“This is the most fun I’ve had with a book this year. Every page is a delight and the mystery got its hooks into me from the first chapter.” – Stuart Turton, bestselling author of The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn HardcastleThe 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 … 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 at Miss Brickett’s receives a letter of warning, detailing a name, a time, and a place. 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.
Marion Lane, a first-year Inquirer-in-training, finds herself drawn ever deeper into the investigation. When her friend and colleague 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 murder mystery, with an exciting new heroine detective.
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I absolutely loved the premise for this book: an underground detective ring with awesome spy gadgets, moving corridors, and a hidden entrance in an old bookshop?? Yes please! The premise was enough to keep me interested through the first few chapters, and there were definitely things I enjoyed throughout the book, including the author’s incredibly polished writing style, the main character’s fierce independence, and the very classic noir-style mystery.
However, this book really struggled with pacing, and I ultimately found myself dragging through the story. There were way too many characters to fully keep track of and there were a surprisingly number of scenes with a Big Reveal done through blocks of dialogue, which took some of the suspense out. There were also a lot of moments where I had trouble believing a group of apparently super smart detectives would have fallen for the Bad Guy’s ploy (I won’t spoil anything, but there were moments that seemed so obvious to the reader that it was quite frustrating when the detectives blindly followed along). I also don’t particularly understand why this book is set in post-war London, as there is very little that feels true to the time period.
While this wasn’t my favorite mystery read in the end, this was also the author’s debut, and there was enough that was unique about it to keep me interested in what else she might come out with.
This is the most fun I’ve had with a book this year. Every page is a delight and the mystery got its hooks into me from the first chapter.
I really wanted to like this book . . . The concept is extremely original, clever and creative. It was a bit genre-bending. Still not sure which category it fits. Steampunk? Historical mystery? Speculative? There were elements from each and yet as a reader I felt some of my reader expectations were violated in each. The world-building was tremendous, but the description of the various rooms/tunnels in the underground labyrinth and the detailing of the gadgetry became tedious and I began to skip large chunks of paragraphs. There is a large cast of characters, which becomes hard to remember who is who, much less form a connection with as a reader. One huge drawback for me was the foul language, much of it religiously-oriented swearing I find especially offensive and in terms of the plot totally unnecessary. One of the major genre expectations of detective/mystery fiction is that justice triumphs in the end. The villain was apprehended but the last scene where the antagonist receives his “just” desserts is very disturbing. The book was much darker than I expected. The violence depicted in the last few chapters slightly horrifying. I really wanted to like this book, but I won’t be reading the sequel.
If there’s one genre I rediscovered during the Corona pandemic it’s the detective genre. I really love it when characters in books are intelligent and a good detective has many intelligent characters to fall in love with. I was therefore very excited when Book Box Club announced that they were gonna include a detective in their box and I was even happier when I got the book and saw how pretty it was. Last week it was finally time to start our buddy read.
What I loved most about this book is the setting. Willberg really described the tunnels quite vividly and I loved getting lost and discovering all the hidden mysteries. On top of that we got a great sense of the time period, even though there were some very interesting gadgets being used and even though we were confronted with quite some advanced inventions. The mix of the historical elements with those gadgets and inventions was quite interesting.
I also really liked how the plot in this book was built up. It took a while before all the pieces of the puzzle and everything we’ve discovered clicked and made sense, but it was worth the wait. Especially because usually the conclusion to these books has to be unnaturally action packed, but in this case there was no weird drama or risk-taking without thinking. I have to admit that I would have loved a stronger motive for the villain, but since this is clearly the first book in a series there might be more!
I also really loved reading about Marion as a character. Marion had a modern feel, but somehow it didn’t really feel out of place. On top of that I liked how she changed and grew during the story. She was not the kind of woman diving head first into everything, but she really had a reason to get involved and every time she made a decision that could be a little dangerous it was easy to understand why she did it anyway.
I will for sure check out the sequel when it’s available!
