Book Giveaway - Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders

GIVEAWAY PRIZE:

One winner of a paperback copy of Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders by Tessa Arlen.  Click here for my review.

Book Blurb: "Summer 1942. The world has been at war for three long and desperate years. In the remote English village of Little Buffenden, Poppy Redfern’s family house and farmland has been requisitioned by the War Office as a new airfield for the American Air Force. As the village's Air Raid Warden, Poppy spends her nights patrolling the village as she tries to ease her neighbors’ fears about the “Friendly Invasion” and what it means to their quiet way of life.

 When two young, popular women who were dating American servicemen are found strangled, Poppy quickly realizes that her little town has been divided by murder. The mistrust and suspicion of their new American partners in war threatens to tear Little Buffenden apart. Poppy decides to start her own investigation with the help of a charismatic American pilot and she soon unearths some chilling secrets and long-held grudges. Poppy will have no choice but to lay a trap for a killer so perilously close to home, she might very well become the next victim...."

Entry for giveaway lasts until Friday October 1st 6:00 p.m. (MST).  U.S. entries only please.  

I will be shipping the book to the winners.

How to enter:

*** First, you must be an email subscriber to this blog***

All entries are to be in the comments for this post.  ALL ENTRIES WITHOUT AN EMAIL ADDRESS ARE DISQUALIFIED.

I will accept entries for this giveaway until 6:00 p.m (MST) on  Oct 1, 2021.  I shall notify the winner via the email address you provided to get your physical mailing address and have the prize sent directly to you.  If I don't hear from you in 3 days, I will select another winner and notify them.

**IF you are an email subscriber of this blog, you only need to leave a comment with your correct email.

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Review - Poppy Redfern & the Midnight Murders

During World War II, the Germans conducted mass air attacks against British industrial targets, towns, and cities, beginning with raids on London that was systematically bombed by the Luftwaffe for 56 out of 57 days and nights.  Overall eight months (247 nights) of bombing all over England never accomplished the surrender Hitler wanted.  

Underground stations sheltered as many as 177,000 people during the night. In the worst single incident, 450 were killed when a bomb destroyed a school being used as an air raid shelter.

England trained average citizens to assist during such air raids, which is what this main character does.  Charming and feisty Poppy Redfern stumbles into murder in this exciting new World War II historical mystery series from critically acclaimed author Tessa Arlen.

A little late to the party on this book, but better late than never! I meant to read this sooner, but just got around to it.

Author: Tessa Arlen

Copyright: Nov 2019 (Berkley) 320 pgs

Series: 1st in Woman of WWII Mystery series

Sensuality: innuendo mostly, nothing gory

Mystery Sub-genre: historical mystery, amateur Sleuth

Main Characters: Poppy Redfern, WWII Air Raid Warden 

Setting: 1942 England during WWII

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb: "Summer 1942. The world has been at war for three long and desperate years. In the remote English village of Little Buffenden, Poppy Redfern’s family house and farmland has been requisitioned by the War Office as a new airfield for the American Air Force. As the village's Air Raid Warden, Poppy spends her nights patrolling the village as she tries to ease her neighbors’ fears about the “Friendly Invasion” and what it means to their quiet way of life.

 When two young, popular women who were dating American servicemen are found strangled, Poppy quickly realizes that her little town has been divided by murder. The mistrust and suspicion of their new American partners in war threatens to tear Little Buffenden apart. Poppy decides to start her own investigation with the help of a charismatic American pilot and she soon unearths some chilling secrets and long-held grudges. Poppy will have no choice but to lay a trap for a killer so perilously close to home, she might very well become the next victim...."

Poppy Redfern is level headed and a determined young lady with a sense of duty who looks like Katherine Hepburn. I loved her right away. Lieutenant Griff O'Neal of the American Army Air Force is the potential romantic interest. Alice, Poppy's grandmother, is a darling-but old fashioned and doesn't like Poppy being an air raid warden.  Jasper, Poppy's grandfather, is a spitfire in his late seventies and he is a commanding officer in the local home guard.  

The first little bit is Poppy finishing training in London, but the rest is set in Little Buffenden. The small town is perfectly rendered and you feel the gossipy environ with its small town suspicions of the Americans at the nearby base. The sense of isolation permeates, too.

