T. A. Willberg

The letter was short. A name, a time, a place. Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder plunges readers into the heart of London, to the secret tunnels that exist far beneath the city streets. There, a mysterious group of detectives recruited for Miss Brickett's Investigations & Inquiries use their cunning and gadgets to solve crimes that have stumped Scotland Yard. Late one night in April 1958, a filing assistant for Miss Brickett's named Michelle White receives a letter warning her that a heinous act is about to occur. She goes to investigate but finds the room empty. At the stroke of midnight, she is murdered by a killer she can't see--her death the only sign she wasn't alone. It becomes chillingly clear that the person responsible must also work for Miss Brickett's, making everyone a suspect. Almost unwillingly, Marion Lane, a first-year Inquirer-in-training, finds herself being drawn ever deeper into the investigation. When her friend and mentor is framed for the crime, to clear his name she must sort through the hidden alliances at Miss Brickett's and secrets dating back to WWII. Masterful, clever and deliciously suspenseful, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a fresh take on the Agatha Christie--style locked-room mystery with an exciting new heroine detective at the helm.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder

*An atmospheric supernatural mystery blending several genres*

 sounded intriguing but the reviews were extremely mixed. I added it to my TBR but quickly got distracted by other books and forgot to read this one. Since I'm making an effort to read through more of my backlist, I decided to give this a go. And reading 

 left me in the mood for more cold war mysteries, so I was eager to see if 

In 1958, a secret organization lurks in the tunnels under London. They solve crimes the police can't and work to keep the peace. But when one of their own is murdered in their own headquarters, rookie Inquirer Marion Lane is thrust into the deadly investigation in an organization that might be hiding far more than she ever knew.

Part of the issue of why this book has low ratings is likely that it is a hard book to classify. If you look through the reviews, you will see it compared to 

. Strange bedfellows for sure. It shows that people have no idea how to classify it and are just throwing popular names out there and hoping something sticks. But I can easily see how the wide variety of disparate comparisons could give people false impressions of what to expect from this book. Also, don’t confuse it with 

There is a very slight Fantasy element to 

 And most of the magical elements are closer to Steampunk than actual magic. I’m just warning readers not to expect spells and dragons and such. And although investigators are trained and housed within the secret headquarters, comparing it to Hogwarts is still pretty misleading.

The gadgets combined with the clandestine agency are probably where the 

 comparisons come in, but since most of the felt more Steampunk than futuristic-spy, I don’t think that comparison really fits either. 

 is the closest comparison since it is a locked room murder mystery with a British setting and takes place at the same time as some of Christie’s work. It makes sense that that was the comparison the publisher stuck with. Although it doesn’t cover the hints of supernatural. Personally, the closest book I can think of is 

 which had a similar setting and was also a mashup of different genres. Though at least 

 stuck to focusing on the murder mystery and didn’t turn out to just be a romance like 

 did. Still, the atmosphere of mystery with hints of Steampunk was similar.

The story did have a slow start. It took a while to set everything up. And the reader is introduced to a lot of characters in a short period of time, so it was a confusing start. Nevertheless, I found the story engaging enough even if it did require suspension of belief.

 did have more diverse than was typical for the time period. The organization was founded and ran by a woman (a former Bletchley Park code breaker at that – which was a nice historical touch) and staffed by people of varying races and classes. It was certainly more diverse than most companies in London at the time. 

On the downside, character development was sacrificed for most of the characters for the purpose of obscuring the killer.

 While that did keep the plot rolling, it meant Marion was really the only character how got enough development.

There were a lot of the supernatural elements that were left unexplained as well as things about Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries. But I have a feeling they will be expanded on in the rest of the series – which I plan to continue reading. Although this story can’t be neatly categorized, I found it interesting and distinctive.

Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars

Colleen

4 Stars

*An atmospheric supernatural mystery blending several genres*


Marion Lane and the Midnight Murders sounded intriguing but the reviews were extremely mixed. I added it to my TBR but quickly got distracted by other books and forgot to read this one. Since I'm making an effort to read through more of my backlist, I decided to give this a go. And reading They Came to Baghdad left me in the mood for more cold war mysteries, so I was eager to see if Marion Lane and the Midnight Murders fit the bill.

