Marty Wingate

Hayley Burke is the new curator of The First Edition Society, a library dedicated to first editions from the Golden Age of Mysteries. How she got the job, I’m not sure, because she’s never read a mystery, which made me laugh. It’s a sweet position she doesn’t want to lose, but when a member of an Agatha Christie fanfic group is murdered at the library, Hayley’s future there is threatened — she allowed them in, after all.

I loved the setting of Bath, England, and the gorgeous Georgian home that housed the precious books. The murder mystery is definitely Christie-inspired, with many quirky suspects. With her job at stake, as well as the survival of the society itself, I can understand why Hayley would want to launch her own investigation, or at least give the police a gently nudge here and there. I can’t resist a cozy mystery revolving around books, and this one was a quick, fun read. Now I need to catch up on my Christie.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.… (more)

Marty Wingate's new book - Murder of a Suffragette. This is the 4th in the London Ladies' Murder Club series. (But you don't need to have read the previous books to enjoy this latest.)

I was not aware of the difference between Suffragette and Suffragist until I read this book. The first were 'deeds not words' and would use violence, but the latter eschewed violence. In 1918 women thirty and over gained the vote, but both groups are trying to get the vote for women 21 and up. This is an interesting time and setting to use for the book.

Mabel is the lead character and I really enjoy her curiosity, her tenacity, and determination. She works for the Useful Women Agency. She is booked to be the secretary of this large meeting of women, but finds herself back in an investigation when a body is found on the grounds of the large manor. There is a plethora of suspects to choose from.

The supporting cast is just as engaging as Mabel. They've been in the first books and Wingate keeps their lives moving forward. And what every cosy read needs a dog or cat. Gladys the dog figures into the plot. And a cosy needs some romance as well! I really enjoyed this latest and am looking forward what Wingate has in store for characters.… (more)

1920s, amateur-sleuth, situational-humor, pet-dog, verbal-humor, secrets, lies, cozy-mystery, series, friends, friendship, historical-fiction, historical-figures, historical-research, investigation, journalist, murder, family, local-law-enforcement, Scotland Yard, private-investigators, ex-cop, closed-circle-mystery*****

If you haven't met them before, Mabel Canning (snoop) is the leader of the London Ladies’ Murder Club along with Cora (milliner) and Skeff (journalist) and all three are also employees of the Useful Women Agency and are aided by WPC Hildy Wardle. This time Mabel is to act as private secretary to Emma, Lady Fellbridge at Fellbridge Hall in the village where Mabel grew up. Emma is having a meeting of a number of women she marched with For women's suffrage and Mabel is to keep things organized. Good luck with that! They aren't even there for more than a few hours when the first one is suffocated in her bed. There aren't enough local constables, so Mabel asks a friend from Scotland Yard to step in. Lots of interesting characters and sidelines into personal histories baced up by some solid investigating and a lot of fun and mischief. Delightful!
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected advance review copy from Bookouture via NetGalley. Thank you!
#MurderOfaSuffragette by @martywingate #LondonLadiesMurderClubBk4 #NetGalley @bookouture #UsefulWomenAgency… (more)

This is a marvelous story of found family. It's beautiful on many levels. I've only known Ms. Wingate as a writer of cozy mysteries, and she has branched out to historical fiction with this one, and to my mind, reached a higher level.

Olive lives a shrinking life in post-war England. The man she intended to marry died early in the war. Then her brother, her only sibling, died at Dunkirk. Her father was unable to cope and took to his bed, wasting away with grief and anger, as Olive and her mother nursed him, and then he passed. Lastly Olive's mother has just died after a lingering illness. Olive has lost her purpose and has no inheritance, and no particular skills beyond cooking/housekeeping/invalid care. But then her old friend Margery returns to their coastal town from London, where she went at the start of the war. Her uncle who raised her has passed away, and left her his home, Mersea House, and his general store business. Unhappy in London, Margery has come back to take over and modernize the store, despite some local opposition to a female businesswoman and her new ideas. And she wants to run the large house as a boarding home, and sees Olive as the perfect housekeeper/manager. The job is a godsend for Olive, Margery starts by bringing two tenants from London, and off we go. Then the bombshell. Margery is told that she is the legal guardian of an 11-year-old orphan, Juniper, that she didn't even know existed. Juniper is the daughter of Margery's first love, and neither he nor his late wife had relatives. When Juniper was 4, she was stricken with polio and her mother passed away with it. She has been in hospitals and foster homes ever since. She can't walk without braces and crutches, and her father could not cope with her at home. He has now passed and here we are.

How this group comes together, bonds as a family, and builds a home for themselves is a warm and wonderful tale. Ms. Wingate has done a good deal of research on the challenges that polio survivors faced in those days before the Salk vaccine. It rings very true with stories my mother would tell of the "summer plague" that was so widespread and frightening when she was a child. So overall, I loved this book.… (more)