1938 and Inspector James Given is instructed to look again at a murder and two suicides at Grovestock House in a nearby village.
An interesting little mystery based on true events.
A NetGalley Book ( )

1938 and after capturing and witnessing the hanging of two criminals, Detective Inspector James Given's next case is to review a recently closed one. There has recently been one murder and two suicides at Gravestock House in Warwickshire. His job is to make sure that nothing has been missed. The verdict is that Lady Isabelle Barleigh killed her son Tom, and then committed suicide, and then his fiancee Jenny Barnford was so distraught that she killed herself. So will he agree with this conclusion.
An interesting and entertaining well-written historical mystery. A good solid start to a new series and I look forward to reading more about the main characters
Received an ARC from the publisher.
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A new author for me. Enjoyed this, the first in the series. Set just before WW2 and a police procedural. It was quite a measured storyline and also a bit going on in the background. Looking forward to reading book 2, A Pretty Folly. ( )

A Shadowed Livery by Charlie Garratt
Inspector James Given #1

Hanging by the neck till you are dead can’t be pleasant but it is not pleasant for the observer either. When Detective Inspector James Given leaves the hanging of a man he brought to justice he is unsettled even though he knew the man was guilty of murder. Returning to the office he is sent off to find out what happened at a country home though his boss believes it is just a matter of looking things over, agreeing and writing the three deaths off as presented – a murder and two suicides. Well, that can’t be because this is a murder mystery police procedural set in 1938 and there would be no real story if it was as the boss thought.

This book took me back in time to 1938 when Hitler was on the rise, Fascism was prevalent in countries outside of Germany, antisemitism was openly embraced by many and war was on the horizon. Life was different without computers, cell phones, forensic capabilities and all we take for granted today. Some people had maids and butlers and gardeners and other help while others had more mundane jobs.

With the crimes to be examined again the setting is in the country in a manor home. James has to go back to the beginning and the case is a bit cold. He interviews and looks at photos of the crime scene and does his best, with Constable Sawyer, to figure out first what really happened. Once that was finally determined James had to move on to who the baddie really was and what the motivation might have been. And, he did figure it out and I have to say...I was surprised...I who read ends of books before I reach them.

This book was very interesting. It told of historical events that were occurring, spoke about the reaction of people to the times, dealt with a heinous crime, mentioned heroes from The Great War, threw in a bit of potential romance and spoke of the social unrest and willingness of some to act against others. It was a bit slow at the time and had the flavor of a vintage who-done-it mystery in keeping with the times and that is just what made it so charming.

Thank you to Sapere Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars ( )

I very much enjoyed this entertaining and engaging country house mystery. It’s set just before WWII, three murders have been committed and there is a list of suspects as long as your arm! There is a plot within a plot - both are cleverly written and combine to make an interesting and intriguing read. The historical aspect is well researched and draws the reader’s attention to the terrible treatment of the Jewish population during this particular era. I loved trying to work out ‘whodunnit’; there are so many twists and turns it was difficult to know quite what was going on.

If you enjoy a thriller which harks back to the golden age - there are nods to Agatha Christie and Dorothy L Sayers - you could do no better than read this one.

Thanks to Sapere Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book. ( )