A Body at the Dance Hall

London Ladies' Murder Club, Book 3

By: Marty Wingate

Narrated by: Naomi Frederick

Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

1922. Amateur sleuth Mabel Canning is surrounded by the bright lights of London as she chaperones a young American woman to a dance. But when someone is murdered, a deadly tango begins…

Meet plucky woman-about-town Mabel Canning, leader of the London Ladies’ Murder Club and trusted assistant to gentlewomen. When she is tasked with accompanying Roxy, a fun-loving heiress, on a glamorous night out, Mabel can’t wait to sip champagne and practice the foxtrot. But just as Roxy sashays out of sight, a mysterious man warns Mabel that the feisty young redhead is in danger. And someone is dead before the music stops...

Roxy was the last person to see the victim alive, and she stumbles into Mabel’s arms with her daffodil-yellow dress splashed with blood. Determined to protect her ward, Mabel gathers her dashing beau Winstone and her pals from the murder club. Together they trace the weapon back to the ballroom, but when its twin goes missing, it is clear time is running out to prevent another murder on the dance floor…

The police conclude the killer is in Roxy’s family, but Mabel finds herself spinning between a motley troupe of suspects. Mr Bryars, the anxious ballroom manager, is constantly tripping over himself to hide his secrets. But would he kill to protect his reputation? And young Ned Kettle may have looked dashing while waltzing around with Roxy, but he was once a notorious thief. Is the sticky-fingered rogue also a dab hand at murder?

Just as Mabel and her murder club friends quickstep closer to the truth, Roxy is kidnapped, and Mabel comes cheek to cheek with the killer. Can she save poor Roxy and herself? Or has she danced her last dance?

A delightfully witty and utterly addictive whodunnit absolutely bursting with 1920s sparkle, from USA Today bestselling author Marty Wingate. Perfect for fans of Agatha Christie, Richard Osman, Verity Bright and T.E. Kinsey.

©2024 Marty Wingate (P)2024 Bookouture, an imprint of Storyfire Ltd.

A Lovely Cozy Mystery

Ms Wingate's stories capture the reader's attention right off with amazing characters who keep evolving until we realize things are not as they seem. EXCELLENT narration which empowered the story to move swiftly, so much so I listened in one sitting.

Thoroughly Entertaining

This series just continues to delight with its perfect pitch of likeable, intelligent characters and entertaining storylines. It's 1922, and Mabel Canning continues her employment with the Useful W0men's Agency, even as she hones her skills investigating everything from lost jewelry to murder. In this third outing, Mabel's positive but realistic outlook on life has not dimmed, even when she finds her current assignment is as companion to the very American (read as challenging) 18 year old daughter of a prominent London businessman; and when murder, family intrigue, and kidnapping enter the picture, Mabel just digs a little deeper and calls on her skills and dependable group of friends.

As a modern reader who has computers, cell phones, personal transportation, etc., at my beck and call, I am always fascinated at how resourceful these characters are at uncovering information, making contact, as needed, and generally keeping their world on its axis. While I realize some of this is the beauty of fiction, I also recognize the skill of the author in researching and incorporating the realities of the world in 1920s London. It serves as a reminder that while technology may make things faster, it does not always make them better.

Mabel remains my near perfect main character with her mixture of a level head and sense of adventure, and the supporting characters, including the ever so interesting ex-detective, Park Winstone and his adorable dog, Gladys, add to this entertaining tale. As usual, I cannot wait for the next book in the series.

Naomi Frederick has done an excellent job narrating these characters in the two preceding books, but she went above and beyond in this book, very believably voicing American female and male voices of varying ages, along with the usual variety of British voices. Well done. Very well done.