I don’t know quite what to make of this story, it was certainly different. There were a good number of characters and maybe a list at the beginning would have been useful. Marion is the main character with her friend Bill. Their work was all very mysterious and secret but I must admit that I’m not into mechanical contraptions and so tended to skip over the descriptions. Marion is quite a strong and determined person. There were a number of events happening, solving the murder, relationship with the grandmother and the work that happened underground. The tense relationship with the grandmother wasn’t fully explained so more may be revealed in later books. I did have to keep reading until the end to find out who was the murderer but it wasn’t my favourite genre. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Review
It’s Sherlock Holmes meets James Bond with a heroine at the center in this explosive historical fiction thriller. The author does a great job of layering the narrative enough to weave together a complex mystery that will have readers analyzing every detail of the case and exploring this fully realized world themselves.
Marion Lane is such a fantastic new heroine in detective mystery thrillers. The character’s growth over the course of the narrative is as equally exciting as the mystery itself, which delves into the heart of London’s underground scene and the vast mythology of this secret organization. The setting and tone play perfectly with the genre and story, as the city itself becomes as alive and memorable and the cast of characters.
The Verdict
A gripping, suspenseful, and intriguing read, author T.A. Willberg’s “Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder” is a must-read narrative. The balance of character development, mystery, and setting help to elevate this historical fiction read to new heights and puts a unique spin on the classic whodunit style, closed room murder thriller storyline. With the hope that more stories within this universe will be told, this is not a book to be missed, so be sure to grab your copy today!
I found this tale to be intriguing with a little of the Harry Potter about it. I was fascinated and I will look for further tales from this author.
Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder by T.A. Willberg. Set in 1950s about a super secret detective agency that works outside the law and is housed in vast tunnels under London. Marion is a new recruit set on solving the murder of one of their own. Steampunk vibe, gadgets, shadowy figures, locked room, secret labs and moving hallways. Loved it
This is a very interesting story of mystery and some cool spy gadgets. I loved Marion and really liked Bill and Kenny. It would be fun to be a part of this inquiry agency though I don’t know if I would be able to stay underground most of the day. This has a lot of twists and turns so you are not sure who the murder was or if he had help. I received a copy of this book from Harlequin for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.
Favorite Quote:
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 to matter falls away, the routine and ordinary remain unchallenged.
My Review:
This is not my typical genre and I struggled a bit with the unfamiliar world-building, complex storylines, and vast cast of uniquely drawn and unorthodox characters, but my curiosity was well and truly poked and continually primed throughout this deeply puzzling and intriguing tale. Ms. Willberg deftly staged her scenes and players with intricate and unfailingly compelling descriptions so finely detailed that sharp visuals danced through my gray matter with the smoothness of a film reel.
This would be an excellent series for the big or small screen. The unusual storylines and writing style were polished, well-honed, and maddeningly paced; keeping me on edge with dark and gloomy settings, untrustworthy characters, questionable hidden agendas, and ingenious and creative gadgets. I coveted their resourceful tools and could put some of those items to good use for myself on a despicable neighbor or three.
It’s my first historical mystery read, so I’m super excited and it’s a debut novel, just like what they said, new author new adventure.
The story is set in 1950s post war, it’s a bit slow at the beginning, but when the suspense and mystery kicks in and the awesomeness of underground labyrinths and tunnels and the magic of metal gadgets comes up, it becomes like Miss Fisher meets Mortal Engines, it’s fun to read and all the characters are pretty unique, it’s an underground inquirers cover, so I imagine it like Hogwarts but underground, yup it’s pretty entertaining, although I feel that Marion is not as strong as I expected from a heroine, I still admire her bravery though.
Overall the whole book is like an introduction, a beginning, a start of something, hope there’ll be a sequel, I’d love to see what kind of inquirer Marion becomes and I want to know more about all mysteries in that tunnels.