In 1958, a secret organization lurks in the tunnels under London. They solve crimes the police can't and work to keep the peace. But when one of their own is murdered in their own headquarters, rookie Inquirer Marion Lane is thrust into the deadly investigation in an organization that might be hiding far more than she ever knew.


Now she realized how significant this unpretentious façade was, not just as a defense against public intrusion and curiosity, but as a reminder that sometimes the extraordinary existed just below the surface of the ordinary. The bookshop was a link to the outside world, to stability and normality, and a portal into the mysterious and intoxicating world of Inquiry.


Part of the issue of why this book has low ratings is likely that it is a hard book to classify. If you look through the reviews, you will see it compared to Agatha Christie, James Bond, Sherlock Holmes, and Harry Potter. Strange bedfellows for sure. It shows that people have no idea how to classify it and are just throwing popular names out there and hoping something sticks. But I can easily see how the wide variety of disparate comparisons could give people false impressions of what to expect from this book. Also, don’t confuse it with Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders; that’s a totally separate series.

Of the comparisons for this book, Harry Potter is the one that makes the least sense. There is a very slight Fantasy element to Marion Lane and the Midnight Murders, but it is closer to Magical Realism. And most of the magical elements are closer to Steampunk than actual magic. I’m just warning readers not to expect spells and dragons and such. And although investigators are trained and housed within the secret headquarters, comparing it to Hogwarts is still pretty misleading.

The gadgets combined with the clandestine agency are probably where the James Bond comparisons come in, but since most of the felt more Steampunk than futuristic-spy, I don’t think that comparison really fits either. Agatha Christie is the closest comparison since it is a locked room murder mystery with a British setting and takes place at the same time as some of Christie’s work. It makes sense that that was the comparison the publisher stuck with. Although it doesn’t cover the hints of supernatural. Personally, the closest book I can think of is The Watchmaker of Filigree Street which had a similar setting and was also a mashup of different genres. Though at least Marion Lane and the Midnight Murders stuck to focusing on the murder mystery and didn’t turn out to just be a romance like The Watchmaker of Filigree Street did. Still, the atmosphere of mystery with hints of Steampunk was similar.

The story did have a slow start. It took a while to set everything up. And the reader is introduced to a lot of characters in a short period of time, so it was a confusing start. Nevertheless, I found the story engaging enough even if it did require suspension of belief.


But that was the thing about death, as Marion knew so well. No matter how much the deceased were loved, life does not wait for the grieving. Though on the inside everything will change and what used matter falls away, the routine and ordinary remain unchallenged.


Marion Lane and the Midnight Murders did have more diverse than was typical for the time period. The organization was founded and ran by a woman (a former Bletchley Park code breaker at that – which was a nice historical touch) and staffed by people of varying races and classes. It was certainly more diverse than most companies in London at the time. On the downside, character development was sacrificed for most of the characters for the purpose of obscuring the killer. While that did keep the plot rolling, it meant Marion was really the only character how got enough development.

There were a lot of the supernatural elements that were left unexplained as well as things about Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries. But I have a feeling they will be expanded on in the rest of the series – which I plan to continue reading. Although this story can’t be neatly categorized, I found it interesting and distinctive.


RATING FACTORS:
Ease of Reading: 4 Stars
Writing Style: 3 Stars
Characters and Character Development: 3 Stars
Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars
Level of Captivation: 3 Stars
Originality: 4 Stars

Lacey Feigl

A bright eyed and bushy tailed Marion Lane works for a secret detective organization in 1950s London. ”Miss Brickett’s Investigations & Inquiries” has it’s headquarters below an old bookshop located in the miles of hidden tunnels below the city. But when a murder takes place inside the organization, the detectives realize it was one of their own who committed the crime. Marion knows that her accused friend isn’t capable of murder and takes it upon herself to solve the case putting herself in imminent danger.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is 327 pages long and took me six days to read.

