I had eagerly anticipated the latest installment of Kelly Oliver's Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mysteries, as I have been following this series for some time. Unfortunately, Murder in Moscow did not meet my expectations.

This installment differed from its predecessors in several ways, notably in giving Kitty Lane a more significant narrative role. However, I found Kitty's characterization as a trained spy relying on her perceived "stupidity" or seductiveness to be unsatisfying.

Some scenes felt incomplete, such as Fiona's prison escape, which concluded abruptly with her befriending the countess and the female division of the Bolsheviks. Additionally, Fiona's romantic entanglements with both Frederick Fredericks and Archie Somersby felt rushed and underdeveloped.

The story presents two main mysteries: Fiona's involvement in the murder of the head of the secret police and the infiltration of British spies into the Kremlin. Unfortunately, both side plots suffered from rushed conclusions and unresolved scenes.

Fiona Figg trails her nemesis Fredrick Fredricks to Moscow. But when she arrives at the grand Metropol Hotel, the bounder has vanished. This is just the beginning of Fiona's journey through WWI Russia. This is a good story and a Romantic one.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book.

Murder in Moscow is the fifth book of the series Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane Mystery.

This time, Fiona decides to follow her heart and meet Frederick Fredericks in Moscow. However, when she arrives in the middle of political chaos she gets entangled in the mess with few option to get out. Kitty is the hero of the story. She is constantly saving Fiona from making a life mistake while also keeping her alive.

Who knows what the next adventure will bring and if finally Fiona is ready to choose her partner in life and mission.

I personally enjoyed the book even though I found Fiona’s love entangled kind of trying.

I just reviewed Murder in Moscow by Kelly Oliver. #MurderinMoscow #NetGalley

This book had fun, well-established characters and was a fast read both because of its short length and tight writing style. There was a good balance of action and breathing room, with enough details to put you in the characters’ shoes without over-explaining. Fiona’s inner conflicts were detailed in a sympathetic way, and the humor in the book rarely missed for me.

This is book 8 in a series, but the story itself was fairly contained and it was easy to infer character relationships and histories. I liked the setting and characters a lot, and the mystery was complicated enough to be a fun challenge as a reader. This book sets up some big things for future volumes in the series, so while there isn’t a whole lot of payoff personally for the characters this time around, those looking to continue the series will find plenty to keep them occupied with until the next book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC. This is my honest review.

4/5 A compact, high spirited Russian mystery.

Murder in Moscow is the latest instalment in the Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane cosy historical mystery series.

We've been to Egypt, Italy, the UK and now we're off to 1918 Moscow. What could possibly go wrong?

Everything, or so it seems. Kitty, following Frederick Fredericks to Moscow, find herself marooned in an freezing cold Moscow in March, and that's just the beginning of her problems, as she faces arrest and all sorts of other problems in this fun addition to the series.

What I loved about this new book is that Kitty gets her own part in it. So far, (I think), the narratives have been from Fiona's point of view. In Murder in Moscow, Kitty gets to have her say and we learn some intriguing information about her. And, as Kitty can speak Russian a whole lot better than Fiona, Fiona really needs her help.

With Bolsheviks, and the Cheka and the terrible problems facing the Russian royal family, Moscow is rife with conspiracy and as ever, Fiona walks right into it, and not even her disguises can necessarily help her.

This is, as I said, a fun addition to the series, which is going from strength to strength. Fiona is a single-minded woman, hell bent on making a name for herself, and her overconfidence means she gets into some very tricky situations. Her ability to get out of these situations is one of the appealing qualities of the series, told with a pinch of humour. A firm 4.5/5.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for my review copy.

