This is a very well constructed novel. More than anything else, you had well defined, believable characters and a terrific sense of place. You could almost taste and feel the seediness of The White Pearl Club.
A decent spot thriller with light and shade along with a satisfactory ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and Allison And Busby for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

If you are looking for a post world war two novel then this is the one for you. Another thing readers will appreciate about this novel is that it has a strong female character who worked as a spy so if you are someone who is looking for a female empowerment story then this is the book for you. I for one was hooked the moment I started reading this book and was glad that I took the opportunity to read it.
Our main focus on the novel is Beattie Cavendish who worked undercover for the government in France during the war. She us having trouble adjusting to being a regular civilian again after being undercover in the war for so long. When offered the chance to work a new position at an intelligence agency she jumps at the chance believing that things are finally looking up for her.
However after shortly starting a murder takes place. Instead of running away she teams up Patrick Corrigan to get to the bottom of things. From there they will investigate the clues that lead to the murder in the first place.
I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own.

I really enjoyed this historical spy thriller from new-to-me author Mary-Jane Riley. I loved the setting of postwar London, full of smog, rationing and definite class divisions. I really felt like I’d been transported back to 1948.
Beattie was an interesting character, a bit of a chameleon. Someone who had to be constantly aware of her surroundings, and who she was supposed to be in different situations. She did it very well though, which must be a hard thing to keep doing if you’re involved in espionage. There were a few suspicious people she had to deal with, knowing who to trust and who to definitely stay away from.
I enjoyed following Beattie and Patrick as the worked together to bring about justice for Sofia, the murdered housekeeper, and mystery of who had committed the crime. I worked it out just as the big reveal came!
I really hope this in the first in a new series, as I’d love to get to know them better, and see them they get involved in more dangerous situations.
Highly recommended if you enjoy spy thrillers set in post war Britain.

Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club Is a rip roaring postwar spy thriller murder mystery with a heart.

Beattie, a former SOE operative, is living in London working for a branch of the secret service while telling her mother she teaches typing in the Civil Service. She is investigating a politician and his family when their housekeeper is murdered. Beattie disturbs the escaping murderer but fights off his attack with the aid of an Irish private detective who is also employed to watch the family. The race is on for both of them to discover the secret of the housekeeper’s killer and maybe more.

The characters are well drawn, the plot is exciting and the scene is well set for a series of adventures. I will definitely watch out for book 2. I recommend that you give this one a try if you’re a lover of historical spy thrillers and/or murder mysteries.

I absolutely loved this book, great characters, story that moved at a perfect pace, and had the right amount of action, angst and everything else you could hope for!

it's 1948 and Beattie Cavendish has an important job teaching girls how to type to set them up with a career in the civil service, but is all that it seems......

Beattie is very much a girl of the times, recovering from the effects of the war, she throws herself into a busy social life, currently being squired by a Conservative MP's son, where she meets his family and someone who seems to be a hanger on.

One evening whilst having drinks with the family at their home, she stumbles upon the body of their housekeeper and is attacked, luckily a passerby comes to her aid but then disappears immediately after.

Looking forward to the next one.

Set in 1948 against the smoky backdrop of post-war Britain, Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club is a gripping historical spy mystery with bite. Mary-Jane Riley introduces us to Beattie, a tough, sharp-witted former SOE agent who simply cannot bear the idea of civilian life. Her restlessness finds a home when she’s recruited into the newly established GCHQ and sent undercover into the gilded world of the Bowen family.

What begins as a quiet investigation into a suspected communist politician quickly escalates into something far more dangerous. When the Bowens' housekeeper is found with her throat slit, Beattie is thrust into a web of espionage, murder and dark secrets that lead all the way to the shadowy White Pearl Club—a Soho venue catering to some of the most powerful and depraved men in London.

Riley excels at atmosphere. The lingering austerity of post-war Britain, combined with the seedy glamour of late 1940s Soho, creates the perfect setting for a tale full of intrigue and tension. Beattie is a standout character: clever, courageous, and refreshingly self-assured. Her partnership with the worn-down yet principled detective Patrick Corrigan adds depth and a flicker of tenderness to the narrative.

This book captures the uneasy shift from wartime heroics to Cold War suspicion with skill and style. The themes of female agency, the price of secrecy and the abuse of power are woven through the plot without ever slowing the pace. Each twist is satisfying, and Riley resists tying things up too neatly, lending realism to her richly plotted story.

For readers who love historical thrillers, strong female leads and a touch of noir grit, Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club delivers in spades. An atmospheric and thoroughly enjoyable read.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

This is good!!! Rather original as regards the setting of an investigation (a private detective and a spy), which works very well. I really enjoyed the main characters and the mysteries surrounding their pasts... I found it interesting to read about the social situation in London in 1948 . A good plot letting the reader wondering.... Very pleasant to read ! However, the repetitive "maman" was rather irritating (even though I am French!). I just felt it was too much and made the narrative not so fluid. Luckily this happened only at the beginning of the novel. I intend to read the next book of the series which I hope will be published soon! A great read!
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this ebook.
From the outset I knew that this book was right up my street, strong female protagonist, post WW2 era, spies and a PI who is a charismatic Irish man. It’s a very well written story, lots of character nuance, and references to racial and sexual intolerance. I enjoyed this book enormously. I hope that there will be many others in a series based on these unusual and credible characters.
A very strong 4/5 stars from me.

