this was absolutely fantastic! it was *chefs kiss* i can’t wait to buy a copy for my shelf when it releases!

Thank you for the ARC netgalley - A fun and fast mystery that keeps you engaged! Excited to read more from this author :)

I love a good murder mystery. This was intriguing and kept me on my toes. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is a cleverly written detective story written in the era of the Golden Age area of mysteries where clues about what is going on behind the scenes is throughout the book and revealed by our sleuths. This one starts with an art exhibition at the Hades Gallery in London with a famous artist asking Rachel to solve her murder as she’ll be murdered that evening. The lights go out and our artist is beheaded by the guillotine. She must have done it herself but why? And with a select guest list who are the invitees and how do they know each other? You’ll have to read to find out!

This is a clever mystery with a host of various characters with distinct motivations that become clearer as time progresses. There is banter, tongue in cheek dialogue, and humour. The pacing is quite good and it did pick up significantly in the second half after the characters and plot was set. While this takes place shortly after WWI there is commentary on the trauma it caused for those who served, touches on women’s lack of rights, and includes LGBTQ characters. A four star read!

Previously available as “Sepulchre Street”, "The House on Graveyard Lane" is the fourth book featuring the mystery-solving Rachel Savernake in the golden-age-set series from Martin Edwards.

London in the 1930s. Rachel, a supporter of modern art, is invited to a new exhibit by Damaris Gethin, an artist who has been rather silent recently. Knowing her reputation as an amateur sleuth, Damaris asks Rachel to solve a murder: her own. Damaris then takes to the stage and uses a guillotine to behead herself in front of the crowd, her final act of performance art.

Also attending the exhibit is Jacob Flint, crime reporter for The Clarion and sometime member of Rachel’s crime-solving team. Jacob is interested in getting an interview with Mrs. Kiki de Villiers, a mysterious socialite who is in the crosshairs of a Clarion investigation. With the death of Damaris, Jacob is thrown into a second mystery as well, both with the same cast of characters.

What follows is a series of twists and turns with much of the expected vintage British mystery touches: secret identities, mistaken identities, untouchable gangsters, hidden agendas, mysterious killers, government plots, upper class frivolities, and a dark and gloomy mansion at the end of the titular Sepulchre Street.

Although this is an enjoyable and complicated mystery that we have come to expect from Mr. Edwards, it seems that this time the story has a very modern feel to it, and deals with topics that would never be covered in typical 1930s mysteries. Rachel also seems a bit crueler than previously, a bit haughtier. The initial death of Damaris is also a sidenote, and not really relevant to most of the action that takes place. For us armchair detectives, Mr. Edwards provides a listing of the clues that would have allowed us to solve the mystery along with Rachel and Jacob. A complicated modern tale set in the recent past, but missing the golden age sensibility of some of his previous work.

I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from Poisoned Pen Press via NetGalley. Thank you!

The characters really made this book such an amazing read! I loved the mystery and the danger, a great thrilling read overall.

One of my favourite tropes is murder mystery, and I especially love a historical setting for this trope as I love watching the real insight into intelligence at work as the person posing as the detective has to use their brain as the main tool into solving the crime, due to lack of the modern day technology that we have now.

“The house of graveyard lane” starts off with a definite bang, our FMC Rachel is approached with the request to “solve my murder”, an ominous sentence to come from the mouth of anybody, setting the mysterious and foreboding tone for the rest of the book.

Rachel is in fact not a detective, her father is a judge and women are supposed to keep to the shadows and not draw attention to themselves in those times. However she is strong willed, brave, fearless and determined to put herself in dangers way in order to get answers.

I definitely enjoyed the murder mystery and detective aspects of this book. The historical aspects took me worlds away from my typical reads and I enjoyed the mental escape.

Thank you to Martin Edwards, Poisened Pen Press and NetGalley for the EARC.

Publish date: August 27th 2024

Thank you to Netgalley and Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus for approving my request to read and review this book.

Once again Martin brings a fabulous story with Rachel and the great cast of characters!! The story, plots, descriptions, and historial details make the book a fantastic read. The start is with the death of an avant garder artist Demaris, The story weaves between various suspicious characters to a satisfying ending, which you will not see coming.

I look forward to book 5. This book will be recommended to my fellow readers!