I read this novel as an ARC.
Eldridge has used an interesting premise for this murder mystery in London, UK. It's based on the inability of detectives to Identify Jack the Ripper and when a new rash of murders occurs a decade later, tie them together.
The "Museum detectives" are called in to assist by the National Gallery which annoys the police.
The book moves along at a good pace, the characters are interesting, but I had hoped for more on that score.
I figured out who the murderer was and why he did what he did about two-thirds of the way into the book —also who the accomplice was.
Setting was well handled.
The ending was a quick confession, which disappointed me.
I'm sure those who love a historical murder mystery will enjoy this one's approach.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

I had never read a book in this series before, and I was pleasantly surprised that I did not need the previous books to be introduced to the characters and the setting. The characters were very dynamic, and the story was interesting. I want to do a lot more research on these related cases now!

This was an ARC copy via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. I’ve read a few of these now and do enjoy the characters and historical setting. This was a good plot with lots to think about - the only minor gripe I think was it sometimes was guilty of a bit too much “showing off of knowledge”, such as when Daniel talks about the new Underground railway. No one walks along giving a textbook explanation of something, yes we needed to know, but it was a little clumsy. And it’s hard to believe it had been around for 13 years and they’d never used it. But other than that, a very good book in a good series, I liked!

I love this series! There is always an intriguing puzzle to solve and this entry is no exception. i hope this is a really long series. I already loook forward to the next one.

What a story and what a setting! I'm delighted that the National Gallery is the setting of Eldridge's excellent murder mystery and this story really made me long for a sunny afternoon spent mooching through the gallery rooms - though in the present day and, perhaps, not when the events of the book are taking place! A fun, exciting mystery that contains all the elements us whodunnit fans know and love, Murder at the National Gallery feels like a classic in the making.

<blockquote><i>‘I always think of painters as sedate people, happy to paint pictures of horses or plants, or portraits. But after meeting Sickert again, and now this Van Gogh character, I’m beginning to think the art world is dangerous.’</i></blockquote>

<i>Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this.</i>

Murder at the National Gallery is the 7th instalment in a series of seemingly standalone murder mysteries taking place at the end of the 19th century. Initially, I was a bit skeptical when I learned this was the 7th in a series as I thought I'd be missing a lot of world-building and character introduction but pretty early on in the book, I realized that's not really what the problem was here.

The book's writing style and the subject matter don't seem to match. The subject is a series of gruesome murders that take place in the art world and the writing ... well, it's that of a children's book to be honest. Everything is just a little bit too simple, a little bit too rough, it seems like the outline of a story (and not a very well-plotted one) that never really got expanded on. I kept reading because I wanted to get to the end of the mystery but I'm not even sure that the mystery's resolution makes it worthwhile.

Had this been a book for children, marketed that way, it would have been fine but due to the subject matter (gory prostitute murders) I highly doubt that so I'm put off by the writing style.

I do think that there's a lot of art research done in this book and so, if you're really into that era of history and want more art trivia, it could be an interesting read but mainly if you approach it as a booklet of trivia.

This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review electronically. I liked reading about the Gallery and references to the Tate…familiar places…the characters are quirky…friendship…romance…professional relationships…historical fiction at its best…although the story moves a little slowly at times, a great read…

"1897, London. The capital is shocked to learn that the body of a woman has been found at the National Gallery, eviscerated in a manner that recalls all too strongly the exploits of the infamous Jack the Ripper.

Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton are contacted by a curator of the National Gallery for their assistance. The dead woman, an artist's model and lady of the night, had links to artist Walter Sickert who was a suspect during the Ripper's spree of killings. Scotland Yard have arrested Sickert on suspicion of this fresh murder but it is not the last...

Copycat murders of the Ripper's crimes implicate the artist who loves to shock but Sickert insists that he is innocent. Who would want to frame him? Wilson and Fenton have their work cut out catching an elusive and determined killer."

Jack the Ripper! Jack the Ripper! Jack the Ripper! Oh, and Sickert as the suspect! Patricia Cornwell would be pleased.

