‘Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder’ is an easy-to-read historical mystery set in the 1950s London, following 23-year-old apprentice, Marion, as she resolves to clear her mentor from murder and discovers secrets in the unusual private detective agency, she works for.

From a lovely cover to an interesting set-up, T.A. Willberg first instalment of the series, has been a fun read. While the plot and the mystery felt a little less complex than I expected, and more appropriate for YA, I still enjoyed ‘Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder’. I didn’t necessarily feel completely connected or attached to any of the characters, but I think that their characters have potential and will be developed more in the later instalments of the series. Overall, I had enjoyed the atmosphere and the set-up of ‘Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder’ the most, and I’m looking forward to the next book. The gadgets and intrigue felt very James Bond-like but perhaps for a younger audience, and with a strong female lead.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a fantastic crime thriller set in the late 1950s. It is set in a unique world that works in the shadows and beneath the city of London; an agency filled with agents, trainees and technicians all work in secret to solve the mystery above ground. As the first book in the series, it is a little bit of a slow start as it sets the narrative world up but once the plot gets going you can't put it down.

You follow the story of Marion, a complex character dealing with her difficult life above ground while she is in her first year of training at the Agency. I absolutely love following a female protagonist without significant romantic storylines. Don't get me wrong there were a few hints which will be interesting to see in future books. but first and foremost you follow a strong female lead as she walks this complex path of mystery and murder.

When a murder happens within the walls of the agency and the only person who could have done it is amoung them, Marion is determined to find the truth before the wrong person is convicted.  This book is a classic whodunit, wrapped up in the strange world beneath London. The tricks and gadgets are akin to James Bond, with a murder myserty akin to Sherlock Homes.

Summary
It all seems idyllic in 23 year old Marion's world. She lives in London with her (grumpy) grandmother and works at Miss Brickett's Secondhand Books and Curiosities. A bookstore which infact is façade for Miss Brickett's Investigations and Inquiries, London's leading private investigation agency helping the police maintain law and order in the streets.

Review:

The world Willberg has created is full of vintage charm with a touch of the supernatural.

One can’t help but notice a number of parallels with Harry Potter, almost as if this is a Hogwarts but for muggles who missed out on their Hogwarts letter.

The narrative overall is even paced, however, a bit too many characters crammed into the story and it gets difficult to keep track of them.

For example, by the time we are about 20% into the book we have been introduced to about 15 characters all of whom seem to have an important role in the story.

The culprit is revealed around the 65% mark and from there on the plot focuses on revealing the motive behind the murder - this I found particularly tedious.

Final words
The author has created an intriguing world, and the storyline shows promise. It is easy to guess that this will be a series of books hence why the limited character development in this book.

Overall a good mystery, lacks some finesse but a promising premise nevertheless and will be interesting to see how the sequels turn out.

I love a good mystery. Combined with the right level of deductive reasoning, and a touch of vintage charm, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is a perfect quick read for a rainy weekend.

I absolutely adored this book and devoured every moment. From the opening chapter (what a way to start) I was hooked, I just loved everything about it, the dark, gothic atmosphere and the wonderful characters. Marion is marvellous, a real break from the "ladylike" norm of the period and highly relatable to me, I feel she is the Sherlock Holmes of women!

Overall, a brilliant historical mystery, beautifully written. I cannot wait to read more in this series.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this mysterious book.

Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder was an enjoyable read with many appealing elements: an underground organization that fights crime while unseen, boarding school vibes, innovative/extravagant gadgets, alchemy, old war secrets.
However, I wished Marion was a bit more independent and strong. To be the main character, she was portrayed to much as a mademoiselle in danger for my liking and it really put me off her willingness to give up on her discoveries. I also had the feeling that we spent more time focusing on her life outside the agency than on solving the case. Whilst I really liked this window on Marion's past/present, it annoyed me that we moved so fast from not knowing who the culprit was to jump to a conclusion that was not even reached by the main character.

