Yet another excellent book Jim Eldridge and the second in the London underground series

I love how in all of his books Eldridge blends fiction with fact and his use of language really brings the WW2 era to life in both it's horror and it's spirit.

Fast paced and well written you just don't want to put this down.

Highly recommended yet again.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Jim Eldrige always writes solid historical mysteries that are both entertaining and informative.
This series that mixes luxury hotels and underground station is very good and I love the description of everyday life in London during the Bliz and the story of the stations.
They're always complex and full of twists, they show you some of the truth but they also makes you suspect the wrong guy (or that's what happens to me).
Coburg and Rose are back together and they are part of a subplot.
A gripping, soldi, and compelling mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Having read and enjoyed the first book in this series I was very excited to get the second installment. Wasn't disappointed and liked it as much as the first.

This story revolves around Down Street Station, a bolthold for the then Prime Minister Winston Churchill. But when a fortune teller is found dead this secret hideout seems not so secret anymore!

This is a very entertaining and easy to read murder, mystery that gave me everything I wanted from a story like this. With twists and turns you won't see coming, intrigue that keeps you reading and a mystery to be solved. It is also fast paced so never left me bored or looking for more.

I really enjoyed this great read and highly recommend it. I also want to thank NetGalley and Allison & Busby for the chance to read and review this book and look forward to seeing what comes next.

Jim Eldridge’s Murder at Down Street Station is the latest book in his WWII London Underground Station Mysteries series, featuring DCI Edgar Saxe-Coburg, younger brother to the Earl of Dawlish. A young woman’s body is found at Down Street Underground station on Christmas Day, 1940 and DCI Coburg and his assistant, Sergeant Ted Lampson are assigned to the case.

This is a fast-paced story with several murders. There is also a nice sub-plot with Ted wanting to ask his son’s teacher, Eve Bradley, for a date. The book is self-contained, like all Eldridge’s novels, but there is a narrative arc that progresses from book to book e.g. Lampson’s relationship with Eve. I really enjoyed the book: the resolution of the various plot strands was satisfying, although there was a faint whiff of “deus ex machina” with one or two. The characterisation is excellent and the more I see of Edgar’s brother, Magnus and his factotum, Malcolm, the better. They make an excellent odd couple! Even the minor characters such as Doris, the ambulance driver; Danny Bell, a gangster, and his henchman, Duffy Powell, are distinctive and delineated in a few sentences. There’s no danger of getting confused by similar characters.

The book is historically accurate. The author was born during the Blitz and knows London very well indeed. The language, the behaviour and just, for want of a better word, the atmosphere within Eldridge’s books are highly evocative. One can easily imagine a BBC producer like John Fawcett, asking Coburg’s wife, Rosa, to appear on Henry Hall’s radio programme.

Highly recommended.

#MurderatDownStreetStation #NetGalley

Criminal and political shenanigans set in London during the Blitz at end of 1940, a cleverly plotted and superbly choreographed whodunit that really kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The various murders may or may not be connected and more than one killer might be involved but the twists and turns are numerous and the rhythm of the entire story and how the chain of events falls into place is simply dazzling!

The ensemble cast is exquisitely drawn and the historical details of a city under constant enemy bombardment are truly fascinating.
And last but not least, it's always a delicious treat to be spending some time with the winsome Edgar Saxe-Coburg and his talented wife....

A captivating new addition to a terrific series that deserves to be enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever!

Many thanks to Allison&Busby for this fabulous ARC!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Allison & Busby for an advance copy of Murder at Down Street Station, the fifth novel and second in the London Underground Station Mysteries series to feature DCI Edgar Saxe-Coburg and DS Ted Lampson of Scotland Yard, set in 1940/1.

On Boxing Day Coburg and Lampson are called out to Down Street underground station, now disused for trains and serving as Churchill’s bunker, as a woman has been found stabbed to death on the platform. They find themselves in dark territory involving international politics, potential treason and more personal threats.

I thoroughly enjoyed Murder at Down Street Station, which is a straightforward police procedural with some clever twists and a large dose of sociopathic behaviour. I say straightforward when the plot is anything but, it’s more a case of linearity in the time line and logic in the developments.

Coburg starts his investigation with victimology and it’s a doozy. I’m not going to say how she earned her living or her history, but they are non traditional and open up so many lines of enquiry, both domestic and international. It’s cleverly done and very interesting in terms of the historical information it allows the author to expound on. The plot moves on with more discoveries and more murders, but who is behind them is unclear, especially with the author indulging in a little misdirection, like more than one character claiming to be the murderer for their own reasons. As I said, lots of sociopathic behaviour and this is just one example. The ending is another case in point where the ruthlessness involved is marked.

The novel has a subplot of a threat to Coburg’s wife, jazz singer Rosa Weeks. It is gloriously over the top from start to finish and often made me smile.

Murder at Down Street Station is a good read with plenty of meat on the bones that I have no hesitation in recommending.

Murder at Down Street Station is another excellent book in the Coburg and Lampson series by Jim Eldridge and is highly recommended if you like your crime faction to be historical

A 5* read

Another outing with the characters you’ve grown to know and love - this one just felt a little more jumbled. Lots of mini storylines and it didn’t feel very clear in terms of the Irish bit. And the attempt on Rosa’s life felt a bit paint by numbers villain, and added to pad out the word count. Still overall fair, but not quite up to the usual standard, I think.

I am a tremendous fan of Jim Eldridge and have really taken to this series set during the war. The first three were set at some of the best hotels in London, but the author has now turned his attention to some of the unused tube stations that were used by the government during the conflict. This story is a heady mix of murder and espionage, with links to Russia and Ireland.; yet we also have the realities of life for those who lived during the blitz, regardless of their place in society. All told this is a fantastic series that I can't wait to read more of.

The Underground station at Down Street is now being used as the Headquarters of the Railway Executive Committee. On Christmas of 1940, a man who works there goes to flag down a train for the next station, and finds a dead woman. Coburg and Lampson are called. They soon find the dead woman's real name is Svetlana Rostaova, but she is called Lady ZaZa and is a fortune teller. She came from Russia with her brother in 1937, and they find the landlady has turned her out of her rooms.

Coburg's wife Rosa, who is a jazz singer, has been asked to be part of a special concert. However, it turns out she is replacing another woman who was fired, and the fired woman is VERY angry. It's soon apparent that Lady ZaZa has been killed because she has been told secrets as she tells fortunes; the owner of the secrets is not happy. It's also clear that someone is trying to kill Rosa Coburg. Soon Svetlana's brother is murdered. Then a reporter who has written about the murders is also murdered.

Coburg and Lampson have a lot of work to figure out all the murders as well as to protect Rosa. The story becomes very exciting as more suspects are found, Lampson begins a social life, and the Germans are bombing buildings and starting fires. This is a great addition to the books with Coburg and Lampson.

I wanted to know what happened so much that I stayed up late to finish this book. The characters were interesting and the plot was intriguing. I enjoyed the twists and turns and the author not spoiling other books in this series. I would happily read more from this author.