Author: Lynn Brittney
Series: Mayfair 100 Series
Publication: Mirror Books (March 14, 2019)
Description: Set against the backdrop of WW1, Mayfair 100 is the telephone number for a small, specially-formed crime fighting team based in a house in Mayfair.
A call comes through to Mayfair 100, where the intrepid team of investigators eagerly await their next case. A society gossip queen has been found hanged in her room in mysterious circumstances. Her enemies are numerous - and her family are convinced she was murdered.
Can the group uncover the truth?
My Thoughts: The second case for the unique crime fighting crew based in Mayfair starts out with a mother's plea. She doesn't believe that her daughter committed suicide and asks a high ranking police officer to look into the case. He suggests that this would be a perfect case for the team.
The team includes three policemen, a female doctor, a female pharmacist, and a couple of society ladies. They also pull in one of the policemen's mother and aunt to fill some gaps in their knowledge base.
It quickly becomes apparent that the death was not a suicide but rather a murder and the victim's role as a hated gossip columnist who delights in exposing secrets of the people in the highest classes opens up quite a pool of potential murderers. Add in that she is supplementing her income by blackmail and the suspect pool expands even further.
The story has a great setting. With World War I raging and roles for women changing, it is a time of social readjustment. The characters are all well drawn and engaging people. I enjoyed getting to know them better in this episode and seeing how they solve a rather complex crime.
Favorite Quote:
"These ladies are working people now -- working -- just like the rest of us. Their fathers, husbands, brothers are dying out in France and elsewhere, just like the menfolk from the lower orders. God knows how many men will be left once this war is over, and these women, educated women, might have to keep on working, 'cos they won't be able to find a husband to support them. Everything has changed, Auntie. We're all working class now."I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.
The book has already been archived despite publication date 10th March. On Netgalley. Disappointed as I would have liked to request this one.
ReplyDelete