Book Description
Kitty Underhay is dancing… with death
Winter 1934. Kitty Underhay is enjoying a night off from wedding planning as she attends a charity ball at the home of Lady Eliza Foxley. She’s excited to see her father, roguish Edgar Underhay, who is also a guest in the house. But the evening of cocktails and waltzing turns into a dance macabre when Edgar finds their lively, fun-loving hostess dead, strangled by her own silk stocking.
Who has made this uncharitable donation to the evening’s entertainments? When suspicion falls on Edgar and he is arrested for murder, Kitty has to act fast if she doesn’t want her father walking her down the aisle in shackles. Together with her fiancé Matthew, they vow to clear Edgar’s name and discover who used hosiery to commit homicide.
Lady Eliza’s widowed sister is the main beneficiary of her will, but before Kitty and Matt can question her, she is struck down by a severe case of poisoning. Time is running out for Kitty to solve this case and make it to the church on time. But with a devious killer on the loose, will she end up leaving as a newlywed, or newly dead…?
An absolutely addictive and unputdownable Golden Age cosy murder mystery full of twists! Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, T E Kinsey and Lee Strauss.
BLOG TOUR REVIEW
Review for 'Murder At The Charity Ball' by Helena Dixon.
Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Helena Dixon, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous
Publication date 20th January 2023
This is the sixth book I have read by this author. It is also the eleventh book in the 'Miss Underhay' series but can be read as a standalone. I have previously read 'Murder On The Dance Floor', 'Murder At The Wedding', 'Murder In First Class', 'Murder At Elm House' and 'Murder At The Country Club' which I would highly recommend.
I was originally drawn to this book by its gorgeous eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'The Perfect read for fans of fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss.' I am a huge fan of Agatha Christie so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a huge fan of Helena and if this is as good as 'Murder On The Dance Floor', 'Murder At The Wedding', 'Murder In First Class', 'Murder At The Country Club' and 'Murder At Elm House' it is sure to be a good read. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).
This novel consists of a prologue and 23 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is based in Paignton, Devon, UK 🇬🇧 . I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have in fact visited Devon on many occasions including this year so am looking forward to possibly recognising name places.
This book is written in third person perspective and the main protagonists are Kitty Underhay and Captain Matthew Bryant. I enjoy books written in third person with several protagonists as it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters.
Yet another fantastic murder mystery by the very talented Helena Dixon!!! Congratulations 🎊 🎉 🎈
This book was very well written and I do believe some research went into it as everything linked correctly in with the era it was set in. It is a real bug bear for me when I read a historical novel and the author hasn't done their research and gets basic information mixed up so well done Helena!! It was very well written and I found the synopsis and the cover fitted the storyline perfectly, The descriptions were great and it really felt as if I was in the story.
The storyline was very interesting and fast paced. Helena completely emerges the reader into the storyline. There was the main storyline based on the deaths but you also had the side storyline of Esther Hammett who is threatening Kitty after the death of Ezekial. I absolutely loved that this murder mystery took place in such beautiful settings and a variety of them in this book means you get to explore even more! I found the settings very atmospheric and it was even more exciting as there was a very small amount of suspects. I really enjoyed that it was set in the past and the storyline really suited that. It really is a nice cozy mystery that will keep you guessing throughout. At no point did I suspect who was doing what or why so a huge well done there Helena!!! I have read many a mystery and find that I am working out the killer/perp quicker every time and there's nothing worse than working out who did what when your need even half way through a book. Not only is this quite a suspense and action filled mystery but there was just the right amount of quirkiness, laughter and romance to give it a nice mix!!! A fun, addictive, unputdownable cozy crime mystery. This is a fantastic series and if you have never read any of Helena's previous books then you are definitely missing out. I, personally, would like to add that I think each storyline has got better and better which is a very rare thing for a series. I also loved the cliffhanger at the end!!
Although this is the eleventh book in the series I would have had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.
I am really invested in the characters and really enjoyed Kitty and her fantastic and quirky personality!!! In fact all of the characters had their own individual personalities which worked really well with each other. I especially loved that we finally get to meet Kitty's father Edgar Underhay although not in the best of circumstances considering he is under suspicion of murder. They have all become like a family to me and I always hate saying goodbye to them at the end of the book. I am looking forward to meeting them all again in the next 'episode' of Miss Underhay's adventures which I'm sure will be just as exciting as this one!! I absolutely adored that Kitty and Matt are getting married which has been a long time coming and I'm thoroughly looking forward to what promises to be a very exciting wedding as Kitty does not do anything by halves but will they get to say I do with everything going on? You'll just have to pick up a copy to find out!! I also adore the fact that we get to see more of Bertie the dog more who made an explosive entrance in 'Murder In First Class' (so make sure you don't miss out on that amazing page turner!) and is a fantastic addition to what is an absolutely addictive series!!!
Well done Helen on yet another fantastic success and here's to the next addition to an addictive page turning series 🥂!!!
Overall a perfect mix of mystery, crime, romance, laughter and quirkiness which kept me turning the pages late at night!!
Genres covered in this novel include Historical, Cozy Mystery, Cozy Animal Mystery, Private Investigator Mystery, English Crime, Murder Mysteries, Women Sleuths and Crime among others.
I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of Agatha Christie, T.E. Kinsey and Lee Strauss and anyone looking for a nice easy mystery to read while curled up in front of the fire.
285 pages.
This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle, free on kindle unlimited and £7.99 in paperback (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Helena Dixon splits her time between the Black Country and Devon. Married to the same man for over thirty-five years she has three daughters, a cactus called Spike, and a crazy cockapoo. She is allergic to adhesives, apples, tinsel and housework. She was winner of The Romance Prize in 2007 and Love Story of the Year 2010 as Nell Dixon. She now writes historical 1930's set cozy crime.
Social Media
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Purchase Link
Amazon UK: https://geni.us/B0BJ2HQ7MSsocial
