As someone who once had to write an essay on Isabelle Beeton's monster of a book (which I also had to read, so many things preserved in aspic, yuk) I was pleased that this was so much more fun. I loved Alice and Agatha, Jinx, Helly, Jacques, Massoud and all their pals. What a crack team Alice assembled to help her undercover mission. Absolutely delightful stuff, I really hope there's more to come.

Side note to HQ - please sort out the formatting on the recipes for the ebook, if they go out as is, they're a mess. I'm sure you'll fix it, but just FYI.

Alice Beeton, proprietor of the Good Household Management Agency (and a distant relativeof THAT Mrs Beeton), provides domestic staff to the extremely well-heeled. When a potential new recruit lands in the office at exactly the same time that an urgent call comes in for a housekeeper, it looks like good luck.

But it isn't.

When the new housekeeper is found murdered at the house she was placed at, Alice feels morally obliged to find out what happened...

Brilliant. Hope this is the start of a series.

This is a good murder mystery in the style of Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. The connection to Mrs Beeton is a bonus and I really liked the inclusion of recipes throughout the story. The final exposure of the killer was quite a surprise. I would recommend this book.

Alice Beaton is a distant relative of Mrs Beaton of the bakery cookbooks and housekeeper extraordinaire fame. Alice’s housekeeping agency finds itself mid murder investigation and Alice and her chums set about finding out who the murder we is and what is exactly going on. This book hopefully will be part of a long series and Alice can get more involved with the dishy detective Rigby. Thank you NetGalley for this arc in exchange of an honest review..

Miss Alice Beeton runs the Good Household Management Agency, she places staff to the rich, housekeepers, drivers, chefs and she runs a tight ship. When she gets a call from the feted Messants whose Housekeeper has abruptly left, she places Enya Fischer who happens to have come in that day requiring a position.
Yet when Enya is found dead at the Messants New Year’s Eve party, it is Alice who is best placed to get to the bottom of this murderous puzzle.

This book was a delight for a crime and cosy crime fan like me. I loved the premise of Alice Beeton, descendant of the OG Mrs Beeton running a household agency. I adored Agatha named for the OG Mrs Christie, she is a fabulous character all by herself. The other characters are all wonderful, thought has been given to each one, even the minor ones, to exactly why they are there.
Alice has gumption, and seeing as I’m not too far away from her in age, it means I can imagine having my own murder agency too!

It’s light, it fun and it has a great murder mystery. I loved trying to puzzle it out!
I am hoping for lots more from Miss Alice Beeton and her murder agency

A delightful crime mystery that I hope becomes a series. Alice Beeton, owner of a household management agency becomes involved in finding the killer of a member of her staff. I loved the twists and turns, the interesting cast of characters especially Agatha the dog. As a bonus lots of tasty recipes for the reader to try, straight from the famous cookbook.

A cute fun cozy mystery. An interesting cast of characters in unique settings and situations. The main character bakes a lot even though that is not her profession. It appears there are a lot of recipes in the book but the advanced reader copy of the recipes were not readable nor were pictures of the items visible. They sounded great overall but would have been nice to see them. Hopefully the printed book will have them available. Very quick and entertaining read! Enjoy!
I was provided an advanced reader copy and was under no obligation to write a review. The opinions expressed are my own. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I have read two of Josie's books so far - The Cancer Ladies Running Club and Lifesaving For Beginners - and they were both exquisite. So if you add that talent, plus Mrs Beeton, plus what looks like a Christmassy setting, judging by the cover, then you've got the recipe for a brilliant read.

There are recipes in it!!!!!! I do enjoy a good recipe, especially when you least expect it, and I have saved a few of them.

I began reading this thinking it was set in the 1950s and it fits that era in my head, but then after a few pages it mentions Instagram and so I had to re-evaluate what I thought I knew. And yet knowing this, I still pictured Alice as a young woman in the 50s and I couldn't rid myself of that image.

It's got a lot going for it. There's history (I know I've learnt it's not an historical novel now, but all the talk of Mrs Beeton just gave me that nostalgia), there's adventure, thrill, comedy, crime, cosy crime, Christmassyness, uplift. I would have liked a bit more festivities considering the cover sort of advertises it as a Christmas story but that's not a big thing.

