This charming 1920s historical mystery series is witty and a lot of fun. Mabel works for the Useful Women's Agency from which women are hired to help people do everything from plan seating arrangements for a dinner to mending the dinner linens. I love how this book shows some of the details involved in the behind the scenes of the fancy lives of the 1920s. It isn't the whole book but enough to really make the details sing for the time period.

Of course, the main course is the murder. In this case, Mabel's latest assignment is chaperoning and showing around a young woman from America the things that London has to offer. Unfortunately, at a dance hall, a man who has been watching Roxanne is murdered and Roxanne is covered in blood. Now Mabel has to find the murderer before Roxanne is taken away....

I enjoyed the characters. Mabel and Roxanne became friends even though they had a rocky start. I also really enjoyed Mabel's friends who help her out in her murder investigation (this is the third book of the series but you don't need to read the others to understand this one).

The mystery was solid and there was plenty of action at the end. I look forward to reading more of this series.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

1922 Mabel Channing can no longer be called an amateur sleuth. Helping Inspector Tollerton on the sidelines, unofficially of course (very few women on the force), Mabel’s newest assignment is to be a chaperone of sorts to an American teenager who is initially totally against the idea.

When on their initial foray to a dance hall ends with a murder, and someone who by all accounts was employed by her father, the story gets a bit complicated. If Roxanne is in danger, why isn’t the reason for it being put out. As the enquiry continues, there seems to be many suspects especially when Roxanne is abducted. Her father is a prime suspect, followed by her mother but no one can get to the bottom of the story as to why.

Many characters include the present Mrs Arkwright, the first Mrs Arkwright, a hidden second marriage, a hidden son, very nice helpful neighbours and a beau on the sidelines.

Charmingly told, despite the mayhem a classic vintage mystery murder.

I’ve enjoyed other books in the series so was looking forward to A Body at the Dance Hall. This is a cosy mystery which is something I don’t often read but it’s a genre I like to dip in and out of now and again. Like the other books, this one starts with a bang when someone is murdered. I continue to be impressed by the world building in these books and the excellent characterisation. I found the characters and events utterly believable. Mabel is a great character and I enjoyed spending more time with her. This is a gripping read. I’d recommend it.

This is the third book in the series and I have read them all. It can be read as a stand alone as far as the mystery goes but to get the full benefit of the character growth the are best read in order. It is a well written good paced story. There are plenty of twists, turns & red herrings as well as more than a dash of humour. An entertaining series. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Marty Wingate for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for A Body at the Dance Hall coming out April 8, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I love this historical cozy series! Mabel is a strong heroine who’s always on the lookout for someone to help and a case to solve. I thought the setting at the dance hall was fun. You never think murder will happen at that place. So it was suspenseful and fun. I’m definitely interested in reading more in the series.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys cozy Murder mysteries!

Mable and her friends are back and it was a one sitting novel, twisty and entertaining.
This is one of my favourite historical mystery series, the time we met an American heiress, her complex family, and a murder that could or couldn’t be related to Roxy, the young girl being chaperoned by Mabel.
There’s plenty of twists, there’s a complex family situation, a lot of possible culprits and red herrings.
Ms Wingate delivers a very entertaining story and I love her attention to the details and her storytelling that never let the story drags.
There’re changes in Mabel’s life, there something important and I look forward to read the next story because I want to understand what will happen. We also meet socially Lilian, the owner of The Useful Women agency, and learn about her past and private life.
I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and it’ highly recommended.
Many thanks to Bookcouture, all opinions are mine.

As a member of Miss Kerr’s Useful Women Agency, Mabel Canning has taken on all kinds of jobs and been useful to many different people, from helping someone decide on wallpaper to delivering packages to making sure that certain young scamps really do board their trains back to school.

It’s not at all outside the bounds of the services offered by the Useful Women Agency for Mabel to accompany a young American woman on outings and excursions, to be her tour guide while keeping an eye on her, and doing her best to keep Roxanne Arkwright out of trouble.

