A Front-Page Murder by Fiona Veitch Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
**3.5-stars**
I really enjoyed A Front-Page Murder, which is the first installment of the Poppy Denby Investigates series.
I felt like in comparison to other Cozy Mysteries I’ve read lately, it’s quite simplistic, but there’s nothing wrong with keeping it simple and I mean that.
I had mistakenly believed this was the start to a new series, but it’s actually an older series being rereleased. Luckily, since it takes place in a historical time period, it didn’t feel dated, as it may have with a more modern backdrop.
This is set in 1920s-London and follows an aspiring female reporter, Poppy Denby. At the start, Poppy is moving to London from her quiet Northern town to live with her Aunt Dot, a once successful former stage actress.
At 22-years old, this is the first time Poppy has forged out on her own, away from her parents. She’s excited, but also a little nervous about starting her new life.
Poppy isn’t afraid to go after what she wants though, and the ambitious young woman quickly lands a job with the Daily Globe as an Editorial Assistant.
On her first day, one of the Globe’s veteran reporter, Bert Isaacs, falls from a balcony within their office building, plunging to his death. This occurs moments after he’s received a mysterious note related to his current project.
Isaacs was looking into the death of a local suffragette some 7-years earlier. Due to her Aunt’s ties to that movement, Poppy is assigned to help complete the article.
As Poppy begins to investigate, she is thrust headfirst into a dangerous world she never expected to end up in. The more she learns, the deeper she wants to dig. There’s a lot to uncover, involving a lot of powerful people, who grow wise quickly to Poppy’s lurking about.
The public, and the innocent people involved, have the right to know the truth, and Poppy is determined to get to the bottom of it; to expose the bad actors involved. Justice has just gained a new ally.
As mentioned above, I did enjoy this one quite a bit. Though simple, I did find it compelling enough and I really enjoyed Poppy as a main character.
I liked that this was her first time out on her own. She had a lot to learn, but grew so much more over the course of the story. Though she started out a bit unsure and self-conscious, by the conclusion she’s a confident young lady with the world as her oyster.
I would be interested in continuing on with this series. I feel like this has the potential to make me quite attached to these characters. Poppy does have a love interest and I would like to see how that turns out as well.
Thank you to the publisher, Embla Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I hope the rest of the series is rereleased with this style of cover. It’s perfectly-fitting for this story and I can’t wait to pick the rest up!