I was hoping this would be something like The Thursday Murder Club, but the writing was was flat and kind of clunky. I can see the series getting better - I hope it does. I'm not sure I'd want to read more, though, given that the Irving Home for Retired Actors is "no women need apply" and any woman who did show up in the book was described by size and appearance. (The latter being much more frustrating, while a single-sex retirement home is fine, just not for me.)

I really wanted to like this but I think it was not great writing. The plot could be seen a mile off and there weren't any red herrings at all.

I felt that it was too obvious and the tropes they used were very outdated.

Sadly I won't be recommending this.

Thank you for the arc.

This was a fascinating story both of modern times and in the WWII era. The story begins at a home for retired actors - all male. One of the actors, Sir Frank Taylor, ends up dead with a Nazi dagger in his heart. There are a number of suspects for DS Edwards and DI French to investigate. They are quickly sure it was someone inside the home who despatched the old actor. With the help of a local barrister and one of the residents of the home, they eventually track down the killer. However, there is a secondary crime that gets solved along the way.
The story has a lot of characters and I found it difficult to keep them all in context as the book went along. The plot was well put together and the ending was satisfying. There were historical aspects that I had not considered previously and I wondered if Russell did research on the accuracy of these aspects. Since he is an academic, I assume he did.
This is a quick and easy read for a cold winter afternoon. Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.

Thank you to NetGalley and Joffe books for the advance copy.

I really enjoyed reading this book and was keen to finish it to find out who had committed the murder. I did, however, find it a little hard to get into. I felt that introducing each of the detectives separately at the start was unnecessary, and their back stories could have been woven into the main story better. Most of their private lives was outlined in those first few pages with little reference in the rest of the book (in fact, there almost could have been just one detective with no real effect on the story). Also, the "surprises" that were revealed towards the end of the story regarding the victim would not have been surprises to most readers, and really should have been fairly obvious to the detectives.

The historical element regarding the Second World War was well researched and the descriptive prose was well written. Apart from the odd start, the book flowed really well. An easy, enjoyable read with not too much deep thinking required.

2.5 stars

An elderly resident of a retirement home for former actors is murdered with a historically significant knife, & many deep secrets come to light during the investigation. The mystery is decent, but I found the writing to be clumsy & the plot has several contrivances.

[What I liked:]

•There were some interesting parts to the mystery, especially in piecing together the backgrounds & personal histories of certain characters. While some parts of the plot are contrived, the main story makes sense in the end.

•I liked the premise of a bunch of retired actors living together! There were some cute moments of the residents quoting Shakespeare to each other.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The idea that Brassington would just admit something after one phone call is ridiculous, & despite what the narrative says I have a hard time believing it wouldn’t be challenged in court as inadmissible evidence.

•Also, how does Liebermann know exactly who the Schneider family were & exactly where to find their file? That seemed too easy. Also the monk dies immediately after Lance finds him? What a coincidence. (Also why would the prior deny Anselm absolution until he confessed to Lance, yet try to convince Lance to leave at first? That made no sense!)

•I’m also confused about why Schmidt’s suicide was included in the story. The whole episode seems very unlikely. (Why wait 20 years? Why consider it a failure when his goal was achieved? Why conveniently explain everything in a note? How did he get the tooth, since presumably he was too young to be in the Abwehr during the war…) Besides all that, it adds nothing to the story or solving the mystery!

•Also, how the heck did the murderer know who Frank was? That was never explained! Besides, being related to Shapiro (rather than any other victim) was another big coincidence.

•Not that I’m an expert on police investigations, but French & Glyn seem to break protocols multiple times. They discuss privileged aspects of the case with non-police (Tracy, Lance, Chloe, & Noel) when it’s unnecessary to do so. Glyn also searches someone’s residence & electronics without a warrant, which at least in the US would mean none of the evidence discovered during the illegal search would be admissible in court! Why would a supposedly brilliant & experienced detective do that? Ugh.

•The first several chapters are basically info dumps of the MC’s backgrounds. Each time a new character is introduced we also get another info dump.

•The dialogue is often clumsy, burdened with exposition, or just long winded.

