Death At Crookham Hall by Michelle Salter
Publication Day: 18th Jan 2023
Series: The Iris Woodmore Mysteries, #1 (Standalone)
Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery
3.7 Stars
One Liner: An entertaining read (despite a few
bumps)
***
Two women MPs are competing in the elections for the
first time. Reporter Iris Woodmore has her favorites but knows she will keep
her reports as unbiased as possible. She is invited to the House of Commons to
cover the proceeds. However, the place has painful memories for her. Iris’
mother fell into River Thames during a suffragette protest.
When the Big Ben watchman tells Iris that her mother
didn’t fall into the river but jumped of her own accord, Iris decides to dig
into the past and find out more. It leads her to the disappearance of a maid at
Crookham Hall during the same period. Things get complicated when the past and
present seem to be tied to each other.
Can Iris get to the bottom of the truth?
The story comes in the first-person POV of
Iris.
My Thoughts:
The story has a decent pace despite dealing with an
array of themes of topics. It blends social, political, economical, and
feminist themes to create a cozy mystery with a splash of courtroom drama. Some
of it works well.
Iris is a young journalist. She has an analytical
mind but is not without her biases. At times, she comes across as a really
naïve person, while at times, she proves she can handle a challenge. I’m hoping
her character arc with getting steadier in the next books.
Lady Dauphine and Mrs. Siddons are well-etched and
create a stronger impact than Iris. Elijah is another interesting character and
a good influence on Iris.
The mystery is easy enough to guess, especially
halfway through the book, when certain information is presented. It ties up
with everything provided until then. I could guess almost all the revelations.
Not an issue for me, though. I’m not that particular about the surprise element
in cozies.
I couldn’t help but snort at the ending. It is
abrupt and even a little anti-climatic but is perfect for the first book in the
series. I’m impressed.
The courtroom scenes aren’t that engrossing compared
to the rest of the book. Also, the jump in the timeline at the end is
confusing. I read again to guess the missing part.
The depiction of the then society comes out very
well. The multiple references to what women wear, their hairstyles, etc.,
present a clear picture of the times. Here’s a short blog by the author talking about the inspiration
for the plot.
To summarize, Death At Crookham Hall is a decent start to a new historical cozy mystery series. I’m intrigued enough to read the next book (the blurb sounds cool).
Thank you, NetGalley, and Boldwood Books, for the
eARC.
#NetGalley #DeathAtCrookhamHall
***
P.S.: The book was previously published as The Suffragette’s Daughter.
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