I enjoyed the fifth instalment in the Kitty Lane and Fiona Rigg mysteries. Here is my review of Murder in Moscow by Kelly Oliver- historical thriller.
I received a copy of the book for a free and unbiased opinion.
Although, this is the fifth book in the series, Murder in Moscow can be read as a standalone without any difficulty. Although I would recommend reading all the books the series to truly appreciate Fiona’s complicated love life.
As always, the book is based on real events in history, and I was fascinated to read about the Ambassador plot and how Russia changed when the Bolsheviks came to power. I was fascinated with the Tsarist movement and their plot to bring the Tsar back to power.
Fiona has run off to Moscow following her heart ( or lust) to be with the Fredricks but of course becomes embroiled with a Countess and thrown into prison. Kitty comes to her rescue and but Fiona has to go undercover as Nanny in the head of secret service household.
There is plenty of action, humour and of course romance with a murder mystery thrown in. Kitty has more of role in this book with her own POV chapters, but she remains as mysterious as ever. I would have liked to have more Clifford but Fiona finally makes a choice between her two men!
Fiona remains a complicated mix of a woman who leads a free life and enjoys espionage but is also prim and proper but as always, she has a hilarious view on life.
Perfect for Fans
Of cosy historical murder mysteries

Fiona Figg, war office clerk and aspirating spy who is fond of disguises and gadgets has followed that bounder Fredericks to Moscow in Book 5 of this series. She is left alone in a hotel room in the midst of the Bolshevik Revolution and soon finds herself being detained by the Russian Secret Police. Kitty follows her to bring her back before the office finds out why she went to Moscow. Of course, Clifford and Poppy Poo are with her. They also run across Archie, Fiona's sometimes boyfriend. They do end up involved in trying to overthrow the Russian Government and Fiona finds herself wanted for killing the head of the Russian Secret Police.

This is the best one of the series! It had twists and turns. It is an extremely well-crafted mystery. I was on the edge of my seat at times and literally could not put this one down. I was surprised by the identity of the killer. Never fear though, it also had the quirkiness, humor, history and British wit we have come to love in this series.

I love Fiona and her spunk. Her character is so well written. She is one of my favorite cozy mystery sleuths. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy of this book, a cup of tea and enjoy!

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the opportunity to read this advance copy.

A fine spy whodunit, part of the fab series with feisty Fiona Figg. Here she heads to Russia, where she becomes involved in a plot to topple the Bolsheviks. Thrilling!

Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think I’ve read most of this series now and never realised until this book just how much research must have gone into it. They’ve all been set during the war, but until this one in Moscow, never really registered with me how accurate they were (sorry, Kelly!)

I really enjoy reading about Fiona and how she always manages to get herself into some proper scrapes. This time in Moscow, she ends up in jail and later, wanted for murder! You do wonder sometimes if it would be safer for her to stay in the War Office filing. But as usual, Kitty is on hand to help out and get her out of the predicaments she gets into. I liked the Kitty interludes in this book, nit seen it before in the series but really like it and hope it continues in the next ones.

Another fab cosy mystery in this series, long may they continue.

Fiona Figg puts her job with Britain’s War Office at risk when she accepts the invitation of notorious spy Fredrick Fredricks to meet him at the Metropol Hotel in Moscow. Fiona has been trailing Fredricks all across the globe in an effort to stop his spying and occasional assassination of double agents. Fiona arrives at the motel only to find that Fredricks is not there. After a brief stay in a Russian prison, Fiona is rescued by her partner, Kitty Weeks. Still determined to find Fredricks, Fiona and Kitty get caught up in a plot to overthrow the Bolshevik government. Fiona is a master of disguise, and she uses her skills to go undercover as a governess in the home of Iron Viktor, the Bolsheviks’ Head of Secret Police. When Viktor is killed, Fiona is once again on the run from the police.

While I am a big fan of the Fiona Figg Mysteries and the Fiona Figg and Kitty Weeks Mysteries, MURDER IN MOSCOW fell a little flat for me. All of the books are a bit ridiculous, but this one passed into the realm of the unbelievable. The plot was chaotic and sometimes hard to keep track of. For wartime Russia during the height of the Bolshevik Revolution, no one seems all that concerned by the group of British people running around and sticking their noses into political affairs. The subplot of Fiona’s romantic feelings bouncing back and forth between Fredricks and Archie is also getting to be over the top. Overall, MURDER IN MOSCOW was still interesting as it continues to move Fiona’s story forward. I hope things pick back up in the next novel.