The plot of girls being murdered in the middle of the night and the insistence that it has to be the American pilots meant to aid in defending Britain's skies is a good premise.  The atmosphere of the town really heightens this tension.  The pacing was steady and kept me glued to the pages, anxious to read on.

 I love the harrowing killer reveal and this delivered beautifully. Tip of the hat on that score! Great wrap-up and the hint of adventures to come in London.

I am partial to fiction books set in this time period. But, that also means I can be a little picky about them as well.  This book excelled on all counts. Rich characters, compelling mystery, delightful writing style with atmospheric touches, and a hint of romance.  I am already turning to the next book in the series. I highly recommend.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Here is an actual reporting about the blitz from 

a reporter on the scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eiW_yYOm2e8

Review - A Peculiar Combination

 I love starting at the beginning of a series, so I am tickled to introduce a new series.  This is a historical intrigue series set in WWII with a safe-cracking thief as the heroine.  The author has written the Amory Ames Mysteries that I have reviewed (#1 Murder at Brightwell click here) and the author did a guest post here (click here.)

Author: Ashley Weaver

Copyright: May 2021 (Minotaur Books) 304 pgs

Series: 1st in Electra McDonnell Intrigue series

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: historical Suspense, amateur Sleuth

Main Characters: Electra McDonnell, a safe-cracking thief aiding the war effort 

Setting: 1942 London during WWII

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest opinion

Book Blurb: "Electra McDonnell has always known that the way she and her family earn their living is slightly outside of the law. Breaking into the homes of the rich and picking the locks on their safes may not be condoned by British law enforcement, but World War II is in full swing, Ellie's cousins Colm and Toby are off fighting against Hitler, and Uncle Mick's more honorable business as a locksmith can't pay the bills any more.

So when Uncle Mick receives a tip about a safe full of jewels in the empty house of a wealthy family, he and Ellie can’t resist. All goes as planned―until the pair are caught redhanded. Ellie expects them to be taken straight to prison, but instead they are delivered to a large townhouse, where government official Major Ramsey is waiting with an offer: either Ellie agrees to help him break into a safe and retrieve blueprints that will be critical to the British war effort, before they can be delivered to a German spy, or he turns her over to the police.

Ellie doesn’t care for the Major's imperious manner, but she has no choice, and besides, she's eager to do her bit for king and country. She may be a thief, but she's no coward. When she and the Major break into the house in question, they find instead the purported German spy dead on the floor, the safe already open and empty. Soon, Ellie and Major Ramsey are forced to put aside their differences to unmask the double-agent, as they try to stop allied plans falling into German hands."

Electra, orphaned and raised by her uncle, is witty, smart, and has a caring heart. Uncle Mick is willy, smart, and a survivor. Felix Lacey is a life long friend of the family who is home from war due to an injury and wants a relationship with Electra.  Major Ramsey is military stiff and regimented who softens a teensy bit with Electra.  Nacy is their housekeeper who has a nurturing nature. She is a great character and I look forward to more of her. 

I really liked this concept and the author did a great job of the intrigue.  The characters are wonderfully developed and the plot kept me engaged.  This has a lighter feel than you might expect for an intrigue novel, since it is partly a cozy mystery too.  I am looking forward to seeing where this series will go.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.

Here is an interview with Ashley Weaver on the book:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyPf4AuCoeo

Guest Post - Ashley Weaver

Please welcome Ashley Weaver, author of the Amory Ames mystery series and the exciting new Electra McDonnell historical mystery series.  I will be reviewing her debut novel in the new Electra McDonnell series soon.

Ms. Weaver is also the Technical Services Coordinator for the Allen Parish Libraries in Louisiana. Weaver has worked in libraries since she was 14; she was a page and then a clerk before obtaining her MLIS from Louisiana State University. She lives in Oakdale, Louisiana.

How My New Series Was Born

A few years ago, I developed a fascination with World War II. I began reading several nonfiction books on the topic, everything from the Blitzkrieg to the SAS to the Navajo Code Talkers. It’s a subject that has innumerable facets to be explored, so many absolutely incredible rabbit holes to follow. I even read the riveting account of a serial killer operating in Occupied Paris!

It was while reading an excellent book by Ben Macintyre entitled Agent Zigzag, however, that I was inspired to write my own World War II tale. Agent Zigzag is the true story of Eddie Chapman, a petty criminal and sometime member of a safecracking gang, who ended up becoming a double agent for the British. I loved the idea of someone who was initially on the wrong side of the law using their talents for the Allies. I thought it would be especially interesting if that person was a woman. And so the idea for Electra McDonnell was born!

