Review copy was received from NetGalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Murder in the Blitz by FL Everett Series: Edie York Mystery #1
Published by Bookouture on September 21, 2023
Genres: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 312
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
Goodreads
Amazon
England, December 1940: All Edie York has ever wanted is to be a real reporter, investigating daring hot-off-the-press pieces in her smartest pencil skirt. Instead, she’s stuck answering the telephones on her local newspaper, battling her worn-out typewriter and its missing ‘v’, and coughing through the Chief Editor’s pipe smoke as he dictates the wartime headlines.
So when Edie stumbles upon the seemingly accidental death of a Home Guard soldier, she’s determined to investigate fully. Maybe, if she can find out what happened and make a story out of it, she might be given just a few column inches of her own. What Edie doesn’t expect, though, is for her first (self-appointed) assignment to turn her from secretary to sleuth in less time than it takes to type ‘murder’.
With the local police, under the utterly irritating (but outrageously handsome) DCI Louis Brennan , stretched to the limit as bombs rain down, Edie alone has the time, and determination, to investigate. Despite Louis’ best efforts to keep her off the scent and her nose out of his police business, Edie discovers something that neither of them can afford to write off. Another body, whose identity will be on every front page in two seconds flat.
Desperate to prevent a further murder, Edie strides out into the blackout to find answers, an exasperated Louis hot on her tail as she plunges headlong into the mystery. Will Edie unveil the murderer and make headline news, her name in print at last – or will she be next…?
A Home Guard obituary story, a gunshot, and off goes intrepid Edie York to crack her first case and convince her boss at the newspaper that she’s got the right stuff for investigative journalism. Set against the background of 1940 Manchester during WWII, Murder at the Blitz appealed to my new growing interest in historical cozy mysteries.
Murder in the Blitz is a first in series and like many of the same takes a bit to really get rolling with the plot. FL Everett painted a colorful and historically authentic setting against which protagonist, Edie York lives. The cultural situation for women joining the workforce in places that were once only a man’s world like a newspaper office and the home front in time of war like ration cards, bomb shelters, gas masks, and local home guard troops was organic to the story.
Edie’s got spunk and is bored stiff acting as a secretary, transcriber, and dogsbody at the paper. She pushes for a promotion and gets it writing the obituary column, but that is not her end game. She intends to be a flashy war time investigative journalist. So, when a suspicious death happens while she’s on the spot, she naively jumps in and starts tracking clues. How hard can it be? She’s read plenty of murder mysteries.
Oys, this gal was as gullible as it gets and was lucky to survive her first case. The reader is able to see what Edie cannot and it was frustrating and agonizing at first and, well, for a while. But, she does learn even as she irritates the irascible police inspector who finally steps in to help her and the amateur squad she has brought together.
The murder mystery took to nearly the end to really grab me, but it did. Edie annoyed me a lot, but also showed growth and pluckiness that I respected and think I can learn to like her over the long haul. I think its possible Edie was supposed to have a pretty big growth arc as a detective through the series and I’m curious to keep going and see if I’m right. So, I’ll recommend this one to other historical cozy fans with the understanding that the book is a slow starter and the detective is starting without any super sleuth skills just determination.
As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing.Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators.Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance.Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.
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I enjoyed your review, Sophia. I get that sometimes the first in a series takes time to pull you in. I love your spooky blog header!
I think you are so right, Laura. This is one that I think will get better and better over the long haul.
I do love a spunky heroine; it’s too bad Edie was also frustratingly annoying.
Oh yeah, she was a little of both. 🙂
My grandmother actually worked for a newspaper in London around WWII era! She was also employed as a secretary/transcriber too! What a neat coincidence. She had so many stories, as she lived through both WWI and WWII in Europe, born in 1905, she was just a little girl during WWI, but remembered it well. Rationing, bomb shelters; it was such a different, scary time. I miss her!
I’ll check this out!
Oh wow, that is amazing and so cool for you to have her life experience stories, Rachel.
Sounds like a slow start but maybe worth the time. I’ll wait to see your thoughts about the second book. I do love historical mysteries!
Yeah, it had some solid bones. I’m dithering whether I want to keep going or not. We’ll see.
It sounds like this had promise but I think that I might have been annoyed by Edie before it was all over.
Yeah, that’s a good summation. I’m not sure if I’ll keep going to see if she grows into a wiser detective or not.
I love the time period and the premise but I think Edie would drive me crazy! Thanks for saving me the frustration.
Yeah, when she thought her brand new boyfriend was in the clear and another guy was suspect because he was low class, I was rolling my eyes. Maybe she gets better in later books. Oh yes, the background setting was fab.
Interesting find! The cover wouldn’t have dragged me in, but the summary doesn’t sound too bad!
It has a style that reminds me of the time period, but yeah, cover doesn’t rush out at you. The story backdrop paints it all in well.