It's 1921 and Mabel Canning, 32 year old independent woman, moves to London from the country to become just that, independent. She finds a job with the Useful Womens' Agency doing jobs that used to be done by servants who, presumably, are now also independent women. When serving drinks and nibbles at a wake arranged by the widow she opens the door to be faced with a body falling in. Unknown man. Whilst doing odd jobs of collecting hats, washing dogs, escorting young boys to trains and the like she befriends the widow and sets out to investigate both the murder and the mystery man as well as possibly solving the mystery of the husband - vanished, no body so seven years later declared dead legally hence the wake. Assisted by widow's brother, Gladys, two highly entertaining ladies living in the flat above her, the concierge of the flats and a police inspector she gets into various tangles and some hilarious scenes but with enough menace to remember it is a murder that she's investigating. There is a lot of character development and description, being the first in what I assume will become a series. There are splendid descriptions of grimy foggy London and there is rather too much reminding us that Mabel is an independent woman. I'm afraid that the murderer was no surprise but I do read an awful lot of darker thriller/murders. A good start and I hope that Mabel's developing career succeeds. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

I really enjoyed the concept of this series, the setting and the characters. It was different from the usual high society lady detective series (which I do love but am kind of tired of the same thing over and over). The mystery grabbed my attention once it began in earnest and I couldn't put the book down. However, I did have to put the book down to go to sleep and thus forgot all about the clue that made me solve the mystery pretty much right away. I got distracted by a red herring but figured it out before Mabel. It was rather obvious and could have been solved quickly if anyone had bothered to think of it. I questioned the police use of forensics but then they didn't actually do much of that. I did like how the diversity of London was worked in and especially appreciated how it was shown, not told.

Mabel is a great character. She's fiercely independent yet also devoted to her dad and friends back home. She's mourning the loss of her best friend to the Spanish 'Flu but doesn't dwell on it. She's able to look back fondly on her memories. Mabel doesn't do anything rash or stupid during her investigation even though she may want to. She has a good head on her shoulders and good instincts. Mabel keeps an open mind now she's in London meeting all sorts of people. She's tenacious, intelligent and loyal. Mabel is someone I would like to be friends with. I love how she deals with young Augustus, a naughty 8-year-old boy. She's still young enough to think like a child and have sympathy for him even though she's "middle aged" (at 31!). Augustus is funny and sad at the same time. Poor kid wants attention and goes about getting it in the wrong way. He's clearly intelligent but lacks parental support. His mother is a nit wit and his father is oft absent. I knew a kid just like that so I think Augustus is fully believable. I hope Mabel is called upon to escort him to the station in future books.

Rosalind Despard is a wealthy woman through marriage to the self-made Guy Despard. She was once a performer on the music hall stage until Guy fell desperately in love with her. They were not your usual wealthy young man about town and opportunist. It seems like they adored each other and were quite the progressive couple. His disappearance truly upset Rosalind and she's been worried about him ever since. The presence of a dead body on the doorstep is enough to rattle her. Rosalind seems to have a nervous disposition but she recovers quickly with the help of good friends. Rosalind is highly intelligent and an astute businesswoman. She notices something her lawyer and bookkeeper never noticed or are hiding from her. Her maid, Bridget, can be grumpy but she's devoted to Rosalind, having been the backstage minder at the music hall. Bridget is loyal and protective of Rosalind but not over protective. That role goes to Rosalind's brother, Park Winstone. Park loves his sister very much but he doesn't always treat her like an adult. He worries about her mental health and her physical well-being. Park mistrusts Mabel and her intentions yet Mabel was hired through an agency! To be fair, he just arrives when the body shows up so he doesn't know the particulars. He's cautious and rightfully so. Park is slow to trust but when he does, he is a supportive and a good listener. His dog Gladys is a little bit unruly but very cute. She takes to Mabel right away which should show Park that Mabel is a good person!

