I tried more than once to read this book. I really wanted to like the story, but this type of mystery is not for me. If you like the Agatha Christie type of mystery, you might love this book. I believe the writing is fairly strong. I am more of a thriller/suspense reader and didn't realize the nature of this book when I accepted a copy from the publisher.

This novel was quite a pleasant surprise! Not that I thought it would be bad, but I went into it as neutral as could be... I knew nothing about this novel, the series or the author. It was a wonderful, very British murder mystery/ detective story. A bonus for me is the time period in which it is set as I don’t read very many books set around WWI, even though I like historical fiction. In my opinion, the book works well as a standalone novel but I am now inspired to read the rest of the series.

I love a good ole cozy British murder mystery, and I love everything about choirs. So right out of the box, this was a great setup for me: murder by tuning fork during a small English village choir rehearsal. The cast of suspects was colorful and full of red herrings. The atmosphere was delicious. The main character, Chief Inspector Quinn, was surprisingly colorless; the generic Scotland Yard investigator. He could have been anyone, he was so bland. I'm not sure how you can build a series of detective novels around a bland character like this. Nevertheless, I was along for the ride until it came to the solution. I felt the solution came out of left field and was very unsatisfying. So I really enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book, but the final quarter left a bad taste in my mouth.

This is my second experience reading a book in the Silas Quinn series. This episode, set a few weeks before Christmas, 1914, finds England in the early stages of war, with many, if not most, still expecting the fighting to be over soon. The Special Crimes Unit continues to be called in on cases of extra importance.

Sir Aidan Fonthill is a man we learn about in the opening chapters from many viewpoints. We come to discover that one or more people in this well known conductor’s life may have reason to truly despise him. In the days leading up to a benefit Christmas concert, there is a murder and Quinn’s squad is called in. From there it is a matter of wearing down those possible suspects, understanding clues, and watching these characters develop.

I enjoyed the writing in this episode, with the descriptions of the environment often adding to the characters and action. It was a very different world then, with much less artificial light, reflecting moods so well.

Recommended to those who enjoy historical procedurals and mysteries.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I was excited to pick up this mystery, even though i have not read the previous installments in this series, because it promises to be a mystery that revolves around music. I enjoyed the beginning, which is very musical, as well as many of the characters, but I found the ending unsatisfying. Maybe I would have enjoyed it more had I already been familiar with the main detective, Quinn, from previous books, but as it was, I felt the book ran out of steam as it wrapped things up.

‘The Music Box Enigma’ is the sixth novel in the Silas Quinn series by R.N. Morris. Set in 1914, Quinn is a member of the Special Crimes Unit in the police and has been assigned to investigate a particularly gruesome murder – Sir Aidan Fonthill has been murdered while attending a rehearsal for his Christmas benefit concert. The novel commences begins with the discovery of Sir Aidan’s murder, and then takes a step back in time to reveal the various suspects and their motives. The number of potential killers is large and the list of motives even greater. Fonthill is a unpleasant man to say the least and I struggled to care about his actual murder. Instead, I was more interested in Quinn and his team.
There are several real-life characters included in the story such as Sir Winston Churchill and Sir Edward Elgar, which adds and amusing element to the tale. Despite a slightly perfunctory ending, this is an entertaining and amusing read

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Music Box Enigma is the sixth book in the DCI Silas Quinn series, The story works ok as a standalone but I think reading the previous books will give a person more insight into Quinn's history and methodology.

London, Winter, 1914. On the eve of an important Christmas benefit concert, conductor Lord Adrian Fonthill found murdered at his piano. This story unfolds in the vein of an Agatha Christie mystery--numerous suspects and theories discarded one by one, as Detective Chief Inspector Quinn closes in on the truth.

Read this if you enjoy atmospheric English police procedurals with lots of twists and interesting characters.

This is an excellent series and this is an excellent addition.
It's gripping and highly entertaining, it kept me hooked till the end.
The characters are quirky, fleshed out and interesting. The historical background is vivid and the solid mystery kept me guessing.
I can't wait to read the next installment, it's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A Gruesome Murder, A Series Of Baffling Events....
The sixth Silas Quinn mystery and an excellent addition to this thoroughly enjoyable series. A gruesome murder and a series of baffling events gives Silas Quinn cause for consternation. Is the answer to the crime linked to a mysterious music box? A clever and well thought out mystery with an engaging and likeable protagonist in Quinn and a colourful cast of supporting characters. Backdrop is atmospheric with an excellent sense of time and place. There are many surprises throughout a superb plot which is, as always, laced with wry humour.

