Tag: historical fiction

#BookReview The Socialite Spy by Sarah Sigal @lume_books

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About the Book

London, 1936. Socialite and journalist Lady Pamela More pens the popular ‘Agent of Influence’ column, writing wittily about fashion and high society. For her latest piece, she interviews Wallis Simpson, the newly crowned king’s American mistress. That’s when she’s approached by MI5.

Her mission: spy on the royal couple and report on their connections with Nazi Germany.

As she navigates the treacherous world of international espionage, Pamela uses her skills of observation and intuition to infiltrate Wallis’ inner circle. But Europe is unstable, and international spies lurk on every corner.

Does Pamela have what it takes to survive the currents of espionage? Or is she in over her head

Format: eARC (356 pages) Publisher: Lume Books
Publication date: 19th October 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Find The Socialite Spy on Goodreads

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My Review

Lady Pamela makes a lively, spirited and entertaining protagonist whose keen eye for fashion and witty take on the social scene has made her a successful columnist. But she feels unfulfilled and that her talents are being overlooked. ‘When she was younger, Pamela had harboured secret dreams of becoming the next Rebecca West (minus the illegitimate child), Virginia Woolf (minus the crippling depression) or Katherine Mansfield (minus the tubersular death).’ No wonder then when the opportunity of adventure arises she grabs it with both exquisitely manicured hands. And what could be more of an adventure than spying? Her social connections and observational skills – she can spot the difference between a genuine couture gown and a cheap copy a mile off – see her make an excellent start to her mission to get close to Wallis Simpson. After that, it all gets a little more complicated, and quite a lot more dangerous. And not just for Lady Pamela.

There is an enormous cast of the real life great and good of the period including Winston Churchill, Noel Coward, Cecil Beaton, Harold Nicolson, Diana Vreeland and Evelyn Waugh. And the not so good, such as Oswald Mosley. But behind all the fun of Lady Pamela’s espionage activities there’s some serious stuff about the prevalence of Nazi sympathisers in the higher echelons of society in the run-up to the Second World War. In fact it’s chilling to be reminded how many downplayed, even actively supported, the horrific acts being carried out against Jewish people and other sections of society in Germany at the time. A secondary plot line involving Lady Pamela’s formidable Aunt Constance underlines how dangerous it can be to speak out against injustice and discrimination.

I developed rather a soft spot for Francis, Pamela’s husband who seemed to me the epitome of loyalty, steadfastness and patience in the face of his wife’s increasingly risky escapades, especially since he faces struggles of his own. Sadly, Lady Pamela doesn’t always treat him very well – in fact, particularly badly at one point. Having said that, the pair lead quite separate lives a lot of the time: Francis at his club or attending a shooting party, and Lady Pamela immersed in a social whirl of glamorous parties and fancy dinners in which a never-ending supply of cocktails and cigarettes is the order of the day.

The Socialite Spy is a really entertaining read but one with a nugget of something more weighty at its heart. A luxury Charbonnel et Walker chocolate with a praline centre, if you like. Judging by the book’s conclusion I get the feeling this is not the last we’ve heard of Lady Pamela. How absolutely delightful, darling, let’s have another martini to celebrate.

I received an advance reader copy courtesy of Lume Books via NetGalley.

In three words: Lively, engaging, intriguing

Try something similar: The American Agent by Jacqueline Winspear

About the Author

Originally from Chicago and based in London, Dr Sarah Sigal is a freelance writer, dramaturge, director and researcher working across fiction, theatre and opera. Sarah received her PhD from Goldsmiths, and has taught at a number of British universities. (Photo: Goodreads author page)

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#BookReview The Murder Wheel by Tom Mead @HoZ_Books @AriesFiction @TomMeadAuthor #TheMurderWheel

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Welcome to today’s stop on the blog tour for The Murder Wheel by Tom Mead. My thanks to Poppy at Ransom PR for inviting me to take part in the tour and to Head of Zeus for my digital review copy via NetGalley.

About the Book

1938, London. Young lawyer Edmund Ibbs has a new a woman accused of shooting her husband in the already infamous ‘Ferris Wheel Murder’ case.

The case proves to be a web of conspiracy, and Ibbs himself is accused when a second suspicious death occurs, during a magic act at the crowded Pomegranate Theatre.

Also present at the theatre is Joseph Spector, illusionist turned highly respected sleuth. Spector begins to investigate the mystery, but when another body is discovered later that same night, all evidence points to Ibbs being guilty.

With time against him, and a host of hangers-on all having something to hide, can Spector uncover the guilty party, or will he and Inspector Flint of Scotland Yard conclude that Ibbs is the culprit after all?

Format: eARC (288 pages) Publisher: Head of Zeus
Publication date: 12th October 2023 Genre: Historical Fiction, Crime, Mystery

Find The Murder Wheel on Goodreads

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My Review

I haven’t read Death and the Conjuror, the first book featuring illusionist turned sleuth Joseph Spector, so waiting for him to appear in this one was like awaiting the start of the main act. Actually I’m being rather unfair to young lawyer and amateur magician. Edmund Ibbs, who carries a good deal of the first part of the book. I found him a really engaging, sympathetic figure although, as the book progresses, you learn that not everyone may be exactly what they seem. What, even Edmund? Well, he does find himself in a rather incriminating situation…

A theatre makes the perfect setting for a murder mystery because it’s all about artifice, make believe and playing a part. Add set, lighting and costume changes and you create situations designed to confuse, amuse, shock or surprise. And none of the audience can see what’s going on backstage whilst a performance is taking place.

Illusionist Joseph Spector possesses Sherlock Holmes’s observational ability plus a magician’s knowledge of techniques with which to distract an audience, techniques which, as it turns out, are equally useful when trying to commit a murder and, importantly, get away with it. Or, even better, frame someone else for it. In fact, Spector regards a crime as being much like a magic trick, as ‘a complex network of deceptions’. Inspector Flint’s approach, which Spector rather disaparagingly describes as ‘making the facts fit the solution’, provides a counterpoint to Spector’s lateral thinking and sparks of genius. As Spector boasts, ‘I can spot an inconsistency like no man on earth’. And, boy, can he.

There were lots of things I loved about the book, such as the character names that were so unusual I was convinced they must be anagrams. Or the chapter near the end which invites the reader to put all the facts together (apparently all ‘in plain sight’) and come up with a solution. And, as the solution is revealed, the footnotes directing you back to the page on which a relevant piece of information appeared. Or to be more accurate, the pages on which the pieces of information you totally overlooked appeared.

Never mind rotating on a Ferris wheel, my head was spinning by the end of the book such is the intricacy of the plot and the number of red herrings and false trails the author has subtly inserted into the story.

The Murder Wheel is a skilfully crafted and very entertaining crime mystery that will have you scratching your head whilst speedily turning the pages to find out what happens next. Definitely one for fans of ‘Golden Age’ crime fiction.

In three words: Ingenious, suspenseful, entertaining

Try something similar: Blackstone Fell by Martin Edwards

About the Author

Tom Mead is an aficionado of Golden Age crime fiction. His short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Lighthouse, as well as The Best Crime Stories of the Year [ed. Lee Child]. Death and the Conjuror, his debut novel featuring illusionist turned sleuth Joseph Spector, was highly acclaimed by the UK and US press and was one of Publishers Weekly’s Mysteries of the Year. He lives in Derbyshire, England.

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