Cyril Godfrey is Rosalind's most devoted friend and old stage partner from the music hall days. He's the king of bad dad jokes which apparently audiences in the 1920s still enjoyed. The constant "Boom boom!" after his truly awful jokes drove me crazy. Less of him please. He's jovial and over-the-top but means well. He's good to the girls he works with. If he has one fault, he dwells too much on the past. He's one of those ageing performers clinging to his last bit of fame as times and tastes change. If he thinks the cinema in 1921 is closing the music halls, wait until talkies! I think comparing movies and the stage is apples and oranges and he shouldn't blame the cinema for changing tastes. Bad dad jokes are never funny and his type of act is a relic from the Victorian era. This soon after WWI, I'm thinking people want an escape. I found him incredibly annoying.

Thomas Hardcastle, Guy Despard's solicitor, has been running the business in Guy's absence. The lawyer seems to be hiding something. He's a little evasive and squirrely when Rosalind asks direct questions. Gabrielle Roche is Guy's secretary. She seems efficient but a bit arrogant, like she knows better than anyone else about how to run the business. She's also Irish and devoted to Irish independence. Mabel spied Gabrielle where she shouldn't be in the house speaking with some men during the wake. That makes her a good suspect for... something?! Who is Michael Shaugnessy and why did Guy have to rush off to see him? Is he mixed up in the Irish independence movement somehow? Inspector Tollerton is firm but seems fair enough. He's doing his job and his friendship with Park means he's serious about finding out what happened to Rosalind's husband.

Miss Florrie Hart has taken Rosalind's place on the stage with Cyril. She's young and naïve and seems to be missing her fella. First, was he really her fella when no one seems to have seen him with her? Second, did he ghost her or is something else going on? Poor Florrie. She's the weepy sort who prefers hand wringing to action.

Mabel's father's friend, Mr. Chigley, is a porter at the flats where Mabel lives. He's very kind and thinks of himself as a surrogate father to Mabel. He seems more willing to allow Mabel to live an independent adult life than her father is though. Her father checks up on her way too much but that keeps Mabel in check for she fears of word getting back to her father that she was up to something dangerous. Mabel's new friends, Cora and Skeff, are a lot of fun! They're a couple and Mabel accepts that just as they accept her as a new friend without question. Skeff is a more masculine type, raised in a newspaper family. She works as a reporter for her uncle's paper as an investigative journalist. She's fair and doesn't like tabloid sensations, just the facts. She just wants the truth to be known. It's so sweet how supportive Skeff is of Cora's talent as a milliner. Cora works for someone else now but she could branch out on her own. She's a clever designer and a sweet person. Skeff has a level head and can handle the business end of things while Cora is the creative genius. They should go into business together. Their friend Flea, a mysterious figure at the docks, is intriguing and unusual. He's a valuable asset to the investigation yet doesn't have any more clues to help figure out what happened. Could he be in danger because he's so observant? I hope not.

This was fun enough that I'm ready to read the second one. I was already approved and will be reading it after Christmas!

Miss Lillian Kerr is the proprietress of the Useful Woman Agency. She has a knack for knowing what each woman is most useful at and matching them with the right job. Some of the jobs sound ghastly to me! She's tough and shows Mabel who is boss in a passive aggressive way but seems Mabel can live up to her high standards. Miss Kerr isn't too sure about Mabel being involved in a murder investigation though.

3.75 stars

Debut historical mystery by prolific author Marty Wingate, who also has a couple contemporary series. This one introduces Mabel Canning, a thirty something independent woman who has moved to London from a small British village. Mabel is smart and adventurous and wants the excitement of the city. She finds more than she bargained for when she signs up with the Useful Women's Agency which employs women to help with everything from flower arranging to dog bathing to hanging pictures and running errands. Mabel is helping out at an odd sort of funeral wake - the dead person disappeared years ago but has just been declared legally dead. While the widow and friends are gathered at her home, the doorbell rings and they discover a murder victim on the front step.