But trouble finds Mabel, as it has in her previous adventures, A Body on the Doorstep and A Body at the Séance, in the form of, well, a dead body – this time on the floor of the Hammersmith Palais de Danse.

(Yes, it’s a new face on the ballroom floor, which is how I always heard the phrase, “new face on the BARroom floor” as a child. I’m both tickled at the reference and chagrined at how long it took me to figure it out – albeit not THIS long.)

Scotland Yard, in the person of Detective Inspector Tollerton isn’t nearly as surprised as he’d like to be to discover Mabel on the scene of yet another murder – but Mabel has been useful to Scotland Yard in two previous cases, so Tollerton seems to have reached a position of tolerance, at least, on the subject of Mabel and her penchant for being on the scene when a body drops at someone’s feet – whether those feet are her own or not.

At least this time around Mabel can’t possibly be a suspect, as she was locked in the Palais’ larder at the time. And neither can her charge, Roxanne Arkwright, be in this particular frame. Although Roxanne’s father certainly could be. And briefly is as the case unfolds.

That the murder victim, Oswald Deuchar, was a private investigator in the employ of Roxanne’s father, Rupert Arkwright, for the purpose of watching over Roxanne – along with Mabel but without her knowledge – adds both to the confusion and to the potential motives for his death. After all, private investigators, even ones as quirky and eccentric as Deuchar often accumulate enemies.

Unless the poor man’s death wasn’t about Oswald the investigator and protector, but instead had everything to do with his protectee – and Mabel’s – Roxanne Arkwright.

Escape Rating A-: I’ve already reached the point in Mabel’s adventures where I’m here specifically for her, and the particular case she’s working on is just extra. A compelling extra in the case of A Body at the Dance Hall, but still extra. I’m here to see how Mabel and her friends are doing, and to watch as she learns more about London, her assigned jobs for the Useful Women Agency, and the progress of her romance with her neighbor, Park Winstone. I’m especially here for the way that she keeps learning how to be a good investigator as well as an independent woman, a good worker and a good friend.

What I really like about Mabel and her adventures is that Mabel comes into the story both by agency and with agency and that it doesn’t feel anachronistic that she does.

In the first book in the series, A Body on the Doorstep, Mabel comes to London from the tiny village of Peasmarsh. She’s in her early 30s, never married, and has always dreamed of being on her own. She loves her father dearly, but Peasmarsh is a small, insular town and she’s not ready to settle into the plans it has for her.

Mabel’s comes to London after both the Great War and the Spanish Flu epidemic. An entire generation of young British men died in the trenches, to the point where Mabel is one of many women who may have to make their own ways in the world because of those losses. The idea that she might be on her own, that her father may worry about her – he does – that the doorman at her building looks out for her on his behalf and sends back reports – which he does – does not mean that Mabel isn’t completely independent. It just means that he loves her and wants to know someone is looking out for her, but even that doorman abides by the principle that what her dad doesn’t know won’t hurt anyone. No one is supporting Mabel except herself and she answers to no one except Miss Kerr at the Useful Women Agency.

Mabel’s life is a far cry – and a delightful one – from women in quite a lot of historical mysteries (including the one I bailed on last week in a rage). Mabel’s world isn’t fair to women – the world STILL isn’t – but her times and her circumstances allow her to be in a position to answer to herself alone and not be forced to kowtow to the men in her life for every second of her existence. Which was a true experience but isn’t any fun to read and too many female-fronted historical mysteries spend the first third of the book if not more showing all the ways that the world forces them to conform and how they, in turn, are forced to work around all those restrictions.

This series is a breath of fresh air because Mabel doesn’t have to do all of that heavy lifting just to be about her business. And I’m so very happy that is so and honestly relieved to start another of her cases.

And I’ll get down from my soapbox now.

