Tag Archives: Helena Dixon

#BookReview ‘Murder on Board’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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Kitty Underhay’s wedding is approaching fast but as the late summer season at the Dolphin Hotel proves busy there is little time to think of the nuptials. In Murder on Board by Helena Dixon, tenth in the 1930s amateur detective series, hotel owner Kitty is having a fitting for her wedding dress one day and organising a glamorous birthday party on board a riverboat steamer the next. Unfortunately the latter includes a murder and a jewel theft. Helena DixonDartmouth, September 1934. Life at the Dolphin Hotel is transitioning as Kitty prepares to marry on Christmas Eve and her grandmother gets ready to retire. Chief evidence of this is the arrival of the new hotel manager, Mr Cyril Lutterworth. Meanwhile Kitty’s fiance Captain Matthew Bryant is working again for his old London spy boss, Brigadier Remmington-Blythe, following a man suspected of trading top secret information to the enemy. So when Kitty boards the Kingswear Castle to check everything is ready for the 21st birthday party of the Chief Constable’s daughter, she is horrified to see Matt’s suspect is working on board as a steward. And even more horrified when he is later killed in the engine room.
The party guests, unaware of the crime on board, are enjoying the second half of the celebrations at the Dolphin Hotel as planned with a glamorous evening ball. Sir Montague Hawkes presents the birthday girl, his daughter Serafina, with the fabulous Firestone diamond necklace, a family heirloom. But as soon as the necklace is fastened around her neck, the lights go out, Serafina screams and the necklace is gone. Chaos ensues. Inspector Greville is short-staffed and so recruits Kitty and Matt to help with the investigations of the two separate crimes, separate except for the fact that they happened in the presence of exactly the same group of guests.
Inspector Greville has no leads; every party guest seems to have seen nothing, to not know the dead man and to be shocked by the theft. There is an old foe, a kidnapping, a very flash car, a visit to Dartmouth Naval College and some unwanted romantic advances for Kitty, while Matt’s unruly dog Bertie is proven to have a hidden talent. How can Matt’s spy, the murder and the theft possibly be linked?
Borrowed from the library as an emergency read when my faithful Kindle finally died, this novel is just the ticket if you’re looking for a story to take you away from the stresses of modern life. I thoroughly enjoyed Murder on Board. I quickly guessed the puzzle of one of the crimes but wasn’t correct at identifying either the murderer or thief.

Next in the series is Murder at the Charity Ball.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB #9MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘A Mansion for Murder’ by Frances Brody #13KATESHACKLETON
‘The French for Murder’ by Verity Bright #10LADYELEANORSWIFT
‘Death comes to Marlow’ by Robert Thorogood #2MARLOWMURDERCLUB

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER ON BOARD by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8RS via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Deborah Swift

#BookReview ‘The Sinner’s Mark’ by SW Perry @swperry_history #historical #crime

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Religious extremism, Moorish diplomacy, sedition and missing youths. In England 1600, Dr Nicholas Shelby’s elderly father is accused of distributing seditious pamphlets. The Sinner’s Mark by SW Perry is sixth in the fantastic Jackdaw Mysteries historical series. SW PerryNicholas and Bianca are happily married, living in Bankside on the south bank of the Thames, with their five-year-old son Bruno. Bianca is a talented apothecary, Nicholas attends the sick and, with misgivings, answers the occasional call of Queen Elizabeth I’s right hand man, Sir Robert Cecil. Accustomed to being ordered to undertake a distasteful task for Cecil, Nicholas is shocked to learn the reason for his summons. Sedition. Cecil has discovered that Shelby’s elderly father in Suffolk has been arrested. With Cecil’s help, Nicholas secures his father’s freedom but is disturbed by the stories of a firebrand young priest whose sermons have bewitched a local congregation. When the priest arrives in London, the pace of the story speeds up.
When Petrus Eusebius Schenk, an army acquaintance of Nicholas from his fighting days in the Low Countries, arrives at the Jackdaw, Bianca cannot warm to the man. Uneasy at Nicholas’s instant trust of the newcomer, Bianca observes contradictory behaviour. Nicholas believes she is being uncharitable about an old soldier still suffering from traumatic memories of war. When Schenk takes the Jackdaw’s tavern man Ned Monkton to listen to an evangelical new preacher, Bianca decides to investigate. What follows is a rollercoaster ride of radical puritanism, what today we would call grooming, the disappearance of young men and a conspiracy to commit treason. At this time Bianca comes into an unexpected inheritance, a small house and warehouse on the north bank of the river, where she makes an unwelcome discovery. Nicholas is called into the queen’s service again, this time as diplomat and translator during the state visit of the Morroccan ambassador. Nicholas met Muhammed al-Annuri in Marrakech seven years previously, as featured in The Saracen’s Mark, and is expected to inform Cecil of Annuri’s real expectations, something he finds difficult to do. As always when Nicholas is pushed into doing something reluctantly, or is divided between two loyalties, the story gets interesting.
A page-turning historical mystery that doesn’t disappoint, set in a time of political uncertainty as the queen approaches the end of her reign. Difficult to review without giving away critical plot points but the interventions of Will Shakespeare are welcome, as is the presence of Carib-born apothecary trainee Cachorra who proves herself a suitable, independent-minded sidekick for Bianca.
Excellent.