World War II proves a particularly good timeframe for the story
of criminals with a code of honor. It was a time when everyone was pulling together to “do their bit” to stop Hitler and his armies. Whether it was victory gardens, creative rationing, scrap drives, or buying war bonds, people wanted to help in whatever ways they could. Having my character, Ellie, possess a skill set that is considered dishonest in peacetime but invaluable in a time of war creates an interesting dynamic. When she is asked to break into a safe to retrieve some important documents before they can be handed to the Nazis, she has the opportunity to help the war effort on a larger scale. Not only is she able to help the cause, which is something she genuinely wants to do, but she is also able to take pride in her work in a way that she hasn’t been able to before.

Researching for this book allowed me to take a close look at England—London in particular—at the start of WWII. The Blitz has not quite started in A Peculiar Combination, but I found that, even before the bombs began to fall, there was a sense of unity and shared purpose among the British people. As various countries fell before the advancing German army, it became increasingly vital that Great Britain prevail against the Nazi onslaught. The mindset of determination and resilience was something I tried to work into my characters. Even though Ellie and her military intelligence contact, Major Ramsey, come from completely different worlds, they are equally determined to do whatever necessary to stop the enemy from succeeding.

I also particularly enjoyed getting to research the art of safecracking for this book. It was fascinating for me to delve into the workings of locks and develop at least a basic understanding of the mechanisms and how they can be thwarted. I even bought a lockpicking set to practice with, though it will be a long time before I come anywhere close to Ellie’s level of skill!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Thank you Ms. Weaver for your sharing a little of the behind the scenes of your new series.  I'm looking forward to reviewing it since I too am fascinated by WWII history.

Review - Deadly Fashion

 "If you are a fan of Jacqueline Winspear, Susan Elia MacNeal, or Rhys Bowen, you are going to love Kate Parker's Deadly series."  

Kate Parker is the author of the Victorian Bookshop series as well as this WWII era series.  I reviewed the first in the series, Deadly Scandal (click here), I read the second but sadly hadn't reviewed it.  Here is the third book in the this exciting series.

Author: Kate Parker

Copyright: January, 2018 (JDP Press) 318 pgs

Series: 3rd in Deadly Mystery series

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical mystery, amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Olivia Dennis, Young widow and society columnist 

Setting: 1938 London and Paris

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb: "A Nazi-trained assassin with an assignment to take out anti-appeasement leaders in Britain adds one more name to the list. Olivia Denis.

September, 1938. Olivia Denis wins a plum assignment from her newspaper covering a glamorous French fashion designer providing frocks for Britain’s elite. While there, she finds herself rubbing shoulders with the fabulously wealthy, advising the aristocracy, and tripping over the body of a German anti-Nazi resistance leader.

In her search for a killer, Olivia discovers that an assassin with links to the London fashion house is targeting prominent British politicians.

Now Olivia must find the assassin before Britain loses the leaders who can best protect it from the Nazi menace. As she digs for the truth inside the designer’s studio, Olivia finds herself in the assassin’s crosshairs. Can Olivia survive a killer waiting in the shadows for the right moment to remove her...permanently?"

Olivia Dennis is a smart, capable young woman trying to be independent at a time when it wasn't acceptable.  Captain Adam Redmond, who works for Army Intelligence, is the romantic interest and gets only a little page time in this book, but his appearances show dynamics with Olivia and her father.  Olivia's father, Sir Ronald Harper, wants to control Olivia's life and tuck her away thus they have disagreements about her assignments. Sir Henry is the owner of the paper where she works and involves Olivia in aiding Jewish family and friends trying to secure means to leave occupied countries.  Mimi Mareau is a French fashion designer in the middle of the situation and is clearly a nod to Coco Chanel.  General Alford also has an assignment for Olivia to add to the excitement.

This is more than a murder mystery with its elements of intrigue with Sir Henry and General Alford asking for her help.  This kept my attention and I couldn't put it down with everything going on with the various plot lines. 

 I didn't foresee the killer, so kudos.  Although this wasn't an daring and tense killer reveal, I liked how it worked out.  The conclusion answers all the remaining questions and ends a great note.  