The thing about this particular case is that both Roxanne and the villain have daddy issues. Their fathers have been missing from their lives from about the same age – but the reasons for their absence are quite different, and the results, well, the results are about as diametrically opposed as they could get – very few of which have to do with their positions at nearly opposite ends of the socioeconomic ladder.

Because I don’t want to get into spoiler territory, let’s talk about Roxanne’s issues because, well, her issues have issues and not a one of them is her fault. Her parents are divorced, her mother left England for America eight years ago, when Roxy was just ten years old. And her mother has been gaslighting her ever since about pretty much everything to do with her father, to the point of outright parental alienation so severe as to constitute emotional abuse while demonstrating EXACTLY why parental alienation is considered emotional abuse at the same time. Roxanne comes to London expecting to find a monster, only to discover a father who loves her very much and has missed her terribly, and a stepmother who can help Roxy heal from her mother’s treatment and build up faith in herself and her own judgment – because that’s exactly what her own mother has been tearing down all these years.

All of which means that in the middle of her assignment to show Roxanne the sights of London, Mabel also has a ringside seat on the behavior of Roxy, her father and stepmother, her mother when she arrives from America very much like the avatar of DOOM in T. Kingfisher’s A Sorceress Comes to Call – albeit one without any actual magic but plenty of the same malice.

The closer Mabel gets to Roxy, the more she treats her as a bit of a ‘little sister’, the much harder it is to detach herself as the plot closes in and traps Roxy in its jaws. From that point, it’s a race to the finish, to save the young woman from an enemy that no one saw coming because there was so much enmity already floating around.

I had a ball with A Body at the Dance Hall, so I’m thrilled to say that there is a FOURTH book coming in December, Murder of a Suffragette. I’m already looking forward to it.

If you enjoy historical fiction and mysteries, A Body at The Dance Hall is perfect for you. It’s the third book in the London Ladies’ Murder Club series, a fun historical mystery series set in the early 1920s. Despite this book being the third in a series, I think it would work fine as a standalone.

Mabel is a “modern woman” in 1922, single and in her 30s, having moved to London from a small town to make her way in the world. Mabel lives in an apartment building where she has made friends with some of the other residents, especially “Skeff”, Cora and Park. The concierge/porter, Mr. Chigley, is a fun character as well. Through her work with a sort of temp agency, the Useful Women’s Agency, Mabel has found that while she’s good at many routine chores (flower arranging, sewing repairs, and so on), she’s also rather good at investigating crimes. Because of her success with two instances (see books one and two!), the owner of the agency, Miss Kerr, decided to add “private investigations” to the long list of things her Useful Women can do, with Mabel as the prime investigator for these requests (not only crimes, but lost dogs, lost items, etc.).

This time, Mabel is hired to accompany a young woman from America, who is visiting her estranged father and his second wife. Roxanne has an independent streak, like Mabel, and managed to elude her official chaperone on the voyage over. Their first outing together is to a dance hall and that’s when the excitement begins!

I love Mabel’s relationship with Cora and “Skeff”, two women who live together in her building. Skeff works as a journalist and her skills are helpful to Mabel’s investigations. Cora makes hats as a sideline to her regular job and her wide variety of hats help Mabel to semi-disguise herself at times. Park is a former Scotland Yard detective and has become a romantic interest for Mabel. Park’s dog, Gladys, plays a big part in each book.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

The cover is lovely and is what initially grabbed my attention. Then then premise of this book seemed really intriguing and I was excited to dive in, but I never felt connected to the characters. Maybe that's because this is the third in a series and you needed to have read the first two books for more character development. Or maybe this author just isn't for me.

