In 1920's London Poppy Denby is an arts editor on the Daily Globe where she gets involved with White Russian refugees, Faberge eggs, an art exhibition and murder.
I tried hard to get involved with the characters and the plot but unfortunately it didn't really excite me.
A NetGalley Book ( )

I received this book as part of the Early Reviewers program.

What a great "find" of a heroine Poppy Denby is!! I really enjoyed this 1920s whodunit revolving around a Faberge egg, the Russian royal family and the Bolshevik Revolution as all of it ricochets around a group of London citizens. There was a lot of action and information packed into this novel's 327 pages!! The Kill Fee is the 2nd in the Poppy Denby series, and I have not read the 1st novel, but I do not feel that that hampered my enjoyment of this novel in any way. I'm actually now looking forward to read future novels in this series to see what the incorrigible Poppy gets up to next! ( )

I rec'd this book in exchange for an honest review. It's the 2nd book in a series but enough details are thrown in harkening back to the 1st book that one catches up easily enough. The to e is that of novels written in the 1920's. Occasionally, however, the attitude and tone of the 21st century com in to strike a dissonant note. It's a pleasant enough book that will make for great smmer reading on the beach. ( )

The Kill Fee is the second book in the Poppy Denby Investigates series. I haven’t read the first book, The Jazz Files, but I had no difficulty reading this second book as it reads well as a standalone, with enough detail of previous events for me to follow the story.

It is set in London in 1920 with flashbacks to Russia in 1917. Poppy is the Arts and Entertainments Editor at the Daily Globe and whilst she is covering an exhibition of Russian Art at the Crystal Palace a guard is shot and injured and one of the Fabergé Eggs on display is stolen. It’s not just an extremely valuable Egg, one that had been owned by a member of the Tsar’s family, but one that is said to contain a secret that could threaten royal families throughout Europe.

This is reminiscent of the Golden Age crime fiction as Poppy sets about finding who stole the Egg and there are plenty of suspects. The theft is followed by a couple of murders and a poisoning, and a secret passageway as Poppy chases around London in hot pursuit of the killer.

Its an enjoyable read that kept me entertained with a mix of fictional and historical characters and a look at 1920s’ society. I particularly liked the Russian connection and the information about White and Red Russians and the Russian Revolution of 1917 – by 1920 this was coming to a head in the Crimea. The book begins with an episode in Moscow in 1917 as an unnamed man in a bearskin coat enters the house of an aristocratic family to find a scene of carnage. Most of the family have been murdered, but he rescues a small girl, her little dog and her English nanny. How this fits into the rest of the book only gradually becomes clear.

There is a map of 1920s London that helps to follow the action and a list of the fictional and historical characters that I found useful. Fiona Veitch Smith explains in her historical Note at the end of the book how she got the idea for The Kill Fee and how she blended fact with fiction. Apart from a few ‘tweaks’ she has stuck to the historical timeline, as far as she is aware, moving the Russian Embassy to Kensington Gardens seven years earlier than it really did and bringing forward the selling of paper poppies by one year – these were launched by the British Red Cross in 1921. The plotline of the theft of the Fabergé Egg and the exhibition at the Crystal Palace is a figment of her imagination. She apologises for ‘any unintentional errors you may find.’

Well, I did find another anachronism. At one point (page 209 in my paperback copy) Poppy and Daniel are arguing as he drives across London approaching the Victoria Embankment when he had to slow down ‘to allow a family to cross the road at a pelican crossing.‘ I think this must be a typing error as although pedestrian crossings existed more than 2000 years ago, pelican crossings weren’t introduced in the United Kingdom until 1969.

None of this affected my enjoyment of the book as the world of London in the 1920s came to life and the complex plot and fast pace kept my brain ticking over, keeping track of the different sub-plots and characters. The kill fee in the title refers to the money offered to Rollo, the Daily Globe owner and editor-in-chief, to stop him from publishing the story concerning the theft of the Fabergé Egg. ( )

The Kill Fee is the second book in the Poppy Denby Investigates Series by Fiona Veitch Smith. I admit I haven’t read book one, The Jazz Files. I do not think that had any impact on me jumping into this story. It focuses on Poppy Denby, the Entertainment Editor at The Daily Globe. Poppy is one of the few women in the newspaper business in 1920s London. The book does a great job of describing the era, and the characters are an embodiment of the changing times. The characters in the story area great fit for the 1920s era, they had lavish style in fashion and art.