My thanks to NetGalley and Orion Publishing for giving me the chance to read the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Review Marion Lane

After her mother death, Marion found in Felix a mentor and a friend that helped gain skills and become the woman that she is today. Her grandmother allows her to stay at her house but all she thinks about is marrying Marion what is not in her plans at all.
Working in a second hand bookshop in the heart of London or so it seems to the world, her 3 year apprenticeship prepares her for the art of detection. Working in the same office as the inquirers is Marion highest aspiration.
Throughout the story, Harry Potter vibes are constant and lots of details like the snake in the tunnel and the secret map led me straight to the fantasy world that I adore so much.
The murder mystery is solved by Marion what makes her a very strong heroine but at the same time one wonders why someone on an apprenticeship/training was able to solve what a group of trained detectives couldn't.

Thank you to Netgalley and Trapeze for this review copy.

This was a difficult book to read and rather frustrating too. I think the crux of it all though is that I just do not enjoy this style of writing so although there were other things about the book that I didn't like, the main issue and reason for not liking it, is completely and utterly a personal one.

It took a long time to get into which is a shame because we all love picking up a book and being drawn into it immediately, don't we?
There were SO many characters who were difficult to differentiate from each other.

The mystery itself was - for wont of another word - boring and I couldn't understand why Marion, who is a trainee, was being left to look into it.

I also felt that the author perhaps hasn't decided yet which genre she wants to write. Is it YA or Adult Fiction?

I'm a bit torn about this engaging yet slightly frustrating novel.. It wasn't what I expected- don't go into this expecting a classic detective agency story set in the 1950s. There was more than a touch of magic realism, teen angst (although the characters were in theory in their 20s) and a vibe more akin to YA than what I expected. The mid-century setting feels superfluous; I often had to remind myself this was set in the 50s. I would have liked more period detail.

Below the streets of London, a mysterious detective society (although we never really find out exactly *what* they do) operates in secret. "Inquirers" are the full blow detectives, while we follow Marion, a first year apprentice training to become a fully fledged Inquirer (But again, what do they do exactly?). Marion is a rather fun character and becomes embroiled in a murder mystery that exposes the past of the agency and the spooky tunnels that run underneath them.

I was wavering between a 3 and 4 rating on this. 4 for the setting? 3 for the plot? I think 3 is accurate- but that said, I found this really rather compelling and it was a book I was excited to pick up when I had a chance, which tells its own story. There was something very readable about it, despite my misgivings. I suspect this is setting up future stories as Marion progresses through her apprenticeship and I would like to read more.

I had to think hard about how to categorise Marion Lane, but I think it’s beauty lies in it’s refusal to be pigeonholed. The best way to describe it would be a supernatural crime and spy thriller set in the 1950s. Our heroine has a smidge of Hermione Granger and a dash of Enola, but still manages to be her resolutely spunky self. We meet Marion as she begins her apprenticeship at Mrs Brickett’s Investigations and Inquiries, at a top secret location deep in London’s subterranean bowels. This was enough to get me reading, but the fact that the cover for their underground operations is a bookshop sealed the deal.

Those who want the agency’s help must put their requests in secret post-boxes. I loved the brilliant descriptions of this place, so vivid I could picture it in my mind, although it’s not always easy to keep track of a maze in your head. There were times where I felt a tiny bit lost with someone’s name or where we were - especially once magical elements like maps or walls that could shift and change were introduced. However, I expect that with such a creative fantasy because my memory is appalling. I even forgot we were in the fifties on occasion until the author brought us back with a comment on clothing or
a bit of description that put us firmly back in our time period. Our heroine has intelligence and a lot of promise, but is this apprenticeship more than she expected. There were some interesting other characters that I think will develop more in coming novels, as well as our heroines back story which I was very interested in exploring in more detail. This was an enjoyable romp through the world of Mrs Brickett’s agency, and I felt it was there to pique reader’s interest for a possible series. This reader is interested and I would look forward to more of Marion Lane.

