LoveReading Says
The new Miss Clara Vale Mysteries series takes off in captivating style with The Picture House Murders. Clara is frustratingly unable start a career using her Oxford University science degree. When she inherits her uncle’s Newcastle detective agency in 1929, which includes a laboratory, arson and murder await. Clara is wonderfully ahead of her time, she is determined and extremely likeable. Author Fiona Veitch Smith’s previous series Poppy Denby Investigates also contains a forward-thinking female investigator, if you were a fan then I’m quite sure you will also fall in love with Clara. The focus on science within the scene of the crime is really interesting. The sense of place is vivid, Newcastle comes alive, and the jam-jar cinema just sings. The murder mystery element sits perfectly against Clara learning the ropes of being a private investigator. Alive with 1920’s flare, The Picture House Murders is an entertaining, oh-so readable start to a new series.
Liz Robinson
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The Picture House Murders Synopsis
Murder is no occupation for a lady... or is it?
1929: Miss Clara Vale is a woman ahead of her time. Rather than attending Oxford to bag an eligible Duke (as her mother, Lady Vale, so desperately hoped), she threw herself into a degree in chemistry, with aspirations to become a scientist in her own right.
But the world isn't ready for Clara. Unable to land a job in science because she's a woman, she is stuck behind the desk at a dingy London library.
Until her estranged uncle dies suddenly, leaving her his private detective agency, and laboratory, in his will.
Clara couldn't become a detective, could she?
The decision is made for her when one of her uncle's old clients comes to her for help with a case surrounding the local picture house and invites Clara to see the latest show, before they discuss the details.
But during the film, a fire suddenly engulfs the picture house, with tragic consequences.
It seems at first an accident, but Clara soon begins to question if it was in fact a carefully orchestrated murder.
She's suddenly in the middle of a deadly mystery and will discover her scientific skills make her a sleuth to be reckoned with... Can she catch the killer before they strike again?
The first in a brand-new, glittering Golden Age cozy mystery series. Fans of Verity Bright, Helena Dixon and TE Kinsey will be hooked from the very first page to the breathtaking finale.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781471414473 |
| Publication date: |
29th August 2023 |
| Author: |
Fiona Veitch Smith |
| Publisher: |
Embla Books |
| Format: |
Ebook (Epub) |
| Primary Genre |
Crime and Mystery
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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About Fiona Veitch Smith
Formerly a journalist, Fiona Veitch Smith is now an author of books for adults and children. She has also written theatre plays and screenplays. Her adult mystery series set in the 1920s, Poppy Denby Investigates, is published by Lion Fiction. The first book in the series, The Jazz Files, is a nominee for the Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Endeavour Historical Dagger award, 2016. The second, The Kill Fee, was published in September 2016. For more on the Poppy Denby Investigates series including background material on the 1920s, film reels, period fashion and fabulous jazz recordings visit www.poppydenby.com
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