This is a fabulous modern day cosy locked room mystery set in London. While it is modern it has a classic mystery feel. It follows Audrey Brooks a house cleaner and her neighbour Lewis McLennon who is a crime writer/ recruitment agent. Its set in the beautiful setting of 10 Marchfield Square. The book is written primarily from Audrey and Lewis’s POV’S.
Audrey finds a body in a room of one of the homes she is cleaning. This home belongs to a Russian Oligarch. She calls the police but when they arrive the body has disappeared and the crime scene spotless. Audrey and Lewis begin their investigation but the only clue is an antique clock that is 4 minutes behind….
Even though the story is set in the modern day, it has a whimsical old time feel. The antique clocks and the Marchfield Square residents add to this atmosphere.
This is an extremely well written novel. There were clues along the way but it wasn’t predictable which I loved. The author has a clear writing style that was easy to read. While it delves into series topics its written in a funny, light hearted way. I like how the characters and writing style were consistent with the first novel in the series.
I really liked all of the characters in this novel. The novel has diverse representation such as LGBT+, disability, older people that was protrade well and complimented the story without being overpowering. In my opinion all characters were represented well.
Audrey and Lewis’s dynamic worked really well in this novel. They complimented each other nicely. Their scenes were written very well and was charming to read. I liked them both as characters. I really hope if there are more novels that they don’t become romantically involved as they work well as friends. It also would allow for further characters to be introduced and plot lines to develop .
Celeste and Dixon were definitely my favourite duo. Although we get the occasional POV from Celeste I feel I wanted more form her and Dixon. They were so mysteries and loved their dynamic. I really would have liked more time with them in this novel.
Mei was a really interesting character for me. I again would like to see more from her in future books. Having more focus on the actual criminal prosecution or law enforcement would be interesting.
The narration for this book was good and easy to listen too. A bit slow for my liking but was ok once I sped up. It would benefit from a PDF download of 10 Marchfield Square to help visualise the residence.
This book was really well written. All the characters were very believable and well thought out. I liked how the author touched on issues such as the cost of living crisis.