Here's a crime novel from 1959 which has dated well and is still highly readable.
Margaret Newman never found the fame of her contemporaries, Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham - but this novel has as much wit and charm - as anything written by those great Queens of Crime Fiction.
Amidst all the social niceties one would expect at a London Choral Society, and a detective charmed and in love with one of its members, a murderer strikes.
This isn't one of those cosy crime novels best lost in the mists of time. There's a second, most unpleasant death and the story touches on several controversial themes of the time: capital punishment, judicial execution - and an Austrian refugee who has set himself up as a doctor with a 'cure' for homosexuality.
This is a pitch perfect read for any fan of classic crime fiction.

The plot is intriguing, the characterizations and relationships fairly well done. However, Newman gives away the identity of the murderer and their motive, with multiple easily spotted events and statements. Now normally that wouldn’t really bother me, but it happened so early on that the rest of the story felt like one long anticlimax. Newman could have used it to her advantage, using it as a sort of cat and mouse game, buuuut she didn’t.

In short, this was just an ok kind of read for me.

This was a new author to me and I have to say, I really enjoyed this book. It was engaging and creative. The perfect read for a time of isolation and anxiety. The only thing better than a locked room murder is one in front of a crowd. And I adore these older books because the cases are solved not through technology, but sheer doggedness and intuition on the part of the investigator. Perhaps it can be put down to a bit distraction due to our current situation, but it did take about 2/3 of the way through the book before I cottoned onto what the murder was really about. I definitely recommend!

Thank you to Agora Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful find. Margaret Newman mysteries are such fun - well developed characters, interesting settings for the plots (I learn something every time), and enough twists to keep you guessing. A great example of golden age mystery. Highly recommend for lovers of this genre.

Clever, twisty murder mystery centering on a murder during a concert. I was guessing right up until the end and I liked the dynamic of the detective and his girlfriend who was in the choir. Don’t think I’ve read any Margaret Newman before but would happily read more if they’re as smart as this.

My thanks to Crime Classics and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book by Margaret Newman an author who is sadly no longer with us. The book starts with introductions to the main characters, in this case an amateur choir. One of the characters Delia just happens to be going out with a policeman called Simon Hudson, he is invited to their concert where the conductor Owen Burr is shot. At the time due to the noise of the orchestra and the applause nobody realises that a murder has just been committed. It is only when he falls from his dais that people realise something is wrong, they think he has only fainted but are soon faced with the question of who did it! Follow the case as the police question the suspects. Absolutely excellent read and thoroughly enjoyed.

A very easy book to read, good flow and the mystery moved very quickly, the ending was a surprise, in more ways than one. All in all a good read. How is a conductor shot in front of an audience, players and singers in a concert hall. Many twists and turns before the mystery is solved.

I was given this book to review for Crime Classics as part of a republication of old forgotten female writers from the golden age of detective fiction. I must admit to being a fan of Christie, Sayers and Marsh so was quite looking forward to discovering a writer from that period whom I had never heard of before.
Murder To Music was the first book by Margaret Newman published in 1959. The story involves a choir that is putting on a choral work Mass with a renowned tenor from Italy, Senor Cassati. The first 5 chapters set the scene with the bickering within the choir committee and a host of characters which I admit I found hard to keep track of until later in the book.
Evan Tredegar is the senior conductor and is advertised to conduct the new Metropolitana Choir's concert which is being broadcast by the BBC. A tenor from Italy has been engaged for a fee rather higher than the committee members realise as a generous donor is picking up half the tab. Tredegar's assistant Owen Burr ends up conducting the concert himself when Tredegar gets ill and then Owen gets shot when the music reaches it's crescendo. One of the choir members is Delia who just happens to be going out with a policeman Detective Superintendent Simon Hudson who just happens to be in the audience and takes control of the investigation. Of course everyone in the choir, including Delia, is a suspect putting Hudson in an awkward position. For his sake he needs to find the murderer before it damages his relationship with Delia.
On Christmas Eve Cassati disappears and Hudson works to find a link and also find a body. Things move fast after Cassati's disappearance and another character has an accident which only helps to muddy the suspects list.
The killing of Cassati was ingenious and marks Newman out as a great writer of detective fiction. I had guessed who the killer might be earlier but not the reason until after Cassati's discovery. Overall I enjoyed the book and once I got over the first few chapters the book flowed quite well. It has definitely stood the test of time and does not come across as dated with the exception of the doctor that deals with homosexuals. It is well worth a read and I will look out for more books by this author.

