A Death in Chelsea

A thoroughly enjoyable whodunnit set during World War 1.The investigators into the murder were all very different people from different walks of life but worked well together in their common goal to solve the case. I also found it interesting to read about public opinion towards the suffragette movement and how it lost its momentum during the war.
When the characters met for breakfast meetings it made me think this novel would adapt well to being on the stage.

This was a very quick, but enjoyable read. A whodunnit set during the First World War. It gave a good insight into the ways and behaviours of the time, and was quite an exciting story.

A very enjoyable way to spend an afternoon!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, however I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is set in London during World War 1 and follows a team of male and female detectives trying to solve a series of crimes that have been committed. Thoroughly enjoyable and I will look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you to The Reading Agency and Mirror Books for providing copies of A Death in Chelsea for our reading group. We have enjoyed reading and discussing this book, here are some of our thoughts;
“I enjoyed the book it was an easy read which I like sometimes. It didn’t feel very realistic but that’s okay.”
“An easy read-just a tad short of a ripping yarn. I felt the characters were rather wooden and not filled out sufficiently however I did enjoy the historically interesting background.”
“Easy to read and lots of good ideas for example the suffragette story but lots of characters none of whom seemed very real, it could of done with more fleshed out characters.”
“I’ve read many mysteries over the years, including ones actually written in the early 1900s and throughout the 20s/30s (the so-called “Golden Age” of the genre) and this one is a really poor pastiche of the style and themes of those years. The characters are cardboard stereotypes. I seriously doubt whether women or men of that age actually thought or spoke as they’re being depicted doing. Perhaps it suffers too from a resemblance to so many detective type TV programmes. I also felt that it was aimed more at the American market- a bit of the Downton Abbeys, isn’t the British aristocracy interesting.?”

“Whilst I would not normally have chosen a mystery to read I saw the appeal of a gothic murder mystery set in London and hoped it would be a stylised page turner if not a particularly original read. Whilst it was a quick and easy read I could not say it hooked me with the plot and I really struggled with the amount of characters none of whom we got to know enough to care about or form a mental picture of. The most interesting aspect of this book was the social issues of the time it brushed upon for example attitudes towards divorce, anti-war sentiment, Suffragettes, baby farms, feminism and the class system. I thought the detail about Kitty and Joseph Bellamy was especially touching, Kitty may well have been the most interesting character in the book but was only a few pages of side story as a dangerous suffragette and wanted woman and wife to a war wounded soldier.”

A Death in Chelsea was a thoroughly enjoyable read. Set during the first World war, in London, a select group of policeman and female investigators are asked to investigate the death of a society gossip columnist. As the story unfolds, we are transported in to a changing world where traditional roles of men/ women and upper/ lower classes are being shaken up by the war.
I really liked the simplicity of the novel. It was easy to read and had me gripped from beginning to end. The story moved along quickly and was easy to follow.
Along the way it touched on numerous themes where views and laws that were seen as acceptable at the time, are now thankfully not tolerated. These included female suffrage, class divide, racism and bigotry. The reader is also reminded how society has progressed immensely medically too.
I can imagine it would appeal to a fairly wide audience from teenagers to older people and I look forward to reading another in the same series as I’m excited to see how the characters and their relationships develop.

Could not get on with this book. Found the use of women in the police force during the second word war went beyond believability. A post mortem carried out at the scene of a murder with no one knowing; the examination of samples taken outside the police system; the use of women relatives to assist in a murder enquiry, to give three illustrations.

A light holiday read as long as you know nothing about police procedure.

This murder mystery is set in London, during the early years of the First World War. It involves a number of crimes including blackmail, infanticide, kidnapping and terrorism. The investigating group includes women, members of the aristocracy and lower working class, as well as police officers. It's an interesting read. The author cleverly manages to eventually tie everything together in an entertaining, though slightly implausible last chapter. The story flows well, has a good plot and kept me guessing. An entertaining book.

London in 1915 sees a delightful amalgamation of professional policemen and well education and formidable women working together to solve "sensitive" cases. The cases are sensitive because they involve members of the upper class society. It is interesting to note that the women bring the scientific method and skills to the investigation that the regular police force lack in addition to bringing the feminine touch to winding their way through an investigation through their behavior and contacts. This is a sweet fairly simple book that would be good for vacation or travel reading. It was great read to wile away a rainy afternoon.
I recommend it as a good simple read.

Set in London during the First World War, this book follows the exploits of Chief Inspector Beech and his clandestine team of crime fighters, known as Mayfair 100. They are an assorted bunch, comprising both well-educated women and professional policemen who work together to solve some of the capital’s more interesting and complex crimes. Their existence is largely a secret, as this was an era when women were not not allowed to be either police officers or detectives, but the unique skills which they bring to the task make them a force to be reckoned with. This book is the second in a series and this particular investigation is centred around a society gossip columnist who is found hanged in her room. She is from an aristocratic family who are convinced that she has been murdered. Discretion is essential so the Mayfair 100 team are put onto the case. She has plenty of enemies so there is no shortage of suspects.

This was a lovely book. The writing style was almost childlike in its simplicity which made it extremely easy and quick to read. The content is a delight, harking back to a good old-fashioned era when crime novels weren’t hardboiled or violent or disturbing but were just good cosy reads, with some excellent detective work. One particular passage near the end caught me completely unawares. It was a real tear-jerker and I didn’t see it coming at all. As is always the case in these situations, I was on a bus at the time – very embarrassing.

I have nothing bad to say about this book. It is what it is and it does it very well.

I had never come across this author before, but will certainly be looking out for her subsequent novels in the Mayfair 100 series. I will also make sure that I read the previous one. Thoroughly recommended. Well done Lynn.