I am a fan of the Museum mysteries. This is another good mystery starring the museum detectives Abigail and Daniel.

Abigail is getting ready to go to Egypt. Daniel sees in the newspaper that the painter Walter Sichert has been arrested for the murder of one of his models (and a prostitute) whose body was left on the steps of the National Gallery. She was eviscerated in a manner similar to that of Jack the Ripper several years before. Daniel had worked on the case of the Ripper with his boss, Abberline, and Sickert had been a person of interest in the Ripper case, the dead woman was his model, and someone left a note for the police naming him. Shortly thereafter, they receive a letter from Stanford Beckett, curator at the National Gallery asking them to help investigate for Sickert at the request of his wife, Ellen.

Sickert is soon let out of jail because he has an alibi. However, soon another woman who was a model for Sickert and a prostitute is also killed in the same way. Interviewing some friends of the killed women, Daniel finds out another painter, Simon Anstis was very much in love with the first woman killed, but she wouldn't let him touch her, and he hates Sichert. Then as Sickert was about to go abroad, a painter is killed in Sickert's studio. Abigail and Daniel, along with policeman Feather, keep investigating. They find a piece of sawdust in the bloody footprint, and decide the killer may be a butcher. They figure out a butcher who does odd jobs for other butchers many be guilty. However, by the time they manage to catch up with him, he has been killed. However, his wife says he's been picked up by a posh man in a horse drawn carriage.

There are a lot of dead people, and a lot of work on the part of Abigail, Daniel, Feather, and Aberline, but they finally get an idea of who the posh man might be and why he tried to implicate Sickert at an exhibit at the National Gallery, and with great excitement and danger, the villain is captured.

This was a really delightful, well-developed cozy mystery. There were great descriptions of Victorian England that captured the time period's essence. My favorite parts of this book included the banter between our main characters Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton. The author did a magnificent job of building characters who have a relationship of equals. Both characters bring attributes that add to the solving of the case/mystery. I also liked that their relationship was unconventional. Both parties are unmarried yet make their union work for them. Very forward thinking. I may go back and read all of the previous novels in this series. I nearly felt as if I'd stepped into the world of Agatha Christie when I read this book.

I am new to Jim Eldridge's Museum Mysteries series, so reading a later entry to the series may have resulted in me missing some of the nuance or character progressions present in the book, however, I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and would definitely go back through the series to read some more museum mysteries.

Jim Eldridge perfectly blended historical fiction and murder mystery plots and I found that the mystery at hand kept me guessing until the end. I would recommend this novel to anyone interested in historical crime fiction and who isn't afraid of a little gore.

Thank you NetGalley, Allison & Busby and Jim Eldridge for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel.

Unusual, classic yet fresh.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

I like a good mystery book and this one didn't disappoint. There is a murder at the Nation Gallery and it has some resemblance to Jack the Ripper which has never been solved. Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton are called upon to help solve the murder as Daniel was part of the original jack the ripper case and the national gallery trust that these two can help solve the case. An entertaining murder mystery with many twists and turns that keep the reader wanting more. The two protagonists are very likeable but also the many side characters are great and add to the overall story. Daniel and Fenton will do whatever it takes to bring the killer to justice.

Set in 1867 London, smack dab in the middle of the Victorian era, Murder at the National Gallery is chock full of intrigue, assorted eccentric characters, canvases and butchery. The strong connections to Jack the Ripper and other notables such as Van Gogh add a further layer of interest.

Artist and womanizer Walter Sickert is arrested for the murder of an art model and prostitute whose body is found dumped at the National Gallery (later Tate) but he maintains his innocence. It is up to partners in work and life, Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton, to investigate the sordid crimes. Along the way they encounter plenty of red herrings and twists, infamy and secrets, thick as London fog.

My favourite aspects about the story are the historical connections and Victorian descriptions. I also like that Abigail is an Egyptologist and thinker, rare in the days of male dominance. Though the plot is gripping, language is crude in places which can be jarring. I enjoyed the story but was unfortunately not as enchanted and invested as I had hoped.

