A Study in Murder

A Victorian Book Club Mystery

By: Callie Hutton

Narrated by: Rosie Akerman

Bath, England, 1890. Mystery author Lady Amy Lovell receives an anonymous letter containing shocking news: her fiancé, Mr. Ronald St. Vincent, has been dabbling in something illegal, which causes her to promptly break their engagement.

Two evenings later, as Lady Amy awaits a visit from Lord William Wethington, fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club, her former fiancé makes an unexpected and most unwelcome appearance at her house. She promptly sends him to the library to cool his heels but later discovers the room seemingly empty - until she stumbles upon a dead Mr. St. Vincent with a knife in his chest.

Lord Wethington arrives to find Lady Amy screaming and sends for the police, but the Bobbies immediately assume that she is the killer. Desperate to clear her name, Lady Amy and Lord Wethington launch their own investigation - and stir up a hornet's nest of suspects, from the gardener who served time in prison for murder to a vengeful woman who was spurned by St. Vincent before he proposed to Lady Amy.

Can they close the book on the case before the real killer gets away with murder?

©2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC

EX-Fiancé

When Lady Amy Lovell breaks her engagement, she doesn’t expect to find her former fiancé a few days later in her library, dead. Now, with the help of her friend Lord William Wethington, she will use her skills as a mystery writer to attempt to prove her innocence and solve the murder.

This is a delightful story. The mystery plot is well crafted and has enough twists and turns to make you think you know the murderer several times and surprise you with the real culprit at the end. There are moments of humor and some hints at a budding romance. The characters are quite entertaining. Amy and William are loveable and fun. Both are intelligent and independent. The book club members were interesting. Lacey, the parlor maid, Aunt Margaret, and the rather snarky and serious detectives add humor to the story. I really enjoyed the story, and Rosie Akerman’s narration was fantastic. She brought the characters and their personalities to life. I usually read romance now, but I have made my way through Holmes, Miss Marple, and Murder, She Wrote. Now I can add the Victorian Book Club Mysteries to my list.

Cute Victorian Novel

I liked that it was a bit silly despite being a murder mystery. Light reading.

Cute, cozy Victorian mystery

Marred by squeaky Valley Girl narrative rendition. High voice with peaks that sound as if the narrator has been poked with a knitting needle. Grates on the nerves.

I wanted to like this book more than I did.

One big thing for me was the setting. None of the characters acted Victorian. The police didn't seem to have either the grittiness of Victorian police or show the (reluctant) deference they would ordinarily have to the aristocracy. This would have given a contrast to Lady Amy's more progressive views and those surrounding her ( such as her traipsing around without a chaperone or maid in tow.)

Bath could have been London or any other moderately sized town between the Victorian era and pre WWII. Except for some reference to drinking the "foul waters" and one or two references to specific parks.

Still, there was enough interesting things going on with the plot to disguise the fact that the only character who has any real development was Lady Amy, but I'm not sure I liked her well enough as a sleuth to continue reading this series. This book was pleasant enough, just not much out of the ordinary.

I don't have any real criticism of the narrator. She portrayed Lady Amy well enough, but wasn't given much to work with for the other characters.

Young Granny

I especially enjoyed the narration of this book! Very well done. Good story line but the presentation made it a five star instead of a four

A nice little mystery.

We tend to forget that drug addiction is not a new phenomena. This story is based on it. Our part-time sleuths blithely stumble into all kinds of trouble, ignoring the wishes of the local cops. what could go wrong?