4.5 stars
January 1922 & amateur sleuth & Useful Woman Agency employee Mabel Canning is surrounded by the bright lights of London as she chaperones Roxanne Arkwright, a young American woman to a dance. Mabel is locked in a store cupboard by a young man & a few minutes later he is murdered. Roxanne was the last person to see the victim alive, and she stumbles into Mabel’s arms with her daffodil-yellow dress splashed with blood. Determined to protect her charge, Mabel gathers her dashing beau Winstone and her pals from the murder club. Together they trace the weapon back to the ballroom, but when its twin goes missing, it is clear time is running out to prevent another murder.
The third outing for Mabel & another entertaining cosy mystery, I love Mabel as well as Park, Cora, Skeff & of course the paw shaking Gladys. I love the dynamics between the friends & also love how Park & Mabel’s relationship is developing & deepening. There are a few suspects & Mabel doggedly delves into the mystery, things become fraught when someone else is attacked & someone goes missing. A well written well paced story, there were the usual twists, turns & red herrings as well as more than a dash of humour. I look forward to the next book
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Families can be complicated as Mabel Canning, a Useful Woman Agency employee whose specialty is investigations, finds out on an assignment to be the companion of a young American woman visiting her English father in London. A father with a mysterious connection to the agency’s owner.

Murder, injuries, kidnapping, family drama, and always the appropriate hat thanks to one of Mabel’s upstairs neighbors. The third outing in Marty Wingate’s London Ladies’ Murder Club series, A Body at the Dance Hall is another delightful read for the fan of intrepid, accidental lady detectives and 1920’s set cozy mysteries. Recommended, but do read them in order for maximum enjoyment.

This review refers to an uncorrected digital advance review copy I voluntarily read via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. A positive review was not required and all opinions expressed are my own.

A Body at the Dance Hall by Marty Wingate is an entertaining 1920's cozy mystery with an interesting core premise that runs parallel to the sleuths we adore. In a sense, it reflects the works of Richard Osman if they were set in the 1920s, however, this is unique to the 1920s cozy genre. I am coming in at book 3 so a bit on the back foot but this book can certainly be read as a standalone

I really enjoyed the concept of our FMC Mabel Canning being an independant lady and part of the "useful womens agency" which at first I thought would be a tenuous link to sleuthing and earning a wage, but surprisingly, it worked in the context of the storyline. So instead of working in the limited vocations for ladies of the time, there is opportunity to assist ladies of means. I did have a niggle in that usually a housekeeper would do these tasks, but I liked how it was worked into the plot

All in all, very well written and very enjoyable with a unique premise

Thank you to Netgalley, Bookouture and the author Marty Wingate for this lovely ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own

I do enjoy historical murder mysteries and so I was looking forward to A Body at the Dance Hall. I hadn't, sadly, read the first two books in the series yet, but that doesn't really matter. Mabel Canning is an independent woman. She has a small flat in London and works for the Useful Ladies agency, she turns her hand to any task that a Useful Lady is needed for. Sometimes, that turns out to be detecting a murderer.
I enjoyed this mystery. I did manage to spot most of the 'twists' before they occurred, including having solved who was behind it quite early on. That didn't matter though, it still made for a very enjoyable read and let me pretend that I was incredibly intelligent, having been able to solve it all!
I'd be quite keen to read more in this series. Mabel and her friends are really interesting. With this having been the first book in the series that I'd read, I got a bit confused about who Park and Winstone were. For a good portion of time, I thought that they were two different people, the way that the names were used interchangeably. I'm not sure why this was done, seeing as they are one and the same man. Minor irritation though.
This was a great and entertaining read and I'd be very keen to read more from this series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of A Body at the Dance Hall, the third novel to feature Mabel Canning and her friends in the London Ladies Murder Club set in 1922.

Mabel’s latest assignment from the Useful Women Agency is as a companion to American heiress Roxy Arkwright on a night out to a dance hall, where a man warns her that Roxy is in danger. The next time Mabel sees Roxy she is covered in blood, having bumped into a murder victim. Mabel and her friends start investigating a range of suspects and it becomes urgent when Roxy goes missing.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Body at the Dance Hall, which is a fun read with an absorbing plot. It is told entirely from Mabel’s point of view, so the reader can get immersed in the story and live the investigation with her. I didn’t find it all that difficult to work out both the perpetrator and the motive ahead of her, but the mystery is not really the point of the novel, simply a bonus. It has an upbeat tone and a dash of humour so it’s easy to read and very entertaining.

