Poppy Denby is back! In this final book in the current series Poppy heads to Oxford to investigate the mysterious death of an Oxford scientist, a Somerville College graduate who is found dead in the History of Science Museum. But ghosts from Poppy’s past haunt her and her ‘happy ever after’ with Daniel may soon fall apart. Will Poppy unmask the villain and save her love life all at the same time?

Murder of an Oxford Scientist (previously published as The Crystal Crypt) is out now in ebook and paperback (still in audio as The Crystal Crypt). The gorgeous cover is by Lisa Brewster. And yes, that is a real 1922 Remington portable typewriter! (it’s mine!). Buy here now!

It’s 1924. Poppy Denby, Fleet Street journalist, is hoping for a few weeks off, visiting her family in Newcastle upon Tyne. She’s reluctantly roped into filling in for the publicist of a renowned artist who, inconveniently, is then murdered on Poppy’s watch – at the Laing Art Gallery. ‘Murder at the Art Gallery’, #5 in the Poppy Denby Investigates series, is out now! https://loom.ly/gdhqLcY

(This was formerly published as The Art Fiasco by Lion Fiction. The audiobook by WF Howes is still under that name.)

Today on Poppy’s blog tour for The Crystal Crypt we are stopping of at Jaffareadstoo. She says:

“Beautifully written, with both a sense of fun, and pathos, the glorious city of Oxford comes to life and thanks to the cleverly designed map, I was able to, quite literally, follow in Poppy’s footsteps as she moves through the city on her hired bicycle. […] Poppy Denby is, by far, my favourite amateur sleuth, and I look forward to meeting her again soon.”

I must confess, the map is my favourite part of the book. It took me ages to source just the right one and to plot Poppy’s adventures on it. But it helped me visualise where Poppy was going from the very beginning.

As with the previous two novels, this was taut and entertaining. I also liked Poppy’s development from the earlier books. She’s always been torn between her upbringing as a Methodist minister’s daughter and her own desires as a career-minded young woman in the 1920s. Her inner conflict felt more pronounced to me in this book. Poppy has enlightened standards for how women should be treated that deviate quite a bit from her very traditional, conservative background, which at times cause her stress. This fits in well with the blossoming awareness about the conditions of immigrants and sweatshops and people forced into prostitution. While it was fun to see 1920s New York, I confess I missed London. In any case, it was an exciting, well written story and a good series addition. Recommended.

You can read the full review here.

I was honoured to be asked, along with Kate Shackleton author Frances Brody, to open the fringe of the Newcastle Noir Crime Festival last week. We spoke to a packed audience about the Golden Age of Crime Fiction and the pros and cons of writing books set in the 1920s. Thanks to the wonderful Dr Jacky Collins and her team of volunteers at the Newcastle Literary and Philosophical Society for a fantastic weekend.

It’s October 1920 in London, and young reporter Poppy Denby finds herself in the midst of murder, Bolshevik intrigue, stolen Faberge eggs, and aristocratic Russian princess actresses. Poppy is only slightly distracted by her beau, widowed Daniel Rokeby, who is more ready than Poppy to move their relationship along. It’s up to Poppy to get ahead of the detectives investigating the murders and thefts, not only to see justice done but also to get the scoop on competing newspapers.

This is a light, fast read, well-written and with plenty of twists and eccentric characters—including playwright George Bernard Shaw, Rasputin assassin Prince Felix Yusopov, and even the Tsar and Tsarina—for there are episodes in the book that skip back in time. (The Romanovs, the wealthiest family in the world at the time, had been murdered in 1918.)

Smith warns readers about how complex the political scene was between the Russian Whites (supporters of the old order, or at least enemies of communism) and all the Red factions. No need to worry; she does a fine job of telling her story without political confusion, mostly by staying clear of politics. The confusion comes from the glut of characters, but again, not to worry. Smith helpfully offers an index of fictional and historical characters. There’s also a fine map of 1920 London at the front of the book.

All in all, an entertaining romp with nonstop action, a perky heroine, and quirky characters.

See the full review here.