The Soho Jazz Murders

1920s Murder Mystery, Book 2

By: Anna Sayburn Lane

Narrated by: Kim Bretton

Flappers meet gangsters in the hottest jazz club in Soho. Step back into the roaring twenties with a captivating mystery set in 1920s London. When a night of jazz and dancing with the American ambassador’s niece ends in tragedy, apprentice detective Marjorie Swallow is thrust into a world of shady cocaine deals and opium dens.

To discover the truth, she goes undercover as a dance hostess at the notorious Harlequin club and confronts the menacing Armstrong brothers. The quest for answers takes unexpected turns, with secrets lurking in the shadows of Soho and closer to home. Join the dauntless Marjorie on her second thrilling adventure in the 1920s Murder Mystery series.

©2024 Anna Sayburn Lane (P)2025 Anna Sayburn Lane

A early 19xx mystery without harsh language or gunfights

Clever plot to keep one thinking about who the murderer is without excessive violence or sickening analysis of a main character. I want to listen to a mystery, not a political statement or in-depth analysis of a hard life. My life is hard enough. I want escapism. This story meets that need.

Engaging Read

Another intriguing outing with Marjorie and Mrs. Jameson. I do enjoy their investigations, even though I identified the culprits fairly early on. There is good character development, with interesting settings, and I enjoy time with the jazz musicians. That said, I admit I am not feeling any chemistry beyond friendship between Freddy and Marjorie. I preferred the hinted connection in the first book with the good Inspector, regardless of the age difference. Time will tell, but I hope for a good romance mixed with solid mysteries going forward.

A fast paced, fun Golden Age Mystery

The Soho Jazz Murders was another top tier cozy mystery for me. The story was well paced, the investigation and the action were perfectly timed.

We meet up again with Marjorie and Ms Jameson... who are asked by an old friend of Ms Jameson to meet and lightly investigate his niece. Then murder happens. Majorie goes undercover in a Jazz Club as part of the investigation and becomes embroiled in the grittier aspects of London.

For a cozy mystery, I would say this hits all my buttons on being a little darker, a little more "real life" and thereby, I loved it.

The mystery was well done and while I narrowed down my suspect list, I wasn't prepared for a late horse to enter the race which was glorious and fun.

LGBT representation again with a prominent character. Little hints of romance for Marjorie.

Overall, I am a solid fan of this series and definitely recommend if you like the cozy genre with a little bit of grit.

The audio was brilliantly performed by Kim Bretton, who has become one of my favorite narrators.