Thank you netgalley and Storm Publishing for this arc.

Penny Green is a journalist in the late 1800s. She gets tasked with helping a young detective from Scotland yard, James, to help solve a murder. Lizzie Dixie a famous actress, and Penny's friend, is found murdered in a cemetery-only she was thought to have been dead for the last 5 years!

This was an enjoyable read. I think the beginning was a little slow and really focused on Penny's temporary unemployment and resulting lack of money. That could have been much less focused on. The story didn't have too many twists and turns and was a bit predictable but it was still enjoyable. The background mystery if her father having vanished in the Amazon is interesting and I would be curious to see what comes of that.

An interesting plot twist with a woman presumed drown found murdered 5 years later. Very nice to see a title that reflects story : the plot thread of theater productions. I am confused how this 2024 cooyright
Is different from an earlier publication. This version is new paperback, I think. Thanks to #NetGalley and #Limelight for advanced digital copy.

Lizzie Dizzie was famous and died tragically in a huge ship accident in which over 600 souls perished. Her husband showman is continuing with his shows and bringing up Lizzie’s daughter who is in show business herself. When Lizzie’s body is discovered, shot in Highgate cemetery five years later, it is a great mystery all around. Why did she fake her own death, where did she live all these five years, how did she sustain herself and why now - was she a threat to anyone.

Her friend Penny who worked as a journalist and a amateur detective, lost her job due to the unfair influence of the detective in charge of the case is distraught at the death of Lizzie and despite caution by all, is determined to get to the bottom of the story. There are many suspects for this murder including Lizzie’s husband, Lizzie’s producer director who was her lover and father of her daughter and a slightly built young man always appears at crucial moments and is so elusive that he is never caught.

The story is full of historical detail and is also a social commentary of the times. The characters drawn from show business and normal Victorian society add a dimension as well.

Penny Green is a proud and principled newspaper reporter. The setting for this story is Victorian London in the 1880s. The storyline is cleverly devised and delivered at a good pace that kept my attention throughout. The descriptive detail about the bustle of Fleet Street journalism, travel around London in the notorious smogs, the political events that were making the headlines of that time and the growing awareness of women’s rights provide a rich backdrop to this engaging and atmospheric murder mystery.

This is the first in the Penny Green series and I am eager to read more about Penny’s exploits.

*Limelight* by Emily Organ is a historical mystery set in Victorian London. Penny Green, a Fleet Street reporter, learns that Lizzie Dixie—a once-famous actress thought to have drowned years earlier—was shot in Highgate Cemetery. As Penny teams up with a Scotland Yard inspector, she discovers there’s much more at stake than a simple case of mistaken death.

I really liked Penny as a character—ambitious, smart, and undeterred by the barriers faced by women in 1880s London. Her chemistry with Inspector Blakely adds a subtle spark without detracting from the suspense. Organ also did her research on the social movements and historical events of the period. Don't want to give too much away, but I'm looking forward to more adventures in this series!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

Ms Organ has written a fully immersive, atmospheric piece, set in 1880s London, England. I found myself enjoying the pace and growing relationship between Penny and James, not to mention the multiple red herrings and genuine clues interspersed throughout. By the end of the book I was looking for more, and also wanting more about Penny's father. There's mystery there, too. But will she be part of solving his disappearance from the other side of the world? Something to ponder...

I received an ARC; this is my honest review.

This was a good mystery, full of twists and turns, and I am excited to read the full series. It takes place in the Victorian era, and it's interesting to see how they solved crimes without the modern tools & information we have now. The main characters had good chemistry - but not of the romantic type, at least not yet. A nice, satisfying read.

weaving fiction and historical fact. Penny Green, a reporter by trade turns to sleuthing to find the killer of a friend killed just the night before. It came as shock because Penny thought the woman, Lizzie Dixie, an actress had drowned years ago. So two mysteries instead of one.

In a place and time, London, 1883, when women were not reporters or detectives this was an intriguing read. Investigative work is much different from today, the pace is slower and clues were not always clear. An interesting first book in the series that introduce Penny, James and London 1883 to the reader.

In Victorian London, Penny is drawn into a dark investigation when she finds out a former friend who was presumed drowned has actually only recently been murdered.