I wanted to love this, but I was sort of underwhelmed. It was right up my alley with the historical fiction, this period of British history, and an interesting mystery. I think I may have done myself a disservice by not being familiar with the characters. I didn't necessarily miss anything plotwise, but it was just harder to care about Silas in the way that you care about someone you've been reading for a whole series. I will say that I'd be willing to go back and read the first one because the mystery was good enough to interest me.

I'm new to the Silas Quinn mysteries, but that was not an impediment to enjoying this title. Historical fiction plus mystery equals an intriguing story. Set in the London of World War I, this story does an excellent job of capturing the wartime atmosphere and the social mores of the era.

Fans of procedural police shows and vintage detective stories alike will find plenty to hold their interest as Quinn and his team from the Special Crimes Department at New Scotland Yard try to find the murderer of a renowned choir director. Someone obviously doesn't have the holiday spirit, since they stabbed him in the ear with a tuning fork during a rehearsal break for the Christmas concert.

The more the team investigates, the more enemies they uncover. Between his gambling debts, affairs, rudeness to others in the musical field...the list just keeps growing. And the odd music box that plays something that grates on the ears doesn't make sense. Why was it delivered shortly before his death - and does it hold any clues to a motive?

Existing relationships between the original members of Quinn's team and the reasons behind the newest members being assigned to his command seem to cause some of the men to distrust each other. Additional oversight by the Military Operations Directorate leads to even more tension in an already difficult situation. With all the political and personal currents beneath the surface, Quinn may be in dangerous waters as he works to solve the case.

An entertaining whodunit with lots of plot twists and turns, set in WW2 England. Music sets the stage and plays a big part in the story and cast of players. None of the characters engaged me much until the team of detectives showed up and things kicked into another gear. The ending surprised me - always a good thing in a mystery novel.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Aug. 4, 2o2o

The Music Box Enigma is the sixth book in the Silas Quinn series, I haven't read any of the previous books which made it hard for me to really ever make a good connection with the characters in the book. I did find some of the characters quick quirky and I did enjoy that part of the book. Having said that I found the book to be well written, just not my normal cup of tea. I always suggest that others read the book for themself because I know everyone doesn't like the same things.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher Severn House, and all opinions expressed here are my own

I have sung in many fine choirs in my lifetime, singing renowned masterworks with excellent orchestras. I was even given the opportunity to sing on the stage of the Academy of Music with the Philadelphia Orchestra. All of the conductors were excellent musicians who had the unique ability to draw out the best from each singer. But never have I had to deal with a conductor like Sir Aidan Fonthill and I thank God for it! Sir Aidan was the most egotistical, self-absorbed, obnoxious human being imaginable. It is no wonder that he was murdered. And there were no end of people willing and able to perform the task.

But who was responsible for performing this public service?

Into this dysfunctional musical scene steps Detective Chief Inspector Silas Quinn. Quinn, together with the other officers of the Special Crimes Department of the Metropolitan Police Force, begins to slowly and methodically unravel the web of this case. In wonderful Sherlockian fashion, Quinn discovers not only a murder, but a much more sinister plot. Along the way the reader is met with the cameo appearances of Special Constable Sir Edward Elgar and the First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill.

This is the seventh novel focusing on the work of DCI Quinn and I had no problem reading it without previously reading books in the series. I found it a wonderful, captivating police mystery that has its share of red herrings and pertinent clues that lead to a satisfying conclusion.

I appreciate the opportunity NetGalley gave me to read this book with my promise of an honest review.

Found the characters aggravating, unpleasant; their interactions way too busy. In general sort of boring. I also had issues with having Sir Edward Elgar working as a special constable. I realize he was needed to be able to crack the code but he could have been brought in simply as one who'd been at the concert. Further, the whole issue with Masters and Elgar just was overblown & felt wrong -- especially as a device for Willoughby's death.

Sir Aidan Fonthill has been murdered, stabbed in the ear with what appears to be a tuning fork. Fonthill is a philandering choirmaster in London, and a generally unpleasant human, as established in the early chapters of the novel. It seems that almost every character we meet in the first portion of the story has a good reason to want Sir Aidan dead in the days before the Christmas Concert. The actual murder is discovered about a third of the way through the book, and then the plot takes off.