My sincere thank you to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this fascinating book.

This was an murder mystery that keeps you guessing. I have read a few of the other museum mystery books in this series and this one was quite enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley, the Author and the Publisher with providing me with an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had never heard of this series before, but was really intrigued to give it a go! In spite of not reading the other books, I do not think it impacted on my understanding of the plot.

I didn't necessarily like the connections made to the Whitechapel murders, especially as in the history world a lot of the points highlighted in this work of fiction have been challenged, but it was a great glimpse into a fictional Victorian London. I found the book well-paced, but perhaps would have enjoyed it more if the famous figures had not taken on such a prominent role in the story.

Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

This was a fast-paced novel about the "Museum Detectives," who, you guessed it, solve crimes at museums. It would be a good read for someone interested in very plot- and dialogue-heavy books, as there was little in the way of description and character development. While I usually like a good balance of these things, I didn't find the book suffered much--I definitely found it to be a page-turner, and I was guessing whodunnit until the very end! As someone fascinated by Jack the Ripper, I enjoyed the parallels between these crimes in this novel and the very real crimes of the Ripper.

I would definitely read another book in this series again, but probably wouldn't go out of my way to buy it.

Murder at the National Gallery by Jim Eldridge

Daniel, Abigail and the whole crew are back in the seventh Museum Detective mystery series.. and it is an excellent instalment.

A body has been left outside the National Galley and a note sent to the curator saying that artist Walter Sickert who was a suspect in the Jack the Ripper case was the perpetrator, the police obviously arrest Sickert but the curator contacts Abigail and Daniel to investigate..

I have said before that I love Daniel and Abigail.. I love who they are and I love who they are together.. they are a modern couple who supports each other wholly.. the relationship is built on love, respect and admiration and just plain liking each other. I love how Daniel supports Abigail’s other passion for Egypt and they are preparing for Abigail’s trip to Egypt with Arthur Conan Doyle.

The mystery of the bodies outside the Gallery is quite gory in its description (it is very Jack the Ripper like) and I think the book in general is more gory in tone, it is more bleak than the others, so it is more a general mystery than a lovely cosy one.

The mystery is solved and I personally did not figure it out until it was given to me…

This book is fiction but does involve people who really existed and I thought this was very clever.

I think this is my favourite book of the series so far….. I need more Abigail and Daniel please!


I want more Daniel and Abigail

#MurderattheNationalGallery # NetGalley#1897 #London #mystery #JacktheRipper

An absolute masterpiece of cosy murder mystery! What a setting to have had a murder take place than at the National Gallery, ad to have had the murder show similarities to the style of Jack The Ripper, was a very good plot. Really good mystery that had me guessing the whole way through.

First of all, thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book as an ARC.

"1897, London. The capital is shocked to learn that the body of a woman has been found at the National Gallery, eviscerated in a manner that recalls all too strongly the exploits of the infamous Jack the Ripper. Daniel Wilson and Abigail Fenton are contacted by a curator of the National Gallery for their assistance. The dead woman, an artist's model and lady of the night, had links to artist Walter Sickert who was a suspect during the Ripper's spree of killings. Scotland Yard have arrested Sickert on suspicion of this fresh murder but it is not the last ... Copycat murders of the Ripper's crimes implicate the artist who loves to shock but Sickert insists that he is innocent. Who would want to frame him? Wilson and Fenton have their work cut out catching an elusive and determined killer."

This book is not a Cozy Mystery, it's a Standard Mystery. But..... I could not get into the book at all. I feel this is a series one should read from the first book. This book is the seventh one in this series. It's a good mystery with lots of historical details and it would do more justice reading it from the start. Maybe it's also that I just love a Cozy mystery more than a Standard? The story itself was good and the characters interesting.

I do need to give a word of "warning". There was a quite a large amount of bad language as well as gore! I feel I need to put that out, for those who do not like that. I myself found it way too much, another reason for not really liking the book. I thought the book would be a good mystery one, but it doesn't need all of that for me. So yeah, I will not read any more books in this series.