If you’re looking for a historical mystery read, I think you should try this book.
whodunit, inventions, investigation, 1950s, steampunk, clandestine-agency, London, locked-room-mystery, family-dynamics, friendship, murder, murder-investigation*****
Marion Lane is a new recruit in a clandestine under-the-ground investigation agency with a difficult task ahead (even more so than the usual). She has to solve the locked-room murder of an unpleasant co-worker and clear her friend of the deed. Marion is gifted but underestimated and the agency is reminiscent of Veronica Speedwell, The Chronicles of St Mary’s, and even Inspector Gadget. There are lots of plot twists, mysterious maps, and peculiar clues. Some characters are drawn in depth, but there are others who seem to be waiting for a sequel. The publisher’s blurb is a good hook, but the story has a bit of background to overcome, so don’t expect it to hit the ground running.
I noticed some other reviewers had issues with the gadgets in a timeframe of the late 1950s, but as someone who was in grammar school at that time, I have no problem at all with it. I really loved it!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from HARLEQUIN (U.S. & Canada)/Park Row Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
The year is 1958, Marion Lane lives in postwar London with her grandmother. A time when women are expected to marry and have a family, this is the roll her grandmother expects her to follow. Marion however has a job in a bookstore, which serves as a clever cover for an underground spy organization, Miss Brickett’s Investigations and Inquiries where Marion is a first year inquirer. She was recruited a few months prior and cannot think of anything else she would like to do. She notices a difference in the air on Monday morning, there has been a murder over the weekend and Marion’s beloved mentor is accused as the only suspect. Marion along with her best friend and a new comer to the agency race to find the real killer before it is too late. I enjoyed this story, it reminded me of a classic spy movie, something you would watch in black and white. Even though some of the gadgets seemed almost futuristic the description of dress and atmosphere really gave it the vibe of classic times. The pace of the book at times was a bit slow as the author was building the characters and creating the world, but that is usually normal when setting up a book for a series. As Marion uncovers secrets that leads to her solving the crime, she shows a maturity that makes her character likable. The author created a young woman who doesn’t want to be part of the normal dregs of society and the roles that were prevalent during these times. The mystery and the why of the crime brings out a lot of confusion for Marion, she starts to question her career path and what other secrets and truths there can be at Miss Brickett’s. The other characters, although not as deeply explored as Marion are also enjoyable, they are explained more from their interactions with Marion. Highly enjoyable story with intrigue, espionage, murder, mystery, and a bit of innocent romance. Thank you #NetGalley and #Harlequin for providing a copy of this book prior to it’s publish date in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
The year is 1958, Marion Lane lives in postwar London with her grandmother. A time when women are expected to marry and have a family, this is the roll her grandmother expects her to follow. Marion however has a job in a bookstore, which serves as a clever cover for an underground spy organization, Miss Brickett’s Investigations and Inquiries where Marion is a first year inquirer. She was recruited a few months prior and cannot think of anything else she would like to do. She notices a difference in the air on Monday morning, there has been a murder over the weekend and Marion’s beloved mentor is accused as the only suspect. Marion along with her best friend and a new comer to the agency race to find the real killer before it is too late. I enjoyed this story, it reminded me of a classic spy movie, something you would watch in black and white. Even though some of the gadgets seemed almost futuristic the description of dress and atmosphere really gave it the vibe of classic times. The pace of the book at times was a bit slow as the author was building the characters and creating the world, but that is usually normal when setting up a book for a series. As Marion uncovers secrets that leads to her solving the crime, she shows a maturity that makes her character likable. The author created a young woman who doesn’t want to be part of the normal dregs of society and the roles that were prevalent during these times. The mystery and the why of the crime brings out a lot of confusion for Marion, she starts to question her career path and what other secrets and truths there can be at Miss Brickett’s. The other characters, although not as deeply explored as Marion are also enjoyable, they are explained more from their interactions with Marion. Highly enjoyable story with intrigue, espionage, murder, mystery, and a bit of innocent romance. Thank you #NetGalley and #Harlequin for providing a copy of this book prior to it’s publish date in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
This was a strange twisty type of book. A little James Bondish and a little Agatha Christie type mystery. It also has a steampunk feel to it. It all seemed a bit cloudy at first but then the smoke cleared away and a neat little mystery appears. I enjoyed the story
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy