This was another fun entry in Wingate’s new series about a woman in 1921 London who happens upon a murder mystery and works to solve it along with her friends and a new romantic interest.

The mystery is intriguing, but the real fun is how the author captures the atmosphere of the moment whether its from the description of fashions or the streets and neighborhoods of London. I really enjoyed entering into this world.

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.

3.8 Stars
One Liner: A good mystery but slow

November 1921
Mabel is working with the Useful Women’s Agency, hoping for a better case than finding missing dogs. However, she didn’t expect to end up on a crime scene when attending the séance with Mrs. Plomley to communicate with the woman’s dead husband. What’s more, how did Mr. Stamford Plomley die at the séance when he was supposed to have perished almost a year ago?
Mabel is hired to investigate the previous non-death, though the lines blur soon. Who is Madame Pushkana? Is she a gifted medium being targeted by someone who hates her, or is she a con artist and a murderer? Can Mabel solve the case?
The story comes in Mabel’s third-person POV.

My Thoughts:
After enjoying book one a few days ago, I was eager to read this and see how Mabel proved her worth as a private investigator.
As with the previous one, the book starts with Mabel knocking on the door and introducing herself at her job site. That way, we get into action almost right away.
The mystery is rather interesting and has enough suspects to track. Though it takes a while, there are enough clues to figure out the killer. I guessed right despite the red herrings, and the process is logical. Mabel is still an amateur sleuth, so she is bound to miss a few things.
We meet the recurring characters again (Cora, Skeff, Park, Inspector Tollerton, Miss Kerr, etc.) and some new ones. Augustus also makes an appearance, much to my delight. Like Mabel, I also have a soft spot for that kid. Gladys, the part-terrier (Park’s dog), is proving to be a lifesaver!
There’s a touch of paranormal, given the premise. It is well done and just enough to suit the plotline. I like how the whole thing is nicely balanced.
The bits about séance and its working are interesting enough. However, I should give credit to The Other Side of Mrs. Wood for understanding the whole thing a lot more.
There’s a wee bit of progress in the expected romance between Mabel and Park. Nothing major, so it doesn’t affect the mystery.
Two things I like the most –
Mabel’s comparison of handwriting with music is an intriguing concept. Those who know the music script (and like classical pieces) will enjoy this more. I don’t have the required knowledge, but I love the concept.
The characters don’t just try to solve the crime. They also provide emotional support to those who require it. They step in to help strangers in need. Moreover, Mabel is good at marketing. She is always ready to recommend her fellow women to her clients based on their requirements.
But… why is the book so slow? The first one had a steady pace despite introducing the characters and setting. I expected this to be along the same lines, but it is way slower and doesn’t seem inclined to move faster.

To summarize, A Body at the Séance is a well-plotted and engaging mystery with some twists, laughs, puzzles, and loads of tea. Naturally, I am looking forward to the next book and will read it.
Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

A great quick read. Couldn't put it down. A little suspenseful. Great characters. Definitely recommend it.

The likeable characters and the cozy vibes make this series delightful.Readers again meet "independent woman" Mabel Canning and her friends, Skeff and Cora; her love interest, Park; and adorable dog, Gladys (naughty schoolboy Augustus even makes an appearance). It's 1921 and Mabel works for the Useful Woman Agency (which was an actual employment agency in the 1920s). When Mabel is tasked to accompany a client to a seance, readers know there will be a dead body and lots of suspects. This is a gentle mystery. Both books in the series will be released on Jan. 11. Read the books in order.

This book definitely started with a bang - straight into the action with a death at a Seance set up to contact Mrs Plomley’s late husband. When his body is found there, it is evident that he hadn’t died in a fire eight months previously, as everyone had thought.

Mabel Canning from the Useful Women Agency is back and along with her, Park, Gladys, Augustus, Cora and Skeff. I absolutely love these characters and although this book can be read as a standalone, the development of the characters and the relationships between them is a big part of the series enjoyment for me.

The plot was excellent; I am fascinated by the spirit world and Mabel investigated the authenticity of the psychic, Madame Pushkana, as much as the murder, which I really loved.

4 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Marty Wingate and Bookouture, for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I liked this book. The mystery kept me guessing. I liked the characters and the setting

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Mabel is hired to attend a séance, the evening takes a sinister turn with the murder of a man believed dead for months. Despite warnings from Scotland Yard, inquisitive Mabel persists in investigating alongside former detective Park. But after uncovering the eerie truth and receiving threats from the still-at-large killer, she may be the next target unless they solve the case in time.

This cozy mystery has a clever premise and an intriguing cast of characters. The novel is entertaining and fun. Looking forward to the next book in the series!

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

3.75 stars

The second adventure of small town vicar's daughter turned city girl Mabel Canning. Mabel is the star employee of the Useful Women's Agency which provides all kinds of labor for all kinds of situations. She has been asked to accompany a new widow to a seance to see if she can talk to her deceased husband. But the seance is chaotic -- the medium passes out, there is a minor explosion, and they find a dead body. And -- it's the supposedly already dead husband!

Mabel is a great character. She is smart and determined and independent. She will accept help but will not be talked down to or patronized and she is very ingenious at problem solving. With the help of her next door neighbors and her sort of sweetie, they are soon tracking down the real story.

Quite readable, fun, and nicely plotted. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

pianist, 1921, amateur-sleuth, local-law-enforcement, London, series, situational-humor, investigations, pet-dog, family, friends, ex-cop, cozy-mystery, historical-fiction, medium, seance, milliner, fraud*****

The man who turned up strangled to death at the seance in November was supposed to have died in a fire the previous March. Say what? Mabel was there at the behest of the man's wife and much tomfoolery was uncovered as she began sleuthing. 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.
This is a light-hearted read with an interesting and well-written cozy murder and lots of fun situational guffaws. Easily works as a stand alone.
I requested and received an EARC from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thanks for the fun!

When a body turns up at a glamorous séance, Mabel Canning’s sleuthing skills are put to the test. Because it appears the victim died twice…Engaging and exciting from the beginning. A very realistic feel for the reader.

Book 2 in the cozy series set in 1920s England. Mabel is at it again, working as an extra at a seance, when a body is discovered. Good range of clues and characters, that lead the reader to solving the case. Fun read. Would highly recommend.

It was another enjoyable read. I did prefer this plot to the plot of the first book. It was a little bit paranormal and I liked that. Unfortunately, there’s a romance that seemed forced to me, and I did not like this at all — it made me lower my rating. I also wished some women from the first book were a bit more present in this one.

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

Mabel Canning works for the Useful Women Agency in London. Her assignments might include anything from picking up dry cleaning to escorting school boys to the train to helping a woman decide where she wants to hang a valuable painting to murder.

When Mabel is hired to take Mrs Plomley to a seance where she hopes to reconnect with her husband who died in a fire eight months earlier. What she isn't anticipating is finding the formerly deceased husband dead again this time by being strangled in drapery tiebacks. Naturally Scotland Yard is involved, but Mrs Plomley wants Mabel to find out about her husband's first supposed death.

Mabel begins looking into the first death but also investigates the other people who were at the seance to see if any of them had had earlier connections with Mr Plomley. With the help of her friends Cora and Skeff and assistance from Park Winstone and his adorable dog Gladys, Mabel is on the case.

This was an engaging cozy mystery. I really like Mabel's determination to be an independent woman and her way a making friends which are becoming a network of people with a wide variety of skills and connections. I also like her budding relationship with Park who really understands her and encourages her to develop her talents even while hoping that she will keep out of danger.

I look forward to more cases for Mabel and the London Ladies' Murder Club to investigate in future books.

Book two in this new series by Marty Wingate is a great follow up to the first title, and will definitely leave readers hoping that more of Mabel's adventures are in store for them. This one explores the way the occult and paranormal were such a part of London society in the 1920s, as Mabel investigates a murder that took place during a society seance. Witty, breezy, and very cozy!

A Body at the Séance is the second in Marty Wingate’s London Ladies Murder Club series. After I finished the first book in the series, I grabbed the second and started immediately. It features the same characters as the first in the series: Mabel Canning, who works at the Really Useful Women agency, hired out to women who need another female to do errands; Skeff and Cora, the two women who share a small flat in the same apartment block as Mabel’s; and Park Winstone, the handsome ex-policeman who lives on the floor below with his dog, Gladys. Gladys plays a larger part in this story. When Lilian Kerr, Mabel’s boss at Really Useful Women, tells Mabel that a Miss Gladys Winstone has engaged her services at 3pm that afternoon, Mabel and I both spat our tea across the room.

Once again, we have a body in Chapter One. In this case, there is absolutely no doubt the man has been murdered, but the deceased was supposed to have died a few months earlier. In fact, he has just been murdered at a séance held to summon his spirit. Now there’s a cracking start to a mystery! I love the way Wingate starts novels with a bang to grab our attention and fills in the background afterwards. Mabel had been asked to accompany the supposed widow to the séance and is, therefore, present at the murder, although the room is pitch-dark and no-one can see anything. It looks like one of the others present is the murderer but Mabel’s attempts to identify the culprit meet with obfuscation and evasion.

I thought the first book in the series was excellent, but A Body at the Séance is even better. When I’m reading a book, I make notes, perhaps where I spot an inconsistency or something clumsy. With this book, I find that I made no notes whatsoever. That demonstrates (a) how enthralled I was; and (b) that I couldn’t find a single thing to nit-pick about (and believe me, I am picky). Yes, I guessed the murderer long before the end, but that’s because I spotted one clue – that’s right, this is one of those mysteries where the author delicately inserts clues into the narrative and (possibly for the first time ever) I spotted one.

And for anyone who read the first book and also hoped that Britain’s naughtiest schoolboy, Augustus Malling-Frobisher III, would make an appearance, you will not be disappointed.

I'd only just finished the first book in the series and was thrilled when I found I could immediately started this one. I think I enjoyed this one as much if not more than the first book. Gladys the dog is here again which I love. I liked watching the development of Mabel's friendships and of course her romance with Park. Some of the characters involved in the mystery had interesting backstories which added some depth to the story. The mystery itself was well done and I didn't spot the villain as early as I did in the first. Another great book can't wait for number three now. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This is the second book featuring Mabel Canning, who has moved to London in 1921, to fulfill her lifelong dream of being an independent woman in the city. She lives in a flat where some of her neighbours are great friends, and she works at the Useful Women agency, run by Miss Lillian Kerr. According to the author's note, the agency and Miss Kerr actually existed. The agency provides help for women, both in terms of employment and for those women who want to hire other women to do respectable domestic tasks. These range from the mundane (picking up some shopping or hanging pictures) to the less common, such as the job Mabel is assigned to. She has been asked to attend a seance with the client, Mrs. Plomley, a widow whose husband died in a fire 6 months previously. Mabel has no idea what to expect, but she goes along to the seance, where everyone is surprised because the lights go out, chaos ensues, and Mr. Plomley is discovered there in the flesh. This time, however, he actually is dead, strangled with a curtain te back. What happened 6 months before, what happened now, and what happened in between? Mrs. Plomley wants to know and she wants Mabel to find out. With the help of her friends, Mabel takes on the task.

I'd only just finished the first book in the series, which I loved, when I immediately started this one. I think I enjoyed this one even more! Gladys the dog has a bigger role in this book, which is great--she's a fun character. I liked watching the development of Mabel's friendships in her new home and her growing confidence in herself and her abilities. Her evolution as a person as she considers what her possibilities are is a joy to read. I enjoyed the historical setting and the references to other mystery authors. In this book, Conan Doyle is mentioned because of his interest in spiritualism, which was big at the time. Some of the characters involved in the mystery had interesting backstories which added some depth to the story. The mystery itself was well done and kept me turning the pages.

This is an excellent book in a series that is excellent so far. I can't wait for the next book so I can hang out some more with Mabel and her friends--and Gladys, of course! If you enjoy historical cozies, good mysteries, a fun cast of characters, and a great setting, then I can highly recommend this book and the series.