The London Murder Mysteries #1 : Death in Dulwich by Alice Castle @DDsDiary @crookedcatbooks @rararesources #blogtour

It’s a pleasure to welcome you all to my stop on the blog tour for The London Murder Mysteries by Alice Castle. This series currently consists of two books : Death in Dulwich and The Girl in the Gallery. For my stop, I’m reviewing the first one.

Author : Alice Castle
Title : Death in Dulwich
Series : The London Murder Mysteries #1
Pages : 219
Publisher : Crooked Cat Books
Publication date : September 6, 2017

Thirty-something single mum, Beth Haldane, has her hands full – with a bouncy young son, a haughty cat, a fringe with a mind of its own, and bills to pay. She loves her little home in plush London suburb Dulwich, but life here doesn’t come cheap.

She is thrilled to land the post of archivist at top local school, Wyatt’s, though she secretly fears she’s not up to the job. But even Beth couldn’t have imagined how badly things could go, until she discovers a hideous crime and finds herself prime suspect.

Setting out to clear her name, Beth encounters a cast of characters who will follow her through the London Murder Mystery series, proving along the way that the nicest places can hide the nastiest secrets.

Welcome to the village of Dulwich. Where appearances matter a great deal. From wonderfully maintained homes to the yummy-mummies at the school gates and children with a multitude of extra-curricular activities that will surely catapult them into a future that holds big mansions, flashy cars and lots of money and status.

How inconvenient then that Beth Haldane, on her first day at a new job, should find a dead body near the bins on the playground of the top local school, Wyatt’s. Since Beth has no alibi, she worries she may end up being the prime suspect and she sets out to investigate on her own to try and find the culprit of this crime.

Beth is one of those characters you warm to from the moment you meet her. There’s something incredibly likeable about this thirty-something single mum. Thrilled as she is to land the job of assistant archivist at Wyatt’s, she also fears she’s not up to the job and wonders how on earth she got it in the first place. However, she’s determined to make a good go of it, hoping the money she earns can be put aside to give her son the best start in life.

Death in Dulwich is a wonderful introduction to a new cosy crime series. Alice Castle really brings the village to life and there is always something fun about an ordinary person finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances. The mystery itself kept me guessing until the end. I couldn’t at all figure out who the killer was, especially because it seemed the victim wasn’t particularly liked so the list of potential suspects was quite long.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cosy mystery.  If gore and gruesomeness isn’t quite your thing but you do like a bit of crime fiction, then this is for you. I’m sure Dulwich and its residents have many more stories to tell.

Death in Dulwich is available to buy!

Amazon US | Amazon UK | Goodreads

Alice Castle lives in South London with her two children, two stepchildren, two cats and her husband. She was a feature writer on the Daily Express for many years and has written for most other national newspapers. She has a degree in Modern History from St Andrews University, is the British Royalty expert for Flemish TV, and lived in Brussels for eight years.

Author links : Twitter