Here are my reviews of the  other books in the series:-
THE ANGEL’S MARK #1JACKDAWMYSTERIES
THE SERPENT’S MARK #2JACKDAWMYSTERIES
THE SARACEN’S MARK #3JACKDAWMYSTERIES
THE HERETIC’S MARK #4JACKDAWMYSTERIES
THE REBEL’S MARK #5JACKDAWMYSTERIES

If you like this, try:-
‘The Almanack’ by Martine Bailey #1TABITHAHART
‘The Blue Afternoon’ by William Boyd
‘The Glassmaker’ by Tracy Chevalier

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SINNER’S MARK by SW Perry @swperry_history https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8KJ via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Helena Dixon

#BookReview ‘Murder at the Country Club’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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Murder at the Country Club by Helena Dixon begins as hotelier and amateur detective Kitty Underhay has been invited to the luxurious Torbay Country Club with her fiance Captain Matthew Bryant. The afternoon is going beautifully until their host is found dead with an arrow in his back. Helena DixonNinth in the 1930s murdery mystery series featuring Miss Kitty Underhay, there are a lot of suspects for this crime. Possibly Sir William Winspear’s younger glamorous wife, or his put-upon sister, or his disgruntled younger brother, or the glamorous brother and sister dancers. Then there’s a second death. Someone is found dead in a swimming pool and the possibilities become even more entangled as questionable alibis and dodgy motivations are shaken.
Kitty and Matt are called in by Inspector Greville to help with the investigation. Why did the victim ask Matt for help. Who are the mysterious Russian brother and sister dancers. Does Lettice Winspear really love her much older, wealthy, husband. Was Sir William planning to change his will. And is Lettice having an affair. Is the most obvious suspect really the murderer, or the least obvious?
I have enjoyed all the Kitty Underhay books. They are entertaining, give opportunities for problem solving and are read quickly. Ongoing storylines make the next book seem enticing. As Kitty and Matt’s wedding approaches, decisions must be taken about the running of the Dolphin Hotel, where the newly-marrieds will live, and how Kitty’s grandmother can continue to help in the hotel’s management. The ever-present threat of criminal mastermind Esther Hammett means the next Kitty story, Murder on Board, promises a resolution to one of the longest-running threats in the series.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘Death comes to Marlow’ by Robert Thorogood #2MARLOWMURDERCLUB 
‘A Cornish Recipe for Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #5NOSEYPARKER
‘Agatha Raisin and the Potted Gardener’ by MC Beaton #3AGATHARAISIN

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8K6 via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Minette Walters

