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Bestselling historical romance author Callie Hutton makes a memorable cozy mystery debut with A Study in Murder (book one in the Victorian Book Club Mysteries). Hutton succeeds in crafting a compelling murder mystery featuring a captivating, fabulous woman detective that hooks readers with clever humor and a palpable undercurrent of romance.
Lady Amy Lovell is an upper-class Victorian woman who bucks convention by writing mystery novels under pen name E.D. Burton. Even though she supports women’s rights and suffrage, she is unable to escape a betrothal to shipping businessman Mr. Ronald St. Vincent. When Amy learns from an anonymous source that her fiancé is involved in criminal activity, she promptly breaks off the engagement. Shortly after the breakup, St. Vincent visits Amy’s family home unannounced and is found dead in the library with a knife in his chest.
The police immediately target Amy as the prime suspect. Determined to avoid the noose, Amy launches her own investigation with the help of her long-time acquaintance and fellow Mystery Book Club member, Lord William Wethington. As St. Vincent’s secrets are revealed and the list of suspects grows, Amy and William are determined to sidestep the police and catch a killer, even if it means missing tea time.
Hutton’s well-drawn characters and vivid historical details completely immersed me in Lady Amy Lovell’s fascinating world of Victorian manners, Assembly dances, and the secrets and scandals of high society. I especially enjoyed our mystery writer-turned-sleuth protagonist. Lady Amy possesses all of the qualities that I admire in a historical fiction hero and an amateur crime solver. She champions for justice, displays great intelligence and determination, and has personality in spades. In fact, Amy even has a snappy catchphrase – “botheration”, which she exclaims to herself in her frequent internal monologues. (Ever the urbane lady, Amy keeps her expletives and irreverent comments to herself, which is a delight to read.)
A Study in Murder’s intrepid main character is joined by a spirited
supporting cast. The upstanding Lord William Wethington is aces as Amy’s reliable sidekick and budding love interest, and Eloise Spencer, a member of the ‘lower’ merchant class, amuses as Amy’s best friend. Spinster Aunt Margaret lives life on her own terms and is harboring a mysterious secret, which will hopefully be explored in the sequel. Last but not least is adorable Pomeranian, Persephone, who won’t ‘talk’ to Amy if she is left home alone.
Hutton deserves praise for her tightly constructed plot and deliberate pacing, which allows the reader time to savor each interaction and to process the steady flow of information and clues. Some might find the story to be slow-moving, but I appreciated how the pacing appropriately reflects the tone of poised decorum emblematic of elite Victorian society.
While there are a few predictable moments, there are enough surprises and teasers placed at the end of each chapter to keep the reader engaged. I’m happy to say that I was kept guessing at the murderer’s identity right up until the end. Honestly, I was mildly disappointed that the resolution is a ‘murderer self-reveal’ instead of a ‘murderer unveiling.’ I typically prefer detectives to definitively figure out whodunit before the murderer confesses to their crime.
Callie Hutton’s Victorian Book Club Mysteries is my hands down favorite new cozy series, and Lady Amy Lovell is my new number one sleuthing hero. I highly recommend A Study in Murder to mystery lovers, but especially to fans of Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody historical mystery series and fans of Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries and Murdoch Mysteries TV shows. I can’t wait to read the sequel!
Buy it at: Amazon, Audible or local independent bookstore
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Grade: A
Book Type: Historical Mystery
Sensuality: Kisses
Review Date: 14/05/20
Publication Date: 05/2020
Recent Comments …
Yep
This sounds delightful! I’m grabbing it, thanks
excellent book: interesting, funny dialogs, deep understanding of each character, interesting secondary characters, and also sexy.
I don’t think anyone expects you to post UK prices – it’s just a shame that such a great sale…
I’m sorry about that. We don’t have any way to post British prices as an American based site.
I have several of her books on my TBR and after reading this am moving them up the pile.
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I looked to see how much this book cost in UK – £7.29, which is more than usual – and decided to read the online sample, which was a DNF for me.
I didn’t like the style of the author’s writing and it was full of Americanisms, particularly the dialogue.
The first scene is set in a church where the sermon is given by the ….pastor. Nope, in England that would be the vicar or the priest – no pastors in CofE or RC churches.
I really can’t understand why authors choose to set their books in certain places or eras and then are not prepared to do the necessary research.
I really can’t understand why authors choose to set their books in certain places or eras and then are not prepared to do the necessary research.
So, so true, Wendy.
I wasn’t fond of CH’s HR – I read a couple and they were both 2 star reads for me.
The real headscratcher is when easily avoidable mistakes occur in books from mainstream publishers. You would think a romance publisher with a huge Regency division (or any other British-set books) would keep a cheat sheet for preventing common errors and Americanisms.
Thing is Nan – I don’t think they really care. They know the vast majority of their audience won’t know the difference or care about it, and the rest of us (outside the US) don’t matter. It’s that simple, or someone would have already done something like you suggest. Fanfic communities manage to do it – I remember LiveJournal having a BRITGLISH comminity for Americans writing about British TV/movies/books – but actual publishers can’t be bothered. (And let’s not forget that their authors, who I would imagine are educated people with the ability to spend ten seconds on Google, should be finding out what they need to know anyway!)
I think you’re onto something, Caz. The mainstream publishers probably see the inaccurate stuff that sells and just keep repeating the formula. Fanfic communities, which are labors of love by necessity, really seem to care more about being true to their characters and settings because they don’t have to worry about, “This won’t sell if the hero isn’t at least an earl (or whatever title a mainstream publisher decides is the minimum).”
