As soon as I read the synopsis of this one, I knew I had to pick it up because false imprisonment is something that really interests/angers me. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and would happily have read more about it. I particularly enjoyed the Court scenes and the way the author wrote them. I had no idea where the end of the book was going to go and how Mahmoud was going to end up until the very last chapter.

I have read so many mixed reviews about the writing style and have seen it being described as ‘clunky’. I must say, I completely agree. It didn’t flow very well and the point of view changed that quickly that I often had to check who I was reading about.

Overall, I really enjoyed it and I’m glad I read it but I’m not sure whether or not I’d recommend it yet.

This book wasn’t for me
I had no clue what was happening and I didn’t like the writing style.
A poor book

A great example of whimsical and cosy mystery fiction. This was a great way to pass a few evenings and I really enjoyed it

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I did enjoy the start of this story but unfortunately I think, in this case, I'm just not in the right mood for this book. It has a great premise and great characters so I will mark it to come back to but for now I'm going to DNF.

Painfully written. Exposition overload and a total inability to show instead of tell. The worl-building is shallow and most is the characters interchangeable, reading as teen-agers instead of adults. There's also a curious lack of setting, Willberg had chosen the 1950s but the story could really be happening anywhere at any time. It was a real struggle to finish this rather dull and uninspired story.

London, 1958: Hidden deep beneath the city lies a secret detective agency known by few as Miss Brickett’s. Apprentice detectives at Miss Brickett’s undergo rigorous training to equip them with the skills required to solve the cases that London’s police force cannot, but what they are not prepared for is a murder from within. When her mentor, Frank, is arrested on suspicion of the murder of a colleague, 23-year-old apprentice Marion Lane is tasked with clearing his name.

Overall, I found Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder to be decidedly average. There were some strong elements – the plot, the characters, the fun spy gadgets and devices – but also some very, very weak areas. Despite being near her mid-twenties, Marion felt very young and the writing style gave the book a young-adult vibe which I’m not sure was entirely intentional. Also, it felt like the author had tried to incorporate elements from James Bond, Harry Potter and Bridgerton, and failed in all three.

One of the biggest flaws throughout the entire book was that these so-called detectives all seemed to be horrible at detecting anything. They discussed highly confidential topics in the open for anyone to hear, allowed a murder to happen inside an establishment filled with supposedly well-trained detectives, and then jumped to the first and most obvious conclusion for who did it. I certainly wouldn’t hire them to solve anything.

I didn’t hate it, but I don’t feel the need to read any more from this series.

I loved everything about this quirky, gothic, murder mystery. Taking place in the labyrinthine tunnels beneath the streets of London, a secret team solve the mysteries that the authorities can't
Brilliant.
WIth thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

1950s London has never seemed so appealing! I'd love to be able to work at Miss Brickett's as it sounds like a whole heap of fun! Marion Lane is a great character and has an equally fabulous supporting cast. I'm excited to read more in the series. Thoroughly enjoyable!

I really enjoyed this book, a historical fantasy book that took me on a journey.
The characters were well developed and some more complex than others, so that added great value to the story as it made it more intriguing.
Not quiet what I was expecting but worth a read. I absolutely love the cover too!

A fun read. Fabulous characters, fantastically dreamt up gadgets & a who-dun-it to solve. I adored it.

It lost a 🌟 because I found it quite slow to begin with.

This is such a unique book, set in the 50's but with a magical element to it I quickly got lost in the storyline. It had elements from some of my favourite novels (Sherlock Holmes and Harry Potter) and gadgetry that James Bond would feel at home with. It wasn't at all what I expected! I had expected it to me more of a YA novel from the cover but it isn't, the main protagonist is in her 20's and there is a lot of swearing involved.

Hidden in tunnels under the streets of London in the late 1950's is a secretive investigations team that set out to solve the unsolvable mysteries. With good scene setting an atmospheric cozy mystery is created. It was an enjoyable read that was both quirky and had shades of goth. I would consider reading more of this author.

This premise sounded right up my street! Unfortunately it rolled right back down again.
I have been on the hunt for another historical mystery since loving The Lost Apothecary, and I haven't managed to find one that lives up to it.
The characters and plot were so far off what I was hoping for, and I expected to love this. The explanations of the investigations confused me way more than it should have, and the conclusion was just odd.

This was like a throwback to reading Harry Potter for the first time, and discovering the Ministry of Magic, if it was in the 1950s. It was a great book to get completely lost in, a real form of escapism as Marion works away for a secret organisation that searched away. It wasn't really what I expected it to be but I did enjoy it and would read future books.

This book had a great premise and the cover is stunning. I enjoyed the characters and the overall mystery that was weft throughout. The start was a little slow going, but once it got going I really got into it.

Really lovely and cosy mystery! I was really drawn in by the story and the characters.
Would definitely recommend for an easy holiday read.

This book has amazing atmosphere settings and in some way it remind me of Harry Potter. The writing was very good and had me hooked.

Thanks to netgalley for this copy.

Recent-historical fiction is always an interesting genre so I enjoyed this story. London 1958. Marion Lane is a character you want to get to know and you will when you read this book. Mystery, suspense, characters behaving in strange ways - one question: what will happen next? Page turning story, thanks for sending this to me.

I requested this book from Netgalley mainly based on the cover… it is stunning. And when I found out the author is a South African based in Malta I was even more excited (yet slightly disappointed when the book was set in London…).

This is Willberg’s debut, and it is fairly obvious. I absolutely love the idea of it and the atmopshere throughout it all is great. We follow a young woman in her early twenties, who works as an apprentice in an underground spy agency and has a great talent for gadgets. These elements were done ever so well. Marion and her friends acted their age which was lovely to read.

But… the book is a mess. The means and the motive get rather mixed up making the hole thing rather confusing and illogical. Then there is the fact that the villain hosts a massive party to hide (attract attention to) his crime and disappearance. Willberg had this really interesting idea of a labyrinth with moving walls to hide this great secret… which then isn’t used at all. There is a potential love interest that is supposed to be incredibly attractive and handsome… but seems to me to be the complete opposite. And then there is the fact that at the end we need about 40 pages to get everything actually explained to us and to fix plot holes.

So yeah, I ended up giving this book only 2 stars because it just needed a lot of work still in my opinion. That being said though, I do want to continue the series because Willberg does have a great concept here and I think she can do some very interesting stuff with it.