Callie Hutton writes a strong debut cozy mystery in A Study in Murder, set in 1890 Bath. Lady Amy Lovell is a mystery writer, but at the insistence of her father, she has kept this fact secret. She also is engaged to Ronald St. Vincent, a man she doesn’t particularly care for, as a result of pressure from her father, the Marquess of Winchester. Then Amy gets an anonymous letter telling her that St. Vincent deals in opium, supplying people with it illegally. After discovering the truth of this letter, Amy breaks off her engagement. However, a few days later, while Amy is awaiting the visit of Lord William Wethington, a fellow member of the Bath Mystery Book Club, her maid tells her that St. Vincent has arrived. But when Amy goes to the library, the room is empty. At least, she thinks it is. Then she stumbles across his body, stabbed in the heart. When the police arrive, they quickly jump to the conclusion that Amy killed her ex-fiance. Amy realizes she must investigate to find the real murderer and enlists William in helping her.
This historical mystery was highly enjoyable, with some interesting details about the investigation. I liked the team of Amy and William and how they work together, supporting each other’s strengths well. The mystery story is what particularly caught my interest. Only some of the characters made a genuine connection with me though.
Despite my really enjoying A Study in Murder, there were several things that would have made it stronger. I would have liked to have seen more details of 1890’s Bath, as, other than the use of carriages, the book could almost have been set in the present time. I also would have liked to see more connection to Amy’s writing career, which I think would have made the book stronger. Finally, I didn’t think that the title of the series fit the book. It’s called a Victorian Book Club Mystery, but the book club serves as only a minor setting for scenes in the book and has no particular relevance to the plot of the book.
This book’s audio edition, performed by Rosie Akerman, gives a strong sense of the characters and their adventures. In particular, listeners hear the shock of Amy as she discovers the body. However, Akerman mispronounces words regularly throughout the book, and that gets in the way of the listening experience. Two words that I noticed mispronounced several times were viscount and tisane, and there were plenty more. That did get in the way of the listening experience to some degree.
A Study in Murder, despite my reservations about certain elements, proved to be a good book that kept my attention while I was listening to it. I hardly wanted to turn off the Audible app on my phone and listened to the book almost straight through. Unfortunately, I did have to sleep at one point, so I finished the book in the morning. I recommend this book and give it four stars.