“…and the rest of us (outside the US) don’t matter.” I would say that is also true of popular common tropes/situations/character archetypes that AAR reviewers and commenters are tired of seeing but keep getting produced because there is probably a much bigger mainstream romance audience than us with different tastes. It’s sort of like how Marian Perera’s story got rejected because the architect hero didn’t have a title and/or wasn’t the heir to a large fortune. It doesn’t seem to matter that lots of us on AAR would love to read that story. What matters to the publishing houses is that dukes sell.
“And let’s not forget that their authors, who I would imagine are educated people with the ability to spend ten seconds on Google, should be finding out what they need to know anyway!”
Just for kicks, I looked up British peerage to get a list of rank and titles. Took maybe thirty seconds to a minute with initial research and cross-referencing to find what I was looking for. Google is incredible for writers, but they need to remember to use it.:)
This sounds really good. I’m enjoying the high quality of historical mysteries in recent years, and I will definitely add this one to try. Thanks for the review.
Hope you decide to give it a read!
This sounds terrific! It has been a few good years for Historical Mystery. Clever lady sleuth with a budding love interest seems to be my go-to lately. Adding this to the TBR pile. Thanks Liz!
You’re welcome, Evelyn. Happy Reading!
I do have to wonder who sets these prices? 13.00 for the Kindle? That’s steep.
Yep – I clicked thru to Amazon to buy it -as this kind of book is my catnip, only to be brought up short by the price. SO now it’s wait and see.
Yeah–I was shocked.
I remember this came up recently on a different review. Callie Hutton is another HR author (and I confess, her HR didn’t work for me) crossing into historical mysteries – which are definitely sold at a higher price point. But his is her FIRST historical mystery – so for many she’s untried, and even if they’re relying on her romance following buying it, I’m sure the price will put many of those off,
“I do have to wonder who sets these prices? 13.00 for the Kindle?” Here’s your answer: Penguin Random House is the parent company of Crooked Lane Books. Mainstream publishers are still in the mindset that e-books should only cost slightly less than paperbacks. You can either thank or blame Amazon for the proliferation of $2.99-9.99 e-books for mainstream publishers’ price points coming as a shock (which they are!).
In a way, I understand why the Big 5 publishers often have ridiculous prices on e-books in comparison to what we’re used to seeing on Amazon. For one thing, there’s the investment in editors, cover designers, and other staff not present among self-publishers. Plus, traditionally published authors make ridiculously low royalties compared to self-published writers. True, they often receive an advance, but this is not always true with digital first publishers, and authors who are not household names tend to get a pittance if they do receive anything. Then there’s the inevitable gamble that comes with knowing the vast majority of books never earn out their advance. (Although at those prices, I can see why…) So yeah, a higher price point probably has to do with a lot of these factors.
At the same time, these tanking publishing houses need to get with the program and realize $12.99 is ridiculous for something whose self-published competitors charge $9.99 as an absolute maximum (even $9.99 would be steep for anything short of an epic). I can definitely see higher prices for physical books because of printing costs, but who are they kidding with something digital? Especially in tough times, avid readers are far more likely to say “forget it” and read something else that’s cheaper or available at the public library.
And when there are absolutely brilliant authors out there self-publishing and charging under a fiver for their books, it’s like watching slow suicide.
Hmm… It’s really hard to say if they’re committing slow suicide or not. You have to remember that a KDP author has no middle men and makes up to 70% royalty on e-books priced between $2.99 and $9.99. Now, is it financial suicide to make between $2.09-$6.99* per e-book copy sold? (*Keep in mind it’s actually more like $2.07 to $6.97 or something because of “delivery charges”). It’s hard to say. If an author paid for a professional cover design and editor, then she may be losing money even though her royalty payout is higher. Also, there is no advance on KDP.
A lot of it comes down to individual circumstances and the genre an author creates in. For a romance author, I would say KDP is a gamble because of all the time investment in writing a complex novel and making sure it is presentable (i.e. edited and professional looking cover), which can be expensive. For an erotica short story author, it’s probably the best game out there, no editing required other than proofreading and double checking there are no heroes whipping out their “ducks.” Cheap or free stock covers of shirtless guys and/or busty women (with bras, of course!) work fine. Plus, sex stories can command higher prices for less content. We’re talking $2.99 for a story approximately 5,000 words. But for the romance or mystery author, it’s hard to say.
That’s what libraries are for. And they will reopen eventually.
They are – if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere that quickly picks up new releases. Where I live, that isn’t the case. I’m lucky because I get a lot of review copies, but at those prices, no way could I afford to read as much new material as I do.
Yes, libraries are a wonderful resource and apparently they are more popular than ever. My library has a large digital collection and all of these books are there or can be ordered if there is enough interest. Patrons may have to get on a waitlist for some, but it’s a good backup option. I’m in a metropolitan area though and so the funding is higher than rural areas. Also, many libraries today have consortiums that allow for borrowing across county/municipal lines.
And let’s not forget interlibrary loan for print books. The big drawback is that they usually can’t import books unless they are at least a year old. Of course, I’ve never been one to chase after new releases, so it’s no problem for me. :)
Yes, but the waitlists and copy limitations at libraries are often an issue. I think pricing an ebook at a price many could afford (I’d say 6 to 10 dollars) insures far more sales for the author.