It was a little slow to begin with, it took a while to get going. And I've seen from other reviews that some see that as a problem. But I don't see it like that. It gives us time to get into this world, get to know our characters and become invested. I think in a story like this, if I'd had gone straight in, it wouldn't have had quite the same effect.

There is a very large cast of characters, but I loved Alice the best. She's so warm and friendly and trusting. She really shone. The other characters - there are too many to mention here - are just as good and work well with and against her. There's no wasted characters, which is impressive given a cast this size.

I read it in less than a day, it was so addictive and easy to read, and even though there's murder and whatnot, it's a real uplifting read. I reeeeeeeeeeeeeally hope this is the start of a series as I can really see it flying. It's completely different to the books of hers I've read before and it's just great. Good storytelling, fab characters, adventure, emotion, and at the centre, it's a real uplift.

Alice lives in a basement flat in London with her dog Agatha, and run a Good Household Management Agency,
Christmas is the busiest time of the year and, against her usual standard, she finds herself hiring Enya on the spot, after a frantic call from Camille Messant needing a housekeeper.

Everything seems to be going well, until she receives a call that Enya is dead. Miss Beeton is dragged into finding out who did it.

This is such a wonderful read, I immediately liked the main character, Alice and all her friends. Hoping for a sequel.

Miss Beeton's Murder Agency is a joy from start to finish .

Alice Beeton- distant relative of the legendary Mrs Beeton runs a Household Management company (supported by her friends Jinx and Helly) providing housekeepers, caterers and function staff to the wealthy of London .

A request for staff by a wealthy art dealer and his wife- the Messents- leads to murder and Alice goes undercover to discover what happened.

Accompanied by Agatha - her dog- and a close circle of friends she endeavours to find who is guilty but as the situation worsens Alice finds herself caught up in an international crime and murder gets even closer

Comedic in parts, full of warmth and with a nod to Miss Marple ( well Agatha is named so for a reason) Alice Beeton is character that is full of heart as she fumbles her way through some dangerous situations- whilst dealing with her wayward brother and the family manor house and encounters with a Detective Rigby (who she feels an attraction towards) There are even recipes to enjoy and create !!


Being someone who primarily reads crime/police procedurals, I really enjoyed the story and escaped into Alice's world

Josie Lloyd has written a brilliant wintery crime caper- a sequel is needed as the team are so good and it would be great to see how Alice deals with another murderous situation... bring on the TV version

I really enjoyed this book and hope it's the start of a series. I fell in love with all the characters at the agency.
A book to curl up with and switch off the world.

What an absolute joy this book is! It was the tonic that I didn’t know I needed. It’s just lovely, fantastic characters (all of who I loved, and felt I knew), a brilliant plot..a potential romance??…hmmm…I think I fancy him myself actually.

Absolutely loved it - and I did not get the murderer correct either. What a sleuth Miss Beeton is. I need more!!

My thanks to Netgalley and Rachel Quin Marketing for this absolute joy, in exchange for an honest review.

Alice Beeton is a distant relative of Mrs Beeton and owns an upmarket employment Agency in Knightsbridge .One of her placements is found dead and Alice with some help from her friends decides to solve the crime as the Police have referred the crime to "upstairs" which means nothing will be done .I really enjoyed this cosy murder mystery the characters were very well written and Agatha her dog made me laugh .Yes it is a bit far fetched but so what ?it was a lovely read .I do hope that this will turn into a series. Many Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC.

This was a lovely cosy mystery which I enjoyed thoroughly. Well written and kept me turning the pages all night