Mabel is a fun character. She is alert and wants to be included and NOT patronized. She manages to nose her way into the investigation and it's fun to watch her operate. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I rounded up to four-stars. A fun inaugural book in a new series set in the early 1920s introduces Mabel Canning, an early-30s woman who has moved from her village to London. Determined to be an "independent woman," Mabel works for the Useful Women Agency, doing such varied tasks as washing dogs, secretarial work, sorting old clothes and escorting a mischievous little boy to catch a train. Mabel is helping out at a wake when she literally finds a dead body on the doorstep and, thus, tries her hand at detective work. Mabel is a likeable character, who collects friends wherever she goes. Wingate also has created excellent secondary characters who, I hope, appear in subsequent books. There is even a potential love interest in former Scotland Yard detective Park Winstone. While the descriptions of Mabel's various duties for the Useful Women, such as sorting moldy furs or reading for an elderly lady, didn't move the mystery along, they did add dimension to this cozy book. I look forward to reading book two in this series.

A good start to a new mystery series based on the actual Useful Women Agency in 1920’s England. Mabel is excited to leave home and become an independent woman, finding a job at the Useful Women Agency doing everything from dog washing, to secretarial work. When she is working for a client during a wake, a dead body falls over the doorstep, and Mabel becomes enmeshed in solving the mystery. The wake is for her client’s husband, who was missing for seven years and now declared dead. There were fun secondary characters, like Steff and Cora, two of her neighbors. Recommended. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

Fiercely independent Mabel Canning can’t wait to begin working for the Useful Women’s Agency. But when she discovers a body on her client’s doorstep, it’s time to add solving murders to her job..History comes alive in this brilliant, highly-imaginative, and vivid novel. Immersive and revelatory and a pleasure to read!

A good start to a new series. Set in early 1920s England, Mabel is an employee of a Ladies Organization that provides services with flexibility. At her latest job a body of a soldier is found on the doorstep, and he has a letter in his hand. Good story, with lots of clues to follow, and a hint of romance to come. Would highly recommend this book and author.

The first in a new historical cozy series centered around Mabel, who has just moved to London to be an independent woman in the early 1920s. She finds employment at the Useful Women's Agency, performing random tasks. One task finds her being a companion at a wake. When a body turns up at the door of the wake, murdered, Mabel finds herself drawn into the mystery.

I loved this first book! I found Mabel to be a great protagonist, and loved all the side characters we got introduced to (especially Gladys). I think Wingate did a great job laying the foundation for the Murder Club (in the series name) - it wasn't just randomly thrown together, but rather a result of the actions of this book. I did think the culprit was a bit obvious - but I read a lot of cozies, so it could just be me! And I didn't mind that I figured out the whodunnit because I thought the rest of this one was so fun.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

In this first installment of the London Ladies' Murder Club books, we are introduced to Mabel, recently arrived in London and working for the Useful Women's Agency. One of her first jobs finds her assisting a widow on the day of her husband's wake, seven years after his disappearance. A body appears on the doorstep during the wake, and Mabel is drawn in to the mystery of the body and the disappearance seven years earlier. Along the way we meet a cast of characters from law enforcement to people from Mabel's apartment building and the women that she does odd jobs for through the agency.

I really liked this historical cozy mystery. It has the same feel as a lot of cozy mysteries, but the plot line is a little different than most that I've read, which I enjoyed. The characters are engaging, and the story sets the stage well for a continued series. I particularly appreciated Mabel's female friendships in the story. I will definitely continue reading the London Ladies' Murder Club series when available.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #Bookouture for a free copy of #ABodyontheDoorstep by Marty Wingate. All opinions are my own.

It was an enjoyable read. I liked the cast of women who are introduced in this first book — and that will probably be featured in the next one. I did not like the men as much. The plot was well-executed and well-paced. I will definitely continue reading this series.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Mabel moves from her small hometown to London to prove to everyone – including herself – that she can make it on her own in the big city. Her job with the Useful Woman Agency finds her doing a wide variety of jobs – mending clothing, picking up parcels, bathing dogs, delivering a recalcitrant young boy to the train, and being a companion to a widow during a wake. It’s this last job that lands her in the middle of a murder investigation, one she’s determined to help solve, despite repeated warnings to stay out of it.

