This was a difficult book to read and rather frustrating too. I think the crux of it all though is that I just do not enjoy this style of writing so although there were other things about the book that I didn't like, the main issue and reason for not liking it, is completely and utterly a personal one.

It took a long time to get into which is a shame because we all love picking up a book and being drawn into it immediately, don't we?
There were SO many characters who were difficult to differentiate from each other.

The mystery itself was - for wont of another word - boring and I couldn't understand why Marion, who is a trainee, was being left to look into it.

I also felt that the author perhaps hasn't decided yet which genre she wants to write. Is it YA or Adult Fiction?

I'm a bit torn about this engaging yet slightly frustrating novel.. It wasn't what I expected- don't go into this expecting a classic detective agency story set in the 1950s. There was more than a touch of magic realism, teen angst (although the characters were in theory in their 20s) and a vibe more akin to YA than what I expected. The mid-century setting feels superfluous; I often had to remind myself this was set in the 50s. I would have liked more period detail.

Below the streets of London, a mysterious detective society (although we never really find out exactly *what* they do) operates in secret. "Inquirers" are the full blow detectives, while we follow Marion, a first year apprentice training to become a fully fledged Inquirer (But again, what do they do exactly?). Marion is a rather fun character and becomes embroiled in a murder mystery that exposes the past of the agency and the spooky tunnels that run underneath them.

I was wavering between a 3 and 4 rating on this. 4 for the setting? 3 for the plot? I think 3 is accurate- but that said, I found this really rather compelling and it was a book I was excited to pick up when I had a chance, which tells its own story. There was something very readable about it, despite my misgivings. I suspect this is setting up future stories as Marion progresses through her apprenticeship and I would like to read more.

I had to think hard about how to categorise Marion Lane, but I think it’s beauty lies in it’s refusal to be pigeonholed. The best way to describe it would be a supernatural crime and spy thriller set in the 1950s. Our heroine has a smidge of Hermione Granger and a dash of Enola, but still manages to be her resolutely spunky self. We meet Marion as she begins her apprenticeship at Mrs Brickett’s Investigations and Inquiries, at a top secret location deep in London’s subterranean bowels. This was enough to get me reading, but the fact that the cover for their underground operations is a bookshop sealed the deal.

Those who want the agency’s help must put their requests in secret post-boxes. I loved the brilliant descriptions of this place, so vivid I could picture it in my mind, although it’s not always easy to keep track of a maze in your head. There were times where I felt a tiny bit lost with someone’s name or where we were - especially once magical elements like maps or walls that could shift and change were introduced. However, I expect that with such a creative fantasy because my memory is appalling. I even forgot we were in the fifties on occasion until the author brought us back with a comment on clothing or
a bit of description that put us firmly back in our time period. Our heroine has intelligence and a lot of promise, but is this apprenticeship more than she expected. There were some interesting other characters that I think will develop more in coming novels, as well as our heroines back story which I was very interested in exploring in more detail. This was an enjoyable romp through the world of Mrs Brickett’s agency, and I felt it was there to pique reader’s interest for a possible series. This reader is interested and I would look forward to more of Marion Lane.

A mixture of James Bond and Sherlock Holmes set in a secret detective agency reminiscent of WW2 Bletchley Park with a touch of magic thrown in. Sounds exciting right? Unfortunately, I thought this book was just alright.
I couldn't really connect to the characters because they felt indistinguishable and generic. And as I continued I found I didn't really care how the mystery was solved. So much potential but it fell a bit short for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this though.

Sorry, I requested this book thinking it was the second in this series.
This is my review:
I didn’t know what to expect and I choose this book because I found the blurb fascinating and I thought it could be a lot of fun.
It is a lot of fun but even if the blurb talked about Agatha Christie I can say that it’s quite different, more steampunk mixed with intrigue and secret society than Golden Age tropes.
This is a gripping and highly entertaining story, I had a lot of fun reading of the organisations, how it works and the secrets that can exist in a secret organization.
The plot is fast paced, full of twists and turns, well written and I wasn’t able to put it down once I was hooked (after a few pages).
Marion is a very interesting characters: a girl who was hurt by life and is struggling for her independence and happiness. The character development is excellent and the cast of characters is fleshed outand interesting.
I loved the complex and detailed world building and I hope this is part of a series because I want to learn more about the organization and the characters.
I had a lot of fun reading it and it’s highly recommended.

So let's say Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie decided to have a baby? Well, hello Marion Lane!

Private detectives, secret tunnels, magical gadgets...apprentice Marion has it all in store for her. Along with trying to clear her mentor Frank on suspicion of murder?! Hooboy, lets go...

Although this book is set in the 50's, its hard to remember at times! The elements of magic, nicely woven into the story, really make it remarkable.
However, Willberg seamlessly brings us back to the time era with nicely placed little remarks.

Cannot wait to explore more from this author! Highly recommend.