This series is quickly becoming on of my favorites.  Give it a try if you like historical mysteries with a dash of intrigue.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Review - A Royal Affair

"It's refreshing to see believable female friends in a historical mystery...Fans of period mysteries by authors such as Ashley Weaver and Deanna Raybourn will appreciate this gutsy duo."  -- "Library Journal"

This is the second in this new historical mystery.  I started with the debut, The Right Sort of Man (review: click here).  I think the second book doesn't disappoint. 

Author: Allison Montclair

Copyright: July 2020 (Minotaur) 326 pgs

Series: 2nd in Sparks & Bainbridge Mysteries

Sensuality: mild references

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth

Main Characters: Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge owners of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau

Setting: 1946, London

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

Book Blurb: "More goes wrong than could be imagined when Iris Sparks and Gwendolyn Bainbridge of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau are unexpectedly engaged to dig into the past of a suitor of a royal princess.

In London 1946, The Right Sort Marriage Bureau is just beginning to take off and the proprietors, Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, are in need of a bigger office and a secretary to handle the growing demand. Unfortunately, they don't yet have the necessary means. So when a woman arrives—a cousin of Gwen's—with an interesting and quite remunerative proposition, the two of them are all ears.

The cousin, one Lady Matheson, works for the Queen in "some capacity" and is in need of some discreet investigation. It seems that the Princess Elizabeth has developed feelings for a dashing Greek prince and a blackmail note has arrived, alluding to some potentially damaging information about said prince. Wanting to keep this out of the palace gossip circles, but also needing to find out what skeletons might lurk in the prince's closet, the palace has quietly turned to Gwen and Iris. Without causing a stir, the two of them must now find out what secrets lurk in the prince's past, before his engagement to the future Queen of England is announced. And there's more at stake than the future of the Empire —there is their potential new office that lies in the balance."

Miss Iris Sparks is single with a highly classified background in the war, probably spying. She seems fearless, relying upon her "unique skill set".  Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge is still grieving her husband's death, but doing better than she had when she was institutionalized by her inlaws for a breakdown during her grief, when they also took custody of her son. 

Iris has a new boyfriend that is on the wrong side of the law and I wonder how long that will last.  Sally is their hired muscle and assistant who writes plays.  I think his character is refreshing and want more.

Post war London is the backdrop and serves well without taking the spotlight.  The plot may have started out as a blackmail case but is revealed as far more as it twists and turns. Iris and Gwen untangle layers of subterfuge.  It took a few chapters to really unfold, but once it did I simply couldn't put it down.

The confrontation is a grand affair with plenty of drama, just superlative.  The wrap up is short but leaves you wanting the next book.

Iris and Gwen cement their friendship further in more than just intrigue, but in emotional growth as well. This is a beautiful example of women in healthy friendships that don't revolve around discussing men, but rather the realities of life.

The hallmark of this series is the snarky banter between Iris and Gwen that is on full display in this novel.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Here is a short talk after the first book came out.  Enjoy.  https://youtu.be/U9TMhPWfm3A

Review - King's Justice

I have followed and reviewed each of the books in the Maggie Hope series since the beginning:  

#1 Mr. Churchill's Secretary (click here)

#2 Princess Elizabeth's Spy (click here) 

#3 His Majesty's Hope (click here) 

#4 The Prime Minister's Secret Agent (click here) 

#5 Mrs Roosevelt's Confidante (click here)

#6 The Queen's Accomplice (click here)

#7 The Paris Spy (click here)

#8  The Prisoner in the Castle (click here)

Plus a wonderful interview with Ms. MacNeal (click here).  

Today I review the newest addition to the series.  Occasionally the Maggie Hope storyline is more of a regular mystery than spying and intrigue.  This is one of those times.  People expecting another great spy adventure be warned, this is a suspenseful search for a killer.

Author: Susan Elia MacNeal

Copyright: February 2020 (Berkley) 354 pgs

Series: 9th in Maggie Hope Mysteries

Sensuality: Moderate

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Mystery

Main Characters: Maggie Hope, American now British Secret Service

Setting: 1942, London

Obtained Through: Library

Cover Blurb:  "Maggie Hope started out as Winston Churchill’s secretary, but now she’s a secret agent—and the only one who can figure out how the missing violin ties into a series of horrifying murders.