CW: murder, substance abuse, the Holocaust/concentration camps, mass execution, suicide, mental illness

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

The Irving retirement home for actors in their twilight years is never short of drama. Not least when legendary thespian Sir Frank Taylor is discovered dead in his bloody bed. A Nazi dagger plunged deep into his chest. He was once England’s most dazzling leading man, but someone is clearly not a fan. Detectives French and Edwards are called to the home to investigate. And soon find out the star of the stage was hiding a shocking secret he never wanted his public to know. The inmates at the Irving are now living in perpetual fear. Who will be next? The race is on to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again. This was such a fun with incredible twists and turns right up until the surprising ending. It was somewhat Agatha Christieish in the way the story unfolded but obviously in todays times. This the second in a series and I am looking forward to a third. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I received this book from the publisher through Netgalley for review and all thoughts and opinions are my own.
Oldminster mystery series, Book #2
The home for elderly actors in Oldminster is grieving the loss of a beloved, albeit cranky old codger, Sir Frank. At the heart of the mystery is an antique dagger found firmly placed in the man's chest by an unknown assailant. Who could hate this man so much as to do such a thing? The path leads back to the war and secrets held by so many still. DI French investigates what could be a matter of murder or honour. Noel Greenspan, a private investigator is instrumental in discovering documents, mementos and secrets to assist in the case. This is a new author to me. Norman Russell will be on my tbr list for years to come!! Excellent tale of history, secrets, and this Oldminster series will become a favorite from now on.

England, extortion, obsession, deceit, lies, care-home, secrets, retirees, revenge, war-crimes, family, false-information, multigenerational, murder-investigation, murder, nationalism, private-investigators, law-enforcement, lawyers, alias, ritual-killing, procedural, suspense, suspicion*****

This bunch goes waaay beyond due diligence to dig into the distant past in order to solve a current murder of a nonagenarian actor of some renown living in a home for retired male actors. Despite their problems at home, the detectives from Oldminster are tasked with a case that seems to get more convoluted by the day. Despite not being a high energy investigation (thriller), it certainly has suspense to spare! This is really a very excellent tale with a surprise ending.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Joffe Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

An antique murder by Norman
The oldminster mysteries book 2.
The Irving retirement home for actors in their twilight years is never short of drama.
Not least when legendary thespian Sir Frank Taylor is discovered dead in his bloodstained bed. A Nazi dagger plunged deep in his chest.
Sir Frank was once England’s most dazzling leading man, but someone is clearly not a fan.
Detectives French and Edwards are called to the home to investigate. And soon find out the star of the stage was hiding a shocking secret he never wanted his public to know.
The residents at the Irving are now living in perpetual fear. Who will be next?
The race is on to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again.
A victim who thought he could outrun his past.
A killer who’ll never forget.
Two detectives determined to find the truth.
A good read with good characters. I did like the story. 4*.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Joffe Books for an advance copy of An Antique Murder, the second novel to feature DI French and DS Glyn Edwards, set in the fictional town of Oldminster on the English south coast.

Legendary stage actor Sir Frank Taylor is found stabbed to death with a Nazi dagger in his room at the Irving retirement home for former actors. DI French is convinced that the answer lies deep in Sir Frank’s past.

I quite enjoyed An Antique Murder, which has an interesting plot and a well concealed perpetrator. It is told from various points of view and while that is a bit of a hindrance to full immersion it’s not too bad because the big developments are handled by the relevant character and in longer chunks, so that the reader can delve into them.

The plot is a bit strange. I didn’t guess the perpetrator but I did guess the rest of it because it’s not particularly original, either in fiction or real life. In fact I found it a bit frustrating that none of the investigators, be they police or private, clocked on sooner, because it’s fairly obvious. Perhaps younger readers with little knowledge of Nazism will find it less obvious and perhaps more shocking. I also thought that the ending was a cop out and way too simplistic for such complicated history.

An Antique Murder is a solid if unimaginative read.

DI Paul French and DS Glyn Edwards are called to investigate the murder of a retired thespian, ninety-four-year-old Sir Frank Taylor, resident of the Irving Home for Retired Actors in Oldminster. His body was discovered in his own bed with a dagger plunged through the chest. The dagger is an authentic SS dagger, the ‘Ehrendolch’, or ‘honor dagger’, part of the ceremonial dress of members of the SS. Could there be a possible connection between Sir Frank Taylor and the Nazis or is the use of the dagger a mere coincidence? Given the timing and manner in which the crime was committed and the efficient routine maintained by the management of the residence, it seems unlikely that an outsider could have entered the premises and murdered the victim .Thus it seems that the staff and fellow residents are the most probable suspects or are they?