I had never read any books in this series (not sure how that happened as it is just the kind of thing I'd enjoy!) but was intrigued by the description so thought I'd put a request for an ARC in. I am so happy I did! I found this book utterly delightful. The characters were great, I enjoyed the pacing, setting, plot...pretty much everything. I have always had a fascination with Russia/the Soviet Union so that was definitely in the book's favor. I was a bit confused about how characters related to each other at first, but chalked that up to having never read the series before & as the book went on I figured it out. I will be going back to read the rest of the books in the series, which I think is the highest praise I can give a book like this. I love that it is different than your typical cozy mystery because of the spying, but you still get a murder to solve. I am looking forward to reading more books in the series!

I am very stingy with 5 star ratings & only give them to books that become my favorites or basically change my life, so 4 stars means I really enjoyed a book. I do think this book would be even more enjoyable if you have read others in the series, but I obviously enjoyed it as a standalone.

Thank you to NetGalley & Boldwood Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Fiona Figg and Kitty Lane mystery & first book from Kelly Oliver. It’s a bit of historical fiction mixed in which is fun & took place in Russia 1918. I really enjoyed the element of getting to learn a bit about this time period through a fictional story! Kitty & Fiona are definitely fun characters to follow & I really enjoyed the dynamics of their relationship & how different they are...the perfect spy duo!

For me, some of it was hard to follow because there were a lot of characters to keep track of and political allegiances/references from the war that were a bit tricky to keep straight.

It was definitely an intriguing book but a little bit too frivolous for me in regard to what I’m looking for when it comes to mysteries or thrillers. Which is, of course, personal preference & nothing about the writing of Oliver.

The murder, itself, seemed to be a bit of an afterthought and it was just a lot of different high jinks going on with disguise & unfortunate events. It is way more light-hearted than I expected & the stakes never felt very high.I felt I was waiting for a big twist or discovery in the mystery and just felt a bit underwhelmed at the ending. I'm not super familiar with this series or the author but it seems like it'd lend itself better to a younger audience.

This was a readable, tension filled murder mystery that belongs in an ongoing series. This one is based in Moscow just after the revolution, a violent t8me in Russian history when the Bolshevik government was trying t9 east abolish it. The main characters are two indemnity’s female spies seeking t9 promote British interests and undermine the new Russian government. There is an ongoing love story where one soy is caught between a steady English officer and a notorious, charismatic German agent. This figure is based on a historic figure, so while this is an enjoyable novel, it opens a window on the subterfuge taking place during and between the world wars. Informative stuff!

'Murder in Moscow' by Kelly Oliver.
1918 Moscow
Will following her heart mean losing her head? It could mean losing her job.
Fiona Figg trails her nemesis Fredrick Fredricks to Moscow. But when she arrives at the grand Metropol Hotel, the bounder has vanished.
After Fiona doesn’t show up for work at the War Office, Kitty Lane raises a red flag and tracks her to Russia. Seeking haven at the British Embassy, Kitty and Fiona become embroiled in a plot to overthrow the Bolshevik government.
But the plot turns deadly when Fiona goes undercover as a governess in the household of Iron Viktor, the Bolsheviks’ Head of Secret Police. And when Viktor turns up dead in his study, Fiona finds herself wanted for murder.
Can Fiona and Kitty find the real killer and escape the Kremlin before it’s too late? Or will this dangerous game of Russian roulette be their last?
I've read quite a few of this series and I love them. They're full of adventure, spies, disguises and an adorable dog called Poppy.
I was shocked on who the killer was in this, I guessed a bit earlier on but I didn't think for a moment I would be right. It was an enjoyable read and I recommend it to anyone who loves a good murder mystery.
Thanks to NetGallery UK, the publishers and the author for letting me read this in return for an honest review.

