Murder on the Golden Arrow: A 1920s Historical Mystery with a Cozy Twist

Kindle Customer: Kitty Worthington runs rampant in high society London. Its quite well written and kept my Interest through most of it.

United States on Dec 08, 2023

Rhonda Jones: I loved the main character, Kitty. She just completed a finishing school in Switzerland and her brother is picking her up to bring her home. She is about to turn 21 and start her debutante year. But, a woman on their train is murdered. Kitty starts looking into it because her brother new the woman. Also, several other passengers on the train new the woman. This was a fascinating murder mystery to unravel. A lot of people wanted the victim dead. I loved Kitty because even though she is only 20, she acts mature and is very considerate of her family's feelings.

United States on Nov 15, 2023

Amazon Customer: I really liked this book. I love the time period, it’s settings and its characters. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

United States on Nov 13, 2023

Amazon Customer: Suh a clever story and had no problem remembering who everybody was. Kept us guessing until the end. The only thing which niggled me was the American terms but, as the story was so good, it was only a niggle and didn't spoil my enjoyment. If the author was American the terms would have been expected. I was amused when the Inspector turned up in 'a white vest and striped pants' making it sound as though he had come to a function in his underwear!! I have now bought more books in the series and can't wait to read them.

United Kingdom on Oct 26, 2023

Carol: Will definitely read more in this series. This is my favorite historical period. Love the description of high society life.

United States on Oct 18, 2023

Christoph: It's 1923 England, and Kitty Worthington and her brother Ned board the Golden Arrow home after a brief stop in Paris. While en route, one of the passengers in their car, an obnoxious gold digger with connections to pretty much everyone else is poisoned. Having been a prior amour of Ned, he falls under suspicion and Kitty is determined to clear him, even if it means riling up the handsome Scotland Yard detective in charge.

Take equal parts Agatha Christie and cozy mystery, throw in some comedy, and a dash a possible romance, and you have Madga Alexander's marvelous first novel in the Kitty Worthington series. Kitty is a fun and appealing protagonist, and the book develops her family and staff with precision. I enjoyed Kitty's guts and gusto while pursuing suspects and clues - as well as her repartee with the detective.

While I picked out the murderer fairly soon, it is no blemish on the storytelling, as there are clues and twists galore. Much of the fun stems from watching Kitty piece it all together. I also quite liked that Kitty's mother is neither the pushover or the clueless woman that everyone feels they need to protect from scandal.

There are a decent...

United States on Aug 23, 2023

MrsW: Interesting plot but the ending was a bit rushed.

United Kingdom on May 08, 2023

Amazon Customer: A who dunnit in the traditional style. Twists and turns on every page. Great Sunday read. Highly recommended for all Agatha Christie fans

United Kingdom on Mar 15, 2023

Mr. I. Saxton: I’ve read all three books that are available at the time of writing and preordered the next two. I mention this because I wouldn’t want my criticisms to put people off a good old-fashioned whodunnit that provides some nice escapism.
In terms of historical accuracy though……

The Flèche d,Or and the Golden Arrow (it’s British equivalent) started service in 1926 and 1929 respectively, yet these books are set in 1923. There are other gaffes like that too. The Inspector couldn’t have been wearing a Rolex Oyster watch in 1923. They were first sold in 1926. The language is a mix of Americanisms and modern parlance and a few phrases that aren’t used today, let alone in 1923. It’s a shame errors like this weren’t picked up in editing. However, I guess many readers won’t know or care about them, so maybe it’s just me. As you can see, I’ve still given the books 4 stars because the characters are enjoyable and the plots are clever.

United Kingdom on Oct 09, 2022

M Mercer: Overall, I enjoyed this story. It had the usual fun ingredients: feisty female amateur sleuth; handsome Scotland Yard detective; rich aristos trundling around in Rolls Royces; cute dog; high society 20s London.

But... at times, I wondered if I were reading a book set in the Regency. The author used some odd turns of phrase and some anachronistic language.

20s Brits didn't say "no worries" nor did they say "one and twenty" for someone's age or "10 o the clock" for 10 o'clock. It came across as a touch Dick van Dyke - the way Americans imagine Brits must talk. The author should research 1920s Brit slang/speech - or watch a few seasons of Downton Abbey. And perhaps read Lee Strauss's Ginger Gold books.

And barely any reference to WW1 - which had a massive impact on the British psyche in the 1920s. Our heroine's brothers and most of her surviving male acquaintances would have fought in the war. Yet she mentioned Spanish Flu.

However, I enjoyed the wit and romantic elements so will probably read Book 2, hoping these niggles are ironed out.

United Kingdom on Dec 12, 2021