I really struggled with this book. It sounded like such a great premise but I just couldn't get into it and found it really hard going.

A fun and delightfully quirky mystery novel! Marion Lane is an apprentice at an underground organisation known to most of fifties London as ‘The Inquirers’. While not possessing an entirely law-abiding reputation, nevertheless they investigate crimes and help bring perpetrators to justice, with a selection of sophisticated mechanical gadgets at their disposal. Marion is only in her first year as an ‘apprentice’ when her beloved mentor Frank is accused of the murder of a filing clerk, and although she’s expected to largely ignore all of this and get on with her training, inexperienced Marion is drawn into the mystery in an attempt to clear Frank’s name, alongside a couple of friends; Bill, and the suspicious new arrival Kenny. I would probably use the term Steampunk to categorise this, due to the era in which its set and the heavy emphasis on mechanical gadgetry; and I enjoyed the mystery and the characters and the strangeness of the underground tunnels. Parts of the story are not all that believable but I don’t think it needs or wants to be - instead this is fun. I see a series in Marion Lane’s future, and I think I would read more. It would have been nice to see more 1950s atmosphere though as the time period almost felt irrelevant given we spent most of the book underground in tunnels which had very little to do with the outside world.

My thanks to #NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun read...I really enjoyed this book!

It's 1958 and 23 year old Marion Lane has not been living her best life. Having lost her Mum, she now lives with her Grandmother who wants nothing more than to see Marion settled down and married. The high spot for Marion is her recent recruitment to Miss Bricketts', a secret detective agency hidden under the streets of London disguised as a book shop. But a murder in the agency soon has Marion on a whirlwind investigation to save a friend risking her apprenticeship and her life!

I found this book to be a real page turner, fast paced and a not too complex plot makes for a delightful and enjoyable piece of escapism. I loved Marion as a character - slightly out of place in the world that's been drawn for her. The book felt really cleverly constructed with detail just right for a book set in the late 50s, the dialogue and the way the characters were a little stiff evoked just the right atmosphere. I also loved the steampunk elements created by the really advanced technology that the Agency had access to which gave it an alternative history feel.

My only criticism would be that the end felt longer than it needed to be once the mystery had been solved and there were a few scenes at the end where the explanations were over long. But some people will love that all the loose ends were tied up!

All in all, a brilliantly constructed and enjoyable read - I do hope it's a series because I'd definitely love to read more of Marion's adventures!

Although this reminded me so much of Harry Potter in the beginning. I really enjoyed Marion Lane and the Midnight murder.
It’s 1958 and in London. Marion lives with her grandmother who is not the most caring kind. To get away from the claustrophobic atmosphere in the house she takes a job at a bookstore as an apprentice. But when she gets there, she led underground she is brought to place full of tunnels and rooms belonging to a secret police agency full of investigators. When one of the investigators is murdered. She starts snooping around she finds a set of secret rooms that she discovered a very dangerous substance in a vial that was made in the war to be used against the British but it was never used.
Thanks Orion of a copy of this book. I didn’t realise that it had already been published. This was a fun and intriguing historical read. Like I said it did remind me a bit of Harry Potter but that didn’t deter me to read this. I am also a fan of HP. I liked the premise of the story and the mystery in this book. It would make a great film or Tv show. 5 stars from me.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable story set in the 50's in London, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is where 'Q' from James Bond might have trained. Marion Lane works as an apprentice underground at a super secret detective agency. There they create gadgets and gizmos to help solve crimes in London. Marion is a likeable character who despite being a woman in the 50's (where she's expected to marry and be a housewife) wants to work and invent. When a colleague is murdered she is thrown in at the deep end, trying to save the agency and her own freedom.

I found the world and gadgets fascinating but I found myself confused by the border tunnels. These seemed almost magical or supernatural yet the book is set in an unmagical world. When reading fantasy I am okay with not understanding parts of the world but as this was supposed to be 1950's London I wish the tunnels and maps were explained properly to make them believable in this 'real' world.

The plot was interesting and satisfying. I would quite like to read a sequel.

If you are looking for a welcome distraction and a bit of fun then "Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder" by TA Willberg is the book for you. At times it does read like a young adult book, and I can't quite grasp the likening it to "Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" but that doesn't really matter. What does matter is that it is the first of a series - I was delighted to find this out, and will be waiting to read the second instalment.

Marion Lane is a bit of a mystery and she feels lucky to work in a very mysterious bookshop which is really not anything to do with real books.
Apprenticed to a clandestine private investigation company something is happening which cannot be explained and when a sneak is murdered it is up to Marion to protect her friends.
Set in a slightly different world, quirky and great characters would definitely enjoy more about this set up

This is a book you will love, just kinda like or hate. I’m not sure if i liked it or hated it! I found it a tad confusing at times….. well it confused itself. It couldn’t quite make up it’s mind what type of story it wanted to be. It had great potential but didn’t quite fulfil it for me.

