Tuesday, 9 January 2024

A Body on the Doorstep (London Ladies' Murder Club Book 1) By Marty Wingate. Narrated by Naomi Frederick

 


Description

Fiercely independent Mabel Canning can’t wait to begin working for the Useful Women’s Agency. But when she discovers a body on her client’s doorstep, it’s time to add solving murders to her job description…

London, 1921: Mabel Canning is proud to be a modern woman working for the Useful Women’s Agency, carrying out tasks for gentlewomen from flower arranging to washing muddy dogs. But when she answers the door for wealthy widow Rosalind Despard, she almost chokes on her cucumber sandwich when she finds a soldier’s body on the doorstep.

As she offers tea to the policemen of Scotland Yard, Mabel can’t resist getting drawn into the investigation. Who was the mysterious dead man? And why was he holding a letter for Rosalind, written by her husband on the day he disappeared?

As Mabel hunts for clues, she joins forces with Rosalind’s handsome brother, former detective Park Winstone, and his adorable terrier, Gladys. But when Mabel suspects she is being followed, the detective duo know that time is running out before the killer strikes again.

As she investigates, Mabel discovers dusty old photographs that help her reveal the soldier’s true identity. But as she gets closer to uncovering the young man’s murderer, she knows she’s also one step closer to danger... Can she outsmart the killer and save Park and Rosalind before they also turn up dead as doornails?

A totally unputdownable and utterly charming Golden Age cozy mystery from USA Today bestselling author Marty Wingate. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, Verity Bright and T.E. Kinsey.


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A lovely start to a new series that I'm looking forward to following.

I liked the idea of Mabel working for the Useful Women's Agency as it meant that she was sent to do a wide variety of jobs and every day brought something different. These jobs introduce a variety of side characters and I'm hoping that a few of them will be recurring characters in the series. I especially enjoyed the antics of the little boy needing to be escorted to and from the train to boarding school. 

The story is a little bit slower than what I would normally like but because Mabel is such a charming character and her jobs were a lot of fun I enjoyed the slower pace. 

The narrator does an excellent job and makes the listening experience easy and enjoyable. 

I enjoyed the mystery although I was surprised that Mabel didn't figure out the identity of the dead man a lot quicker. I liked Mabel and Park's new friendship. They were quite cute and endearing. It will be interesting to see how things develop there.

The scene is also set for The Agency getting involved in future investigations so watch this space.

A Body on the Doorstep publishes on the 11th of January and is available to pre-order.

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