Review: Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Allison & Busby and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this delightful mystery!

From the very first page, I felt an instant connection to Beattie Cavendish. She’s a compelling and likeable lead—sharp, witty, and just very human. The storyline moved at a decent pace, with just the right balance of intrigue and charm to keep me hooked throughout.

The cast of characters were equally engaging, and the mystery kept me guessing right up until the final reveal. It’s rare to find a cosy crime that strikes such a perfect tone between suspense and warmth, but this one delivers beautifully.

I’m already looking forward to what comes next—this feels like the beginning of a very promising series. Highly recommended for fans of cosy crime with smart plotting and a strong central character.

I read this ARC in exchange for an honest review
All thoughts and opinions are mine

This is a new author to me and the book title read sold it to me
I thoroughly enjoyed this read

Highly recommend

I really wanted to like this more than I did. It has all the promises of a good series starter...strong heroine, spy thrills, a hint of romance, a favorite location setting of mine (London), but I just didn't connect with it as I wanted to.

To be honest, the only thing that I really enjoyed here was the heroine, Beattie Cavendish. She's a feisty, intelligent and strong heroine (a member of a covert post-war intelligence organization). I'd like to know more about her background in the war and her family issues, and I assume that the reader will learn more as the series goes along. She's a fascinating combination of bravery (in her job) and vulnerability in her dealings with her parents.

I felt the storyline was not as engaging as it could have been and also found it rather slow in places. As for the other characters, they felt one-dimensional and unfortunately not as well-developed as they could have been.

I'm willing to read the next in series in the hope that I will find myself more involved and invested.

My thanks to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for providing the early ARC of Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

This is a gripping and compelling spy novel set in London just after the end of WW2, just as the Cold War was hotting up and bringing new levels of fear to governments across the globe.
The writing is stylish and sophisticated, evoking the era of thick London smogs, men smartly dressed in suit, hat and coat, and women once again having to fight for places of work after the men who survived the war returned to their old jobs.
I loved the characterisation, particularly Beattie herself, living a double life, and the Irish private detective, Patrick Corrigan, scarred for life in the war and now well and truly down on his luck. I do hope these characters will return in future novels. I really want to know what happened next. Always the sign of a particularly good novel.
The prejudices of the era - 'No Blacks, No Irish' in the boarding house windows - and a sleazy Soho night club, regularly raided by the police - helped colour a fascinating backdrop to a superb plot.

Beattie Cavendish on her return from France in WW2 is working for a secret government department and is asked to make contact with Ashley Bowen (son of Ralph Bowen set to become the next Foreign Secretary). It is at this point she meets Patrick Corrigan, a private detective and they join forces to solve a murder. I thorough enjoyed this book it has many twists in the plot and the characters are well written. My thanks go to #netgalley, the publishers and the author for sending me the advanced reader copy in return for an open and honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, great scene setting and descriptions overall in the story which is set after the Second World War.

I loved the main character Beattie, she had an excellent backstory, was well fleshed out and I really enjoyed her inner monologue - she was plucky and tenacious.

I also had a soft spot for her unexpected partner in crime, Corrigan. He too, had a well established backstory and provided some laughs throughout.

It’s a brilliant story about spies at the dawn of the cold War and I thought it was a great read - and I’m hoping it’s actually the start of a series

Beattie Cavendish is an independantly minded women, working for a government department after war service in France during WW2. She meets Patrick T Corrigan in an unusual way and they start working together to find the murderer in a case that has been hushed-up, supposedly for political reasons. They make a good team. It's a good plot with some interesting characters. I enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing how the series progresses. With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-ARC for an early read and review.

Set in 1948 this book is very much a spy thriller. The story’s heroine is Beattie Cavendish who was a Secret Operations Executive agent during World War Two and who is finding being a civilian again after her war exploits very hard to deal with. She jumps at the chance to work for the new intelligence agency and is soon infiltrating the household of Ralph Bowen, politician and possible member of the communist party. Murder soon follows and Beattie and her detective friend set out to solve the mystery which leads them to The White Pearl Club.
This book is fast paced and certainly a page turner. I loved the author’s characterization and the sense of urgency that she brought to the story. This is a favourite era of mine, end of WW2 and the beginnings of the Cold War and this story definitely did not disappoint. Highly recommended.

I always say that this really isn’t my genre, but I do seem to enjoy these books….

This one I have to say is possibly my favourite. It’s absolutely brilliant. I love Beattie and I was completely absorbed in the story. I honestly enjoyed every second.

It’s fast paced, exciting, and not romantic (thankfully!).

An absolute gem 💎 of a book!

My thanks to Netgalley and Allison & Busby for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.