Book Review – Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd
Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd
Mystery and Thrillers | Adult | 384 pages
Published on 24 October 2024 by HQ Stories
Synopsis
A brand new cosy crime series from bestselling author Josie Lloyd with a retro feel but an entirely contemporary setting.
Alice Beeton never meant to wind up single and childless on the wrong side of fifty. Like her distant relative Mrs Beeton – yes, that Mrs Beeton – she had hoped to have her own spick-and-span household by now. In reality, she lives in an immaculate but dingy basement flat in a rather shabby block in Kensington with Agatha, her fiercely intelligent, if rather over-territorial, corgi-Jack Russell cross.
Now Alice runs the Good Household Management Agency, providing discreet domestic staff to extravagant townhouses and sprawling country piles. So when Camille Messant calls in urgent need of a new housekeeper, Miss Beeton sends out new hire Enya. She’s rather forward but she does come with impeccable references and is fluent en français.
But in the early hours of New Year’s Day, Alice is rudely awakened with the news that Enya has been found dead. As the police struggle to drum up an adequate investigation and the wealthy family and their party guests close rank, Miss Beeton takes it upon herself to solve the crime…
My rating:
Review
I received this book from the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.
This was very implausible but a lot of fun! It was nice that the police weren’t too bumbling for once, and Alice was one heck of a sleuth. The crime was pretty well put together, but the ensuing circumstances did get more and more outlandish as things progressed.
I really liked Alice and her friends, even if it did feel a little convenient that they all had their backgrounds 😉 and I would die for Agatha, obviously! Though I do think that there were a lot of characters so some were significantly less fleshed out than others.
I will say it took a good while to get going, so much so that I had begun to wonder when the murder would actually happen. But from there the pace picked up nicely and kept me on the edge of my seat. I predicted a couple of things but others surprised me, which is always good in a mystery.
While there are a few points for improvement, I did find this to be all-around decent fun. 3.75 stars
Buy Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd from Waterstones or Blackwells.
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