When the body of a strange young woman is found in the Earl of Unsworth's garden during a party, his capable secretary Mr. Quayle is tasked with keeping the family from scandal during the investigation - a task only made harder by the secrets everyone is keeping.

This is a cozy sort of mystery in 1920s England, with the vibe you'd get if you blend the adventurous plots of Sherlock Holmes and the humorous domestic drama of PG Wodehouse. I liked how the author built the rigid class structure of the times into the mystery and the characters' attitudes, making the post-war setting come alive. The mystery is a complicated one with plenty of red herrings and dead ends, and I liked that I was able to solve some of it but not the whole.

However, I did feel like the big reveal of the solution was poorly handled, overlong with some amount of melodrama and dastardly behavior on the parts of the villains. The writing got repetitive in parts as well, with certain words and phrases - glares and 'sharp smiles' - peppered noticeably throughout. While characters were distinct and had their share of shades of grey, I never got particularly interested in any of them, maybe because no one struck me as very likable or interesting.

I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Rafe Beckley. I thought he did an excellent job, bringing humor to the production and providing distinct voices for a range of characters with different regional accents. His performance definitely elevated my listening experience and kept me absorbed in the story.

A body is found and no one has no idea what is going on. A historical fiction story that has a suspenseful mystery set in the plot. The authors threw in some twists and turns to keep the story interesting. I listened to the audiobook version of this story. The narration was unique and added to the mysterious plot. An enjoyable story.

Disclaimer: Thank you NetGalley and BooksGoSocial Audio for this review copy and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Highly enjoyed listening to this book on audio. Murder and mystery and keeps you gripped and wanting to keep listening

Brief Summary: A woman is found dead in the garden at Unsworth Castle. She has no papers or documentation on her, but she is carrying a roll of cash. Her death is no accident, as there definitely was a struggle. She is found before the reclusive Earl of Unsworth is scheduled to make his big announcement. Why is she there, does she have any connection to the family, and more importantly, who would want her dead?

Thoughts: This is a historical murder mystery tale similar to an Agatha Christie classic. There is an amateur sleuth working alongside an official investigator. There are missing diamonds, embezzled funds, riddles, buried secrets, and several red herrings scattered throughout. The characters are realistic, the storyline is believable, and there is good descriptive writing. All of these elements worked together to bring this book to life. Though this is book one of a series, it can be read as a standalone novel. The mystery wraps up within the book, and you are not left with a cliffhanger.

Thank you to Anthony Slayton, BooksGoSocial Audio, and NetGalley for granting advanced access to this book. If you enjoy plotlines similar to Agatha Christie classics, you should check out this book.

This was an enjoyable "Agatha Christie" style mystery with a bunch of English aristocrats all at a party together when a body is discovered in the garden. In an attempt to stop scandal spreading, an employee at the house is enlisted to try and unmask who committed the murder before the police trample over everything and the family name is besmirched. The story was quite engaging and there were plenty of twists to the mystery, and I enjoyed listening to the audiobook very much.

3.5 stars. I listened to this book and the narrator did a great job setting the tone and fit so well with the story. This one is a slow burn and will keep you guessing. My biggest complaint is that the characters were not fully developed and because there were quite a few of them, it was hard to remember who was who when a name was mentioned.

A great historical mystery in the vein of the great Agatha Christie. The plot kept me guessing and although some parts were a tad bit predictable, I most definitely did not figure out whodunit by the time of the reveal at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for offering this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Blurb:
When the reclusive Earl of Unsworth’s first party in over a decade is spoiled by murder, His Lordship’s loyal and efficient secretary, Mr. Quayle, must unravel a web of red-herrings and buried secrets before the murderer can strike again…

“I do not wish to disturb you, your grace, but there is a body in the garden…”

England, 1925. When a strange young woman is found murdered on the grounds of Unsworth Castle, the Duke and his family are astounded at first, but quickly become enraged when the police begin asking all sorts of impertinent questions.
And when suspicions dare to fall on one of their own, it is up to Mr. Quayle, Lord Unsworth’s exceedingly efficient secretary, to find the true culprit and save the House of Unsworth from scandal and ruin.

Review:
I wasn't expecting what I read at all. This book was a positive surprise for me, as it was a fun murder mistery set in 1925 in a wonderful ancient mansion that encased all of the beautiful mistery of secret passages and beautiful dresses.
I would highly suggest this book as it is a fun fast réad that I found entertaining and we'll constructed. Plus if you love 1925 England this is the book for you.

sleek, fun, mysterious and engaging

It took no time to get through this one wile walking the dog and gave me a kind of 'knives out' vibe which I really appreciated!