At the beginning of the book is a map of Poppy’s 1920s London, a list of the fictional and historical characters, and a short history lesson about the White and Red Russians. This information is great to keep who all of the characters are straight and to provide background information on the political motives behind the story. The Kill Fee is very much a historical mystery book, but at times a slow read because of all the historical explanations. You can get dragged down into all the details. The story centers on White Russian aristocrats escaping the Red Russians by traveling to London. At an art expedition to raise money for the flight from Russia, a Faberge Egg was stolen. Who did it? Was it someone Poppy knows? This story was full of suspense and intrigue with murder, kidnappings, and multiple suspects. If you like historical mysteries, this book is for you.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Kregel. All opinions are entirely my own. ( )

This is the second book in the Poppy Denby series and how I wish I had read the first! Historical fiction at its best. Written as taking place primarily 1917-1920, it was a time of both chaos and entertainment. The story takes place mainly in Britain with many pieces of the puzzle taking place in Russia.

Poppy is the arts and entertainment editor for "The Globe" newspaper in London, England. She is part of the "in" club through her work. What I particularly liked before reading the storyline, was the list of fictional characters and their connections, and also the list of historical characters and their connections. This fictional account takes place just at the end of the Russian Revolution and into the following civil war in Russia. The author has included at the forefront of the book some of that history to help with the storyline.

I loved this book! The story-line takes many twists and turns from both Britain and Russia from about the time of Lenin. Beginning with the murders of Rasputin, royalty, and others and the refugees coming to other countries as well as Britain, spies, moles, Red and White Russians, Faberge eggs, and stage performances, there is a lot going on at all times. Great characters, engaging story-line, I congratulate Fiona Veitch Smith on an exciting series I'm sure will be running for a long time. The 1920s, oh, how they roared! ( )

This is the second in a series of period detective stories, set in the 1920s, and featuring Poppy Denby, journalist about town and amateur sleuth. The lure of the period novel for detective writers is growing - none of those tedious forensics, plenty of enticing period detail, and politics where we know the outcome. So far, so escapist. This novel is set around the Russian revolution, featuring a cast of actors, journalists, spies, aristocrats, suffragists and socialites; some real, but mostly the creations of Fiona Veitch Smith. This was an enjoyable read, but for me suffered from having too many plots smashed together (at the expense of the central story line), too many characters and a few glaring non-period uses of language (drinking Chardonnay, for example).

It's a British Newspaper and a staff mixed up in the politics of Russia. There also are Royals and the famous Faberge eggs. All of this is found in "The Kill Fee" by Fiona Veitch Smith. During the Twentieth Century, there were the White Russians, the good guys, who sided with the British. There were also the Red Russians who wanted a new Russia where the people would have more control. It became very easy for me to learn and recognize the White Russians. It seemed much harder to keep up with the characters on the Red side. Thank goodness for the name chart at the front of the book.

If there is any interest in Old Russia, the murders of Tsar Nicholas III and his Tsarina Alexandra and their family, you will like this mystery. Also, if there is any fascination with Rasputin and what happened to him is a reason to fly swiftly through all the pages.

There is a runaway named Nana and a child named Anya. I felt the strain and stress of these two people. I wanted to remain with them as they fled. I also became involved with what happened to the actress Selena Romanova and Stanislavski. I have to write the novel seemed too detailed. However, there is great fun as Poppy Denby investigates what's happening. I liked her friends Delilah and Daniel, her boyfriend. There were many twists and turns. I tried to keep my eyes on the Treasure Keepers and the Faberge eggs. Poppy reminded me of Nancy Drew all grown up and across the pond. I could feel the rush of her journalistic spirit to get the truth for an ongoing story.

There is some historical information about the eggs which I won't recount here. The whole book,"The Kill Fee" points to the beauty and desirability of a country's craftsmanship. As with any thing costly, there is always a fight to own the rich piece of work. The Crystal Exhibition is where the treasure was exhibited. There is no getting away from the fact that politics is involve.Unfortunately this leads to bloodshed. I am more aware that my next box of chocolates might have poison in them, and I am less afraid of the word Bolsheviks, but still afraid of how to spell it.

