Review: Death at Crookham Hall by Michelle Salter

I'm delighted to share my review of Death at Crookham Hall, a fascinating whodunit set in 1920 by Michelle Salter. 

It's currently on blog tour with Rachel's Random Resources. Make sure to check out all the other stops.

Death at Crookham Hall

The Iris Woodmore Mysteries

Michelle Salter

Death at Crookham Hall is an intriguing mystery with a clever and witty heroine, and plenty of twists and turns.

When young reporter Iris discovers that her mother's death was no accident – she apparently jumped to her death in the murky waters of the river Thames in 1914 – she digs deeper, and finds that the two women who were with her mother that day had gone missing. One of them disappeared from Crookham Hall, home of the Timpson family – and the home of one of three candidates vying for a place in parliament.

Iris doesn't warm to Lady Timpson, standing for the Conservatives. Her own sympathies lie with Mrs Siddons, of the Liberal Party – a woman whose causes she supports. 

When murder strikes close by, Iris follows the ensuing investigation with great interest, and discovers that not everyone is who they seemed. 

All the while, Iris keeps on the trail of her mother's death, and finds links to Crookham Hall through one of her mother's suffragette companions who'd disappeared. She has to delve into the past, to help solve the riddle in the present. But will she endanger her life – and the lives of others – in the process? 

Death at Crookham Hall is an engaging murder mystery, which goes into the at times brutal past of the different suffragette movements. I found this background fascinating, as it shapes who Iris has become – a modern woman in 1920. But not too modern to spoil the story. Iris remains a character of her own times, immensely likeable but also flawed. 

Various plot twists keep you glued to the (virtual) pages in this clever whodunit, and whilst you can see some twists coming, others surprise you as the light is shone on the Timpson family's dark past.

A highly recommended murder mystery. I can't wait for the second in the series... 

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Blurb: 

A fatal jump. A missing suffragette. An inexplicable murder.

London, 1920. When she catches news of a big story, reporter Iris Woodmore rushes to the House of Commons. But it’s a place that holds painful memories. In 1914, her mother died there when she fell into the River Thames during a daring suffragette protest. But in the shadow of Big Ben, a waterman tells Iris her mother didn’t fall – she jumped.

Iris discovers that the suffragette with her mother that fateful day has been missing for years, disappearing just after the protest. Desperate to know the truth behind the fatal jump, Iris’s investigation leads her to Crookham Hall, an ancestral home where secrets and lies lead to murder…

Universal Buy Link: https://amzn.to/3DuWBSw

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About the Author:

Michelle Salter

Michelle Salter is a historical crime fiction writer based in northeast Hampshire. Many local locations appear in her mystery novels. She's also a copywriter and has written features for national magazines. 

When she’s not writing, Michelle can be found knee-deep in mud at her local nature reserve. She enjoys working with a team of volunteers undertaking conservation activities.


Connect with Michelle:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MichelleSalterWriter

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MichelleASalter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellesalter_writer/

Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/michelle-salter