This is a cosy crime story which is certainly a fun read! Alice Beeton’s Household Agency places domestic staff with families. Run by Alice, a descendant of Mrs Beeton, who wrote the famous cookery and house management book, the agency is staffed by some wonderfully endearing characters. When Enya, a new member of staff, is sent to a French family and is subsequently murdered, Alice decides to investigate and manages to get herself employed as the housekeeper in the Messent family’s house. Can one of them really be a murderer?
This leads to all sorts of high jinks and danger as she tries to work out what happened. There is also a handsome police detective and a very cute dog called Agatha, named after the famous mystery writer. What more could a mystery reader want?
I really enjoyed this book and its amazing assortment of characters- particularly Alice and her friend Jinx. As they try to solve the mystery they have to use their own skills to find out what has happened. Jinx has expertise in areas where Alice is lacking so they compliment each other! Jinx is into fashion and clothes whereas Alice is a keen cook which enables her to work well as a housekeeper. Jinx is fun and keen to help out when Alice needs a further disguise for a trip to a nightclub.
This was a quick, light read which certainly held my attention and made me want to read more about “Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency” and the characters so brilliantly described by the author.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advance copy.

Thank you to the Author and net gallery for reaching out to me and letting me read this arc copy it was really nice of you. This is such a great murder mystery book and i throughly enjoyed reading it.
I liked the recipes throughout the story as it’s such a good touch to the book as it gets people baking. The final exposure of the killer was such a shock and a surprise and I didn’t expect it at all. Alice Beaton is such a good character and I like how the author as written Alice and how she describes Alice I think Alice is my favourite character in this book. This book is going to be a big hit for all the crime and cosy crime fans like myself. The other characters are all really good and so much thought has been given to each and every one of them even the minor characters and to why they are in the story and how they fit in. I really enjoyed trying to figure out who the murder was and why the did it. It’s such a cute and interesting book and I am hoping there is going be more from Miss Alice Beeton as I can see this being a really good book series. I would love to read more by this author in the future. Highly recommended book xxx

What a delightful cosy crime book! I thoroughly enjoyed, what I hope to be a new series by one of my all time favourite authors!

Alice Beeton is a distant relation to the one and only Isabella Beeton. Alice bases her whole life on following in her footsteps to have the most perfectly organised household for her brother and clients of her business the Good Household Management Agency. Alice loves crime books and has even named her dog Agatha after her favourite author. One day her two passions collide and she finds herself trying to solve a real life murder! I did think this may have been a Christmas book but it was only Christmas for a few chapters!

This book is the perfect recipe for this new cosy crime genre that I so love. It isn’t the most fast paced book but I still couldn’t help wanting one more chapter and quickly got to the end. There was no big twist but there was still a good level of intrigue to see who did it and why!

One of my favourite bits of this book is that we get the recipes that Alice is cooking and I am already planning on when I can cook them! A crime and recipe book in one!

I was sent an advance digital copy of this wonderful book in return for an honest review. This was a very heartwarming book, with really good characters and a great story. It's such a shame this copy didn't include the recipes because I would have loved to try them! I'd love to read the next one if there is ever another book and l'll definitely recommend this to friends!
#NetGalley #MissBeetonsMurderAgency

If you like cosy crime books you will love Miss Beeton's Murder Agency. I might even go as far as to say move over Agatha (and not Miss Beaton's loveable dog) there's a new queen in town. The characters were so likeable and relatable and the plot was top notch. I can't wait for the next in the series especially as there may be a budding romance on the cards alongside the murders. Thanks to HQ, Josie Lloyd and NetGalley for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book. It is light, silly, and full of clichés and stereotypes, but it is a fun read, and doesn't take itself seriously at all. A good book to take on holiday.

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant

I do love a cozy crime book and this delivered. Good story lines and nice characters. I look forward to further books

December, modern day, London: Miss Alice Beeton runs a placement agency, the Good Household Management Agency, which provides domestic staff to wealthy people needing a maid, housekeeper, chef or other servant. No sooner has she hired someone new, Enya, then she gets a request for a new housekeeper from the uber wealthy Messants who's housekeeper has abruptly left. Miss Beeton immediately sends her out. Unfortunately, Enya is killed a few weeks later. The powers that be want it dismissed as a burglary gone wrong (against the detective’s wishes, it should be noted); however, when Miss Beeton gets the opportunity to do some snooping on her own, she takes it, becoming Messents’ new replacement housekeeper. It also helps that she can use the generous salary they are paying and that she has no place to live at the moment as her basement flat is unlivable having been damaged by the renovations going on upstairs.