London, December 1943. As the Russian army repels German forces from Stalingrad, Maggie Hope takes a much-needed break from spying to defuse bombs in London. But Maggie herself is an explosion waiting to happen. Traumatized by her past, she finds herself living dangerously—taking huge risks, smoking, drinking, and speeding through the city streets on a motorbike. The last thing she wants is to get entangled in another crime.

But when she’s called upon to look into the theft of a Stradivarius, one of the finest violins ever made, Maggie can’t resist. Meanwhile, there’s a serial killer on the loose in London, targeting conscientious objectors. Little does Maggie know that investigating this dangerous predator will pit her against a new evil—and old enemies. Only Maggie can uncover the connection between the robbery, the murders, and a link to her own past." 

Maggie, who originally started out as Churchill's Secretary and is now a Major and hasn't dealt with her emotional baggage from her many harrowing close calls with death.  She is now acting out and reckless, which I understood.  But  be forewarned, this could turn some off.  Detective Chief Inspector James Durgin is the potential romantic interest.  He is likable and thinks the world of Maggie but worries about her current state.  

1940s London is portrayed like I have never read before as we follow Maggie defusing unexploded bombs that dropped during German air raids but didn't detonate.  The bombed out shells of buildings all around captures England's suffering better than any other I have read.  

The plot of hunting a serial killer during such devastating times of hardship is intense to say the least.  The subplot of Maggie working in bomb disposal and her relationships are fraught with the tragedies of the war add to the overall serious tenor of the book.

The killer confrontation is heart-pounding, an adrenaline rush while reading.  The wrap up is tender and sets up the next book taking place in California.

This Maggie isn't the gal we fell in love with in the first book of the series. She feels betrayed by the government (see  The Prisoner in the Castle) and disillusioned after all she has sacrificed.  I think it was necessary to show how damaged the character is from everything in the last eight books. Which is a whole lot of physical and emotional damage.  I kept reading to see how she deals with her bruised psyche as well as solve the murders.  I appreciate the author giving us a realistic Maggie who struggles and falls down occasionally.  

This novel tackles a few tough issues with a deft touch, I felt.  Questions over the death penalty and conscientious objectors are pondered in the context of the story.  I appreciated bringing to light that British objectors worked in bomb disposal and other life saving areas in service to their nation.  While this is a darker story than the prior books with Maggie's emotional wounds and a serial killer to hunt, it is still a well crafted plot with excellent characterization that wraps the reader in that world.

I must give a caveat to readers who look for mistakes.  Each of these books has reviewers on Amazon who seem eager to find every teensy mistake in the minutest of details.  Yes, Maggie calls it oatmeal not porridge (she is American living in England), or the name of a hospital.  I find the nitpicking of the color of a uniform or such more to build up the reader's ego than a good appraisal of the writing and story.  Please don't read the story at all if such minute mistakes are going to outrage you.  Read a history book, not fiction.  I had to get that off my chest.

Rating:  Excellent - Loved it! Buy it now and put this author on your watch list 

Here is a video of the author talking about this book at the Poisoned Pen bookstore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDbKeAFCYDM

Review - The Right Sort of Man

When I read Anna Lee Huber, one of my favorite historical mystery authors gave high praise to this book ("Utterly fabulous! Vivid historical detail, gorgeous prose, and witty, unforgettable characters all combine to make The Right Sort of Man one of the best books I've read this year"), I had to read it.  This is the first in a new series in London right after World War II.  Here is an interview with the author (click here).  See what you think.

Author: Allison Montclair

Copyright: June 2019 (Minotaur) 325 pgs

Series: 1st in Marriage Bureau Mystery series

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical Amateur Sleuth

Main Characters: Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge owners of The Right Sort Marriage Bureau

Setting: Post World War II London England

Obtained Through: Publisher for honest review

From book cover: "In a London slowly recovering from World War II, two very different women join forces to launch a business venture in the heart of Mayfair—The Right Sort Marriage Bureau. Miss Iris Sparks, quick-witted and impulsive, and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, practical and widowed with a young son, are determined to achieve some independence and do some good in a rapidly changing world.

But the promising start to their marriage bureau is threatened when their newest client, Tillie La Salle, is found murdered and the man arrested for the crime is the prospective husband they matched her with. While the police are convinced they have their man, Miss Sparks and Mrs. Bainbridge are not. To clear his name—and to rescue their fledging operation’s reputation—Sparks and Bainbridge decide to investigate on their own, using the skills and contacts they’ve each acquired through life and their individual adventures during the recent war.

