Murder at Everham Hall, the first book in Benedict Brown’s Marius Quin mystery series carries on the clever tradition of his Lord Edgington series, with an engaging and immediately likeable protagonist, a multi-layered mystery, and a supporting cast of quirky and interesting characters.

Marius Quin, a thriller writer who has published just one book, comes to London to pitch his latest offering to his publisher, only to admit that he has spent the entire royalty from the first book as well as his advance on the current work and is now penniless. Far worse, his current manuscript is incomplete, and he is devoid of new ideas for it. A chance encounter with his high school sweetheart, Lady Isabella Montague (Bella), leads to an invitation to a New Year’s Eve party at Everham Hall. But the party and Cecil, its drunken host, leave a lot to be desired, and to his chagrin, the guests include Gilbert, Bella’s current beau. Any chance at festivity comes to a halt when Marius and Bella discover Cecil has been murdered. When the police are prevented from coming to the location due to the severity of the snowstorm, Marius kicks into “mystery writer” mode in an attempt to solve the crime. But with so many suspects with obvious motives, his task looks daunting for even the best of writers. Together, he and Bella question the guests in an attempt to ferret out the truth.

As with the Lord Edgington series, this new book is fast-paced, with a mystery that becomes increasingly suspenseful with each turning page, culminating in an exciting twist at the end. Mr. Brown has created a wonderful locked-room mystery in the Christie tradition with a variety of suspects actively and angrily accusing each other of the crime. The only thing they can agree on is that Marius (in the absence of the police) is the most well-suited to solve the murder. Marius, for his part, is an engaging and logical protagonist, a clearly amateur sleuth who relies on his wits and intuition (and that of Bella) to investigate the murder. His first-person perspective brings a sense of immediacy to the tale. His relationship with Bella is a lesser focal point in the story, but in a good way. His sense of love is mingled with regret, and it is easy to be sympathetic toward him. His rivalry with Gilbert, Bella’s new suitor, adds a bit of wry humor.

All in all, Murder at Everham Hall, is an excellent debut. If this series continues in this vein (which I expect it will), it will be a good one. I look forward to sharing more literary adventures with Marius Quin.

Note: I received an ARC of Murder at Everham Hall from NetGalley and Storm Publishing. The above is my honest review.

My first book by this author but I absolutely loved it! Adored the period setting and how the 1920s were brought so vividly to life. This was a twisty-turny mystery that kept me guessing to the end. I was instantly drawn to the amateur detective, Marius Quin, a struggling mystery writer with money problems and a severe case of unrequited love. A cross between Agatha Christie and PG Wodehouse, this is an engaging, witty story that made me laugh and kept me hooked.

It was a very enjoyable read. I don’t read a lot of historical cozy mysteries but they are quite similar to the more modern ones that I usually read. The setting was quite warm and had a comfy feeling. The murder mystery itself was engaging and well-plotted. The main character is rather interesting and compelling.
I can definitely see myself reading more books from that series in the future.

Murder at Everham Hall is set in the 1920s. Marius is a mystery author who doesn't have quite enough money. His friend invites him to a magnificent New Year's eve party at the decked out Everham Hall. His faithful companion, a bassett hound, travels with him.

When the host is murdered and the guests are all snowed in it is up to Marius to solve the crime. His status as mystery writer makes him the closest thing to a detective they have.

The setting and characters made for a pleasant holiday read.

More of a 4.5 rounded up. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this Clue-esque book. I really enjoyed this mystery. It was a quick read for sure and the mystery definitely sucked me in. I enjoyed the characters, the twists along the way and the hints of future romance. I would definitely recommend to fans of "lock room" mysteries. I would definitely be interested in reading more of the future series.

A lovely cosy whodunit set in 1920s England. Marcus is a writer looking for second book inspiration when he is invited to a New Year party at a country house by an old friend and flame. Lots of twists and turns and beautiful character development. A very cosy read! .

This was a clever whodunit set in the 1920's. Mystery writer Marius Quin has a serious case of writers block and needs inspiration to write his second book. His childhood friend and ex-girlfriend, Lady Bella, invites him to a small New Years Eve party at the opulent estate of a famous actor. The drunken host is murdered shortly after the party starts. Since they are snowed in, Marius and Bella join forces to find the killer. The suspect list is short but someone in the mansion is a murderer. I enjoyed the unique writing style, the time period. and the many plot twists. I look forward to reading the second book in this series. My thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC to read and review.
5/5. Stars!!!