As the story progresses we come to know that Sir Frank had been fearing for his life and had requested one of his fellow residents Mr. Charles Forshaw, to hire the detective duo of Greenspan and McArthur to look into matters if anything untoward ever occurred. The search for the truth involves deep dive into the family histories, of more than one person linked to the victim dating back to the Holocaust and Nazi Germany. Adding to the intrigue are two unidentified individuals who appear to be members of an avenging vigilante group communicating on the Dark Web (under the aliases of Bosszuallo and Msciciel) , the gardener with a shady past , a criminal kingpin who has a history with Frank, an antiques dealer who is a friend of the residents and who was instrumental in recognizing the historical significance of the murder weapon and a crew of retired actors whose efforts to contribute towards identifying the killer lead to some humorous and some shocking moments.

An Antique Murder by Norman Russell is an intriguing mystery with an interesting cast of characters and a well-woven plot. The pace was a bit slow in the beginning and it took a bit of effort to keep track of the many characters integral to the plot . The pace picks up in the latter half of the novel and though some of the twists were not too hard to foresee, the manner in which the mystery is unraveled does have an element of surprise. Overall, this is an enjoyable read that holds your attention till the very end. This is the second in a series of novels featuring DI Paul French and DS. Glyn Edwards, but can very well be enjoyed as a standalone novel. Seeing as how much I enjoyed this story , I would love to read the first book in the series as well.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for an eARC of this engaging cozy mystery in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The Irving retirement home for actors in their twilight years is never short of drama.
Not least when legendary thespian Sir Frank Taylor is discovered dead in his bloody bed. A Nazi dagger plunged deep into his chest.
He was once England’s most dazzling leading man, but someone is clearly not a fan.
Detectives French and Edwards are called to the home to investigate. And soon find out the star of the stage was hiding a shocking secret he never wanted his public to know.
The inmates at the Irving are now living in perpetual fear. Who will be next? I had a really hard time putting my Kindle down to do my Adult responsibilities.
This book is a perfect murder mystery!
The race is on to uncover the truth before the killer strikes again!

Excellent murder mystery. It takes in the concentration camps in Europe at the end of the 2nd world war and the happenings to some of the people involved in them. Well crafted and nice to have recurring characters from An Invitation to Murder - although you don't need to have read that one to 'get' this one.

Loved it - more please.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I read a free advance review copy of the book. This review is voluntary, honest and my own opinion.

The Oldminster Mysteries #2

The Irving retirement home for actors in their twilight years is never short of drama. Not least when legendary thespian Sir Frank Taylor is discovered dead in his bloody bed. A Nazi dagger plunged deep into his chest. He was once England's most dazzling leading man, but someone is clearly not a fan. Detectives French and Edwards are called into the home to investigate. They soon find out the star of the stage was hiding a shocking secret.

When a 94 year old thespian actor is found murdered with a Nazi dagger plunged into his chest, Detectives French and Edwards are called in to investigate. This is an easy book to read. The characters are well rounded and believable. The pace is steady with a few twists along the way. This is a well written murder mystery and even though I guessed whodunit, I still enjoyed the story. I have not read the first book in this series, An Invitation To Murder, but this book does read well as a standalone.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks and the author #NormanRussell for my ARC of #AnAntiqueMurder in exchange for an honest review.

This was a very interesting and well paced Murder mystery. There were several twists and turns with great character development. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
This was the 2nd in the Old monster Series and even better than no. 1.
I loved it, again with the feel of an old-fashioned mystery, but set in the present. It takes place in a home for retired actors. A 94-year old highly revered old thespian is murdered, killed with a Nazi knife and we go back to the Nazis and WWII, which was very interesting. The main characters investigating the murder are all very appealing and the ending was excellent. I can't wait for no. 3 in the series!

This is the second instalment in the Oldminster series featuring DI Paul French and his DS, Glyn Edwards.

I have not read the first book in the series and do not feel it was an issue in terms of context and continuity.

The setting is the Irving Home which is geared towards retired actors. The Irving is rocked when theatre legend Sir Frank Taylor is found dead in his bed with an ebony-handled dagger driven through his heart. French and Edwards are assigned to investigate and it becomes apparent that Sir Taylor was harbouring a very dark secret.

I found both detectives appealing, especially French. However, at some points the story became difficult to follow and there is a particularly unbelievable section involving an Irving resident pretending to be a member of Scotland Yard. Ultimately, I liked the book enough to want to go go back and check out the first instalment.

Thanks to NetGalley and Joffe Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.