(Bookfunnel description)
London, 1922.
Marjorie Swallow isn’t a regular at The Ritz. But she really, really wants this job. She’s been summoned to an interview to become a personal secretary to the enigmatic Mrs Jameson, who wants assistance with ‘social engagements and private investigations’.
Over afternoon tea in the Palm Court, Marjorie’s detective skills are put to the test when a fellow guest keels over in suspicious fashion. Who killed the colonel? There are no shortage of people who wanted him dead. But which of them slipped a spoonful of poison into his Darjeeling
Murder At The Ritz is the prequel novella in the 1920s murder mystery series and introduces apprentice detective Marjorie Swallow. It is exclusive to members of Anna Sayburn Lane’s readers club.
This is a prequel you can download free of the Marjorie Swallow 1920s murder mystery series.
I’m always in awe of authors who can conjure up a good mystery, yet I’m particularly so when the mystery is this short.
It opens with a job interview that turns into an exchange of observations and deductions in perfect Sherlock Holmes style, and that’s how the mystery is then built. Solved in fifteen minutes, as Mrs Jameson observes at the end, it may seem realistically unlikely, but it works perfectly in the narration.
I liked everything about this short story.
The setting is charming. A vividly depicted fashionable jazz cafe in an elegant hotel (I could almost imagine myself there) with a lot of character for such a short story, but perfectly inserted in the setting.
The characters are well-rounded, interesting and relatable. And the situation among them is simple enough to follow in such a short tale yet complex enough to be engaging.
Not a small fit, if you ask me.
Marjories’ first-person narration is relatable and immersive. It’s very easy to care for her from the first sentence.
She’s a resourceful New Woman with her eyes on a future of independence and freedom, yet she feels her duties and doesn’t think her pursuit of independence should harm others.
I found it quite true to the time. But also relatable as a person. She’s obviously someone who cares for others, she’s competent and has initiative – besides, she’s a former VAD nurse of WWI.
I was very impressed by the author’s command of the era. She clearly knows this historical period very well because, with a few strokes of colour, she can create a precise feeling of that particular time in history.
It’s a short but wonderful read. Give it a go!
Murder at the Ritz by @BloomsburyBlue #BookReviewA short but extremely satisfying #CosyMystery with a fantastic 1920s setting Share on XMurder at the Ritz
Excerpt
‘Very good.’ Mrs Jameson was regarding me with an amused air. ‘Why do you think I am a widow, may I ask?’
‘Because you are used to pleasing yourself and don’t worry what people will think,’ I said before wondering if that was really going a bit too far. She laughed, louder than people usually laugh in the Palm Court at tea time, judging by the surprised glances from other tables.
‘Dear me. You are spot on, Miss Swallow. Bravo.’
‘How did you know about my brother?’ I asked. ‘You sounded like one of those table-rappers.’
‘Ah.’ She leaned towards me. ‘That was insensitive. But I recognise sadness in a young woman. And your flower, of course. The poppy.’
She indicated the red silk flower pinned to my shoulder. I had bought it from the Royal British Legion the previous November, when they launched a fundraising drive to support injured veterans of the War. I hadn’t like to take it off. Besides, it looked nice against the navy.
‘Your father would have been too old to serve. And – forgive me – although you are grieving, you look to the future. This blow did not take away imagined future happiness, a husband or fiancé. You miss him for himself, not for what might have been.’
I met her grey eyes. They were kind, not mocking. ‘His name was James,’ I said. ‘He was twenty-three and died on the last day. It’s nearly four years now, but I don’t think my parents will ever get over it.’
‘No,’ she said, quietly. ‘One doesn’t.’
Read Anna’s Interview
The Thursday Quotables was originally a weekly post created by Lisa Wolf for her book blog Bookshelf Fantasy . It isn’t a weekly post anymore, not even for Lisa, but just like her, I still love to share my favourite reads on Thursdays and I still use the original template which included an excerpt.
