Book Review: Murder at a London Finishing School by Jessica Ellicott (Beryl and Edwina Mysteries #7)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Strong characters and story infused with the time period

Cons: Ending a little rushed; missing most of the regulars (both minor issues)

The Bottom Line:

Going back to school

Things escalate to murder

Enjoyable book

Returning to Their Alma Mater Means Murder

I feel like I’ve been saying this a lot recently, but it is always fun when an author uses a book to dive into some backstory they’ve mentioned in passing before.  That’s exactly what Jessica Ellicott does in Murder at a London Finishing School, the seventh in her Beryl and Edwina Mysteries.  The result is a winner.

For those new to the series, it is set in 1920’s England.  Edwina Davenport has lived most of her life in a small English village, but she became friends with American adventuress Beryl Helliwell when they both went to Miss DuPont’s Finishing School for Young Ladies as teens.  The two have remained friends, and have recently reconnected when Beryl moved in with Edwina.  Together, the two have also started an enquiry agency that has handled some local problems that always seem to lead to murder.

Thanks to some articles that have been written about their cases, Miss DuPont has heard about their new business, so she reaches out to them when the school starts having problems that have been enough to drive away some of the girls.  And enrollment was too low to begin with.  Miss DuPont asks them to come and find out what is happening.

When they arrive, they are delighted to reconnect with some of the staff they remember from their time there.  They are even surprised to find a couple of their fellow students are there as well.  They aren’t finding many clues as to the problems the school is having, however.  Then they find a dead body.  Has the prankster escalated to murder?

If you are someone who wants the body to drop early on, you might find this book’s beginning slow.  I didn’t feel that way.  There was enough going on with introducing the characters and the initial investigation to keep us entertained.  In fact, I wasn’t expecting the body to show up until right before it did.

And once that happens, things kick up another notch.  There are plenty of viable suspects and secrets to keep Edwina and Beryl confused and us guessing about what was really going on.  I did find the ending a little rushed, but when I stopped to think about what the duo had uncovered, it all made sense.

Since the book almost completely takes place outside of the normal series setting, we don’t see very many of the regulars.  A couple have cameos, but the rest are only mentioned.  That means you could jump in here and not miss much as far as ongoing storylines.

But Edwina and Beryl revisiting this school from twenty years ago gives them a chance to reflect and grow as characters.  I enjoyed the insights we got into them.  And the new characters are more complex than they first appear, which I appreciated.

The time period also finds its way into the book.  While this isn’t a book where real historical events are playing a direct part in the story, the things that society is dealing with overall work their way into the book and infuse the characters and story.  It’s an interesting look at the changes happening in society at the time.

All of this makes Murder at a London Finishing School well worth reading.  You’ll enjoy your trip back in time with Edwina and Beryl.

Enjoy the rest of the Beryl and Edwina Mysteries.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book.