In 1952 Brighton, Mirabelle Bevan and Vesta Churchill run a debt collections agency. When a chief suspect turns up at their office who is a childhood friend of Vesta they become involved in a case. The case of a eighteen-year-old Rose Bellamy Gore, who has goes missing outside of a jazz club in London.
I enjoyed the story and although I have not read the previous book in the series I didn't find that to be necessary. I liked the group of characters and looked forward to them all being in future books. A very easy style of writing to read.
A NetGalley Book ( )

I received a free, advance copy of this work from Kensington Books and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I do love a period mystery, with all the tropes of the eccentric amateur detective but Mirabelle Bevan just does not work for me. Unfortunately the main problem is the quality of the writing, it is very sophmoric and is completely overloaded with unnecessary descriptive detail and tortured syntax.
The 1950s setting would have been better served if Sheridan had focused less on irrelevant period props and more on catching jarringly out-of-place turns off phrase and clarifying historical details.

The characters were really just cyphers lifted from other work in the genre. More than once I was reminded of Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart stories, but the comparison was not favorable. The plot was increasingly ridiculous and the motivation behind the political machinations was tacked crudely and unnecessarily to end, as if these elements had not been properly prepared until it was too late.

With a dash of humour or a more tongue-in-cheek tone it might have been and enjoyable, if very silly, adventure but it wants to be taken far more seriously than it deserves. In the end it reads like a fond homage to the Golden Age classics of Christie, Sayers and Marsh and nothing about the writing has the strength lift it beyond enthusiastic but flawed pastiche. ( )

I found this a so-so murder mystery.

The first half goes way too slowly; by the halfway mark, no new clues or developments had really taken place and the action consisted of repeated forays by the detective, Mirabelle, to locations around where the mystery occurs and questioning the people there. Lots of details abound about Mirabelle's drinks (she's quite an elbow-bender!) and what she ate.

The second half picks up quite a bit, with more action rather than just questioning, and some derring-do on the part of the middle aged Nancy Drew and her cohorts.

Some backstory is presented that the reader need not know about, as it doesn't pertain to the mystery at hand, but tends to get in the way if the reader is not familiar with past loves and losses of the heroine.

The social milieu and issues the author addresses here, primarily pertaining to race relations in London in the 1950s, add a very interesting note here. The prime suspect is a black musician, playing in black clubs which rich spoiled white kids like to frequent, for the racy and risky feeling of rebellion it gives them. This forms the background of the mystery and actually gives it its impetus: black musician, high class girl from a good family -- these are elements not supposed to mix in this time period, and the characters in the book base their assumptions about the crime on these prejudices and assumptions about class and race.

Thank you to the author and publishers for a review copy. ( )

Another exciting,eventful adventure set in the 1950s featuring amateur detective Mirabelle Bevan. Inventive and enjoyable to read. ( )

3.5 stars
Mirabelle Bevan and Vesta Churchill are an unlikely investigative duo in England the years after WWII. It’s 1952, the war is over, Mirabelle’s lover has been dead for 3 years, she’s taken over McGuigan and McGuigan Debt Recovery, and hired Vesta as her assistant.
In the war, Mirabelle worked in intelligence. What she didn’t glean from her position was taught to her by her lover, Jack. This mini education has borne fruit in Mirabelle and Vesta’s adventures so far.

Jazz is taking England’s youth and youthful minded by storm. The clubs that feature the music are described as dives and the musicians aren’t thought much better of than the venues they play.
Lindon Claremont, sax player and childhood friend of Vesta, turns up at the Brighton office on the run from London. Rose Bellamy Gore has been kidnapped and the police suspect Lindon. After hearing of Vesta’s previous crime solving, he comes to her seeking help.

LONDON CALLING takes Mirabelle and Vesta away from Brighton to London. From the tony neighborhood of Belgravia to the slums of the East End, they seek Rose and answers about the who and why of her disappearance.
Mirabelle and Vesta, despite the odds and danger, are determined to get justice for all involved, one way or another. For Vesta, this one’s personal.

Mirabelle, always dignified and elegant; Vesta, bright, lively, and highly observant. These two are perfect foils. They manage to keep their cool and their class, not always easy.
Their “cases” are always deep and twisted, keeping readers guessing.
The addition of a new character and a spaniel pup show promise.
The era has never been an especial favorite, but I’m becoming quite fond of it when Mirabelle and Vesta inhabit it.

Looking forward to book 3.
Reviewed for Miss Ivy’s Book Nook Take II & Novels Alive TV ( )