isn't a professional detective; in fact, she comes from a background where women are expected to remain inconspicuous. Despite this, her strong-willed nature drives her to confront danger head-on in pursuit of the truth.

I thoroughly enjoyed the intertwining elements of mystery and historical detail in this novel. It transported me far from my usual reading choices, providing a refreshing mental escape.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy.

Warning that this is a fourth book in a series, and there are some callbacks to previous books (I think--can't be sure since this is the first book I've read). But aside from this, I did enjoy the characters and the mystery, as well as the supporting characters and the pacing. Our main detective, Rachel, is smart and out-together, almost like a living puzzle herself.

The main reason why this is a 3 star read for me is that the writing style isn't quite what I liked, even given that it is a mystery and the needs of the genre.

"I want you to solve my murder," said the woman in white.
Rachel Savernake gave a sardonic smile. "Quite a challenge."

I always enjoy mystery books and if the main investigators is a woman with wit and determination … even better. This time around I was pleasantly surprised from a narrative that was engaging and action packed. I loved that we got to meet different characters and their investigation throughout this murder that seemed at the beginning really hard to solve (don’t they all, really?). But Rachel managed to do it all. Following the clues appearing slowly and leading us to the solution, one I can safely say I was not expecting (is it me, so is it simply being too long since I’ve read a book like this with hidden relationships and too many secrets?). Regardless of the reason, I’m now back fully in my mystery reading era, and I would jump on the occasion to read another book from this author!!!

"It's morally wrong to turn a tragedy into a melodrama, don't you agree?"

The House on Graveyard Lane starts quite dramatically with Damaris Gethin asking our main character Rachel to solve her murder. Shortly after, Damaris seems to die at her own hand. This historical fiction mystery has a lot of depth and complexity. There is a lot to unravel and the author has done a wonderful job setting up the mystery. I particularly enjoyed Rachel. She is a smart, determined, well-put-together woman who knows herself and is not easily intimidated. Although this is part of a series, The House on Graveyard Lane is the first one I have read. I had no problem reading this as a stand alone but will be sure to catch up on the past books.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

3.25 ⭐️ rounded down to 3 ⭐️ for NetGalley and GoodReads

So the main issue I had with this book was the fact that nowhere on the NetGalley page did it say that it is the fourth book in a series. After zooming in on the cover I realized that it said "Rachel Savernake Golden Age mystery", so oops 😬 Was it an issue overall that prevented me from understanding the book? Nope. Did it lead to a bit of head scratching and blank stares in the emptiness trying to make sense of things 🤨? Yep.

Regardless, I still really enjoyed this mystery/detective story.

Here are the characters who stood out the most for me:
- Rachel Savernake (the main character) is in herself a mystery that you just want to solve! It makes for a great page-turner even in and on itself because you wonder when you'll get that next little bit of information that you can add to the puzzle.
- I also loved Kiki De Villiers! I would read a novel in which she's the main character any day!
- Jacob. Ah, Jacob. What to say about dear Mr Flint? He's that goofy sidekick who helps the story move forward by ending up in a pretty bad and awkward situation due to his lack of thinking. Honestly, any good mystery needs one of these in my opinion, and Jacob Flint is really well crafter in this role.
- The Truemans... I just want to give them all a hug 🤗

The one thing I would say is that sometimes Rachel came up to some conclusions or made some deductions that... well seemed a bit far fetched because of how they were presented. But hey, that's also part of the fun in this type of book 😃

3.25 ⭐️ I'm going to go check out the first book of the series because I really enjoyed this one.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Martin Edwards for providing me with an eARC.

When an artist asks, Rachel dissolve her murder, murder, just smiles, and agrees. After all, it won’t be for a while, and it may never come past. Did Rachel, know the woman was about to commit suicide in front of all of the people invited to her art show.

So if it’s a suicide, why are Rachel and crime reporter Jacob Flint diving into the backgrounds of other attendees? Is there something else other than suicide? Only time will tell, if someone stop them from finding out first.

I thought the twist at the beginning was rather interesting. And the story well-crafted.

An interesting golden age whodunnit novel. I did enjoy it but perhaps it will not make my books of the year list. Engaging and entertaining.