Edward Marston has written a number of historical crime novels and Orders to Kill is the latest book in his WW1 based Home Front Series.

This series features two detectives who investigate murders against the backdrop of the War and despite an over controlling Superintendent!

The author has created some easily identifiable main characters and Orders to Kill is a well paced and very enjoyable novel that keeps the pages turning.

Highly recommended.

Orders to kill is about the gruesome murder of a Dr Tindall. As soon as Harvey Marmion and Joe Keedy arrive at Scotland Yard, they are sent off to investigate the murder. The scene is horrific, and even a seasoned detective like Marmion turns away in disgust. Someone enjoyed killing Tindall, without a doubt. Their investigation takes them out of London, and on the trail of three different women as it emerges that Dr Tindall was not the respectable local GP after all, there's definitely more to it than meets the eye and Marmion and Keedy are about to find out what it is.

Very gripping tale. This was my first by the author but easily one of the well-written murder mystery novels I've read. Decently paced, packed with action, suspense and drama. What I also loved were the incepts into the detectives' personal lives, which might have seemed as a digression, it added charm to the story as well as insight into the characters.

I know they say "Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover" but I' m afraid that I do. I was attracted to this book by the cover and the synopsis. However most of the story was quite dull. I enjoyed the small subplot of the two women & how their lives revolved around the police force but the whole main story didn't really hold my interest.

Set in 1917 England, this delectable mystery is just what the doctor ordered...gruesome murder, sinister atmosphere, a missing person and women working in mostly men-centric occupations. Not only that but there are ribbons of war repercussions rippling throughout, creating extra tension.

Housekeeper/cleaner Ada Hobbes prepares for her work day as usual. However, she is beyond shocked to discover a horrific scene in the home of beloved Dr. Tindall. Not only is he dead but he has obviously been murdered. Inspector Marmion and Sgt. Joe Keedy interview and investigate potential suspects and what they discover is far more than expected. In the peeling of layers nothing is what it seems. Meanwhile, someone is missing and the family involved is torn. Alice and Iris are friends and colleagues in the Women's Police Force and do some investigating as well. And every character has a personal life and past, some messy.

Mystery readers who have not read books by Edward Marston are really missing out! Do pick this up..
What I like most about Orders to Kill, the ninth in the series, are the historical descriptions and seamless plots and subplots. The author does a beautiful job of making this work. And the cover is indicative of what is inside.

My sincere thank you to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this enjoyable book.

When a cleaning lady arrives to clean the house of her employer, Doctor Tindall, a much-loved surgeon at a military hospital, she finds his viciously mutilated body sprawled across the floor. Enter First World War-era detective duo, Detective Inspector Harvey Marmion and Sergeant Joe Keedy, in the ninth book in Edward Marston’s “Home Front Detective” series. In the course of their enquiries, they learn that Dr. Tindall may not have been the quiet, respectable man of medicine everyone thought he was…
As with all of Marston’s books, “Orders To Kill” is written in the same straightforward and uncluttered style. The last years of World War are competently evoked, and this book is a solid entry in the series. Marston always crafts his books using well researched period details, drawing the reader into the world with vivid descriptions and atmosphere, and “Orders To Kill” is no different.
The book also advances the ongoing subplots featuring Marmion’s WPC daughter and his son, a troubled veteran of the war, who has disappeared without trace. Regular readers of the series will know the background, but these elements don’t affect the main storyline too much so the book can be enjoyed by new readers.
Marston has a definite knack at writing mysteries that keep the reader guessing until the final pages. He doesn’t waffle and uses exactly the right amount of words to tell the story. “Orders To Kill” is another excellent instalment in the Home Front Detective series and I look forward to the next one.