D is for Death

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 D is for Death, by Harriet F. Townson

I heard an interview with this author and her new novel sounded like something I would enjoy.  A murder mystery set in the London Library?  In the 1930s?  Yes please!  I got it on Kindle.

Dora is leaving home for London in hopes of escaping an impending marriage to a man she dislikes -- she plans to stay with her godmother, find a job, and build a life for herself.  But her fiance, Charles, gives chase and Dora finds refuge in the London Library, only to discover a dead body in the stacks.  It's the bad-tempered and shouty head of the Library, although how he got the post is a mystery since he knows nothing of books.  Also involved: Dora's favorite mystery writer, her catty former assistant, half the staff of the library, Charles the ex-fiance, Dora's best friend from school (in serious trouble), class-conscious Detective Inspector Fox and his sister....so many people!  And what Dora really wants is to figure out how her mother died four years ago.

Dora is an interesting person and while the cast of thousands is also interesting, they're often pretty over the top.  As are the clothes.  It's a fun read, but it's also a bit of a circus.  I was initially attracted to this story because the author said she did a lot of work to make it authentic to the time period, and that probably made me a little sensitive to the things that weren't.  They weren't terrible; I just noticed them.  But I also had fun reading about spots I just visited in London!

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