This is a lovely cosy crime novel with fun tie-ins to Mrs Beeton’s book of Household Management. Who doesn’t love a mystery and recipe combo?

Alice Beeton runs a successful, high-end staffing agency for the super rich. She is terribly British, unlike most of her clientele. Together with a cast of friends and her canine companion, Agatha, Alice’s life is going well… well apart from having a loan coming due, a flaky brother, a dodgy flat and no ‘special someone’ in her life.

When a disgruntled client calls with an urgent staffing problem just before Xmas, Alice’s life takes a sharp and unexpected turn.

This was perfect for the long, cold, dark evenings. Fun and extremely entertaining.

Alice Beeton, a distant relative of the famous Mrs Beeton, finds herself at over fifty living a single life but surrounded by loyal friends and colleagues and of course her intelligent dog Agatha. Alice has a thriving business, the Good Household Management Agency, providing discreet domestic staff to wealthy clients. This modern day take on ‘below’ and ‘above’ stairs provides a great setting for an intriguing and engaging murder mystery. Clearly a well researched story with lots of detail about different social settings. The core characters are nicely developed and the dialogue is quick paced with a nice balance of humour. The hint of potential romance with Detective Rigby is a nice touch. I’m really hoping that there will be further mysteries for Alice and friends to solve. Highly recommended.

When Alice finds a housekeeper a job just before Christmas, she had no idea that by New Year she would be investigating her murder.
Throw into the mix a dog, a missing painting and a country house to make a good story.
A little bit Christmassy but not over the top.
Good book

This book was exactly what I expected, a cosy crime book echoing those books that have gone before, but with a new, more modern tale.

I loved that the recipes are included (however really disappointed that they were broken up in the eARC as I love reading recipes) to tie in with what Alice is making or eating.

My main problem was it felt like it was written in the 50s, the atmosphere felt period, Alice felt from that period, yet it was a completely contemporary book, set now, post-covid and the queen has died. But there was a disconnect.

Yet I really did enjoy it and was definitely on the edge of my seat a few times throughout the book. Plus a dog called Agatha, lovely!!

I loved this book so much I simply HAD to buy a physical copy of it too!. I have been recommending this one to anyone and everyone who will listen, and will be eagerly awaiting future releases by Josie Lloyd!

4.25/5 stars

When I began this book, I had not done any research on it and did not know that it was a "cozy". I'm glad that I did not as that might have put me off reading it (I'm not a big cozy fan).

Alice Beeton (50+), as the owner of the Good Household Management Agency and descendant of the famous authoress Mrs. Beeton (The Book of Household Management) discreetly meets the needs for top household staff for the rich and influential. She is normally very scrupulous in her background research on the staff she employs, however when she is caught in an emergency situation for her client Camille Messent, she sends out the mysterious but seemingly qualified Enya to serve as a housekeeper for the wealthy couple. As Enya is inexplicably murdered shortly after she begins her job, Alice and her office friends and community acquaintances jump in to aid the police in their investigation.

This was so much fun. Funny and smart, Alice and her friends are a joy, and I must admit that this is one cozy that pulled me in and kept me there.

Well done.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and HQ for providing the free early arc of Miss Beeton's Murder Agency for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

A departure from Josie Lloyd style of writing but a great one and I’m hoping we will be seeing more of Miss Beeton.. Alice Beeton runs a household management agency supplying the wealthy with staff but when something goes wrong at one of her placements Alice is determined to find out what happened. With her trusty dog Agatha and her friend Jinx and their list of contacts they set out to uncover the truth. A clever and very enjoyable read

Nice gentle easy read, perfect for cold winter nights. There's the added bonus of recipes ...which I haven't tried yet!
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

I thought this was a very good cosy crime mystery, perfect for the winter months. I thought the characters were very likeable and engaging, my particular favourite was Alice's dog Agatha but I do have a soft spot for animals.

The storyline was exactly what you would expect with a cosy crime, it was fun, engaging and easy to follow with a few red herrings dropped in. There was also the added bonus of some recipes included in the book which I thought was a superb extra touch.