I picked this up thinking it was a historical novel, maybe set in the 1920s or 1930s, with the reference to ‘Miss’ in the title and the comments about baking, housekeeping, Miss Beeton’s comments about not having a family, etc - all seem to be from bygone days. But no - it’s modern day with computers and cell phones which…was disconcerting. I actually gave up at one point, deciding to restart it a few days later with the different mindset. I’m glad I did as it was an enjoyable book. Bits of it were a little implausible, but still fun. I’m looking forward to more stories with Miss Beeton. She feels like a character that’s been trod on by her family (with her brother constantly asking for money so he can be 'lord of the manor' and not work) and society (especially her landlord), living in the past to a degree, and is now coming into her own. The book ends with the detective showing up, saying he’d like her insights to a case he’s currently working on - over dinner - suggesting a possible future for the series and a new romantic relationship for Miss Beeton.

Recommended. I received a copy of this from NetGalley.com that I voluntarily chose to review.

recipes, cozy-crime, golden-age-mysteries, amateur-sleuth, pet-dog, England, local-law-enforcement, investigation, murder, not-TTS-enabled, Christmas-season, dognappers, class-consciousness, wealthy, situational-humor, sly-humor****

Alice Beeton runs the Good Household Management Agency which provides domestic staff to the wealthy and seems to be a distant relative the renowned author Mrs Beeton. A woman presents herself for employment and is shortly sent to a very respectable home. Yet she is murdered there and we are introduced to Detective Rigby of the Met. Now the fun begins as the investigations cross each other, the plot keeps twisting, and recipes pop up just anywhere. Good fun, but I can see where it would be impossible to make it TTS enabled unless the recipes were gathered at the end.
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from HQ via NetGalley. Thank you!
Pub Date Oct 24, 2024 #MissBeetonsMurderAgency #NetGalley

Alice Beeton, distant relative of that Mrs Beeton, runs the Good Housekeeping Management Agency providing high class domestic staff to high class customers. One of her top clients calls in urgent need of a new housekeeper near. Christmas. Alice sends off a fairly new recruit. Only trouble is Enya is found dead at the property on New Years Day. The police do t seem to be getting anywhere so Alice decides to give them a hand. And she’s good at it! And I loved it. I hope it’s the first of many

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Loved this book loved all the characters and the storyline, would highly recommend to other readers.

Loved this book. I own a Mrs Beetins cook book and loved this link! A well written story which I throughly enjoyed!

I love finding a new author especially when the book is so enjoyable from the beginning. A cosy mystery type book in the style of Miss Marple I couldn’t wait to find out what would happen next. I just loved Alice and Agatha and the bother they seemed to find themselves in unwittingly. I really hope there is some more in this great series. The only thing I would say is the recipes need a bit of an edit as they were impossible to read. Other than that a brilliant book.

This is just a perfect, cosy mystery for christmas time (it’s definitely one I will be gifting to a couple of mystery lovers I know in their stockings)

Its slow and steady - which i really felt suited the whole tone of this read but definitely don’t go into this if you're wanting action packed, fast paced page turner. To me, the pacing and the atmosphere is perfectly curated to create a story that wraps you up.

The characters all felt nuanced and developed - such a rarity at the moment. Even smaller side characters felt ‘real’ and I loved seeing all the different friendship dynamics unfold. I’m not sure if further books are planned featuring Miss Beeton but I could absolutely see there being some follow up books and this becoming a series as there’s so much potential here!

In terms of the recipe inclusions - I have noticed this becoming a bit of a trend in cosy-themed books recently and honestly I don’t get it? When am I ever going to dig out a mystery book for a recipe? I end up entirely skipping over them as they add absolutely nothing but distraction. I’m desperately hoping this fad of randomly inserting recipes in novel dies off soon.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC

Oh, how I loved this book! A first class cosy mystery where our leading lady Miss Alice Beeton and her cluster of lovable friends can’t help but involve themselves in trying to solve a murderous crime that happens a little too close to home. Alice must go undercover into the world of an affluent family who may not be all they appear to be.
The plot kept me very immersed in the book, it was very intriguing and definitely a page turner. We have strong women, friendship and found family, not to mention a handsome detective and a very special dog called Agatha!