My first Netgalley read.
Set in one of my favorite time and place, 1920’s England. I have read the first book in the Lord Edgington series and if you like that one, you’ll probably like this one as well.
It’s the first book in a new series so there’s some back story at first but I would have loved to get to the mystery sooner.
It reads a little on the juvenile side, main focus on interviews and not physical clues to puzzle together.
Didn’t really take to the main character.

Favorite character: Percy (the dog)
Did I solve it: Nope

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for my honest opinon.


This was a cute murder mystery set in the late 1920s in England. It read very much like The Glass Library series by C.J Archer. So if you're a fan of those books, you may want to pick this one up as well. The story follows a mystery novelist, Marius, as he tries (with the help of his childhood friend, Bella) to solve the murder of a silent screen actor in his home during a New Year's party in which they were both in attendance. There is obviously murder, misdirects, revenge, and odd relationships throughout, but they weave together well for a story set in that time period. This was a quick, enjoyable read, and I may pick up more once the series continues. (This book is meant to be the first installment.)

Murder at Everham Hall was a fun read with a great twist at the end. Looking forward to the next book in the series.

This, from the author of the engaging Lord Edington series (and there’s a bit of crossover here) is the first in a new series and is the story of likable rake Marius Quin, a veteran of WWI and successful writer of one murder mystery who is in the middle of mucking it all up. He has a terrible case of writer’s block (a term which, we learn in the afterword, did not yet exist in the 1920s) and is deeply in debt. He has a chance meeting with his ex-childhood friend/love Bella Montague who invites him to a New Years Eve party at Everham Hall outside London, where he lives with his mother, aunt, uncle and erstwhile basset hound Percy Anderson II.

Excited at the chance to reunite with Bella he and Percy take off for Everham Hall, owned by famous actor Cecil Sinclair. There he joins the house party made up of Cecil, his girlfriend, his father and his paramour, Bella and her boyfriend, his clerk and a director and actress couple. When one member of the house party is murdered and a snow storm cuts off the party from police Marius and Bella must join wits to try to find the killer before he or she strikes again.

This was a cute story, set in the 1920s as is Brown’s Lord Edington series (which I enjoy a wee bit more….maybe because of the food descriptions!) Marius is flawed and self-effacing so he’s enjoyable, but Bella is a little tougher to take. Still a fun diversion and Brown does well with period details. These are enjoyable cozy mysteries that really deserve a much wider audience. Recommended.

Pleasant Golden-Age style mystery that lacked oomph. It featured an annoying bill they be a couple/won’t be a couple? dynamic the two protagonists that undoubtedly will be stretched out over several books. Recommended as an afternoon read.

I really enjoyed this New Year Cozy Mystery! I will definitely read more of Mr. Quin's adventures! The author did a great job at setting the scenery, and the characters are so fleshed out. Getting in Quin's head was intriguing, and I loved how the author shows the difference between one's thoughts and one's actions. While a mystery, it still made me think about people and their interactions with others. How one decision or choice one makes can change the course of someone's else life. If you enjoy mysteries and early 20th-century period and Christmas novels, you're love this one!

A good start to a new series. I enjoyed the characters, who were likeable and somewhat flawed. My favourite was Marcus’ dog, The authors historical research notes at the end were a nice touch, I'm looking forward to the next book and seeing how the character's develop. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Marius Quinn is a bestselling author. Trouble is he’s only written one book, and is struggling with his second. Having spent all the proceeds from his first gem, and all the advance for his second, Marius is in dire straits and living well above his means. Despite grovelling nicely to Bertie his publisher, no further funds are forthcoming until new chapters are produced. After an altercation with a litter bin and an icy pavement, Marius looks up to see an old flame, the love of his life, Bella. When she invites him to spend New Year at the mansion of the celebrated though somewhat debauched actor Cecil Sinclair, Marius thinks this might be the start of a rekindling of their relationship and eagerly accepts.

This is a perfect book for those who enjoy crime and murder mystery stories without the usual accompanying gore and graphics. The first in a new series, the author has encapsulated the era and the style of writing well and I’ve no doubt there will soon be a faithful audience for the books.

Not my preferred style of writing, though I can definitely see the appeal and I did enjoy the plot. The historical research chapter at the end of the book was particularly well done and much enjoyed, thank you.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm.

Absolutely fabulous golden age style whodunnit, set in a country house on a snowy New Years Eve. Yes, I guessed some of it, but certainly not all of it. Clever, oh so clever and while I hate to use the cliche of unputdownable, it really was. More of this crime fighting duo please.