The mystery can lead to a fascination with Russian History. Their History is complex. A life time of reading might only begin a person's journey. poppydenby.com/blog/tag/christian-fiction ( )

The intrepid Poppy Denby is back in Fiona Veitch Smith’s latest book, The Kill Fee. The newly minted journalist is on the case when priceless Faberge eggs go missing and the bodies start piling up. An historical mystery filled with all the jazz of the Roaring 20s, this novel manages not only to capture the essence of the era, but keep the reader guessing with a well crafted story. For fans of British whodunits, this one is a great choice.

The Kill Fee involves not one, but two mysteries. The stories are told within two separate storylines, and intersect at the end. The Russian revolution is still ongoing and the brutality of the war between the Whites and the Reds spills into London as royal Russian refugees and Bolshevik loyalists clash over the ownership of priceless works of art and fabulous jewels. I very much enjoyed getting a glimpse into what was going on in politics of this time. There are a number of interesting characters and suspects galore. Poppy is again in the middle of the action as she discovers bodies and clues and manages to stay one step ahead of the authorities. While The Kill Fee is really not a Christian novel (as we see it in America), the author’s worldview informs her characters. Poppy calls on God for help at a critical point in the novel, someone she has neglected since arriving in the big city. Her faith, a bit covered with cobwebs, is realistically portrayed.

A fun novel, The Kill Fee kept me guessing and the pages turning as I followed the adventures of Poppy Denby. I’m looking forward to many more exciting times with this series.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to Kregel and Lion Hudson for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

First I want to say that I loved the historical aspects of this book, we are reminded of the beginnings of Communist Russia, and the end of the Tzar.
In this story we are made aware of the wealth and relationships of White Russian Tzar’s and their families. I had forgotten a lot of this and was happy that the author worked this information into this suspense of this book.
Poppy Denby is a woman who was breaking ground for others, and didn’t even realize it. What an exciting time the 1920’s must have been for her in England, and we are led down a lot of twist and turns, and kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, and who is going to survive. The word pictures in this book kept me page turning, and enjoying every minute, and can’t wait for more from this series.
I received this book through Kregel Blogging Tours, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )

The second and latest instalment in the Poppy Denby Investigates Series was an excellent historical mystery, with many complex interwoven threads. The historical background surrounding exiles of the Romanov royal family, and lost treasure was fascinating and worked very well. Alongside this there was love, drama and intrigue- even a secret tunnel.

However, I must say, I did not enjoy it as much as the last book The Jazz Files. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it was- perhaps it was the length of the novel. It just seemed to drag, carrying out plotlines and leads which could have been followed and resolved sooner. Also at times, things got a bit mudded, with so much going on and the timeframe becoming confusing with the switching viewpoints.

Also, whilst the characters were believable, and I did enjoy reading about those like Rollo the editor, Daniel and Ivan Molanov (who gets his own story and a great resolution), the depiction of some of them seemed inconsistent with their behaviour. My main issue was with some of Poppy’s attitudes. She came over in this story as one of those overbearingly militant Feminists one sees too often in fiction, who shoot their mouth off at men for simply wanting to protect them and keep them out of danger. Now, I believe in women’s rights and equality, but I don’t believe women should be stupid and recklessly put themselves in perilous situations just to prove how ‘strong’ they are.

Her attitude to her parents also did not seem consistent, as the last book gave the impression Poppy loved and was close to her parents, rather than resenting them for not being liberal enough.
Personally, I did feel there was certain pro-Bolshevik slant in the story.
So maybe Tsar Nicholas II was a despot- but the people who replaced him were far worse. Stalin is estimated to have killed as many as 50 million people. Perhaps in 1920 their more tyrannical tendencies were not yet apparent, but most of the characters seemed to consider Stalin and Lenin to be quite likable, honourable chaps.

I would certainly be interested in the next instalment in this series (maybe Poppy well end up in Egypt after all), I just hope for a little less Political Correctness.

I won a copy of this book through the Librarything Early Reviewers Program. I was not required to write a review. ( )

Very enjoyable book. I have always been fascinated by the story of Tsar Nicholas II and his ill-fated family, and have even read the auto-biography of Prince Felix Yusopov (one of the men who killed Rasputin). While those events are not the primary focus of this story, they are enough in play to make this story interesting. I'm not as familiar as some other reviewers with the time period and didn't spot some of the inaccuracies, but I found it very readable nonetheless. I would pick up future books in this series. ( )