The best description I have for this book is haphazard. In my opinion, there are too many narrators, especially leading up to the murder. While the characters have their own personalities, the tone, style, and content of the narration feels nearly identical. With a few exceptions for dialect, the inner musings of one character could easily be swapped with another, and it would be difficult to tell the difference. Many plot tangents further muddy the waters, and in the end everything feels just too implausible. I like a mystery with a twist, but the twist has to feel grounded in the story, and very little about the book felt like it was built on a solid foundation. This is book six in a series, and it’s possible that I would have enjoyed it more if I had read the other books. Reading it as a first entry into the series doesn’t prompt me to go find the other novels and start from the beginning.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review via NetGalley.

With thanks to the publisher, Severn House, and to NetGalley, for access to read an advance ebook of R. N. Morris' The Music Box Enigma. This is #6 in the Silas Quinn series and is due to be published August 4, 2020.

Set in London, December 1914 .
Dress rehearsals for the benefit Christmas concert by the Hampstead Voices are starting. The featured soloists are there as well as the local orchestra and the Hampstead Voices choir led by Sir Aidan Fonthill. During a rehearsal break screams are heard and Lady Emma Fonthill is found in the practice room with Sir Aidan, who is seated at the piano with blood coming from his ear which appears to be pierced with a tuning fork. The Police are called and DCI Silas Quinn of New Scotland Yard’s Special Crimes Department arrives to take charge of the investigation. As information is gathered the crime appears increasingly complex, and other police units become involved. One of my favorite ‘extras’ was Special Constable Sir Edward Elgar, the composer, who later works out the answer to one of the puzzles in the investigation to his special delight. What unfolds is a complex search for what happened, who was responsible, why did it happen, and whether there a larger crime planned involving a leading member of the Government.
I was impressed from the outset by how well the author created a milieu that seemed true to the historical time and place of the story. The language used, the working methods, the spectre of war with Germany on everyone’s mind, all of it seemed right. Strangely, given the time through which we are now living, Sir Aidan’s inappropriate behavior toward the young women in the family’s employ and his cutting remarks and bullying made me think about similar issues that have been in our minds the past several years and more. There is also discussion of the policing tactics of the time which are eagerly adopted by some and not approved of by others. There is a great deal to think about throughout the unfolding of the plot.
If I had any quibbles, it would be that the ending seemed a bit rushed since there was so much to unpack. The author does explain the many varied threads of the plot so that was a plus. It was an enjoyable read and I liked the main characters very much.

Sir Aidan Fonthill has no shortage of people that don't like him, so when he turns up dead before the Christmas concert that was sure to draw so very important people. But do any of these people dislike him enough to kill him? That is what Detective Chief Inspector needs to find out and fast, before any more people are killed. Can the answer be found in the music box delivered to Sir Aidan before his death.

Despite the backstory being a bit wordy and long this book really picks up speed and never slows down once DCI Quinn arrives on the scene. That is when all the action and suspense starts and there is more than enough to keep everyone reading this book to find out what happens. Hang in there and you will like this book too.

Tickets are sold out for a 1914 concert by the Hampstead Voices but at a rehearsal the conductor is found murdered, throwing plans into chaos. Sir Aidan Fonthill was abrasive and critical of those around him. He also believed that being married should not stop him from pursuing other women. He has alienated his wife and run up gambling debts that he can not pay. Prior to the rehearsal Fonthill received a music box that played seemingly random notes, which caused a fearful reaction. To solve the murder Chief Inspector Silas Quinn must wade through a long list of suspects and ultimately discover the significance of the music box.

As head of the Special Crimes Department Quinn reports to the head of Intelligence. When he is called to Kell’s office he is informed that as an invited guest to the concert, Winston Churchill has taken a personal interest in this case. Suspicion falls on a supposedly blind piano tuner who had been seen with Fonthill shortly before his murder. When he is seen running from the hall he is pursued by a member of Quinn’s team but the chase ends tragically, leaving them no closer to the truth.

Fonthill’s wife offers no assistance and not every member of Quinn’s team supports his actions and decisions. Despite this, he is observant and willing to take chances when necessary. R.N. Morris fills his story with twist after twist and ends with the biggest twist of all. This has become one of my favorite series and is highly recommended. I would like to thank NetGalley and Severn House Publishers for providing this book for my review.

This is a fun book, full of quirky British characters who don't take themselves too seriously. When I started reading, I didn't realize this is number six in the Silas Quinn series. Even so, I didn't have any trouble keeping track of characters and the action was steady enough to keep me turning pages.