Murder in Moscow is a cosy mystery set in Moscow in 1918. It is the fifth book in the Fiona Figg/Kitty Lane series and the 8th book featuring Fiona Figg. I personally found the story very frenzied and chaotic - it's the first book I've read by this author and I think knowing the back stories of all the characters would probably have helped! That said, it was intriguing in places and I enjoyed the 'Marvel' style of alliteration for the main characters - Fiona Figg, Fredrick Fredrick's etc - there's even a Natasha Romanov! For me personally I found the style of the book to be too frivolous but it might suit a young adult reader.
Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood Books for the review copy.

Fiona Figg has rejected Archie's proposal and followed Fredrick Fredricks to Moscow. He never arrives she is arrested along with a Countess who asked for help for her Husband. Fiona is in trouble and in jail. Kitty and Clifford arrive to help her along with Archie. Fredrick has turned up and Fiona is accused of a murder. She has to find out who killed the head of the secret police so she can clear her name. I enjoyed this book and I recommend it.

ARC Review

Murder in Moscow by Kelly Oliver is a historical mystery. It's the eighth book from the Fiona Figg & Kitty Lane Mystery series.

In this one Fiona Figg found a letter written by Fredrick Fredricks, who was inviting her to Moscow. Her curiosity and her feelings made her go there. Unfortunately, instead of having a rendezvous with him, she ended up in a lot of trouble. Thankfully for her Kitty saved her just in time and gave her a new mission. She went undercover as a nanny which of course led to way more trouble and if she wasn't lucky to her death.

Great book with a captivating plot filled with suspense and action. Fiona Figg for one more time is torn between her heart and her head. As always she ends up in trouble with some very entertaining situations and others quite
dangerous. The main characters are the same there's only the addition of some secondary ones. In this one, Fiona
and Kitty take center stage mostly. Those two are my favorite duo, I love that they interact like family.
The part that I loved most was when she put on her disguises and solved the murder mystery.

If you like a good mystery book then this is definitely for you. I will rate it with 4 stars.

Though this was book is part of a series-- I quickly picked up the characters and situation without needing the back story -making it easy to read as a standalone but also well written to make one want to read the backstory and find out about Fiona and Kitty's further adventures.
This was a fast-paced cozy spy novel -- with thrilling moments and strong female lead characters- this book would also fall under historical fiction as the story takes place during the Bolshevik revolution time of 1918. The ending was a bit lack-lustre but I think it leaves it open for another book in the series and it is supposed to feel like more to come. The investigation of the murder in the story was well played with some good clues and good red herrings as well. Overall the book was an enjoyable read with a good balance of thrilling, mystery and ridiculous humour.

Thank you to Netgalley and Boldwood books for this ARC . This is my honest review.

1918, prison, Russia, historical-places-events, historical-figures, historical-fiction, historical-research, historical-setting, history-and-culture, dual-narrators, espionage, situational-humor, verbal-humor, series, activism, unputdownable, pet-dog, secret-police, murder, murder-investigation, Bolsheviks, suspense, falsely-accused, intrigue, thriller, twisty, disguises, photographic-memory*****

The intrepid pair got separated and worked in parallel ways in the days of the Bolshevik revolution. A scary time in history and a suspenseful time in this wild thriller full of humor and more.
This can't be an unbiased review because this is one of my favorite series!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from Boldwood Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#FionaFiggAndKittyLaneMysteriesNo5
Pub Date 19 Mar 2024

Ah, the thrill of a historical mystery set in 20th century Russia! This book promises a fun and funny adventure, and I was so excited to dive in. As a native Russian speaker, I was eager to see how the author weaves in the nuances of the language and culture.

Fiona Figg's pursuit of her nemesis takes her to Moscow, where she finds herself in a precarious situation. I can't help but wonder what drove her to take such a risk! And Kitty Lane's efforts to help her friend lead them both into a dangerous plot to overthrow the Bolsheviks. The stakes are high, and I'm on the edge of my seat.

When Iron Viktor turns up dead, Fiona is accused of murder, and the story takes a darker turn. I was so intrigued by the twists and turns and eager to see how Fiona and Kitty will navigate this treacherous landscape.

“Murder In Moscow “ is a delightful surprise - a clever blend of humor, history, and suspense that kept me engaged from start to finish. If you're looking for a lighthearted yet thrilling escape, this is the perfect read!