I absolutely adored this book and am giving it a 4.5 out of 5! I’m praying that this is a series because I didn’t want this book to end!! Highly recommend it to everyone!!

Thank you, Park Row Books, for sending me this copy!

Here’s to the adventure of finding a novel novel!

Lacey

'The most fun I've had with a book this year. Every page is a delight' Stuart Turton, author of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle They were a band of mysterious private detectives who lived beneath the streets of London in a labyrinth of twisted tunnels and ancient hallways, the entrance to which no one had ever found. The Inquirers were something of a myth, a whispered legend that may or may not exist, depending on whom you asked. They were like ghosts, some said, these sleuths who guarded the city... London, 1958: Elaborately disguised and hidden deep beneath the city's streets lies the world of Miss Brickett's, a secret detective agency, training and housing the mysterious Inquirers. From traversing deceptive escape rooms full of baited traps and hidden dangers, to engineering almost magical mechanical gadgets, apprentice detectives at Miss Brickett's undergo rigorous training to equip them with the skills and knowledge they will need to solve the mysteries that confound London's police force. But nothing can prepare 23-year-old apprentice Marion Lane for what happens after the arrest of her friend and mentor Frank on suspicion of murder: he has tasks Marion with clearing his name and saving his life. Her investigation will place Marion and her friends in great peril as they venture into the forbidden maze of uncharted tunnels that surround Miss Brickett's. Being discovered out of bounds means immediate dismissal, but that is the least of Marion's problems when she discovered that the tunnels contain more than just secrets... Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is the first installation in a fantastical historical mystery series for fans of Stuart Turton's The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and Natasha Pulley's The Watchmaker of Filigree Street.

An Inquirers Mystery

Judy McClure

An intriguing premise. A darker story then I anticipated. Marion is a character that worked her way into my heart and I cared very much about her and her wellbeing. I look forward to the next book in this series to see where the author takes her from here.

Heather Harrington

*I received a copy of this via the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Deep below the streets of London lies a secretive detective agency called Miss Brickett's Investigations & Inquiries. The mysterious detectives of Miss Brickett's use their cunning, wiles, and secret gadgets to solve crimes that have stumped the likes of Scotland Yard. One night, a filing assistant receives a letter of warning and goes to investigate but finds only an empty room...or so she thought. When her body is found, it becomes clear that the culprit had to be someone else who works at Miss Brickett's, meaning everyone within its walls is a suspect.

Against her better wishes, first-year Inquirer-in-training, Marion Lane, finds herself being dragged into the murder investigation. When her friend and mentor is framed for the assistant's murder, Marion vows to clear his name. Her investigation takes her all over the winding tunnels of Miss Brickett's, into hidden rooms and secrets that have been buried since WWII. Without knowing who can be trusted, will Marion be able to ferret out the true murderer before it's too late?

The premise of this sounded very twisty and suspenseful, but it sadly fell flat for me. I like my mysteries to be quite fast-paced, and this was just too slow for my tastes. There was a ton of exposition which made it feel too long-winded, and I found myself skim reading for most just trying to get to some action. The actual mystery was fine, it wasn't the best I've ever read and it does get a little confusing at times due to so many moving parts. The characters were also just fine, but a bit underdeveloped and one-note. That was my biggest issue with this: it was just meh. It had such potential to be a cool atmospheric murder mystery, but it just stayed at one level and never peaked. All in all, this was just a bummer.

Megan Leprich

*Thanks to Park Row Books and NetGalley for the complimentary copy for my honest review*

Am I the only one that had the worst time telling the characters apart? They all seemed to blend into each other and I honestly couldn't tell which perspective we were talking from at certain times. The "mystery" also fell pretty flat for me, I didn't care enough about it and was really struggling to finish this book. Also I'm really not sure how this book is being compared to Harry Potter, it had the fantastical elements but that's about it.

Lisa Beasley

I really enjoyed this, Marion is a brilliant character and the story was really clever and intriguing. I love the setting and it def had an Agatha Christie type vibe to it. 

Definitely looking forward to more.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder

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