Review

This book had a fantastic sense of world building, I felt fully immersed in Victorian London. I could clearly picture the characters and locations. The plot reminded me of a good, old-fashioned murder mystery, really pacey, some shocks, and a good twist. I liked Penny. At times, I was willing her to stand up for herself at work, but she was confined within Victorian society. I felt like she had come from a well-off background, but lived as a working class/lower middle-class woman. If you enjoy reading this book, you might like, No Stone Unturned by Pam Lecky, as it had a similar vibe.

This is a great series and I have listened to all of it on Audible. This is the first in the series and was the start of the adventures!

Victorian London 1883 and reporter Penny Green, finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. She finds an actress who supposedly had died years ago, in the cemetery. What is happening?

With the aid of Scotland Yard Inspector Blakley, the adventure begins.

Full of history and wonderful characters, you will not be able to put this one day until the end and only want more!

Limelight transports readers to Victorian London in an atmospheric mystery filled with suspense and intrigue. Set in 1883, the novel follows Fleet Street reporter Penny Green as she investigates the shocking murder of actress Lizzie Dixie, who was believed to have drowned years earlier. When Lizzie’s body is discovered in Highgate Cemetery, Penny finds herself drawn into the case by her connection to the victim—and her growing interest in Scotland Yard’s Inspector James Blakely. But as Penny delves deeper, she becomes the target of someone with sinister intentions.

The story moves with well-paced suspense, blending rich historical detail with an absorbing mystery. Penny is a sharp and determined protagonist, and her chemistry with Blakely adds warmth to the darker undertones of the plot. Each revelation builds to a clever and unexpected twist that kept me hooked until the end.

Overall, Limelight is an engaging, twist-filled mystery with a strong heroine and a vivid setting. It’s an excellent read for fans of historical fiction and well-crafted whodunits.

3.5 stars

Set in London in 1883, reporter Penny Green learns her friend Lizzie has been murdered in a cemetery. The trouble is, Lizzie died 5 years previously in a boat accident. Turns out Lizzie faked her own death. Penny teams up with the police to investigate the matter and find out who murdered her friend—and why. Was it her churlish husband? The quiet lover? A politician covering up a scandal?

I thought this was an engaging book. Penny is a likable character and there are a number of other interesting and unique characters in the book. The London time setting is interesting as well. This book was originally published in 2017 and there are a number of novels following it with Penny Green as the main character.

With thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for my digital ARC.

‘The best entertainment on a cold wintery weekend… If you like cozy murder stories this a good start to a series, I do believe it has some room to get kinks out. Such as more character development, more backstories etc and this book would be so much better. This is my first book by this author and the first in a series. In this novel we follow Penny Green who works for a major newspaper and when she discovers a famous friend is murdered, she elects to help Inspector Blake with the investigation. Lizzie Dixie is an actress who supposedly died five years ago and is now dying again. Sharing the same shock confusion and befuddlement as everyone else, Penny Green is determined to find out who killed her friend. If you like a quick mystery that has cozy aspects this is the book for you.

This was an engaging read. I liked the character of Penny Green, she was an independent woman, trying to succeed as a journalist, in what was considered a man’s job. The attitude of some of the men was amazing, it must have been particularly galling for Penny, knowing she was so much more capable than them. Penny becomes involved in solving a murder alongside Inspector James Blakely. They have a good working relationship but they are attracted to each other. In addition, to the murder mystery there are the political happenings of the time, women’s rights and the Irish situation. There are many possible culprits and it had me guessing until the end. This was a very good beginning to a series. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Penny Green has learned of a friend's murder, but that same friend drowned in a steamer accident five years ago. What really happened to Lizzy Dixie? Here are three things I liked about this cozy Victorian mystery:

💚 Penny Green is a likable young woman you want to root for. She has a love for writing and is loyal to her friends.
💚 Penny's sister Eliza belongs to a group of women who meet to advance women's rights. There is a particular meeting in the book where they discuss divided skirts.
💚 The identity of the murderer was a pretty big surprise in the last couple of chapters. I also appreciated that the author is committed to providing clean content.

While this was quite entertaining, I am not inclined to continue the series. Thank you to Storm Publishing and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Take a trip back in time to 1883 London.

