This is an absolutely fantastic debut. A warm, exciting, lovely hug of a book. We have sisters setting out on their own in business - in a man’s world, determined to make it, then one of their customers gets into trouble, and they refuse to let this happen, determined to bring the criminals to justice.

This is funny, heartwarming, exciting and overall just an excellent read, I struggled to put it down and the characters were so well written, I felt like I was in the story.

Brilliant fun!

My thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I found this lovely book the reading equivalent of a Sunday night BBC drama. Comforting, informative, warm and cheering, with elements that challenged me and really made me think.
I love books featuring strong women finding their way in the 20th Century, and here we had them having to face a world changed by The Great War. Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread was clearly really well researched, and it provided vivid details of the lives of these women. As well as the historical details and backdrop of 1920s London, it was also a 'cosy crime' novel that had a well-paced plot and really kept me guessing.
I wholeheartedly recommend this charming and well written book. It would make a good Book Club choice, as there is so much to talk about, with so many characters to discuss. An easy 5 stars from me.

Lynn Knight’s Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread revolves around 26-year-old Rose Burnham, who has set up her own dressmaking business, employing her two sisters, Ginny and Alice. It’s all going well until their over-reliance upon one key customer (Miss Phyllis Holmes) becomes evident when Miss Holmes is swindled out of her money and cannot afford to pay her bill. Rose is angry that Miss Holmes was conned by a man who pretended to woo her; persuaded her to lend him her savings; and then disappeared. Rose determines to find the man and get the money back.

The author does a superb job of evoking the period in many ways: the formal salutations between women (Miss Holmes and Miss Burnham never use first names); most women’s appreciation of freedom when they have it – and their sympathy for the women who don’t – but also the vehement disapproval of some old-fashioned jealous women. The reader is shown how society held mixed views about women going into business. And, of course, we get glorious descriptions of the dresses and hats that the Burnham sisters created for specific occasions.

This is a highly enjoyable book but I felt the middle seemed to sag a little, perhaps a reflection of Rose’s frustratingly slow progress towards catching the swindler. However, the denouement is satisfying, although perhaps a tad unrealistic – would a villain who goes to such pains to ensnare a vulnerable female really shoot their mouth off in public? Still, the book’s good points far far outweigh my picky concerns. I do hope Lynn Knight gives us a sequel or two.

#MissBurnhamandtheLooseThread #NetGalley

What great fun this book was! A delightful story about a dressmaker turned amateur sleuth with lots of excellent period detail thrown in. If you liked 'the house of Elliot' (tv) or 'a single thread' (novel) you will love this.

The three sisters are beautifully fleshed out and the mores of the time spot on. Throw in a couple of witless policemen and some very unchivalrous suitors and you have the perfect pattern for success.

I read this very quickly, it was a lovely read.

Adventurous Rose Burnham has set up her own dressmaking business with the backing of the marvellous Mrs. Lingard, employing her sisters Ginny and the irrepressible Alice. When a client is unable to pay her sizeable bill having been swindled by a confidence trickster, dubiously met through a matrimonial agency Rose is determined to get the money back in order to keep her business afloat and so begins to investigate.

Author Lynn Knight tells the story of a certain class of women in post-war 1920s London describing the financial uncertainty, sharing 'respectable' but grim hostels and lack of a whole generation of men and how this presents different life choices. She also writes beautifully about fabrics, design, fashion and a new generation of women supporting each other. Rose discovers a passion and a skill for sleuthing and we are left with the promise of a sequel. This interesting read is gentle and the main characters likeable and the plot unfurls nicely.

Rose Burnham and her sisters Gwen and Alice have recently left their respective jobs in department stores and set up their own dressmaking business. Things appear to be going well until their best client, Miss Holmes, comes to tell them that she no longer wants the outfit they have spent hours designing and making, she can't even pay them for the clothes she has already had, she has been duped by a man she met through a matrimonial agency (rather sickeningly called Cupid's Arrow) into 'investing' her inheritance of £800 into his start up business. Since then she has heard nothing from him, she has no way of contacting him and she is mortified.

At first Rose's indignation and pity for Miss Holmes is also fuelled by a desire to try recoup some of Miss Holmes' money so that their business can also stay afloat. She realises that they have neglected to drum up new customers and have perhaps not accurately priced the clothes they have made for their existing customers. Rose determines to go undercover to Cupid's Arrow and try to get matched with Miss Holmes' beau.

This was a pleasant, dare I say cosy, mystery. I am by no means an expert on the 1920s but a lot of the historical detail seemed authentic. I am a resident of South-East London and it did give me a thrill when Rose's mystery bus ride with her beau took her through Bromley and Petts Wood which are very close to where I live. I liked the references to the ongoing impact of WW1 on the lack of men of a certain age, and those that were around were injured in some way. I also liked the subtle indication that Miss Jennings and Isobel were not just friends. Loved the detailed references to clothes, as one would expect from a Professor in Fashion Curation at the London College of Fashion.

I would definitely be interested in reading more in this series.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley.

Miss Burnham and the Loose Thread by Lynn Knight promised much. The story of three sisters running a dress-making business in 1920s London felt convincing. Rose, the middle sister, is the focus of the book and she was an interesting, rounded character. But then the amateur sleuthing started and the thread began to unravel slightly. But the realistic nature of the book held together pretty well. My real difficulty with the book was that there were just too many strands. I feel that Lynn Knight tried to cram all her ideas into one book, and that made it less enjoyable for me to read.

It is one of those books that transports you making you forget about real life and full of delightful characters that spring to life. I actually felt like I was there in the story with them ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
For all fans of historical fiction!