This book was first published in 1959. It is now being republished by Agora books and will be released in kindle edition on 16th April 2020.
This involves an amateur choir named the Metropolitan. Its conductor-in-chief is the ageing Evan Tredegar. There are petty bickerings, jealousies and old rivalries among the members of the choir and of the managing committee.
The debut performance of Tredegar’s latest composition, a new Mass, takes place in the Royal Festival Hall just before Christmas. He is however absent during the performance and his place is taken by the deputy conductor Owen Burr. Just as the performance concludes, Owen is shot dead. Nothing surprising since he has antagonised several people with his tactless, unsympathetic and rude behaviour.
Detective-Superintendent Simon Hudson, whose girl friend Delia Jones is one of the singers, is watching the performance and he takes charge of the case.
Another singer subsequently disappears and Tredegar is attacked in his house . Finally Hudson is able to resolve the case after several wrong turns.
The plot is good and intriguing. The characterisation is also good. However, the writing style simply did not click with me, as a result I found several portions dull reading. I rate the book as a whole as 3 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Agora Books for a free advance review copy.

Agatha Christie with a twist.
I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and was very surprised to find it was originally published in 1959 - very unusual for an ARC I would think! Nevertheless I think it speaks to the writing ability of Margaret Newman that this reads like a recently written story.
DS Hudson is attending a concert by his girlfriend's choir when the conductor is mysteriously murdered. With the victim not very well liked, everyone is a suspect, even the detective's girlfriend.
There were enough twists and turns to keep the reader interested, and this book kept me guessing until the end, something that I find doesn't happen terribly often with mysteries.
**Was unable to post this review to Goodreads - unable to match the ISBN

Detective Simon Hudson is in love with Delia Jones. He drives her to and from her Metro choir rehearsals and the Metro Managing Committee meetings. Owen is the Assistant Director, and manages to make most of the other Committee members angry. The meetings are held at the home of Mrs. Bainsbury, who is the secretary of the committee. Her son Roger is often in the house, but is not a member of the Committee. Owen and Shirley are somewhat of an item. They are planning a big Christmas concert with a special mass written by the Director Evan Tredegar, called the Old Man. Owen usually leads the rehearsals, and Evan the final rehearsal and the performance. During the meeting, Mrs Sheraton-Smith was told by Owen that she couldn't sing anymore and she left. Then they decided to try to hire Cassati, a famous tenor from Italy as soloist.

On the day of the concert, Owen tells the choir that the Old Man is sick and he will be directing. During the final rehearsal, another singer is thrown out. The hall is filled, and the concert is very successful. However, after the final piece, Owen drops to the floor. Simon runs up, and finds he has been shot. Delia and Mrs Bainbridge saw the Old Man watching from the door. Simon, in charge of the case, has several suspects, since Owen has angered so many of the choir members, including embarrassing John Southerly, the piano player, during the concert. With Delia's help, after two other deaths, Simon finally figures everything out, but the perpetrator wasn't one of his original suspects.

Lights, Camera, BANG! Fun Golden Age mystery, featuring the dramatic murder of a conductor at the climactic end of a musical performance. Well clued with excellent misdirection. Some of the drama involving the detectives romance felt a bit contrived, but overall a very good read.

A man is murdered during a concert at the Royal Festival Hall. Hundreds of people saw him die but none saw the means. This is the problem faced by D S Simon Hudson. He needs to investigate the amateur choir which was performing at the time. and even Delia, the girl he loves, has to be suspected. Hudson discovers a great deal about the choir and about music but is he completely wrong about motive? There are many red herrings and a twist before he discovers the truth. An enjoyable enough book, although I couldn’t believe any policeman would confide so much about the case to his own girlfriend.

