London 1922. Mabel Canning belongs to the Useful Women Company and also runs the amateur sleuth section. She is hired to act as a companion to a young woman from America, escorting her to the sights of town. But on a night out at the Palais dance hall, Mabel and her charge are implicated in the death of a man…
A Body at the Dance Hall is the third book in the London Ladies’ Murder Club series centred on Mabel Canning. I have read and reviewed the first book in the series, A Body on the Doorstep, but need to catch up on the second. There are no spoilers about events in previous book although relationships between characters have developed over the earlier books.
Mabel accepts the role of companion to 18 year old Roxanne. But on their first night out to a dance hall, Mabel is locked up by a man who claims he is also there to keep an eye on Roxy. When she escapes the lcoked room, the man is dead and Roxy is covered in blood. Mabel sets to work to discover more about the victim so that she can find his killer.
Mabel is supported by her friends and neighbours, including Gladys the dog, but I felt this book didn’t quite have the spark of the first book. Park continues to make her heart flutter as well as helping with the case due to his police knowledge and contacts. The tone of the writing is light hearted despite the murderous content.`I enjoyed the historical detail that brings the 1920s to life. Attitudes to women and class are explored over the course of the book and Mabel is quite modern in outlook.
A Body at the Dance Hall is an enjoyable cosy historical murder mystery.
Book Description:
1922. Amateur sleuth Mabel Canning is surrounded by the bright lights of London as she chaperones a young American woman to a dance. But when someone is murdered, a deadly tango begins…
Meet plucky woman-about-town Mabel Canning, leader of the London Ladies’ Murder Club and trusted assistant to gentlewomen. When she is tasked with accompanying Roxy, a fun-loving heiress, on a glamorous night out, Mabel can’t wait to sip champagne and practice the foxtrot. But just as Roxy sashays out of sight, a mysterious man warns Mabel that the feisty young redhead is in danger. And someone is dead before the music stops…
Roxy was the last person to see the victim alive, and she stumbles into Mabel’s arms with her daffodil-yellow dress splashed with blood. Determined to protect her ward, Mabel gathers her dashing beau Winstone and her pals from the murder club. Together they trace the weapon back to the ballroom, but when its twin goes missing, it is clear time is running out to prevent another murder on the dance floor…
The police conclude the killer is in Roxy’s family, but Mabel finds herself spinning between a motley troupe of suspects. Mr Bryars, the anxious ballroom manager, is constantly tripping over himself to hide his secrets. But would he kill to protect his reputation? And young Ned Kettle may have looked dashing while waltzing around with Roxy, but he was once a notorious thief. Is the sticky-fingered rogue also a dab hand at murder?
Just as Mabel and her murder club friends quickstep closer to the truth, Roxy is kidnapped, and Mabel comes cheek to cheek with the killer. Can she save poor Roxy and herself? Or has she danced her last dance?
A delightfully witty and utterly addictive whodunnit absolutely bursting with 1920s sparkle, from USA Today bestselling author Marty Wingate. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, Verity Bright and T.E. Kinsey.
Author Bio:
Marty Wingate is a USA Today best-selling author of both mysteries and historical fiction. Marty enjoys weaving humor into her books and creating characters—from quirky and loveable to sinister and duplicitous—that leap off the page. Before embarking on her series about the London Ladies Murder Club with Bookouture, Marty published three contemporary cozy mystery series (the Potting Shed, Birds of a Feather, and First Edition Library books). She has also published two standalone books of historical fiction and found stories of the past to be compelling. She’s delighted to combine her penchant for both mysteries and histories to bring her readers more satisfying stories. Marty currently resides near Seattle, Washington.
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