Tag: historical fiction

Nobody should be in the market… for murder!

Even though its famous opera house has shuttered its doors for the war, Covent Garden remains one of the most exciting, bustling areas of London. It’s where Hannah Merrill and Aunt Violet have their
bookshop and, in spite of the recent spate of burglaries in the area, it’s generally thought to be a good neighbourhood.

So Hannah is surprised when she sees a fellow shopkeeper – a jeweller named Jacob Cornelis – having a heated argument with a stranger. Especially when the next day Cornelis is found dead in his shop, apparently the victim of another burglary.
But what shocks Hannah more is when she meets the policeman supposedly there to investigate the crime. Because he is none other than the man who Hannah saw arguing with Cornelis the day before.

Hannah knows it’s up to her and Violet to investigate. But they don’t know they’re about to uncover a secret underworld of theft, murder and blackmail. And they must act fast, before the Covent Garden Killer strikes again…

A gripping and unputdownable Golden Age cozy crime mystery, perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Helena Dixon and Verity Bright.

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Anita was brought up in London, a city with a history that has always fascinated her and influenced her first attempts at writing. Her first three novels featured a 17th Century West Country family on
the losing side of the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685. Other previous work includes an Edwardian Cosy Mystery series featuring amateur sleuth, Flora Maguire set in early 20th Century London and Cheltenham. Anita’s most recent work is the Miss Merrill and Aunt Violet Mysteries set in WWI from Boldwood Books.

Twitter: @AnitaSDavison
Instagram: @anitadavison3740

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My thoughts: Aunt Violet is a little preoccupied as her one great love is in town, and there’s also Aiden to think about, so Hannah involves Archie and Penny, the bookshop’s staff, in this caper.

Determined to solve both the spate of burglaries and the murder of the jeweller Mr Cornelis, she goes undercover to try to find out who is selling on stolen goods, and almost meets her maker in an upmarket Gentleman’s club that hides plenty of secrets.

It’s another fun WW1 set adventure as a senior police officer is implemented and Aiden has set his own traps to catch the crooks. Hannah wants to help the Cornelis family, but discovers more than she bargained for and the spectre of the war looms closer when Aiden’s newest DC is conscripted and sent to the front.

Hannah’s relationship with Darius comes under strain as she feels he will want her to give up investigating when they’re married and her mother is driving her a little mad with wedding planning as though nothing has changed.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

A cosy dinner party, a playful game… and a very real murder.

London, 1923

Kitty Goring seems to have it all—lavish nights at London’s finest clubs, elegant soirées, and a parade of charming bachelors vying for her hand. But despite the glamour, Kitty longs for something a little more… thrilling.

In a bid for excitement (and to avoid her mother’s constant reminders that she really ought to be searching for a husband), Kitty dreams up the perfect diversion. A playful mock robbery at her
family’s grand estate, Merivale Manor. It’s all meant to be fun—until one of the guests turns up very much dead.

With a real killer on the loose in quaint little Hampstead Village, Kitty’s keen instincts kick in. Forget matchmaking—Kitty’s determined to unmask the culprit before anyone else falls victim. With a sharp wit and a flair for mischief, she dives headfirst into the investigation. But getting to the truth won’t be easy, especially with the brooding Detective Inspector Henry Burton underestimating her at every turn.

Murder, mystery, and a dash of romance—Kitty’s got her hands full in this charming whodunit!

Murder at Merivale Manor is the delightful first book in the Kitty Goring Investigates historical cosy mystery series.

Author’s note:
London in the 1920s is a glamorous and exciting city, but danger and death are never too far behind.
Join Kitty Goring and her group of Bright Young Things in the adventure of a lifetime, as they race to catch a killer who lurks amongst them.
Each book in this series is a cosy period mystery that features our plucky heroine, aided in her investigations by a gang of eccentric and lovable characters.

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Ella Strike, cat lover and author of historical cosy mysteries, lives in London with her husband and twins. When she’s not penning murder mysteries or drinking copious amounts of Earl Grey, you can
find her with her nose buried in a book or listening to true crime podcasts as she cooks.
Her stories are a mix of history, a dash of intrigue, and a whole lot of cosy, old-world charm.

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My thoughts: Yay! Another historical crime series with a smart and intrepid female lead, I love these.

I really liked Kitty. She’s got great instincts for crime solving, although the game of “burglary” was a bit silly. I know it’s the sort of thing the 20s Bright Young Things did, as well as drinking an absurd amount, but surely she should have guessed it wouldn’t end well!

Not only does she find the killer, the jewellery thief and a couple of car thieves, she thoroughly annoys the Scotland Yard detective sent to investigate, thereby guaranteeing they’ll be bickering over crime scenes forever more. She also rescues an abandoned pup, her new sidekick, Scottie.

With her playboy brother and neurotic mother, Kitty’s got plenty of reasons to take up crime solving as a hobby, hopefully it’ll stop her mum from trying to marry her off every five minutes!