Little do they know that this will put their very lives at risk."

Miss Iris Sparks is single with a highly classified background in the war, perhaps even spying. She seemingly has no fear and rushes in where angels fear to tread, relying upon her "unique skill set".  Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge is still grieving her husband's death, but doing better than she had when she was institutionalized by her inlaws for a breakdown during her grief, when they also took custody of her son.  

These two need each other and their fledgling business venture to give them hope, direction, and emotional as well as financial support.  Through this adventure they really come to rely upon each other and bond.  Gwen's mother-in-law is one of those self-righteous women you love to hate, so you cheer for Gwen as she struggles to show she is emotionally strong and she will have her son back.  Iris's romantic interest is less-than-perfect.  

The post World War II London England setting is great, since so much attention has been given London during the war and air raids.  But the harsh struggle for London and its inhabitants to rebuild with rationing of most everything and the realities of life this creates is seamlessly integrated into the story.

The plot starts out simple, Iris and Gwen seek to prove that the man they matched Tillie with isn't the killer and thereby save their fledgling business.  But they are soon in the middle of much bigger schemes and crimes that Tilly was trying to escape.  The writing style created a fast paced and consuming story that kept me riveted to the story.

The killer reveal was a surprise and exiting, so kudos there!  The wrapup even had a surprise besides providing some hope for Iris and Gwen personally.

I absolutely love the witty banter between Iris and Gwen that runs throughtout the story.  It provided humor and a light-hearted touch countering the depth plumbed with the characters.  

Rating: Near Perfect - Couldn't Put it down. Buy two copies, one for you and one for a friend. 

Guest Post - Allison Montclair

Please welcome Allison Montclair to M&MM.  She grew up devouring hand-me-down Agatha Christie paperbacks and James Bond movies. As a result of this deplorable upbringing, she became addicted to tales of crime, intrigue, and espionage. She now spends her spare time poking through the corners, nooks, and crannies of history, searching for the odd mysterious bits and transforming them into novels of her own.

The Marriage Bureau Idea
For the past two and a half years, I have been living in 1946. I am the author of The Right Sort of Man, the first of a new mystery series set in post-war London, featuring Miss Iris Sparks and Mrs. Gwendolyn Bainbridge, the proprietors of the Right Sort Marriage Bureau.

This came about when Keith Kahla, my editor at St. Martin’s Minotaur, alerted me to the existence of a real-life marriage bureau that was set up and run by women beginning in 1939. The idea of a marriage bureau was a novelty, and a business founded by women was even more so. It was not a time and place with which I was overly familiar, but I am someone who likes diving headlong into eras in search of the odd and the obscure, so the prospect of tackling this was intriguing.

I knew immediately that I wanted to shift the time to the period after the war. I didn’t want to have a war-time setting, with our intrepid heroines sneaking around after curfew, tiptoeing through the Blitz and so forth. The post-war period was a fascinating time, particularly for women in England. Many had taken over for the men in a variety of settings, and while some would cede their new lives to the lads returning from demobilization, enough did not or resented the prospect so as to mark another step in the long march to women’s equality. There was also a shift in the political climate of the country, which brought in Clement Atlee and a Labour Party government, and of European politics in general with the Cold War picking up where the shooting war had left off.

I wanted both of my ladies to have come through the war damaged. Not much is written about the aftermath on the women of WWII. Many British women died for their country, and many more lost loved ones. I wanted Iris and Gwen to find each other as friends, and for their fledgling business to be a source of strength and healing. And when it is threatened by the murder of one of their clients, allegedly by the man they had set her up with, for them to draw on hitherto unsuspected resources in finding the truth.

The research has been great fun. Rationing, a fact of life back then, played a major role in this first book, and the myriad ways it affected daily life were fascinating. I have also enjoyed learning about the fashions of the period, and how designers worked within the limitations placed on the amount and types of fabric used, the ornamentations, and so forth. I also learned that no man knows the meaning of the word “peplum,” but all women do!

The second book is written and turned in. The writing of the third has commenced, and I have been signed for a fourth. I look forward to see what happens to Iris and Gwen next.

And I look forward to 1947!
~ ~ ~ 
THANK You Allison.  I will have a review coming shortly to this unique new mystery series, so stay tuned.