#BookReview ‘Murder in First Class’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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Captain Matthew Bryant and his new fiancé Kitty Underhay await the arrival of the train from Paddington to Dawlish. The title of the eighth installment in the Kitty Underhay 1930s crime series by Helena Dixon, Murder in First Class, tells you what happens next. The train stops, someone screams, and a dead body is found in first class. In a closed carriage on a corridor-less train. Helena DixonThe murder is rather embarrassing for Matt. He had been asked by his old boss to provide a safe house for Simon Travers who was an important witness in the jewellery theft trial. Now Travers is dead and the trial is at risk. However the closed room nature of the murder, the man was definitely alive during the first part of the journey, should mean this is a simple crime for the local police. And of course, the crime-cracking duo quickly start asking questions.
There are a number of continuing story strands in Murder in First Class. The young lovers are enjoying a new stage in their romance, taking a few days holiday to enjoy the Devon seaside together. But a few tricky questions hang over their sunny days; where will they live when married, will Kitty continue to work at the Dolphin Hotel, and what are they going to do with Bertie, the black and grey cocker spaniel whose owner is now dead. Matt has given Bertie a temporary home but he is chewing everything and barking constantly. Ezekiel Hammett is another continuing dark shadow; Kitty has obtained permission to visit the killer of her mother, he is in prison awaiting trial.
Familiar characters reappear. Kitty’s friend Alice, housemaid at the Dolphin, provides clever suggestions about the murder based on her love of movies. Mrs Craven returns, in fact she discovers the dead body. She had travelled on the train sitting next to the victim, without realising he was dead until she rose from her seat at the station. Inspector Greville is in charge of the investigation and Doctor Carter does the post-mortem. Into this circle are introduced the murder suspects; a cocky brush salesman, a tarty cabaret singer, a titled lady, a vicar and an elderly lady just returned to England from India. Kitty is sure the brush salesman is the murderer, except he is the next victim.
There are lots of secrets, motives, alliances and hidden identities. Kitty, supported by Matt, is adept at untangling impossible murders such as this. All the key characters are likeable though I did miss Alice who has a minor role this time. A well-written mystery with a dark dramatic chase at the end. And what’s going to happen to Bertie?
Another enjoyable Kitty Underhay mystery.
Next in line is Murder at the Country Club.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB #9MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘A Cornish Seaside Murder’ by Fiona Leitch #6NOSEYPARKER
‘The Marlow Murder Club’ by Robert Thorogood #1MARLOWMURDERCLUB
‘Murder in the Snow’ by Verity Bright #4LADYELEANORSWIFT

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER IN FIRST CLASS by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8At via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Lucy Foley

#BookReview ‘Murder at the Wedding’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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Murder at the Wedding is seventh in the Kitty Underhay cosy mystery series by Helena Dixon and the series is definitely reaching that familiar point where it is necessary to read from book one to appreciate everything. There are so many familiar characters from previous books, the nuances of things said and not said, the promise of romance, that this novel is definitely not a standalone read. Helena DixonThis time Kitty and her beau, private detective Captain Matthew Bryant, face a ghost, a shocking shooting, a domineering old lady and a fascist who supports Oswald Moseley. Kitty is in Yorkshire at Thurscomb Castle for the wedding of her cousin Lucy to her fiancé Rupert, now Lord, Woodcomb. This is ripe territory for mysteries. Rupert has only just assumed his title and ownership of the estate after the death of his uncle. The estate is rundown and in need of repair. There is a derelict wing burned in a horrible fire, the electrics have a mind of their own and there are rumours of a ghost. Kitty and her maid Alice arrive to find Lucy in the midst of pre-wedding jitters. The guests are gathering, the house is being spring cleaned and the flowers are arriving by the cartload.
There are some familiar faces – Lucy’s parents Lord and Lady Medford of Enderley Hall, Lord Medford’s cousin Hattie, Rupert’s sister Daisy and her new husband Aubrey. Newcomers include Aubrey’s cantankerous mother Adalia Watts, Rupert’s best man Sandy Galsworthy and his wife Moira, Moira’s father Ralston Barnes, Rupert’s old schoolfriend Sinclair Davies and his wife Calliope. It is quite a cast of characters to get your head around and they all appear by the second chapter.
When Ralston’s butler Evans is shot dead, the local inspector soon arrests a man staying at the local inn. But Kitty and Matt are not so sure this is the guilty man. Inspector Lewis is however cut from different cloth to the policemen Kitty and Matt are used to working with in Devon and on no account will he allow amateurs to interfere with police investigations. Then on the evening of the wedding there is a second death.
Murder at the Wedding takes a while to get going but once it does the shocks, the suspicions and the clues continue to arrive. There is a concern about poisoning, the electrics frequently fail plunging the house into darkness, and items of furniture and decorative items seem to be moving around. Then just when I’d forgotten about it, the ghost appears again.
This is a cosy mystery in that the gruesome details of murder are not described, but the action is fast and the threat to the vulnerable is great. Kitty as usual heads into danger without hesitation and by now Matt realises he can’t stop her. Is she simply too headstrong and independent for him, does he want and need a wife he can protect and care for. Their tentative courtship adds romance while the 1934 setting brings a dark political element, something which I’m sure will be developed in further books.
Great fun and tricky to predict.
Next in line is Murder in First Class.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB #9MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘A Deadly Discovery’ by JC Kenney #4AllieCobb
‘The Silver Bone’ by Andrey Kurkov #1KyivMysteries
‘A Necessary Evil’ by Abir Mukherjee #2Wyndham&Banerjee