The end left me hoping this was going to be the start of a new series, if so I shall definitely be looking out for more.

Alice Beeton runs the Good Household Management Agency which provides domestic staff to those in society with both the cash and extravagant houses .
Alice is a distant relative of “the” Mrs Beeton and she is just as efficient as her namesake.
However she’s single and shares her life with her trusty sidekick Agatha the corgi cross .
Alice finds her self in the middle of a murder investigation after one of her housekeepers is found dead .
The characters are likeable and seem like a decent team , the writing is easy to read and the recipes make a great addition to the text .
A great cosy mystery and a must read for all lovers of the genre .
I’m hoping this is the start of great things for Miss Beeton.
Thanks to NetGalley and HQ.

The Good Household Management Agency (run by Alice Beeton, a distant relative of *the* Mrs Beeton) provides domestic staff to the rich.

Alice is in the middle of interviewing a new recruit to her books when a client rings, urgently needing a housekeeper. The new recruit is perfect and has wonderful references - but then she's murdered. Alice, feeling guilty, investigates what happened, and discovers more than she bargained for.

A large cast of characters (some eccentric - I particularly liked Jinx, her best friend, and Agatha the dog rather steals the show) and some very enticing recipes add to the drama. Enjoyable and gently paced.

This is a cosy crime novel which although set in today’s society has a touch of the old-fashioned about it. The main character, Alice is not your usual detective but she manages to solve a very involved crime. There were some parts of the book that I liked very much and these included the addition of many Mrs Beeton recipes and also Agatha the dog. Other parts were rather far-fetched and you need to suspend your disbelief.
Altogether an enjoyable and entertaining read and something a little bit out of the ordinary.
Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

This was a crazy romp throughout the whole book with wacky, but oh so likeable, characters. It was a true mystery caper being led by a dithering old lady who certainly had her brains still with her. Alice had a superb back up of reliable friends who assisted her all the way despite at times thinking that she was not doing the right things. It does have what appears to be a slow start but this really sets the scenes and the characters perfectly and so it forms a sound basis of understanding the rest of the book.
This book covers, comedy, capers galore, adventure, crime and I can relate it to a girls own story for adults. As an additional boost there are recipes from Mrs Beetons book and information about her as a person. A special award needs to go to Agatha who was so adept at leading Alice to the right places.

Alice Beeton is very careful to vet the employees that she hires for her agency, providing domestic help for the wealthy. When Camille Messent, a client, calls demanding she immediately find a new housekeeper for her it just so happens that she has an excellent candidate for the job. Enya had just arrived for an interview and seemed to fit all of Camille’s requirements. Under pressure to satisfy her client, she hires Enya after just a cursory check of her references. On the evening of a gala at the Messent’s home Enya is found murdered in Alex Messent’s study. Warned by Detective Rigby to leave the case to the police, Alice is asked by Enya’s friend Gerda to help find the killer. A burst water pipe that destroys her home provides the perfect opportunity for Alice to present herself as Camille’s replacement housekeeper. They had never met in person so she introduces herself as Christine and moves into the housekeeper’s quarters, determined to learn what happened to Enya.

If you were a fan of M. C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin then you will love Alice Beeton. She loves mystery stories and has a dog named Agatha, after Agatha Christie, who follows her everywhere. She also loves to cook and Josie Lloyd fills her story with Alice’s recipes. At her agency she works with Jinx, who has been her friend since their school years, getting into trouble together. She is also supported by a group of quirky friends, including a retired intelligence agent. After Enya’s death she discovers that Enya’s excellent references were all faked and she and Gerta had their own reasons to look into the Messent family. I am hoping that this is the first in what will be a series. The ending of this cozy mystery leaves a hint that there is more to come and I look forward to seeing Alice, Agatha and their crew again. I would like to thank NetGalley and HQ for providing this book.

Cosy crime isn't my go-to genre - I usually prefer something a bit darker - but I couldn't resist this book! A fab and festive cover, a female lead character descended from famous Victorian food writer Mrs Beeton and the promise of a twisty mystery - count me in!

