There's something about setting a murder in the interwar years that makes it seem somehow fun and harmless - it must be years of exposure to Agatha Christie. It's not so much a literary convention as a literary commandment that if you have a party at a country house in the 1920s or 30s then a murder must occur. And ideally everyone is trapped there, reducing the field of suspects. All of whom have a motive. Oh, and the murder needs to have been committed in some fiendishly complicated way.

In this novel, three members of the jazz band hired to play at said party appoint themselves as sleuths when their host is found dead in a locked room, and a flood renders the roads impassable. The dead man was roundly disliked by his large, quarrelsome family, and there were concerns about his will (of course!). So which of them decided to kill him - and how did they manage what appears to be an impossible feat?

Like all stories of this type, it's not meant to be taken too seriously. It's fun and escapist, decently written and with likeable characters. If you enjoy a roaring twenties setting and a good Christie-style plot then you can sit back and enjoy. The plot is reasonably good - it hangs together without any major holes and it wasn't very easy to guess - although I did identify the murderer a fair time before the big reveal. That's satisfying though rather than annoying. It also didn't rely on anything too ridiculous, and the clues were there. For me, part of the pleasure of a detective novel is knowing I might be able to work it out myself before the characters do, so it pleases me when the author allows that possibility. Saying that, I wouldn't say it was obvious, or that it spoiled the enjoyment of the book - I wasn't completely sure so the tension was still there.

If you like a good whodunnit then I can recommend this. It's light, easy to read, and fun. I'd certainly read another in the series.

A locked room murder of a rich man at a country house, it’s the stuff of classic golden age mysteries. The Dizzy Heights jazz band are doing their first paid gig outside of the clubs for biscuit barons in their swish country mansion. All goes well until the head of the family is shot in an apparent suicide. However all is not what it seems and when the band are trapped at the house by flash flooding they are on the case.
This is the second of this series and I have to say it didn’t enjoy i as much as the first. Mostly because a lot of the things I liked about the first were dropped. This one was mostly lead by Ellie and I’m not that interested in her. She’s alright but she’s happy and rich so...meh. I am much more interested in Barty and Puddle. Barty hardly got to do anything this time out and Puddle was barely there but when she was she was delightful and I love her very much so am dismayed beyond belief that it looks like she won’t be in the third book at all! So this was ok, the mystery was entertaining enough but the interesting characters weren’t given enough to do.

A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball is T E Kinsey’s second Dizzy Heights novel. The action starts a few days after the end of the first book. The London-based Dizzy Heights band have been booked to play at a Midsummer Ball in Oxfordshire. As you might expect from the excellent Tim Kinsey, there is murder and a consequent investigation by band members Barty Dunn and Skins Maloney, together with Skins’ wife, Ellie. And it’s a proper “locked room” mystery with a closed cast of suspects, which will excite a large bunch of mystery enthusiasts.

I read the first Dizzy Heights novel because I love Kinsey’s Lady Hardcastle books. I hoped we would see a lot of Lady H and her wonderful Welsh maid, Flo. The two women did feature but didn’t really sparkle. I thought the book was great overall but was disappointed with their cameo. Now, I have read A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball because it was a Dizzy Heights novel. As far as I’m concerned, this book is the equal of any Lady Hardcastle novel (and they have been by far my favourite series for a few years). The dialogue is witty, the pacing is tight, the characterisation is excellent. I love the cross-talk between Barty, Skins, and Ellie; and the way that Ellie is a full member of that little gang. Whilst Barty gives Ellie the respect due to her as Skins’ wife, he and Ellie are quite happy to banter with each other. For the example, Barty is invited into the couple’s bedroom to discuss developments whilst Ellie is still in bed (in a chaste nightgown, with her husband sat near her – don’t worry!). That dialogue made me snigger a lot, possibly with an embarrassing snort at the end.

Yes, I did guess who the murderer was. Yes, there might be some minor implausibilities in the plot. I don’t care – it was a most enjoyable book. Tim Kinsey, please write the third book soon. No, on second thoughts, write another Lady Hardcastle. No, belay that – we want another Dizzy Heights book. Oh, dear, my allegiance is so torn!

#ABafflingMurderattheMidsummerBall #NetGalley

I would like to thank Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for an advance copy of A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball, the second novel to feature Ellie, Skins and Dunn of the Dizzy Heights jazz band.

Summer 1925 and the band is engaged to play at Bilverston House in Oxfordshire. The event goes well but the next day floods prevent them from leaving. Then one of the family dies in a locked room with a bullet to the temple. Suicide is presumed but Ellie, Skins and Dunn aren’t so sure and start investigating.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball, which is a lighthearted novel with a seriously fiendish puzzle and a convoluted solution. I have not read the preceding novel in the series, but I have read all the Lady Hardcastle novels so I had a rough idea of what to expect. This is not as laugh out loud funny, but it still has a lovely, light touch and as I said the howdunnit is fiendish.

The novel is told mostly from the band’s point of view, so what they know the reader knows. Having read the solution I can say that most of the clues are there to reach the same conclusion they do, but I defy most readers to put it together. I certainly had no idea of the perpetrator or motive. It’s ingenious and wonderfully over complicated which suits the tone of the novel perfectly.