This is one of the books provided for free by LibraryThing; you need only agree to review the book.
Synopsis: Kill Fee is the price people pay to get a news agency to abstain from printing a story. It really doesn't play into the story until the last few pages. Poppy Denby is a nice Methodist girl who has come to London to earn her living during the Roaring Twenties. Her aunt, however, is a former actress, suffragette, and all around liberal, has encouraged Poppy to pursue her dream of being an investigative newspaper reporter. In this second book Poppy is writing stories about the White Russians who have immigrated to England, some of them just ahead of death squads. The Red Russians accuse these immigrants of stealing art from the Russian people; it doesn't matter that these art works actually belonged to these immigrants. During an art show one of the Faberge Eggs is stolen. From her research, Poppy suspects that the egg contained secret papers that could bring the downfall of several royal families. As she continues to probe into these circumstances, Poppy puts herself in the path of a murderer.
Review: This is a fluffy book with a straightforward story line, although a large cast of characters. It's interesting, but I was a bit disappointed in the manner in which some of the 'loose ends' that had seemed central to the story were scantily dealt with in the final pages. There were also several breaks in the language of the 1920s with grammar that reflected current usage rather than that of the period. ( )

Poppy Denby has only been a journalist with The Globe for five months and still has a lot to learn, but she once again finds herself immersed in a mystery involving White Russians, Red Russians, the Russian aristocracy, a Fabergé Egg that has gone missing and murder!

Taking place during the 1920s in London, Poppy rubs elbows with society through her job as the Arts and Entertainment Editor, and the connections of her Aunt Dot, former leading lady of the West End stage and infamous suffragette. Refugee Russian royalty, Bolshevik personnel at the Russian Embassy, stage folk, a female MP and more. They all have some sort of ties to each other. Poppy is determined to unravel the knots and solve the story behind the murders, missing egg and missing friends.

Fiona Veitch Smith gets the story off with a bang with the first chapter that gives some background to some of the characters, but she also gives enough info to make the reader read on to find out who some of the characters really are. It is written in a fast and even pace that keeps moving. A nice touch is the list of character descriptions in the front of the book along with a map of the part of London the story takes place. Similar to what used to be found in the Ellery Queen books and others of that era. ( )

Early Reviewers book, thank you.
This is a sweet little quick, well written mystery that keeps you interested with the characters and the story's loose wrapping around an historical time taking place in London.
It is definitely light reading and at times a little too "cutesy" for my taste but nevertheless it kept me turning the pages and wondering who did it. ( )

A fairly standard cosy mystery set in London in 1920, where an intrepid young journalist called Poppy Denby has to solve a case involving aristocratic Russian refugees and international jewel theft. I read it on a packed transatlantic red-eye flight, which is probably the best place to read this kind of book—it provided diversion from cramped and turbulent conditions but was undemanding and largely forgettable. Veitch Smith's prose is a little better than the average for the genre, and the book gestures towards London's racial diversity (a newspaper employee and his wife are West Indian; a pioneering female barrister is Anglo-Egyptian) though the plotting is clunky and the historical research is rarely worn lightly. ( )

This novel was sent to me by the publisher Lion Hudson via NetGalley. Thank you.

This is a period mystery set in 1920 London. There is so much going on that a cast of characters, both fictional and real, as well as a brief explanation of the White Russians and Red Russians are included to help the reader. The plot concerns aristocratic Russian refugees, the theft of Faberge eggs, the assassination of the Tsar and his family, the murder of an actress in a Chekov play, plus the attempted murder of the Russian director Stanislavski. Poppy Denby, intrepid girl reporter for the London Daily Globe, tries to connect the dots and come up with a scoop that could topple the remaining crowned heads of Europe, including the British royals.

There is a lot going on and the good part is the author makes the most of her time period. The novel feels like a throwback to the golden age of detective fiction with all of the misleading clues, mysterious poisons, rapier canes, and hidden identities. It is like one of those puzzle machines made up of wheels turning wheels turning wheels.

Unfortunately, the wheels and the plot don’t go anywhere. For 300 pages Poppy and her friends and colleagues scurry from point A to point B. There are flashbacks to a horrific murder scene in Moscow and even to the village where theTsar and his family are killed. Neither of those, nor the subplot of the missing child, are really relevant to the novel. In fact, most of the novel becomes irrelevant in the last thirty pages. because so much has been hidden from the reader that the resolution seems forced. (I’m still not sure why a certain person had to be kidnapped.)

Ms. Smith has a fun sense of the period. She enjoys fleshing out her characters and I enjoyed reading about them. But, plot-wise, I was disappointed. ( )