A mixture of James Bond and Sherlock Holmes set in a secret detective agency reminiscent of WW2 Bletchley Park with a touch of magic thrown in. Sounds exciting right? Unfortunately, I thought this book was just alright.
I couldn't really connect to the characters because they felt indistinguishable and generic. And as I continued I found I didn't really care how the mystery was solved. So much potential but it fell a bit short for me. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to read this though.

Sorry, I requested this book thinking it was the second in this series.
This is my review:
I didn’t know what to expect and I choose this book because I found the blurb fascinating and I thought it could be a lot of fun.
It is a lot of fun but even if the blurb talked about Agatha Christie I can say that it’s quite different, more steampunk mixed with intrigue and secret society than Golden Age tropes.
This is a gripping and highly entertaining story, I had a lot of fun reading of the organisations, how it works and the secrets that can exist in a secret organization.
The plot is fast paced, full of twists and turns, well written and I wasn’t able to put it down once I was hooked (after a few pages).
Marion is a very interesting characters: a girl who was hurt by life and is struggling for her independence and happiness. The character development is excellent and the cast of characters is fleshed outand interesting.
I loved the complex and detailed world building and I hope this is part of a series because I want to learn more about the organization and the characters.
I had a lot of fun reading it and it’s highly recommended.

So let's say Sherlock Holmes and Agatha Christie decided to have a baby? Well, hello Marion Lane!

Private detectives, secret tunnels, magical gadgets...apprentice Marion has it all in store for her. Along with trying to clear her mentor Frank on suspicion of murder?! Hooboy, lets go...

Although this book is set in the 50's, its hard to remember at times! The elements of magic, nicely woven into the story, really make it remarkable.
However, Willberg seamlessly brings us back to the time era with nicely placed little remarks.

Cannot wait to explore more from this author! Highly recommend.

I really struggled with this book. It sounded like such a great premise but I just couldn't get into it and found it really hard going.

A fun and delightfully quirky mystery novel! Marion Lane is an apprentice at an underground organisation known to most of fifties London as ‘The Inquirers’. While not possessing an entirely law-abiding reputation, nevertheless they investigate crimes and help bring perpetrators to justice, with a selection of sophisticated mechanical gadgets at their disposal. Marion is only in her first year as an ‘apprentice’ when her beloved mentor Frank is accused of the murder of a filing clerk, and although she’s expected to largely ignore all of this and get on with her training, inexperienced Marion is drawn into the mystery in an attempt to clear Frank’s name, alongside a couple of friends; Bill, and the suspicious new arrival Kenny. I would probably use the term Steampunk to categorise this, due to the era in which its set and the heavy emphasis on mechanical gadgetry; and I enjoyed the mystery and the characters and the strangeness of the underground tunnels. Parts of the story are not all that believable but I don’t think it needs or wants to be - instead this is fun. I see a series in Marion Lane’s future, and I think I would read more. It would have been nice to see more 1950s atmosphere though as the time period almost felt irrelevant given we spent most of the book underground in tunnels which had very little to do with the outside world.

My thanks to #NetGalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a fun read...I really enjoyed this book!

It's 1958 and 23 year old Marion Lane has not been living her best life. Having lost her Mum, she now lives with her Grandmother who wants nothing more than to see Marion settled down and married. The high spot for Marion is her recent recruitment to Miss Bricketts', a secret detective agency hidden under the streets of London disguised as a book shop. But a murder in the agency soon has Marion on a whirlwind investigation to save a friend risking her apprenticeship and her life!

I found this book to be a real page turner, fast paced and a not too complex plot makes for a delightful and enjoyable piece of escapism. I loved Marion as a character - slightly out of place in the world that's been drawn for her. The book felt really cleverly constructed with detail just right for a book set in the late 50s, the dialogue and the way the characters were a little stiff evoked just the right atmosphere. I also loved the steampunk elements created by the really advanced technology that the Agency had access to which gave it an alternative history feel.

My only criticism would be that the end felt longer than it needed to be once the mystery had been solved and there were a few scenes at the end where the explanations were over long. But some people will love that all the loose ends were tied up!

