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?
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All the gaiety of the Palace de Danse had vanished, and the trumpets and trombones sat gleaming and silent at the musician's feet.
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(Bookouture, 8 April 2024, e-galley, 376 pages, ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, BlogTour 8 April)
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I've enjoyed other books in the series so was looking forward to A Body at the Dance Hall. This is a cosy mystery which is something I don't often read but it's a genre I like to dip in and out of now and again. Like the other books, this one starts with a bang when someone is murdered. I continue to be impressed by the world building in these books and the excellent characterisation. I found the characters and events utterly believable. Mabel is a great character and I enjoyed spending more time with her. This is a gripping read. I'd recommend it.