I love me a good English Historical Fiction Murder Mystery and this one did not disappoint! I can't wait for the next book in this series. I loved all the characters and can't wait to see what they get up to in the next installment! I am going to add all of Anthony Slayton's books to my TBR!


#AMostEfficientMurder
#NetGalley

This was a fun whodunnit English mystery reminiscent of Agatha Christie. Fast paced with lots of twists and turns. The narrator did a wonderful job of putting unique voices to each character.

A very cosy murder mystery set in 1925 surrounding a rich family in at Unsworth Castle, and unlikely hero, Mr Quayle, who aids the police in their work to solve the murder of a young woman found dead in the gardens of the estate.

I really enjoyed this audiobook and the narration of it. The mystery had so many twists and turns, with a family who hid so many secrets. Each clue and reveal fitted so perfectly to the story and led to the, shall I say, beautiful ending of the book, where the murderer is revealed. I really wasn’t sure if I would like this book as much as I did, and I was glad that I did not stop listening.

Like every great murder mystery book I read, I was never close to figuring out the truth myself. And this is really how it should be!

I can’t wait to read/listen to Mr Quayle’s next adventure!

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to listen to this audiobook in advance in exchange for my honest opinion.

I love a good classic-style mystery. While this one didn't really feel super original, it was still an enjoyable read.

The story and mystery are interesting and easy to follow. The pacing was on the slower side, but fine for this style of mystery. It gave off real AC vibes. The characters were well developed, but honestly a little unmemorable. While there is a great deal of description given for the grounds and home, I found there to be a real lack of overall atmosphere. It just doesn't add up to a memorable setting for me.

In summary, as a mystery, this was well done. However, as a story, it wasn't unique or memorable. Also, the narration was enjoyable.

What an unexpected pleasure, stumbling across this gem. Like a familiar cup of Earl Grey in a cozy chair, this mystery is quintessentially English and reminds me of my beloved Agatha Christie treasures. Thank you for this well-plotted, witty, manor mystery that you didn't know you'd been missing until you read it.

I feel badly providing a review when I haven't finished the book but the narrator's voice was so grating that I had to stop listening. Perhaps if I get an e-book or hard copy of the novel I will get a better understanding of the plot and story arc.

A finely done classic style mystery that adequately meets most of the criteria for quality in the genre but doesn’t offer much that we haven’t seen before.

This is a fairly well-plotted and structured mystery and pays good homage to golden age mysteries. But it’s also one of those books that I probably won’t remember a thing about in a few months because there’s nothing about it that stands out from its peers.

I’m never bothered by slow pacing in a mystery, but I do need more atmosphere and sense of place out of this style, and there’s little to none of it present here. The characters too are competently drawn but unmemorable, and all of this adds up to the reader’s mind wandering, especially when using audiobook format. It should be said that this is not the fault of the narrator, who was lovely.

In the end, this isn’t an unpleasant read at all and there are no specific quality issues with the mystery itself. But I need more atmosphere out of a book like this if there isn’t anything unusual about the story itself.

With thanks to Net Galley and the Author for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review. From start to finish I found this book to be excellently entertaining - I truly wish to spend more adventures with Mr Quayle.

Need a new mystery to read for 2023? This is a perfect read for Agatha Christie or Louise Penny fans!

Thank you so much to @booksgosocialaudio for giving me a chance to listen to this on audio via @netgalley

If you are looking to start a new series that is like Agatha Christie, look no further than this book. It’s a new mystery and the protaganist is Mr Quayle, a veteran of the First World War who is now the secretary of the wealthy Earl of Unsworth. We don’t know exactly everything about Mr. Quayle's past, but the true mystery is when a body of a dead girl appears in his lordships’ garden during a momentous party.

The characters are well flushed out and you find yourself invested in both Quayale and the Inspector, trying to find more information about the girl and her connection to the list of suspects within the family.

This was such a nice surprise. The audio was also well performed by Rafe Beckley and I highly recommend it!

This is an excel book for those that enjoy english wit. Whether or not it was intentional, there are plenty of moments that were comical and made this book that much better. However it felt a bit hoity-toity at times and sometimes I want more a gritty thriller. If english detective mysteries are your thing, this is perfect for you. It lent elements of Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes to the tale, but was no as puzzle built as those two Christie's stories and Holmes's cases.

A Most Efficient Murder by Anthony Slayton Narrated by Rafe Beckley is the first book in h=the new promising The Mr. Quayle Mysteries, series it did take me a while to get into it but once I got into it, I really enjoyed it. This book had great twists and turns throughout and I really like all the main characters they were very likeable and convincingly human. .
The Narrator Rafe Beckley was excellent for this audiobook and I am looking forward to the next one within Mr. Quayle Mysteries series..