This is the first book in a new series by an author whose books have never been disappointing in the past. Fortunately, this book was no exception, earning a four-star rating, something I rarely give to the first book in a series. The setting – London in the early 1920s – was described well and easy to imagine, and I liked Mabel and most of the other characters, although I wasn’t sure about Park at first.

The primary puzzle in this book was the identity of the murder victim, and it took quite a while for that to be resolved, although I started to suspect I knew who he was before it was revealed in the book. Once that was established, the rest of the mystery fell into place, although my suspicions about the culprit were wrong.

The next book in this series is already available as an ARC, and I hope my request to read it is approved so I can find out what happens next with Mabel’s new responsibilities at the Useful Woman Agency.

'A Body on the Doorstep' by Marty Wingate.
Mabel Canning is a young lady working for the Useful Women's Agency. However, when Miss Kerr sends her to assist a widow at a wake she wasn't expecting a body to turn up on the doorstep.
I really enjoyed this book and I couldn't put it down.
I think Mabel is a fantastic character and I particulary love her friendships with Cora and Skeff who live in the same building as her. I think the secondary characters add a lot to this book from Mr Chigley to Gladys the dog.
I sort of had an inkling on who might of been involved with the murder(s) but there was still a few surprises towards the end.
I would definitely read more by this author especially if this becomes a series. And I would definitely recommend this book to fans of murder mystery and cosy crime.
Thankyou to NetGallery UK, the author and the publishers for letting me read a copy in return for an honest review.

1921, first-in-series, new-series, amateur-sleuth, London, situational-humor, investigation, murder, missing-persons, family, friends, ex-cop, cozy-mystery, historical-fiction, pet-dog, local-law-enforcement*****

Suspend disbelief and you will enjoy this historical romp as much as I did!
Mabel left the village of Peasmarsh, moved into New River House, made friends with fellow rooming house residents (Cora and Skeff), and came to work at the Useful Women’s Agency. One of her earliest assignments is to the home of former music hall dancer Rosalind whose husband has been missing for seven years, opens the door to an unknown dead man, meets Rosalind's brother Park Winstone (formerly of both the Met and the diplomatic corps) and Park's dog Gladys. This is a light-hearted read with an interesting and well-written cozy murder and lots of fun situational guffaws. At the end Mabel joins forces with the Useful Women's Agency to form the London Ladies' Murder Club!
I requested and received an EARC from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thanks for the fun!

Mabel Canning has determined to leave her small town and move to London where she will be a useful woman. It's 1921 and Mabel is thirty-two. World War I is over, she's lost her best friend to the Spanish flu, and has decided that it is time to make her dreams come true.

She gets a job with an agency which supplies "useful women" to do any sort of task for gentlewomen. Mabel has a variety of tasks to perform from washing a dog to escorting a slippery eight-year-old to the train which will take him to school. But the job helping a woman plan for a wake is the one that consumes her and points her to a rather different career path.

Rosalind Despard is planning a wake for her husband who disappeared seven years earlier. Mabel starts by making sandwiches for the guests, but, when a body is discovered on the doorstep and a letter from her husband is found on his body, Mabel finds herself solving a mystery or two.

Along with Rosalind's brother Park Winstone and Park's dog Gladys, Mabel finds herself investigating to discover who the man was and eventually what happened to Rosalind's husband. Her investigations take her to music halls and the London Docks and let her make friends with some of the women who live in the same flats where Mabel lives.

I liked the period detail in the story. I also liked that Mabel was taking steps to secure her own independence and becoming more confident in her abilities as the story progressed. I like her relationship with Park Winstone. They seem like they could be a good team for investigating future crimes since they successfully solved this one.

Fans of cozy British mysteries and historical mysteries will enjoy meeting Mabel and her friends and colleagues.

A new series from Marty Wingate, and it is every bit as good as her "Bodies in the Library" series. This one is more historical, as it takes place in 1920s London, and features a resourceful, practical amateur sleuth, Mabel Canning. She has recently begun work for the Useful Woman's Agency and is looking forward to a life of useful independence. Of course, she discovers a murder, and is on the case. This is fast paced, witty, sophisticated, and charmingly cozy in the best sense of the word.