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER AT THE WEDDING by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-82p via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- SW Perry

#BookReview ‘Murder at Elm House’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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A convalescent home seems an unlikely setting for illegal goings-on but that’s exactly the location of Murder at Elm House by Helena Dixon. This, the sixth of the 1930s Miss Underhay cosy mysteries, starts immediately where the previous book, Murder in the Belltower, ended. Helena Dixon Kitty Underhay and her beau, private detective Captain Matthew Bryant, are reluctant visitors to the nursing home in Torquay, sent there by Kitty’s grandmother to visit her friend Mrs Craven. This indomitable lady, who has been involved in some of Kitty’s previous detectoring, is recovering at Elm House after an operation. But she insists something is ‘not quite right.’ Strange noises in the night, people appearing and disappearing, and deaths. Not the usual sort of deaths expected in a convalescent home. After the death of another patient, one of the nurses asks Kitty to meet her the next day at a tea room in Torquay to discuss the happenings, but that night Nurse Hibbert falls from the roof and dies.
Long-running story threads are picked up again in Murder at Elm House. Kitty and Matt’s romance advances slowly and satisfactorily and she is now having driving lessons in her small red Morris Tourer. But all is not happy. The man she suspects of murdering her mother Elowed in 1916 has been seen in Dartmouth, and she has received an anonymous threatening note.
The threat level in this book is the highest yet, with fights and also guns making an appearance. Despite being banned by her grandmother from visiting Elm House, Kitty is not one to sit quietly by while others solve crime. Murder at Elm House combines two crime stories; the deaths and strange events at the nursing home, and the longer-running story of Ezekiel Hammett and his attempts to silence Kitty once and for all.
I raced through this book, finishing it in 24 hours. The stakes are higher, the risks are riskier. What’s going to happen in the next instalment of the Miss Underhay mysteries? This book has more of danger and a darker tone. The cast of characters is satisfyingly familiar with the addition of two younger members who get involved in the action. Dolly Miller – younger sister of Alice, housemaid at the Dolphin – has just started a new job at Elm House, and taxi driver and Kitty’s driving instructor Robert Potter. Both prove themselves worthy of surveillance, lock-breaking and being in the right place at the right time.
An easy-to-read series. Opening a new book feels like slipping on a comfortable pair of slippers and settling down with a mug of cocoa. Excellent.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB #9MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘The Art of the Imperfect’ by Kate Evans #1ScarboroughMysteries
‘The Various Haunts of Men’ by Susan Hill #1SimonSerrailler
‘The Silent Twin’ by Caroline Mitchell #3JenniferKnight

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER AT ELM HOUSE by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7NX via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- SW Perry

#BookReview ‘The Seaside Murders’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #WW2

