A light-weight murder mystery novel that is well suited for a holiday read.

Whilst the interactions between the “upper” and “lower” classes were handled more deftly by Agatha Christie and Dorothy Sayers, Lynn Brittney has also incorporated the rapidly changing social mores brought about by World War I and delved quite deeply into the darker side of society, something that Christie and Sayers didn’t address.

Unfortunately most of Brittney’s characters are two-dimensional with only Arthur Tollman showing any sign of character development albeit with some rather remarkable open mindedness for a police officer of that time.

Murder in Belgravia has a decent plot and the story moves along at a decent pace. Hopefully as the series progresses, Chief Inspector Beech will develop the character richness of a Poirot or Lord Peter Wimsey
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I would give it 3.5 stars if I could. Very good story and very interesting characters. ( )

London May 1915 and Chief Inspector Beech is convinced, and convinces the Chief Commissioner, that he needs the help of various females in his latest case. That is the case of Lady Harriet, who will only speak to a lady of a superior standing to explain the death of her husband. Beech collects his team and relocates to Mayfair, Mayfair 100 being their telephone number. Apart from Beech there is retired detective Arthur Tollman, P.C. Billy Rigsby, Dr Caroline Allardyce and Mrs Victoria Ellingham. Aided and abetted by various relations.
An enjoyable well-written mystery, with a good selection of likeable characters. A good start to a new series.
For me this is a re-read - possibly being re-published?
A NetGalley Book ( )

Murder in Belgravia is the first book in a new series, the Mayfair 100 Mysteries. The series is set in World War I era England.

Chief Inspector Peter Beech realizes that crime is changing in the city of London now that the war is going full force. Many women have come to the city to work, taking over jobs previously held by men. Beech comes up with an idea to form a special task force to investigate crimes involving women. He firmly believes that Scotland Yard should add female investigators. Scotland Yard has a policy against women working with law enforcement, so while he is allowed to move ahead with the idea, Beech has to keep it quiet. The task force will have no arrest powers or permission to conduct official investigations. And there will be no women on the payroll, visible at crime scenes or mentioned to the media. Beech is optimistic that his experiment will be successful, even if they have to be completely behind the scenes.

Mayfair 100 is the phone number for the task force. Their first case involves Lady Harriet Murcheson. She has confessed to murdering her husband by stabbing him with a pair of scissors, but preliminary investigation of the scene points to someone else committing the crime. Can they discover the truth.....without anyone discovering them?

I love the setting and basic premise of this new series! So creative! The character development in this first book and the mystery kept my attention from start to finish. Victoria Ellingham and Dr. Caroline Allandyce are both intelligent, determined and feisty. C.I. Peter Beech is a great character as well. He knows his job....and knows when changes are necessary to make sure crimes are investigated and solved quickly. Beech knows that crimes committed by, and against, women need the thoughts and ideas of women involved in the investigation process....and he is determined to make that possible!

The mystery progressed at a nice pace with plenty of twists and suspects. I enjoyed how the new task force learned to work together and how each character developed during this first story. This series has a classic murder mystery feel to it. Loved it!

I will definitely be reading more of this series! I can't wait to find out what case they will investigate next!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.** ( )

This book took me by surprise. I had read a review on it, and as it is in my favourite genre which is historical mysteries, I decided to read it. This is the first book in the series - Mayfair 100 series, The time is early nineteen hundreds and during WWI in England, and more specifically London. This book has the most delightfully likeable sleuths, and even the villains are so realistic. It introduces readers to war torn London during the time of WWI. So many young men have been lost at the front, England is being staffed by very brave and very hardworking women. Chief Inspector Beech is finding that a population of mostly women brings its own series of crimes and issues, so he sets up a clandestine investigating team to help deal with some of the seedier crimes in London. His team consists of a lady doctor, a woman who studied law in university, even though she is forbidden to practice because she's a woman, an ex-boxer, ex-soldier who was injured and is a constable in the police force, and a semi-retired Detective Sergeant who has a memory like a steel trap, and who has seen most of what there is to see in the dark underbelly of London. The book is loaded with rich and descriptive period detail. The secondary characters are just as memorable as this formidable team. I laughed out loud when young Constable Rigsby introduces his formidable mother and aunt to the team. Let me tell you - nothing stops these two when they are on a mission. I couldn't put the book down. The pace is intense, and the plot is tight. There are no loose threads here, and I cannot wait to read more in this particular series. 5 glorioious stars! ( )