Thank you to Rachel Quin and HQ for my copy of the novel for review. It's published in hardback on 24th October and would make a great Christmas present for the crime fan in your life.

The story centres on Alice Beeton, an older woman running the Good Household Management Agency - if your most famous relative is famous for the Victorian classic 'Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management' then why not capitalise on the connection?! Alice provides the best domestic staff to the poshest families in the UK and is known for her discretion and calm competence. Along with her dog, Agatha (named after the best crime novelist, of course), she lives in a basement flat in Kensington and focuses her efforts on her business.

When a well-to-do family need a housekeeper, Alice sends new hire Enya - a woman with perfect references and fluent French who seems ideal. However, a matter of days later, on New Year's Day, Enya is found dead at the family home. Feeling responsible for Enya's death, Alice gets herself involved in the police investigation led by the scruffy but slightly clueless Detective Rigby. Can she uncover the killer stalking through high society?

I absolutely loved Alice Beeton and need to read more about her! Initially, she comes across as someone whose life is very ordered and regulated - she has her dog, her flat and her business and that's the extent of her world. However, being thrown into a murder investigation forces her to broaden her horizons and take risks - from going undercover to dealing with Detective Rigby and his charms. It's lovely that Alice is an older woman - 'the wrong side of fifty' - as it's rare to read about protagonists of this age and gender (even though women and older people make up a huge proportion of the book-buying public).

Alice's connections with her famous ancestor are also used well within the novel - as well as the business name, there are Mrs Beeton recipes at relevant points throughout the book. These are (I think) taken from Mrs Beeton's famous cookery book and are sometimes tempting, sometimes weirdly archaic, but always interesting.

The plotting of the mystery is well done and kept me guessing for quite a while. I did solve the mystery just ahead of Alice, but more through luck than judgement. There were plenty of surprises along the way, as well as a host of engaging characters (Alice's co-workers are pretty great) and some luxury settings.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first (but hopefully not last) insight into Alice's world; it's cosy and festive, but also immersive and engaging. I really hope Book 2 is on the way...

A cozy mystery in the vein of Ms Marple. Miss Beeton runs an agency supplying household help to the upper crust. When one of her placements is murdered, Miss Beeton will meddle.....er....involve herself in the investigation, bringing every thing to a satisfactory ending. The book is a perfect cozy that includes recipes for those who need a snack while reading.

Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd is a brand new cosy crime series. Miss Beeton is a very distant relative of the other more famous Miss Beeton. She has never married and runs a Good Household Management Agency in Kensington. She provides discreet domestic staff to extravagant townhouses and sprawling country piles.
So when Camille Messant calls requesting her urgent need for a housekeeper, Miss Beeton sends out her new hire, Enya. However, Miss Beeton is woken up in the early hours of New Years Day with the news that Enya has been killed.
Miss Beeton decides that she will solve the mystery herself, as the police aren’t really getting anywhere.
An entertaining murder mystery solved by an unexpectedly main character.
Recommended

Wonderful cosy crime with likeable but imperfect characters. This book is an ideal read for anyone who likes an old fashioned mystery (with modern attitudes). The cosy recipes were like little treats adding to the atmosphere. Fingers crossed to hear more from Miss Beaton

Things that irritated me about Miss Beeton's Murder agency: Alice, the eponymous main character, thinking that she has to bankrupt herself/put her wellbeing in danger to demonstrate her love for her younger brother; Detective Rigby not having a rank. Surely he should be Detective Sergeant or Detective Inspector.

Things I didn't mind about Josie Lloyd's book: Agatha the dog. (This is unusual for me; I find fictional dogs annoying usually.)

Things I loved about Miss Beeton's Murder Agency by Josie Lloyd; everything else! The characters were realistic and diverse. They interacted well with one another. The plot was complicated but not so much that it bewildered me, and the ending was strong and believable. I also liked reading about a lead character in her fifties who was neither eccentric, old before her time or weighed down with family responsibilities.

More please!

Sometimes you just need a cosy read and this worked well and ticked the boxes, sometimes a bit wordy but good way to just get completely distracted from every day life.