This is the second book in the "hotel" series. I have not read the first book, but that didn't hurt my enjoyment of Murder at the Savoy. I particularly liked how Eldridge wove historic events/places/people into his plot. For example, the mystery begins with a group of "communists" outside the luxury Savoy hotel. It is the height of the blitz, and they are demanding to be allowed to stay in the Savoy's secure underground bunker. The event really did happen, and the Savoy actually had a luxurious underground area for its wealthy guests. Fascinating! Of course one of those wealthy guests, the disgusting Earl of Lancaster, is murdered at the Savoy, and DCI Coburg of Scotland Yard is called in. Coburg is of noble birth, and I worried that Eldridge had strayed into a cliche (upperclass gentleman becomes a policeman), but he makes it work. I would call Murder at the Savoy more of a cozy than not. I really did not get a good sense of the fear created by the blitz, but I thoroughly enjoyed this book and look forward to the next book in the series.

A very entertaining British whodunit set in London in September 1940 at the beginning of the Blitz with an unforgettable cast of characters thrown all together in and around a posh hotel (the Savoy), all having to deal with some gruesome and murderous shenanigans perpetrated without class distinction,
devious and malevolent fifth-columnists intent on betraying their country, lots of incendiary bombs falling indiscriminately from the skies and last but not least forced to spend some unnerving hours at the bottom of some very untrustworthy shelters....
Jim Eldridge manages with brio to bring this disparate and teeming ensemble teetering on the brink of an ominous and unavoidable nervous breakdown into a rollicking and captivating hunt for the killer or killers and a dizzying race against time to save Winston Churchill's life and government.
Finally, he manages to get away with naming his main character, the winsome detective chief inspector, Edgar Saxe-Coburg while the Germans are carpet-bombing London👍👍

A marvellous new addition to a wonderful series that deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever from start to finish! I can't wait for the next one!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Allison&Busby for this terrific ARC

Murder At The Savoy” by Jim Eldridge is the second novel in the Hotel Mysteries crime series set in 1940’s London. This is a very enjoyable whodunnit with lots of authentic period detail and atmosphere. Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and his partner Sergeant Lampson are interesting and multi-faceted protagonists and there is an interesting cast of secondary characters. It is a pleasant read, not exactly cosy crime as there is a plethora of social comment, and a good follow-up to the previous novel.

DNF @ 25%

It's getting a tad bit tedious, having to leave seemingly decent books midway, but it would be more tedious to try and get through them.

"Murder at the Savoy" begins promisingly, bringing together crime and history once again, this time in London under the shadow of the Blitz. DCI Edgar Coburg, the "spare" second son of a former Earl and now brother to a living one, is called upon to investigate a murder in the famed Savoy Hotel. Well, that's explaining it too easily - he is invited to investigate by the hotel authorities, asked to butt out by the police officer actually assigned to the case, and is then handed it on a platter because the victim also happens to be among the landed gentry.

Early on, Jim Eldridge makes a case for the poor and underprivileged as they seek the shelter of the magnificent hotel from the bombs being rained down upon them by the Luftwaffe. It's a telling touch, a good one, that points towards just how much British society had changed by the 40s, but he proceeds to throw in a jealous, conniving colleague and paints Coburg out to be such a goody-two shoes that the book gets fairly dull really quickly. Rosa, Coburg's wife, and his assistant Lampson both seem like afterthoughts. One also doesn't really feel the aftermath of night bombing, or any of the period detailing that should be second nature to the writer: in the latter instance, the dialogue is markedly contemporary, reflecting none of the nuance of language as it was spoken then.

Thanks, NetGalley and Allison & Busby, for the ARC.

I received this ARC via Netgalley and Allison & Busby, in return for an honest review. While the second book in this series, it is easily read as a standalone. Jim Eldridge sets this mystery in WWII during the London Blitz and he does an excellent job of it. Newly married Chief Inspector Coburg and his sergeant, Sergeant Lampson, are called to the Savoy Hotel for the murder of an English peer. CI Coburg’s new wife, Rosa Weeks, is an integral part of the story, along with his brother who is also an English peer. The story involves all levels of English society and the sad depictions of life during the daily bombing of London. When you add in sub-plots of those who want appeasement with Hitler, those who want an overthrow of the entire English system and those who are just trying to live amidst the chaos, there is wonderful depth to Mr. Eldridge’s writing. He has a deft hand with keeping each character very clear and the story is well-written and easy to follow. I look forward to the next in this series.

DCI Coburg Returns…
The second in the Hotel Mysteries, a new series of historical crime from Jim Eldridge (author of the Museum Mysteries series) and 1940’s, London set. This time we are at The Savoy, where despite external chaos, underground shelters are being provided and are some comfort to its’ residents - that is, until a gruesome discovery is made. A guest has been stabbed through the heart. Who will suspicion fall upon? Not everything is quite as it seems. Hugely enjoyable whodunnit, packed with atmosphere and with interesting and likeable protagonists in Detective Chief Inspector Coburg and his reliable sidekick Sergeant Lampson. Satisfying reading and a worthy addition to the first in the series.

This is the second in Jim Elridge’s hotel Murder series set in World War II. Following on one month from the first story set in the Ritz, this tale begins with the stabbing of an Earl at the Savoy hotel . Once again Chief Inspector Coburg and Inspector Lampson set out to determine the killer . The story continues to highlight the tragedies of war and includes harrowing scenes encountered by thousands. Coburg is now married to jazz singer Rosa Weeks who takes on the role of accompanying her husband’s brother to entrap fifth columnists. The charm of this novel is that it is a period piece(.no computers, car chases, no google to answer questions) with a detective trying to solve an old fashioned whodunnit ( in a somewhat similar vein to Nicola Upson’s Josephine Tey series ) and mixed in with the different social classes of the period. Some of the story plotting moves a tad too fast or the dots are just joined too easily but it doesn’t detract from a good story to escape into to. Eldridges’ research of. London in the war and the various political machinations are fascinating… an enjoyable relaxing detective tale …
On an aside …bluebells and garlic growing in September … not likely 😊