10 Replies

The Seaside Murders is second in ‘The Secret Detective Agency’ series by Helena Dixon and has all the benefits of coming after the introductory story. A more dynamic plot, key characters established, interesting newcomers, danger, bravery and surprises. Helena DixonThe first book The Secret Detective Agency took place at Arthur Cilentro’s home in Devon so it is helpful to see detectives Jane Treen, Arthur and his manservant Benson sent to investigate a mysterious death only yards from Jane’s childhood home in Kent. A body has been found on the beach at Ashbourne, the circumstances of death are unknown and there is a strange tattoo on the victim’s arm. Jane’s boss the Brigadier suspects a connection with local looting, theft and black marketeering. We learn more about Jane, making her character more empathetic and less spiky, especially when her actress mother Elsa unexpectedly arrives. Annoying as Elsa is, she acts as a catalyst for the relationship of the investigative trio, making them more of a team.
The parallel investigations get off to a tricky start. There is an unmotivated inspector and an annoying government inspector. Although Jane grew up in Ashbourne, she finds many incomers due to the war. Land girls working on farms, Italian prisoners of war at a local camp, a rich landowner and magistrate plus a recently arrived schoolmistress, an artist and new managers at the village pub.
The deceased is identified as an Italian prisoner, one of a government experiment using approved POWs to help beleaguered farmers produce enough food to feed the population. Antonio Russo and his friend Matteo Gambini, who both grew up on farms in Italy, are imprisoned at the local POW camp and adjudged safe to work alongside land girls on a local farm. Now one of them is dead.
Overall I enjoyed this more than the first. Firstly, there was less smoking by Jane and more gentle interaction and less confrontation between Jane and Arthur. I also confess to being very curious about Benson and am looking forward to learning more about his background. There’s an interesting hint about his previous work with Arthur, so fingers crossed.
This is a new take on the usual wartime setting and I’m curious to see what happens in the third book.

Here’s my review of the first in this new series:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

And my reviews of Helena Dixon’s Kitty Underhay 1930s cosy mystery series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY 
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB #9MISSUNDERHAY

If you like this, try:-
‘A Very English Murder’ by Verity Bright #1LadyEleanorSwift
‘The Various Haunts of Men’ by Susan Hill #1SimonSerrailler
‘Fortune Favours the Dead’ by Stephen Spotswood #1Pentecost&Parker

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SEASIDE MURDERS by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-85u via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Abir Mukherjee

#BookReview ‘Murder in the Belltower’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

10 Replies

I stayed up way too late to finish reading Murder in the Belltower by Helena Dixon, fifth in the Miss Underhay 1930s cosy mystery series. The plot is a reminder that this novel is set in 1933, six years before the outbreak of World War Two. Like Murder at Enderley Hall, second in the series, Murder in the Belltower continues the theme of espionage and the theft of military secrets. Helena DixonIt is Christmas and Kitty and Matt, now officially girlfriend and boyfriend, have been invited to spend the season at Enderley Hall with Kitty’s aunt, uncle and cousin Lucy. In need of a quiet break, after startling revelations about her mother’s disappearance in the Great War, the couple long to spend time together to become closer acquainted. But at the last minute Matt is given a top secret assignment, which must be kept secret from Kitty too, to observe the house guests at Enderley Hall and watch out for dastardly intentions. No specifics are given and he’s at a bit of a loss what to look for.
There are familiar characters and many new ones. The house guests include Count Vanderstrafen and his sister, a coolly elegant brother and sister from Austria; an American couple, Mr and Mrs Cornwell, who seem devoted and travel the world wherever his work takes him; Lord Medford’s cousin Hattie who over-confidently considers herself a poet, singer and artist; and botanist Simon Frobisher who is using Lord Medford’s library to research his new book. Locals attend the celebratory meals and church services including the vicar and a variety of village ladies. There is discontent in the village, the new vicar is not popular and there is competition amongst the ladies which has led to name-calling and nasty gossip. There are familiar faces too including Kitty’s brave and intrepid maid Alice, Lucy’s dog Muffy (who has a key role to play) and stern-faced butler Mr Harmon (who frowns every time he sees Kitty climb on the back of Matt’s motorbike). It is quite a list of suspects when a lady is found dead, there are clues but nothing makes sense. Some guests seem the guilty sort, others far too nice to be a murderer. And all the time there are Christmas festivities, food and party games.
Kitty, whose common sense and clarity of vision often makes inspired leaps to identify the truth of a case before anyone else, is distracted. In the last book, Murder on the Dance Floor, she discovered some unwelcome truths about her mother’s last movements. Try as she might to be festive, she cannot forget the strange circumstances of Elowed Underhay’s death. Kitty’s investigation switches to a new phase as she places an advertisement in a local newspaper, asking for witnesses of her mother’s last days. She’s also irritated that Matt seems to be hiding something from her and jealous that he clearly once knew Juliet Vanderstrafen very well.
When the body of parish clerk Miss Plenderleith is found, at first an accident is assumed. Then a vagrant is blamed, and then a thief. Kitty, of course, knows instinctively that none of these answers is correct.
An excellent country house murder with sinister between-the-wars espionage in the background, lightened by the delicious flirting between Kitty and Matt. We never really get to know the truth of Matt’s assignment and I’m sure the espionage theme will feature again in future books, adding a welcome tougher edge to the storyline.
Very good.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY 
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB #9MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘A Death in the Dales’ by Frances Brody #7KateShackleton
‘The Red Monarch’ by Bella Ellis #3BronteMysteries
‘Elizabeth is Missing’ by Emma Healey