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

When murder hits close to home, Iris must fight to clear her name…

Spring, 1924. Reporter Iris Woodmore plans to move to London to avoid a shocking hometown scandal. Longtime enemy Archie Powell has been threatening to reveal her darkest secret – and she’s
desperate to flee before he does.
But when he’s found murdered after a violent argument with her, there’s no escape. Iris must stay and clear her name even though the truth could ruin her reputation.

With the police closing in, Iris has to find the real killer if she’s to keep her secret. Can she prove her innocence without revealing the identity of the one man who can provide her with an alibi?

A gripping new mystery for fans of Verity Bright, Clara McKenna, and Helena Dixon.

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Thanks for taking the time to stop by my author page. You’ll see all my books are classic murder mysteries – because golden age whodunnits are the stories I enjoy reading most.
I love to create memorable characters and devise intriguing plots with a focus on mystery rather than violence.
I live in Hampshire, England, and it’s the setting for many of my books. My standalone novel, Murder at Merewood Hospital, features Sister Helen Hopgood, the last nurse left in a military hospital in
Hampshire at the end of the First World War.
I also have family connections to Devon, and the fourth Iris Woodmore Mystery, A Killing at Smugglers Cove, is set on the south coast of Devon in 1923. Iris is back in her native Hampshire for A Corpse in Christmas Close, set in Winchester over Christmas 1923, and Murder at Mill Ponds House, which begins on 1st May 1924.
You can read all of my books as standalone novels, even the Iris Woodmore Mysteries, as each is a separate story, although the characters develop as the series progresses.
I hope you enjoy reading or listening to my books.

Facebook: @MichelleSalterWriter
Instagram: @michellesalter_writer. Newsletter Bookbub

My thoughts: Poor Iris, creepy stalker Archie Powell has moved to her home town and hardly anyone seems to understand what a nasty piece of work he is. He keeps up his reign of terror, threatening Iris with a gun and saying he’ll expose her for having an affair with a married man (even though she isn’t).

Then someone shoots him, and Iris is the prime suspect. There are some others too, but Iris needs to clear her name before the police arrest her. Who else hated Archie so much they they’d shoot a man in the back, or is there something else going on?

Luckily Iris has fantastic friends and they all rally round to help her find out who the killer is. By interviewing the residents of the respite home Archie was managing, and the people who worked there perhaps they’ll find something.

As Iris works to solve the case, it becomes apparent that not everyone is telling the truth, and plenty of people’s secrets are going to have to be brought out into the light before the case is solved.

Another excellent case for Iris, though perhaps not one she’ll be recounting in her job as journalist, at least not the parts about her being a suspect or Archie’s threats.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.

Jemima Flowerday combines her skills as a dressmaker and sleuth to solve crime in the crumbling stately homes of 1920s Britain.

December 1922, and society dressmaker Jemima Flowerday receives a letter from Lady Hamlash of Merry Beggars Hall, requesting three new gowns for the Christmas season. Lady Hamlash does not travel, so Jemima will need to visit the Hall in deepest Suffolk to work in situ.

The commission appeals to Jemima for more than one reason. It will bring her some much-needed income. More interestingly, the remote manor house was the scene of a grisly murder earlier that year, when Lady Hamlash, inspecting her plants in the walled garden, found a man’s severed head beneath a terracotta asparagus cloche. The murder was never solved.

Jemima, addicted to mystery novels and with a proud history of solving crimes in her own world, is sure she can crack the case. That ambition becomes a little more complicated when, within hours of her arrival at Merry Beggars Hall, the household cook dies in front of her…

Kay Blythe, who also writes as Natalie Meg Evans, is an award-winning historical author on both sides of the Atlantic, having reached the New York Times top 100 list with her debut novel, The Dress Thief. Writing crime as Kay Blythe fulfils a long-held ambition.

My thoughts: Jemima has a sharp mind and is keen to dig into the strange discovery of the butler’s brother’s head under the asparagus cloche. For starters, where’s the rest of him and how did his head come to be in Suffolk when he lived and worked in London?

There’s definitely something a bit strange going on at Lady Hamlash’s house, and even more so when the temperamental French chef drops dead in front of Jemima. Was she murdered or is there more to it than just someone hating the woman? And who could hate her enough to kill?

Digging into the events, and utilising her ability to move between the classes as a guest but also a dressmaker, someone who isn’t entirely a servant but also due to her connections (her in-laws are titled) welcome among the family, she is perfectly situated to ask questions and look into things.

She is however at risk herself after drawing the attention of the killer, but working in tandem with the police, who she hands the evidence she’s found over to, and another interested party, can Jemima solve the case and stay one step ahead of a desperate murderer and solve both the body-less head and the chef’s death?

Clever, enjoyable, and with a fiendish explanation to the events that’s far more complex than it might first seem, this is a cracking piece of historical crime fiction.

*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.