In Cases of Murder by Jan Edwards

Author: Jan Edwards 

Title: In Cases of Murder 

Publisher: Penkhull Press

Published: 2022

Pages: 218

Genre: Murder Mystery 

     When the body of Laura Jarman is discovered crammed inside a steamer trunk and dumped on a Brighton railway station platform, her wealthy industrialist family is shouting for answers, but their reluctance to cooperate with the investigation arouses suspicion. Shortly after, a second body - Laura's flatmate Kitty ­- is discovered in similar circumstances. That links Laura and Kitty to the private gentlemen's parties held in a country house on the edge of sleepy Wyncombe village, and what is Laura's family so desperate to conceal? Bunch Courtney and DCI William Wright find themselves racing along a convoluted trail through munitions factories and London clubs to a final shocking end.

     I would like to start out by stating I was given a free copy of this book for a fair and honest review. Now I had never heard of this series before being offered the chance to read it. Which came about in sort of a sideways fashion.  But never the less I'm always up for reading the work of new authors to me. When it comes to historical crime fiction my exposure has mostly come in the form of the big-name authors in this genre. And honestly, I'm not sure why I have limited my delving into this genre as I love crime fiction but maybe I can change that. The plot of this book definitely grabbed me from just scanning the blurb a mixture of double murders and secrets that some would much rather keep buried. I mean come on who wouldn't want to jump into that one.  

     So coming into this book in the fourth of the series you always have to wonder how quickly you can pick up back stories and get a sense of who our heroes are.  Luckily here Edwards makes this job a fairly easy affair. It really didn't take me very long to get to grips with Bunch and what drives her to do the job she has chosen for herself. It was also great to see such a book with a woman as the lead character. Too often at least in my experience books set in this time period heavily rely on male protagonists. Such as the local coppers or a private detective working out of some flashy London abode. Bunch is someone that I greatly came to enjoy reading about. On the one hand, she knows just what she is capable of and isn't afraid to use all the tools at her disposal. But she is also very much rooted in her times and even for someone like Bunch, there are limits to just how far she can push things. But for me, it is this combination of traits that keep this book from pulling you out of its world. And throw in the side characters she has created a world that feels very of its time. Should one day you find yourself with the ability to time travel I can see you coming face to face with these heroes for better or in fact worse.  

      For me, this was a book that was more than easily able to pull me in and keep me guessing. The way the narrative has been crafted not only delivers a solid thriller but also brings about a look at the lives of the high flyers of the era. It's kind of like if you threw a couple of brutal murders within the world of Downton Abbey all thought set a few years after the events of that series. It follows in the footsteps of some of those great novels that have come before and something that British writers do so well. What we get is a well-crafted crime novel without the need to splash blood over every page. Here we are much more reliant on the mechanics of a devious murderer.  We are here to pick apart what exactly has happened that led to two bodies being discovered. And discover all those delicious secrets that will no doubt spill out along the way. It's the sort of book you could easily see being turned into a Saturday evening drama. That one that everyone talks about come Monday morning to go over the lets adventures of Bunch. 

     For a series that I had never come across before this was a book that was a real joy to get into. We get a good mix of murderous thriller and a touch of social commentary. Bunch and her cohorts delivered a twisted tale that gets under your skin and you can't help but have to discover where all this is headed to. I firmly believe that whether you are a fan of historical thrillers or the more modern set counterparts this is a book and a series that you will be more than happy to spend some time with wrapped up with your favorite choice of drink.