This is the first book in a new historical cozy mystery series. Mabel is an interesting character trying to be independent in a time when this is unusual. She is also older at 32. Her new friends are interesting and quirky with Gladys the dog being a favourite. The mystery itself was complex and twisty enough to keep me interested however I did spot who the body was way before Mabel. This was a really fun and enjoyable read and I'm thrilled that there are more books to dig my teeth into can't wait. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I detest the adjective “unputdownable”. I think it’s over-used and it makes me wary of books that the publisher describes as such. I have read many, many books and there are very, very few that I’ve been unable to put down. Marty Wingate’s A Body on the Doorstep is the exception. Reader, I was hooked.

Mabel is 32 years old and has left home to move to London and be an independent woman, earning a wage and paying all her own bills. Mabel is smart, though. She signs up with Miss Lilian Kerr’s Really Useful Women agency. This provides women to perform jobs of any kind, from collecting dresses from tailors to escorting children to catch trains. There was indeed an agency like this: Satara Fort and Lilian Kerr set up “Universal Aunts” at 4, Sloane Street in Chelsea (Tel: Vic 6279), according to the Pall Mall Gazette of January 10th, 1921.

Mabel’s first job is to assist at a wake. She answers the door and a dead man falls at her feet. Mabel forms a friendship with the young widow and enjoys the company of Park, the widow’s brother. It takes nearly the whole book to uncover who the dead man was and why he was there, but the solution is highly believable and satisfying.

If I’ve really enjoyed a book, I sit down in a quiet room afterwards; and try to analyse how the author’s technique made me enjoy it. In the case of some very well-known and currently popular mystery authors, it’s their ability to project the “voice” of a character. The author might be a young(ish) male, but the speech, mannerisms and thoughts of a middle-aged or elderly female character are pitch-perfect. Marty Wingate is female and out of her teens, so her ability to find appropriate voices for women in their thirties is perhaps unsurprising. However, these are women of the 1920s, not the 2020s. The thoughts, the behaviour, the world-view of these characters are spot-on. Similarly, Wingate’s elderly male characters (the porter at Mabel’s block of flats; the stage-door man at the local music-hall) are vividly described as concerned fatherly figures who have lots of experience of life. All the characters, absolutely all of them, are skilfully delineated and there is no likelihood of confusing them.

The plot is tight and moves on swiftly; but Mabel’s work for Really Useful Women allows humorous interludes to lighten the mood. The episodes where Mabel escorts eight-year-old Augustus Malling-Frobisher III to/from his train back to boarding school were sheer joy and worthy of P.G. Wodehouse. (In fact, having written that, I opened the book and re-read just those bits – and will probably do so again several times over the next few days. That’s how much I enjoyed them.)

Every time Mabel spends money in the first few chapters, e.g. 9d on lunch, she notes the amount in her expense book. This may seem petty and it may irritate those who just want the plot to move on, but it’s a subtle way of reminding us that a single independent woman (almost always paid less than a man doing the same job) must live within her means. In the same way, she is wary of being seen alone with a young man, knowing how her reputation could be damaged. However, when her vicar finds her offering a cup of tea to a man in her flat, Mabel retrieves the situation beautifully. He eventually plucks up the courage to go into the local music-hall alone. Using the Underground is a novel (and unpleasant) experience for Mabel, as it would be for anyone fresh from the country.

The book isn’t perfect (probably no book is – I’d have stern words for Anthony Trollope if he was still around) but my criticisms are trivial, e.g. why use the unexpected word “entry” rather than the more common “hall” or “lobby”? If Rosalind was Rosalind d’Ville before she got married, why is her brother’s surname Winstone? I guess it was her stage-name, but a comment to that effect would clear the mystery. No, this book is as close to perfect as it’s reasonable to expect. The delightful news is that there’s already a second book in the series. And the even better news is that I’m about to start reading it – today is definitely a good day. If Augustus Malling-Frobisher III makes a reappearance, it will be a brilliant day!