What a great read. Thoroughly enjoyed this. It was filled with such interesting characters; their personas made so much more colourful by the fact that they all seemed so unlikely in their roles.
The idea of making our protagonist a relative of someone so well known to us, was a clever move. It added a real depth to the story and made her so much more believable and charismatic.
From the first page, the plot had me hooked. I couldn’t put it down.
It became even more exciting as we were led through this murder mystery, towards the end, and all the threads were finally being drawn into place to ensnare the guilty parties.
This is one of those books that leaves the reader sad that it’s over, although maybe Alice will reappear on another case and bring her Detective with her!!! I have to say, the very last line of the Epilogue was just perfect.

This is such a cosy fun read. The characters are all brilliant! I hope there is more because I really rated this book,. Unfortunately some of the recipes etc didn’t translate/ render at all I hope to the see the things I missed out on in the real book.
All in all - a fantastic read and Alice is so likeable

I absolutely loved this beautifully written story. A bit different to lots of other detective stories out there it was somehow gripping but also wonderfully gentle and warm . Alice is fabulous as are her cast of friends. I can’t wait to read the second one!

From running the Good Household Management Agency, Alice is suddenly thrown headlong into going undercover as a housekeeper to solve the murder of Enya. I loved the premise for this book, the historical link to Mrs Beeton's recipe book (and the addition of recipes too always a bonus!), the hilarity brought by other members of Alice's team (especially Jinx), the twists and turns kept me on my toes too - all in all a great murder mystery! Would highly recommend!

**Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read an advanced e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own **

A thoroughly enjoyable cosy crime mystery with a cast of loveable characters. I devoured Miss Beeton's Murder Agency in almost one sitting as I became so absorbed in the story. Alice is a wonderful character; I loved her mantras, and the added recipes were a wonderful bonus. Jinx and Alice have a wonderful friendship, I could see them so clearly in my mind’s eye, I'd love to see their story on screen. This book had everything I love in a cosy crime book, a clever crime, good characters, humour as well as a little romance and a satisfying resolution. I found myself smiling while I was reading and when I finished, I was left wanting to read more. A great book, I really hope Josie Lloyd writes more and they become a series.

Alice Beeton, a fictional distant relative of Isabella Beeton of The Book of Household Management fame, runs an agency providing domestic staff to wealthy households in London, as well as sharing the original Mrs Beeton's passion for cooking. When Alice places a new housekeeper, Enya, into the household of wealthy art dealers the Messents and Enya is later found dead, Alice finds herself investigating out of a sense of duty to establish what happened to the young woman with the perfect CV.

This could be described as a cosy crime novel, and it's certainly the perfect choice to read over the festive period, dotted with Alice's recipes and filled with escapades and Alice's cast of idiosyncratic friends, including fashionista Jinx, the ever-helpful Massoud who turns up at the drop of a hat to ferry Alice around in his limousine, and Alice's dog, Agatha. It also contains more than a passing nod to golden age crime fiction, and is an absorbing and complex mystery in which Alice's intuition and skills of observation mean she runs rings around the official police investigation.

I hope this book will be the start of a series. The characters were very well drawn and memorable, and I'd happily follow them on further adventures.

An absolute joy of a cosy mystery. I’m hoping this is the first of a series and I’ll be waiting for the next one! Fabulous cast of characters and plenty of red herrings.
The formatting of the recipes was off though, they were totally unreadable.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for this ARC.

Alice Beeton, in her 50s, a distant relative of THE Mrs Beeton, runs The Good Household Management Agency which supplies staff for rich people. Her useless brother Jasper has inherited the family pile, Hawthorn Hall, which is a moneypit that even Alice's loans can't help much. She loves baking and murder mysteries and has a dog called Agatha after Agatha Christie.

One day, a new woman on Alice's books, Enya, that Alice rather hastily supplied due to an emergency, is found murdered at the clients' house, the Messents, during a posh New Year's Eve party. Alice decides it is her duty to find the murderer as the police don't seem to be terribly interested, so she inveigles herself into the household in question and begins sleuthing. She finds out soon that nothing in this case is as it seems.