All in all, a brilliantly constructed and enjoyable read - I do hope it's a series because I'd definitely love to read more of Marion's adventures!

Although this reminded me so much of Harry Potter in the beginning. I really enjoyed Marion Lane and the Midnight murder.
It’s 1958 and in London. Marion lives with her grandmother who is not the most caring kind. To get away from the claustrophobic atmosphere in the house she takes a job at a bookstore as an apprentice. But when she gets there, she led underground she is brought to place full of tunnels and rooms belonging to a secret police agency full of investigators. When one of the investigators is murdered. She starts snooping around she finds a set of secret rooms that she discovered a very dangerous substance in a vial that was made in the war to be used against the British but it was never used.
Thanks Orion of a copy of this book. I didn’t realise that it had already been published. This was a fun and intriguing historical read. Like I said it did remind me a bit of Harry Potter but that didn’t deter me to read this. I am also a fan of HP. I liked the premise of the story and the mystery in this book. It would make a great film or Tv show. 5 stars from me.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

An enjoyable story set in the 50's in London, Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder is where 'Q' from James Bond might have trained. Marion Lane works as an apprentice underground at a super secret detective agency. There they create gadgets and gizmos to help solve crimes in London. Marion is a likeable character who despite being a woman in the 50's (where she's expected to marry and be a housewife) wants to work and invent. When a colleague is murdered she is thrown in at the deep end, trying to save the agency and her own freedom.

I found the world and gadgets fascinating but I found myself confused by the border tunnels. These seemed almost magical or supernatural yet the book is set in an unmagical world. When reading fantasy I am okay with not understanding parts of the world but as this was supposed to be 1950's London I wish the tunnels and maps were explained properly to make them believable in this 'real' world.

The plot was interesting and satisfying. I would quite like to read a sequel.

If you are looking for a welcome distraction and a bit of fun then "Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder" by TA Willberg is the book for you. At times it does read like a young adult book, and I can't quite grasp the likening it to "Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" but that doesn't really matter. What does matter is that it is the first of a series - I was delighted to find this out, and will be waiting to read the second instalment.

Marion Lane is a bit of a mystery and she feels lucky to work in a very mysterious bookshop which is really not anything to do with real books.
Apprenticed to a clandestine private investigation company something is happening which cannot be explained and when a sneak is murdered it is up to Marion to protect her friends.
Set in a slightly different world, quirky and great characters would definitely enjoy more about this set up

This is a book you will love, just kinda like or hate. I’m not sure if i liked it or hated it! I found it a tad confusing at times….. well it confused itself. It couldn’t quite make up it’s mind what type of story it wanted to be. It had great potential but didn’t quite fulfil it for me.

Set in 1953,Marion is 25 years old, Father dead, Mother dead, lives with her horrid Grandmother in a house that seemed to have belonged to her parents. Grandmother keeps trying to marry her off and then sells the house without Marion knowing and decides to move to America.

Marion is offered a new job in a book store in London after working – and being very good- with mechanics only to find out on her first day that all is not quite as it seems. There is a ‘secret’ detective organisation based under the book store that is accessed at the back of the store. There are lots of rooms and passageways that reminded me of Hogwarts to a degree. There is a map at the beginning of the book to show you the layout but this isn’t easy to keep looking at on an e reader.

We don’t get any information on cases the agency is looking into as it seems to be all about the training of the new recruits and of the murder of one of the workers – Michelle White and what might lie ‘in the forbidden tunnels’.

I did find it hard to keep track of the characters as they weren’t described in detail and seemed to flit in and out of the chapters so I had forgotten who and what they did as well as how they fitted into the whole mystery- which a lot of the times they didn’t.

I did think why was this 1st year trainee who’d only been there a few months, so hadn’t any experience in the field, looking into solving a murder within the organisation of someone she didn’t know, or have any dealings with. The way she went about it was also very haphazard.

This could have been a good book but seemed to get confused as to what it wanted to be, mystery, murder, fantasy, magical.