Actress, Lizzie Dixie, reportedly drowned five years ago, only for people to find her shot and murdered in Highgate Cemetery! Penny Green, reporter, was friends with her and is brought into the case by Scotland Yard's James Blakely because she could lend a different lens to the details. But why would Lizzie fake her death? As they investigate, strange things continue to happen including notes delivered to Penny. While I had the antagonist worked out fairly early, there was still a surprise as the mystery wrapped up! I'm invested now - I need to know what happens between Penny and the charming investigator!

Thanks to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Emily Organ for the eARC.

This novel has a very engaging mystery, but I think it is really first rate because of how it evokes Victorian London. The details in how reporter, Penny Green, lives and gets around the city in the 1880’s are fascinating. Coupled with the mystery of the murder of an actress who was supposed to have drowned 5 years before makes this novel a winning read.

Although this book is part of a series, I had not read any others. However, I did not find I needed to read earlier books in the series to enjoy it. Penny Green has chosen to be a journalist and not follow society’s expectations at a time when this is rare. Her married sister is supportive, and although following a more traditional path, has a “cause” in women’s suffrage. It is this kind of historical detail, along with the Irish pushing for home rule, that contribute to the vivid picture of English life during the latter part of the nineteenth century. Because the murdered woman was part of the London theater scene, we get lots of details about that too.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well written mystery and look forward to reading more by this author.

I hadn’t realised that this was a re-release of this book but the author and the series were new to me.

This was the first book in the series. I felt a little let down by the relationship between Penny and her policeman James. There seemed to be a spark which was extinguished with news that he had a beau. But there was little other mention or information about this lady.

This was slightly too drawn out for me and I personally found the writing too flowery with too many unnecessary adjectives and descriptive phrases.
It was a convoluted cozy Victorian murder mystery. Easy to read and I did want to find out what happened - and was surprised at the outcome.
There could have been better research - The Royal `London Hospital was mentioned on a few occasions however it did not achieve this Status until 1990. It was The London Hospital at the time of this story.

I won’t provide too much of the storyline as this would spoil for others. I am not sure I would read others in the series

4.5★s

London, 1883, was to bring a terrible shock to intrepid reporter Penny Green, when she was approached by a young Inspector from Scotland Yard. Her once good friend, Lizzie Dixie, an actress, had drowned five years prior when a ship went down in the River Thames, with over 600 lives lost. Lizzie was buried in the local cemetery, but when Inspector James Blakely informed Penny that Lizzie had been murdered the night before, in the same place she was supposedly buried, Penny was astounded. Lizzie died and was buried - 5 years before she was murdered. They had a mystery on their hands, and a murderer to find...

Limelight is the 1st in A Penny Green Victorian Mystery series by Emily Organ and I enjoyed it very much. Originally published in 2017, and republished on 4th November, 2024, it has actresses, reporters, revenge and hidden secrets - the 1800s was an age of no DNA; nothing much to help with cases but police intelligence and wiles, along with investigative reporters, one named Penny Green. I'm looking forward to the 2nd in this intriguing historical mystery series. Recommended.

With thanks to NetGalley & Storm Publishing for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

The first in the Penny Green Victorian Murder Mystery series set in London in 1883. Penny is a female journalist, an unusual occurrence at this time, and it’s hard for her to get any good assignments. The book opens with a policeman hearing gunshots in Highgate Cemetery and finding a woman dead on the ground. Penny is a great character, a woman ahead of her times, strong, moralistic and independent but not hard despite the battles she has to fight in a heavily male oriented society.

Briefly, the dead body is identified as Lizzie Dixie, a former actress who was supposed to have died five years earlier! Penny knew Lizzie before her first ‘death’ and she ends up working alongside Police Inspector James Blakely to try and solve the murder. Their investigations take them from theatreland to the highest echelons of political and aristocratic London.

I did enjoy the story and there were some great reveals as the book progressed, most of which I didn’t guess at all. I certainly didn’t get the killer right. Not quite a cozy crime but pretty close this was a well written and plotted story and a compelling read. There are some good relationship stories between Penny and her sister, Lizzie and James. Entertaining (not pun intended) and very enjoyable read.