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7GO via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- SW Perry

#BookReview ‘The Secret Detective Agency’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #WW2

11 Replies

London 1941. Secret government worker Miss Jane Treen is addicted to coffee and cigarettes. Unfortunately, her new partner prefers tea and is asthmatic. The Secret Detective Agency is first in a new series of cosy mysteries by Helena Dixon, author of the 1930s Kitty Underhay detective books. Helena DixonStarting the first book of a new series is always a risky thing, it takes time to set up characters, back stories, context and as a result the pace can be slow. But I enjoy the Kitty books and the wartime setting of The Secret Detective Agency is another plus. Miss Treen works for an unnamed government department running Operation Exodus, her team of secret agents assist the escape of double agents from Germany to the UK. But Jane’s agents are dying and when Polly Flinders is killed at a safe house in Devon, Jane is sent to investigate. Her boss, referred to as The Brigadier, teams her up with asthmatic code breaker Arthur Cilentro. They make an unlikely pairing, especially in the first half of the book. Chain-smoking Jane brings her long-haired cat Marmaduke with her to stay at Arthur’s house, Half Moon Manor. While the two investigators sniff around, asking questions, squabbling and sulking as they go, Arthur’s manservant Benson is the grown-up.
This is a story of wartime spies, treason, double dealing and multiple identities with rather confusing code names. By the time Miss Treen and Mr Cilentro have relaxed together enough to call each other Jane and Arthur, the death toll has increased. Fuelled by gossip in an isolated wartime village where everyone’s business is well-known, the two detectives realise that everyone is a suspect.
It is inevitable that the trio – don’t forget the indispensable Benson, who is always on hand with the essentials without which Jane and Arthur would simply fail – will morph into a team by the end of this novel. I expected Arthur to be quite bookish; he is, but also a fussy bachelor with severe breathing problems and a sharp analytical mind. I expected Jane to be an efficient professional young woman from London, responsible for a top secret mission; she is, but as a detective on the ground she can be naïve and not tight-lipped enough. She also ignores Arthur’s asthma. I got a bit fed up of her blowing smoke in Arthur’s direction and letting her cat into his sitting room. Thankfully as the story progresses, the two learn to appreciate each other’s skills and their relationship becomes less spiky.
More a cosy wartime mystery than cosy crime, this is a good start to a new series which offers something different. Irritations aside, this was a quick enjoyable read. I enjoyed the wartime espionage setting and the idea of a government detective agency specialising in crimes too secret for the police. It’s easy to have unreasonably high expectations of a new series and, looking back to my review of the first Kitty Underhay mystery Murder at the Dolphin Hotel, it too was a 3* read for me. I’m now a firm fan of Kitty and Matt’s investigations in 1930s Dartmouth.
Coming soon is the second instalment of Jane and Arthur’s investigations, The Seaside Murders. Hints about Jane’s family background, including a glamorous actress mother, are sure to become storylines in future novels.