A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball is a fun read that I can recommend.

I really enjoyed my time with the first Dizzy Heights cozy mystery earlier this year, so it was an easy decision to read the sequel as well. Add the fact that A Baffling Murder At The Midsummer Ball is basically a locked room murder mystery, and this sequel became even more irresistible... And I definitely ended up having a brilliant time reading it. Both the 1920s setting and the jazz element add extra flavor to what is already an entertaining mystery, and this series is quickly turning into a new favorite.

I once again loved just how important music is throughout the story. We have the focus on the Dizzy Heights band and its members of course; they have been invited to play during the event in Oxfordshire after all. It isn't just them performing there though, as music keeps popping up during the rest of the story and there is even some studio recording (with fascinating historical details) going on. I really liked how this musical element was incorporated into the plot, and the same goes for the historical setting as a whole. There are plenty of references to the 1920s jazz world as well as references to WWI and you will also find plenty of phrases in the dialogues that will transport you right back to the 1920s. Both the historical setting and the jazz definitely helped turning this sequel into another success for me!

The characters are very easy to like, and I had a great time meeting up with them again in A Baffling Murder At The Midsummer Ball. There are quite a few different characters involved with the band and the members of the Bilverton House, and it is definitely adviced to read the first book before starting the sequel because of this. It makes it easier to keep the members of the band apart and gives you insight in their dynamics too, which always helps. I once again loved the banter between the different members of the band and the members of the Bilverton House (or should I say suspects?) were also an interesting bunch to get to know.

The locked room mystery is the star of the show here, and I loved reading about how the different members of the band investigated and slowly tried to unravel the many secrets of the different suspects as well as how the murder could have been done. There are plenty of plot twists and secrets to keep you entertained in between the banter and the music, and I most definitely didn't guess who could be behind it all. The writing is engaging and makes it very easy to keep turning those pages, and the development of the plot was spot on for me.

In short, A Baffling Murder At The Midsummer Ball turned out to be an entertaining and cleverly plotted locked room mystery that mixes a historical setting with jazz to give the story that little something extra. Definitely recommended if you enjoy historical fiction and/or cozy mysteries!

I read the first Dizzy Heights mystery last year and enjoyed it so much that I went on to read most of his other series. I was really happy to be able to read this pre-publication in exchange for an honest review.
The story is set in 1925 and is a must for lovers of the roaring twenties and the jazz age. The Dizzy Heights are booked to play at a ball and inevitably get mixed up with a mysterious death. It's a classic locked room mystery and has quite a complicated plot which all gets resolved in a satisfactory manner very reminiscent of Agatha Christie. The author has done his research on the period and it really comes alive with snappy dialogue between the members of the band and their companions.

I loved "A Baffling Murder at the Midsummer Ball" by TE Kinsey so much that I've just bought the first in the Dizzy Heights Mystery books too (The Deadly Mystery of the Missing Diamonds). A friend and I were chatting about this book and were both delighted to have stumbled upon this series which we both describe as the Famous Five for Grown Ups. There's secret passages, plenty of meals and plenty of sleuthing to be done when stuck in a country house waiting for the floods to subside. It also has echoes of the Golden Age of crime books which you don't get so much these days - murder but done in a gentile way.

An Unexpected Turn…
The second in the Dizzy Heights series of mysteries and the best jazz band in London have been booked to play at a glorious Midsummer Ball at a country house in Oxfordshire. Not everything is destined to go to plan and, whilst Dizzy Heights are eager to entertain the guests, events are about to take an unexpected turn. Atmospheric country house murder mystery. Fun, entertaining and relaxing escapism from Kinsey, once again, who has created some delightful characters in keeping with the period. Nicely executed and can happily read well as a standalone.

Another wonderful novel from Kinsey. A fun mystery. Who is the killer in the isolated house? Fun characters and our team of Ellie, Skins and Dunn are awesome as always. The conversations are the author's strong suit. I recommend all of both series, but ot would stand ok alone as well.

Slight spoiler in review

I mean this in an entirely complimentary way,but this was like reading famous 5 for grown ups... I expected there to be lashings of ginger beer... instead there was mention of champagne and other food stuff at regular intervals.
A murder occurs after a family party,whilst the family and the jazz musicians are stranded at the house due to weather.
I was thrilled when they broke the musicians down into a smaller section,as the first part of book felt like character overload.
As the bodies pile up,and secrets are uncovered,there's was always a sense of fun to this book.
The second in the series,I'll be looking out for no.3 now

The Dizzy Heights have been hired as the entertainment at the Midsummer Ball at Bilverton House. But, true to form in this country, the weather takes a turn for the worse, and they are stranded there in deepest Oxfordshire by torrential flooding.

And, while the house party are cut off from the outside world, there is a death. Ostensibly a simple one, but things just don't add up. So Ellie, Skins and Barty set out to discover the truth before the floods recede and the wrong explanation for how the corpse met their end is taken as gospel.

I absolutely adore this fabulous, brilliant gang!

This is my favorite type of mystery. Country house party and inclement weather and a dead body. The killer must be in residence. Absolutely the perfect setting for a murder mystery. Highly enjoyable read