I really enjoyed this book. It was written in 1959 and teeters on the edge of classics from the Golden Age of Mysteries. I was not familiar with this author but would certainly have read more had they been written. The main character, Detective Superintendent Simon Hudson finds himself in an uncomfortable role after attending the Metropolitan Choir’s concert to show support for his girlfriend. Instead he finds himself trying to solve a murder where one of the suspects could very well be that same girlfriend. Believable plot, suspenseful and great dialogue. I highly recommend this book. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced readers copy for review.

I requested this because I love Golden Age mysteries and it's been a while since I've gotten to read one, but unfortunately the writing style and characters of this one just didn't click for me. Even allowing for the fact that it's not a recently written work, it just read very choppily and jarringly.

If you're a fan of mysteries from the time period, go ahead and try it out! It might work better for you.

4.5 Stars

I am pretty sure this is a standalone novel. It is written by Margaret Newman.

After I read this, I discovered it was originally published in 1959. I was surprised by that since this book didn’t read as if it was written so long ago. It felt fresh and new. How awesome is that? That is the sign of a good writer!

I had a jaw dropping moment reading this when after the conductor is killed on stage, the detective has no qualms announcing that his girlfriend, who is in the choir, is a suspect. Considering he is most likely her alibi, I found that quite humorous.

The mystery was quite complex considering the killing was done in sight of everyone. I really liked the setting of being in a choir since that is a very familiar place to me since I am currently in a worship team.

The characters were easily distinguished from one another but I was most curious about the relationship between Detective Hudson and Delia Jones. I wish there had been more interaction between the two of them. but that is just me wanting a bit more romantic suspense in my cozy. Overall, it was one great read.

If you love a good cozy mystery, definitely check this one out . You won’t be disappointed.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

Murder to Music, written by Margaret Newman, was first published in 1959. She issued her books under a variety of pseudonyms, including Anne Melville. I wasn’t aware of that and approached Murder to Music with the assumption she was another overlooked author, forgotten for decades. I suspect, though, it’s only her one book published under her maiden name of Margaret Newman that’s been neglected.

Owen Burr, the assistant conductor of the Metropolitana Choral Society is disliked by almost everyone so when an incident occurs, there is no shortage of suspects. Detective Superintendent Simon Hudson is in love with Delia Jones, a member of the Management Committee, but that doesn’t stop him treating her as a suspect as he does the rest of the Committee.

The book was published only fourteen years after WWII ended and some of the descriptions of what happened in the war are unpleasant. Newman also touches upon homosexuality and mental illness, albeit obliquely. I enjoyed the novel although I wasn’t paying enough attention to the female supporting characters and lost track of who was who – my fault! The only aspect that I found unbelievable was Owen Burr himself. Surely, anyone that unpleasant would have caused the entire choir to walk out long ago?

#MurdertoMusic #NetGalley

This is an absolute gem of a book from an author I had not heard of before. It truly is a book written in the age of golden crime and deserves the title of one of the greats from that period. After finishing I immediately went online to see if there were any more stories of Simon and Delia. Everything about this book is fantastic, the characters are wonderfully written, the murders fit in with the storyline whilst taking account of what had happened to the World not that long before the book was written.
I would heartily recommend this book to all as a wonderful golden age crime story that is on a par with the wonderful Agatha Christie.

3.5 stars

A very entertaining mystery from the 50s with great characters and an interesting setting. Delia Owens is a member of a choir and is present when a bizarre murder takes place at the end of a performance. The victim was not well-liked and suspects abound. Delia's boyfriend is a detective superintendent and relies on her background knowledge to investigate.

I enjoyed everything about this mystery right up until the end. A caveat: Sometimes reading books from a different era with different sensibilities is tough. This novel reveals at the end some homophobic bits that make us uncomfortable in today's world. Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Margaret Newman is the latest female mystery novelist Agora have brought back into print; an author I certainly hadn’t heard of. Yet intriguingly today’s read is the only mystery novel she wrote, and also the only title she wrote under the Newman name, and in the main she was a far more prolific writer of children’s novels and romances under the names of Anne Melville, Margaret Potter, (her maiden name), and Anne Betteridge. According to Agora she undertook various jobs before settling down to writing, including teaching in Egypt, editing a children’s magazine in London, and advising at the Citizen’s Advice Bureau in Twickenham.

