A Body on the Doorstep by Marty Wingate - Book Review

Series: London Ladies’ Murder Club #1 

Publication Date: 11th Jan 2024

Genre: Historical Cozy Mystery 

4 Stars 

One Liner: An entertaining read 

1921, London 

Mabel Canning has moved to London from her village in Sussex to live like an independent woman. Thirty-two and unmarried, she applies to freelance at the Useful Women’s Agency run by Lillian Kerr. No job is strange for the women from this agency. Be it writing letters or cleaning attics, they have to do it all to earn their living. 

Mabel’s job takes her to the house of wealthy Rosalind Despard. When a dead man rolls into the house at the event, Mabel can’t help but step in and offer support to the widow. Soon, she becomes involved in the mystery, hoping to find more information. Mabel works with Park Winstone, Rosalind’s brother, and his cutie dog, Gladys, to uncover the mystery.  

Soon, she realizes it is not an easy task. With her life at risk, can Mabel solve the crime before it’s too late? 

The story comes in Mabel’s third-person POV. 

My Thoughts: 

Well, here’s another historical cozy I couldn’t resist. It helped that book #2 is available for request in case I liked this one. 

Mabel is an easy character to like. She loves her father, nanny, and her friends back home. Yet, she has her ambitions and wants to give her best to find a footing in the city. She is open-minded most of the time. It helps that she is naturally inquisitive and can use her brain when necessary. 

I like how we meet an array of characters from different backgrounds. They are well-defined without being elaborate. Cora, Skeff, Rosalind, Bridget, and Mr. Chigley make a mark. Though Mrs. Chandrashekar (Mabel’s Indian nanny) doesn’t have an active role, we can see how much she has influenced Mabel. 

Park Winstone (former Yard detective) is the grumpy, protective brother (of Rosalind), though we know he can take a joke and be a fun person. His doggie, Gladys, is adorable. A bit of a naughty little thing but brave, too. 

Augustus, the eight-year-old, is a mischievous monkey. His mother is a recurring client of Miss Kerr and wants someone to keep her unruly son in check. I wish to see more of him in the series. The poor kid deserves a better mom. He is too smart for his own good. 

The mystery starts well. Right away, we have some suspects. The list grows as more information comes out. Of course, the Yard, for all its expertise, seems to miss important clues. The Inspector might not be that bad, though. We’ll know in the coming books. I could guess the criminal and am happy to say I got it right. 

To summarize, A Body on the Doorstep is a delightful start to a new cozy mystery series. I’m excited to read the next book and see Mabel solve more crimes. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Bookouture, for the eARC. 

#NetGalley #ABodyOnTheDoorstep