Murder in Belgravia by Lynn Brittney
This is a first adult detective novel for Brittney who
has a long history with books for young adults and children. She sets her story
in London during WWI and infuses it with a lot of material about the fight of
women for the vote and general recognition within the war economy.
A police inspector named Beech is assigned to
investigate the murder of a young Lord of the land who has recently returned
with war injuries and some major personality changes. The victim’s young
wife has been found battered and bleeding near the body but Beech doubts the general
conclusion that the woman has killed her husband.
The Inspector gets permission from his superior to
look more deeply into the crime and also to experiment with using some females
to assist in the investigation. The current police force is all male, like so many
other occupations, and there is a beginning recognition that they may have to admit women as the manpower shortage
increases. Beech locates a female physician
and a female lawyer to join his small male group and they are all off to track
down the killer. The search moves from the posh homes of Belgravia to the more
seamy parts of the city where prostitution and drugs enter the picture. You can
now guess that the ladies will be instrumental in finding the solution to the
puzzle.
The prose is competent though not as dense or descriptive
as someone like PD James, but it does take you through the streets of London
effectively. As an Anglophile of long standing, I am a sucker for anything set
in my favorite city in the world and I relish being taken to familiar locations
as the action progresses. This was a fine fun read and I would look for more in
the series if the author continues to write them.
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