The plot moves forward at a fairly regular pace with developments coming in every chapter. It starts with the body, moves on to suspect development, finishing with the kidnap and apprehension. Obviously there’s more to it with a focus on Mabel’s wardrobe (limited budget = limited choices), her growing friendship with Skiff and Cora and her burgeoning romance with her neighbour Park Winstone. Then there’s the small matter of trying to coral the wilful Miss Arkwright. It’s warm and fun.

A Body at the Dance Hall is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Now heading "private investigations" for the Useful Women Agency, in addition to her more routine assignments, Mabel Canning is assigned as a companion to Roxanne, an American teenager from a wealthy family. When they go to a dance club, despite the misgivings of Roxanne's father, Mabel meets a private investigator who had been hired to watch Roxanne. Almost immediately Roxanne finds him dead.

Mabel and her team dubbed the London Ladies' Murder Club and their honorary members neighbor and former Scotland Yard sergeant Park Winstone and his dog Gladys, begin to investigate. Then Roxanne disappears--and I found it hard to put the book down.

Third in a delightful new series, this book further develops the budding romance between Mabel and Park, adds background information about Mabel's boss Lillian Kerr, and adds somewhat to the role of WPC Hildy Wardle, an assistant to DI Edmund Tollerton, Park's friend and former colleague.

This review is based on an advance copy from Netgalley. I've received no compensation for this review. The book will be published 8 April 2024 and will be available through Kindle Unlimited.

I’m really enjoying this 1920s series. The author has this clever little hook that the main female character works for an agency that hires out women to do useful tasks for helpless wealthy people who can’t do things like pick up their own laundry or arrange seating for a dinner party. But this gives our heroine, Mabel, the opportunity to meet different people in various situations and some of them, unfortunately, have murders happen while she’s there.

In this book, Mabel helps with a young American woman who’s come to London and they are both at the dance hall when a murder takes place. She joins up with the hunky former Scotland Yard man who lives in the apartment below her, and two women who also live in her building to track down clues. It’s a lot of fun and I am already looking forward to the next entry.

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.

I enjoyed the mystery. I also liked the characters and the setting. I hope for more from this author.

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

In this third cosy crime adventure, Mabel is charged with looking after Roxanne, an American Heiress on a night out on the town. Things take a sinister turn when someone is murdered. The novel starts of with a bang, disclosing the murder but not the details. We are brought straightaway into Mabel’s life from the get go, everything about the 1920’s was brought vividly to life , from everyday scenes to little details. Little crumbs of information are dropped into the story about the then recent First World War and the position of women at the time. This all added believability to the story. From reading the first few pages I was getting Miss Fisher vibes from independent Mabel and thought that this would be a novel I was going to enjoy.
The plot kept pace after the murder as Mabel raced on through the investigation with different suspects unfolding and various story strands coming to life. It had me guessing alongside Mabel who the killer was. When the killer was finally revealed, I could not help but think that if the murderer had done more research, the whole thing could have been avoided. I have not read the other two books, but I felt that Mabel was a fantastic character and I would have liked to be allowed into her thoughts more. For me, that would have added another layer into the story. However, overall I thought each chapter was full of action, Mabel was a strong character and the 1920’s era was well depicted. Many thanks to the publisher who provided me with an advanced reader copy of the novel.

This is the third in Marty Wingate's new series, featuring Mabel Cannning, leader of the London Ladies Murder Club, who advertises her services as an able assistant to society women. It takes place during the 1020s in London. A wonderful cozy historical mystery series! The third book does stand alone, but it is a better experience to read them in order, as Mabel does grow and change throughout. I sincerely hope to see more books in this series and look forward to recommending it.

Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for this ARC. I'm really loving this new series, book 3 is just as good as the first. Character development is very good and plot is twisty and will keep you guessing till the end. Looking forward to more of the same.