Here’s my review of the next in this series:-
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

And here are my reviews of books in the Kitty Underhay 1930s cosy mystery series by Helena Dixon:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR #4MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB #9MISSUNDERHAY

If you like this, try:-
‘Dying in the Wool’ by Frances Brody #1KateShackleton
‘Hiding the Past’ by Nathan Dylan Goodwin #1MortonFarrier
‘The Heat of the Day’ by Elizabeth Bowen

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-84X via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Katherine Arden

#BookReview ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’ by Helena Dixon @NellDixon #cosymystery #crime

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When hotelier and amateur detective Kitty Underhay is invited to a boring dinner and dance for the local hoteliers’ association, you know it will be anything but quiet. In Murder on the Dance Floor, fourth in this 1930s-set sleuthing series by Helena Dixon, there are two mysteries to solve. Helena DixonThe head of Exeter Chamber of Commerce, Councillor Harold Everton, is a martyr to indigestion so when – after the three-course dinner, coffee and petits fours – discomfort strikes, his wife does what she always does. Marigold takes a sachet of powders from her handbag. Harold mixes the contents with water and swallows it in one gulp. He drops dead at the dinner table as diners around them are dancing to the music of the Imperial Hotel’s dance band.
Immediate suspects are the councillor’s fellow guests at the table including Kitty and Captain Matthew Bryant, her friend and owner of Torbay Private Investigative Services. Also present are the Everton’s daughter, Mr Everton’s nephew, his solicitor and his wife, and a pair of local hoteliers. Matt is troubled that the councillor may have been about to employ his services. When meeting Mr Everton days earlier, he had requested Matt’s business card. ‘It must have been a delicate or personal matter, or he would have involved the police.’ Matt and Kitty spring into action, asking questions, gathering information and, as usual, making a nuisance of themselves. Unfortunately, the murderer notices their investigations and they find themselves in danger again.
Meanwhile Kitty has new clues to follow up regarding the disappearance of her mother in June 1916. Could a map of medieval underground passages beneath Exeter’s streets prove helpful. Is a disreputable pub called The Glass Bottle at the heart of the secret? And why would her mother Elowed have gone to such a dangerous part of the city?
The detection progresses at a brisk pace along with the underlying question of whether Matt and Kitty will ever get around to discussing the possibility of ‘walking out together.’ This theme works well because Dixon tells the story from Kitty and Matt’s alternating viewpoints, neatly showing up the misunderstandings, minor grudges, jealousies and secrets.
Reasons to keep reading the series? First, Kitty is an independent heroine whose unpredictable and determined behaviour adds charm and tension to the storyline. Two, Kitty and Matt’s relationship is like some sort of romantic two-step, one step forwards, one step back. Third, the cast of local characters whose personalities become clearer as the series progresses. These include irritating gossip Mrs Carver, whose annoying stories are always outrageous sometimes accurate. The cake-loving detective inspector Greville. The car-mad Doctor Carter who drives too fast. And Alice Miller, housemaid at the Dolphin who has already proven herself a worthy accomplice in Kitty’s detections. It’s a great ensemble cast.
There are to date 18 books in the series and I’ve only read four. Next is Murder in the Bell Tower.

Here are my reviews of other books in the series:-
MURDER AT THE DOLPHIN HOTEL #1MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ENDERLEY HALL #2MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE PLAYHOUSE #3MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN THE BELLTOWER #5MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT ELM HOUSE #6MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE WEDDING #7MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER IN FIRST CLASS #8MISSUNDERHAY
MURDER AT THE COUNTRY CLUB #9MISSUNDERHAY

And my reviews of the first in a new series by Helena Dixon:-
THE SECRET DETECTIVE AGENCY #1SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY
THE SEASIDE MURDERS #2SECRETDETECTIVEAGENCY

If you like this, try:-
‘Murder at Catmmando Mountain’ by Anna Celeste Burke #1GeorgieShaw
‘Death at the Sign of the Rook’ by Kate Atkinson #6JacksonBrodie
‘Dying in the Wool’ by Frances Brody #1KateShackleton

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview MURDER ON THE DANCE FLOOR by Helena Dixon @NellDixon https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-7Bu via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:- Elodie Harper