The pace of the book is slightly uneven, with the first quarter being used to introduce the characters. I'm sure this won't take up so much time in further books. The more the story progresses the more things happen at once and the tension ramps up.

Alice is an interesting, well-liked character and has friends everywhere so when she needs their help they all rally around and help devise a daring plan to catch a murderer.

The setting is London at Christmas time, and the feel is distinctly Victorian though people have air fryers and everything. It might have to do with Alice herself who is a rather old-fashioned single and childless woman and a stickler for politeness and good manners.

The chapters are interspersed with old-fashioned recipes directly from Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management. As the measurements were in imperial, I mostly skipped them, but they are a nice touch. They might have been better collated at the end of the book though as they interrupt the reading flow.

This is a new cosy murder mystery series and the sequel is already expertly set up when dishy Detective and potential love interest Darren Rigby who she impressed in this case, asks for her help. I will happily read new instalments to see how this evolves!

This book is incredibly entertaining. I couldn't finish it fast enough! The characters are mostly lovable and warm, there's a cute dog and the mystery isn't too taxing, plus the cover is lovely. Recommended if you like cosy murder mysteries with a slightly Victorian feel and a likeable sleuth.

4.5 stars

Alice Beeton, proprietor of the Good Household Management Agency provides housekeepers to clients and when a new housekeeper for one of her clients is found dead she decides to investigate the murder herself much to the annoyance of detective Rigby..
Loved the character Alice and her colleague Jinx and her dog Agatha sounded lovely.
A real murder mystery with lots of twists but funny in parts and I did not guess who the killer was so a real surprise.
Would highly recommend.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

What’s not to like about this book, absolutely nothing. It is a brilliant start to what will, hopefully, become a cosy crime series. The link to the redoubtable Mrs Beeton piqued my interest and I loved it.
Alice Beeton, a huge lover of Agatha Christie books, runs the Good Housekeeping Management Agency, supplying help to the large houses and estates around England. Everything is fine until one of her employees is found dead and Alice along with her faithful dog, Agatha, sets out to solve the crime.
This book had me hooked, it is well written with an interesting cast of characters and I really hope there are more stories to follow.

Alice Beeton has a famous relative, you know Mrs Beeton - the one who wrote that book!! Alice runs The Good Household Management Agency where she is helped by Jinx and Helly. One morning, Enya Fischer arrives for an interview, when Alice is called by Camille Messent asking for a replacement housekeeper. Alice arranges for Enya to take the post. Alice receives a call from Detective Rigby telling her that Enya has been found killed. This prompts Alice into doing something she wouldn't do - she goes to investigate the circumstances and discovers more than meets the eye! It's a quick read, entertaining, moments of humour, a few red herrings thrown in, with twists and turns that led to an unexpected but surprising ending.

A perfect cosy crime story for a cold evening. Alice Beeton runs an agency placing highly qualified staff into rich homes as housekeepers, chauffeurs and chefs and she prides herself on her own knowledge and gut instincts, in her spare time, she walks her dog Agatha and reads or watches crime shows. Deciding she would make an excellent detective via her knowledge, she is unprepared for this role to find her on New Years Eve.

Placing Enya in the Messents home, Alice feels pleased in trusting this new person for such a big role. When a call comes in saying Enya has been involved in an incident, Alice knows she must figure this out, What she doesn’t account for is the handsome detective, an undercover mission, stolen artwork or Interpol!

Alice, who lives a rather small and calm life, is suddenly thrust into being two people and deceiving those around her all in the name of catching a murderer!

Really well written and with bold and brilliant characters throughout- it may keep you guessing through to the conclusion!

I thoroughly enjoyed this and devoured it in one sitting. Would love for more from this as a series.

Miss Beeton's Murder Agency is a charming cosy murder mystery. The story follows Alice Beeton, a descendant of the famous Mrs. Beeton, who runs a high-end household management agency. When one of her new recruits, Enya, is murdered at a wealthy client’s home, Alice with her trusted sidekick Agatha (great name for a dog!!) go “under-cover” as a housekeeper to uncover the truth.

This book is best suited for readers who enjoy light-hearted, character-driven cosy murder mysteries.

**The formatting of the recipe pages is awful.**