Detective Inspector Simon Hudson’s courtship of Delia Jones takes a fraught turn when the choir his girlfriend is a part of, (singing and member of the managing committee), puts on a performance just before Christmas at Festival Hall. They are performing a new Mass composed by their very own conductor, Edgar Tredegar, with the BBC doing a recording of it and even a tenor from Italy is coming to take part. Yet the managing committee is far from a happy group. Tension and strife ripple upon the surface and seem to have exploded into the open when the assistant conductor, Owen Burr, is shot just as the performance concludes. Based on the victim and the angle of the bullet there are three areas from which he could have been shot, many of which containing choir members. It goes without saying that Owen was not Mr Popular and he seemed to have a real talent for being insufferably rude and unkind.

Once Hudson has put his foot in it, asking his girlfriend if she did the deed, his investigation progresses well. Motives are easy to come by for Owen’s murder, yet a second death, which takes place on Christmas day turns things on its head. Perhaps there is more to this case than meets the eye…

Overall Thoughts

I don’t usually quote the opening of a book, so extensively, but I felt it was worth doing so here:

One of these days,’ said Delia, ‘you’re going to answer a murder call and find when you arrive that it’s from the Metro’s Managing Committee.’

Detective-Superintendent Hudson laughed softly in the darkness of the car.

‘I hope I arrive in time tonight, then, to carry you away from the scene of slaughter. What am I liable to find? The whole Committee stretched lifeless on the floor, surrounded by bottles of poisoned beer? Or only the lovely body of Delia Jones, transfixed by eight barbed agendas?’

‘Oh no, thank you: I don’t expect to be a victim myself. But there are times when I expect at every moment to become a witness.’

‘Then you must increase my chances of promotion by telling me the answer in advance. Who’s going to kill who?’

‘Whom.’

‘By that evasion I perceive that you have a guilty conscience. Obviously, you are the murderer. And the victim?’

Delia giggled.

‘I’ve no idea. I’m only sure that Owen will be one of the two. He has an incredible capacity for taking and giving offence—both at once usually.’


I think this extract shows Newman’s confidence and competency when it comes to romantic couples. The contrast between such moments in 1930s novels with this 1959 title is evident when we get, (slightly) more racy comments such as this one: ‘We have arrived, Delia. I’m the safest driver in London. That manoeuvre was expressly designed to bury your head in my chest, and it has been thoroughly successful. There will be a short pause while I take advantage of it.’ It is a little corny, I grant you, but it does have a sort of modern feel to it and their relationship/courting eschews the soppy as the novel unfolds. Given her romance novel background I would say this element of the book is far from perfunctory, (a criticism sometimes levelled at classic crime novels).

I also wondered when reading this book whether Newman had been involved ina choir society as the opening chapter at the managing committee meeting often comes across as satirical. So, I thought perhaps real life experience of such a group might have influenced Newman’s undercutting edge to her description of this body of people, such as can found in this line: ‘The Managing Committee of the Metropolitana, one of London’s larger choral societies, may have had music in its collective soul, but it had little beauty in its face.’

The case Newman presents us with has its intriguing features, such as the question of when Owen was exactly murdered and also why he took the place of his superior in the first place. Newman provides some interesting “secrets” which tumble out of the woodwork as the story goes along and I enjoyed the way she has Hudson discuss the case with Delia. I think she writes this part of the plot in an interesting way. Nevertheless, I think romance was more Newman’s line than mystery writing, as I think a seasoned mystery reader will quickly notice who the killer is. I certainly latched on to them when two key moments occurred, so I was anticipating a specific plot development. When it was not revealed during the middle of the novel, I had to assume it was intended to be the finale. The lack of attention it was receiving, despite the nod given to the reader, made my detecting hunch antennae twitch! The solution is of its time and perhaps in some ways is a simpler answer to put forward, as it doesn’t entangle the writer in complicated murder method mechanics. Yet it is a shame Newman didn’t persist in the mystery writing genre, as it would have been interesting to see how she progressed.

Rating: 3.75/5