Set in 1953,Marion is 25 years old, Father dead, Mother dead, lives with her horrid Grandmother in a house that seemed to have belonged to her parents. Grandmother keeps trying to marry her off and then sells the house without Marion knowing and decides to move to America.

Marion is offered a new job in a book store in London after working – and being very good- with mechanics only to find out on her first day that all is not quite as it seems. There is a ‘secret’ detective organisation based under the book store that is accessed at the back of the store. There are lots of rooms and passageways that reminded me of Hogwarts to a degree. There is a map at the beginning of the book to show you the layout but this isn’t easy to keep looking at on an e reader.

We don’t get any information on cases the agency is looking into as it seems to be all about the training of the new recruits and of the murder of one of the workers – Michelle White and what might lie ‘in the forbidden tunnels’.

I did find it hard to keep track of the characters as they weren’t described in detail and seemed to flit in and out of the chapters so I had forgotten who and what they did as well as how they fitted into the whole mystery- which a lot of the times they didn’t.

I did think why was this 1st year trainee who’d only been there a few months, so hadn’t any experience in the field, looking into solving a murder within the organisation of someone she didn’t know, or have any dealings with. The way she went about it was also very haphazard.

This could have been a good book but seemed to get confused as to what it wanted to be, mystery, murder, fantasy, magical.

This was an interesting read. All the gadgets and the setting of Miss Bricketts itself is a wonderful concept that is explored throughout the novel, in enough detail to not have the gadgets seem like magical do-it-all macguffins, and without overly long expositions either.
Unfortunately, a lot of the end of the book is just pages of exposition, which could maybe have been delivered in a different manner.
Marion herself is a likeable character, but often she feels a little flat, especially towards the end. There are moments where she has wonderful amounts of depth, but others where she feels as if she is just moving through the motions to further the plot.
Other characters felt abandoned midway through the story, leaving once they had served their purpose, only to be brought back briefly for the closing, if that. The character of Kenny was a well written and interesting one, who complimented Marion well.
The mystery itself was intriguing, and had a satisfying conclusion.
Overall, it was a decent book, an easy read if you need something to pass the time.

What’s a great romp - a strong 4⭐️ I really enjoyed Marion’s exploits for several reasons: it’s set in the ‘50s so has a bit of history; there are elements of fantasy; there’s uncertainty and intrigue and I do love an ending that promises more. Marion’s history is slowly explained throughout the story so she gradually becomes a more rounded character. Although I can see occasional similarities to Harry Potter, this is very different as it’s aimed at adults (think alcohol, injuries and relationships). My only criticism is that for a book set in London, there is American spelling which is both incongruous and annoying. However, I’ll definitely be reading the next in the series Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It's rare for me to not be able to finish a book, but unfortunately this is one of those instances. However, that's not meant to imply that this is anything but a very enjoyable book...I think it's a great fun read, but it just isn't what I was expecting, which is to say a traditional murder mystery.. I gave the book - which I might almost describe as magical realism - a good go and I can definitely see that it would appeal to the right market, it's just that I am not that market.

It would be very unfair to give a poor review based solely on my taste in reading, and therefore I am happy to give four stars to this title due to the fact that the writing is tight and the plot moves along at quite a hectic pace (at least it did in the first 50% or so of the book - the part that I read). The story would make for a fantastic film, and one that I would like to see (my taste in films diverges considerably from my preferred reading).. I wish the author every success with the series, I am sure it will be successful, but it's not for me.

A fun read that gallops along at pace after the initial opening. Marion is a likeable protagonist and I expect better things from book two. A light, quirky read.

Before reading, I heard that if you’re a fan of The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (which I am), you’ll love this novel. And whoever said that isn’t wrong: picture London, 1958. Below the city’s streets is the labyrinthine world of Miss Brickett’s secret detective agency. Upon stepping into a room you may be confronted with baited traps, dangers, mechanical gadgets that serve multiple purposes and a group of apprentice detectives hoping to learn all they can to solve the conundrums the police cannot. But when Marion Lane’s mentor, Frank, is arrested on suspicion of murder of one of their own, it’s up to her to clear his name… and find out who was responsible for a gruesome death underground. To do so means Marion and her apprentice friends will have to navigate the warren of passageways and corridors, some of which are banned, to find the truth. I’m so glad to have found a new mystery series and this initial instalment is wonderful. Beautifully researched, and a lot of fun, you’ll really learn to love Marion.

This book was a real slow burn to start with and then when it picked up pace it raced through, if it had been a bit more engaging to start I think it’d be more enjoyable. It felt like there was a Harry Potter element but for adults but without enough maturity in the writing to engage. There was a murder mystery, secret groups, magic and something a little other worldly about the story and whilst that can all work together it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. I can assume this will be the first of a series and I’m not looking to find out about any of the characters, there just wasn’t enough depth or character in them