One lovely touch (which is nothing to do with the quality of the story) is the way everyone involved with the publication of the book is named. Authors often thank a couple of named individuals at the publishers, but Wingate has named 27 people: a proper acknowledgment of the effort involved in getting a good book out into bookshops. We’re accustomed to the long-rolling credits on films, but most people have no understanding of the book production process. I hope other authors follow this precedent.
#ABodyontheDoorstep #NetGalley

London, 1921. Mabel Canning, a woman in her early 30s, has recently arrived at 'the Big Smoke' from the village of Peasmarsh, fulfilling her lifelong dream of going to the city and living as an independent woman. She has a flat in a block of flats where the porter is an old friend of her father's. She quickly befriends some of her neighbours. She's gotten a job at Useful Women, an agency that sends women out to do respectable domestic tasks for other women. This could involve a whole host of things, from returning books to the library to hanging pictures, to taking little boys to meet their train to boarding school. When we meet Mabel, she is preparing for one such job--helping out at a wake. It's a bit of a strange wake, because the deceased had been missing for 7 years and only just declared dead. Mabel knows nothing about what she will be asked to do when she arrives at the job, but she certainly did get more than she bargained for.

The job is going well--Mabel and the widow, Rosalind, hit it off from the start, even if things are a little awkward generally once people begin to arrive. When there is a great thump at the front door and Mabel opens it to find a dead man on the doorstep, things get chaotic. No one knows this man, and the mystery deepens when a note to Rosalind from her late husband is found in the man's greatcoat pocket. Rosalind needs a friend and asks Mabel to help her. Who is this man? Why did he have this note? What's up with the business that is now Rosalind's to oversee? And what did happen to Rosalind's husband? With the help of her new friends, including Gladys the dog and Rosalind's brother, Mabel starts to look for answers.

This is the first book in a new historical cozy mystery series and it is excellent. I loved it from start to finish. Mabel is an interesting voice as she navigates her new life. She is unsure about some things and has to think fast at times in both dangerous and everyday situations. Her new friends are wonderful. I liked the community they are building together and how the friendships are developing. Gladys the dog is fabulous and provides help and good excuses for various activities as the investigation moves forward. I enjoyed the boundary-pushing elements of the story. The mystery itself was involved and twisty enough to keep me interested and turning the pages, but not so convoluted that I had to go back and try to figure out who was who and what was what--it's just right. This was a really fun and enjoyable read and I'm thrilled that there are more books to come featuring Mabel and her friends! If you like historical cozies, give this one a go--it's a great read!

This is a promising start to a new series set in post-WWI London. Mabel has just moved to London to take up a job and a new life performing odd jobs as part of an agency. She quickly gets drawn into the disappearance of a businessman seven years before, a much more recent death, and then several more incidents that come to seem related. I enjoyed the book, which seems to set up well for a series. The mystery is well done, the writing is good, and the characters are interesting and likeable. I’m looking forward to the next in the series. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of A Body on the Doorstep, the first novel to feature Mabel Canning, set in London in 1921.

Mabel has recently arrived in London determined to be an independent woman. She has a new job at the Useful Women’s Agency where she undertakes jobs as varied as flower arranging and dog washing, although nothing prepares her for answering the door at Guy Despard’s wake to find a dead body, holding a letter for the widow, Rosalind. She joins forces with Rosalind’s brother, Park Winstone, to investigate.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Body on the Doorstep, which is a lighthearted read with a puzzling plot. It is told entirely from Mabel’s point of view, which I like as the reader has no more information than she does and can guess alongside her.

I got really engrossed in the plot so I read it in one sitting. There are so many unanswered questions at the start of the novel, not least the identity of the body, that the reader keeps reading to get some answers and, boy, are there answers. The plotting is clever and it all ties up nicely at the end, including putting Mabel on a new path. To be fair, there is a lot of coincidence and leaps in the novel, but it doesn’t actually matter in the overall enjoyment, especially when it comes together in such a satisfying way.

The novel is light rather than humorous, with a sunny tone and the odd laugh as Mabel and Park stumble through a series of incidents to arrive at the solution. There is even a hint of potential romance, but, obviously Mabel is an independent woman not interested in a relationship. We’ll see.

A Body on the Doorstep is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.