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A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia (A Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventure) Paperback – September 14, 2019

by Clara Benson (Author)
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 4,153 ratings
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It's 1929, and Ticky Maltravers is the toast of London high society, adored by everyone—or so it seems, until somebody poisons him over dinner. Now it turns out that numerous people with secrets to hide had every reason to wish him dead. But which of them murdered him? For Freddy Pilkington-Soames, newspaper reporter and man-about-town, the question hits a little too close to home, thanks to an unfortunate drunken encounter with Ticky's corpse which he'd much rather the police didn't find out about—and thanks also to his exasperating mother Cynthia's seeming determination to get herself arrested by tampering with the evidence. But a pretty girl with big blue eyes is demanding his help in solving the mystery, so what can he do but agree? Now all he has to do is hide the wrong clues, find the right ones, and unmask the murderer before the police discover what's really been going on. That ought to be easy enough. If only people didn't keep getting killed...
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Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 7
    A Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventure
  2. Print length
    262 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    September 14, 2019
  5. Dimensions
    5.5 x 0.66 x 8.5 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1913355101
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1913355104
  8. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mount Street Press (September 14, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 262 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1913355101
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1913355104
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.66 x 8.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 4,153 ratings

About the author

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Clara Benson

Clara Benson

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Clara Benson is the author of the Angela Marchmont Mysteries and Freddy Pilkington-Soames Adventures - traditional English whodunits in authentic style set in the 1920s and 30s. One day she would like to drink cocktails and solve mysteries in a sequinned dress and evening gloves. In the meantime she lives in the north of England with her family and doesn't do any of those things.

To find out about new releases and receive a FREE, exclusive Angela Marchmont short story, sign up to her newsletter at clarabenson.com/newsletter.

BOOKS BY CLARA BENSON

ANGELA MARCHMONT MYSTERIES

1. The Murder at Sissingham Hall

2. The Mystery at Underwood House

3. The Treasure at Poldarrow Point

4. The Riddle at Gipsy's Mile

5. The Incident at Fives Castle

6. The Imbroglio at the Villa Pozzi

7. The Problem at Two Tithes

8. The Trouble at Wakeley Court

9. The Scandal at 23 Mount Street

10. The Shadow at Greystone Chase

ANGELA MARCHMONT SHORT STORIES

- The Man on the Train

- A Question of Hats

FREDDY PILKINGTON-SOAMES ADVENTURES

1. A Case of Blackmail in Belgravia

2. A Case of Murder in Mayfair

3. A Case of Conspiracy in Clerkenwell

4. A Case of Duplicity in Dorset

5. A Case of Suicide in St. James's

6. A Case of Robbery on the Riviera

7. A Case of Perplexity in Piccadilly

HISTORICAL FICTION

- In Darkness, Look For Stars

- The Stolen Letter

OTHER

- The Lucases of Lucas Lodge

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
4,153 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Beckett Shiona
5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Delightful!
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2018
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Finally--after months of lukewarm, poorly-written or terribly-edited light mystery novels, I returned to read a book by a novelist who passes the test of time: Clara Benson. This is a delightful book: humorous, beautifully written and perfectly edited, full of enjoyable characters who are characters, indeed--all of them a bit quirky. The settings are well-described, the story moves at the perfect pace, neither too slow nor too fast, and enough red herrings are thrown in to make solving the mystery a challenge and a joy. As a genuinely light mystery, there is very little blood or gore, and the only people dying are those the reader doesn't like very much, anyway. What a pleasure to read a genuinely GOOD book for a change! I found only one teeny-tiny error to quibble with: One 1930s British character asks if she should "call" the police. Oh, my! Ring, phone, summon, telephone, but never "call" the police, not in Britain of that era. Sorry--just had to say it! Fantastic book.
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G.L.E.
4.0 out of 5 stars Witty and Truly Delightful... Hope the Next Is More of a Challenge
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2017
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This is the first I've read by this author. She has a fun style (that often had me chuckling a bit), and she paints the era and atmosphere very nicely. It feels like a good, old-fashioned mystery with quirky characters, witty dialogue, and a storyline that never drags or is tedious. It's hard to say why without giving it away (and I don't like spoilers), but the culprit was obvious to me early on (not because I'm particularly bright but for a reason that I've sometimes encountered in other books that makes it too obvious). I kept hoping it wasn't as clear as it seemed then found that it was. I don't expect to always be completely stumped, but do like a sufficiently sophisticated presentation that it's at least a challenge (not to say that the author lacks any sophistication of style). Still, the read was fun, and there were a few unexpected surprises in addition to the murders that made it more interesting. The style is so delightful, I'm going to give the next in the series a try. It's stormy out and feels like just the sort of day to curl up with hot cocoa and a murder mystery like this. I hope to give the next 5 stars!
22 people found this helpful
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CubanCachita
3.0 out of 5 stars Just ok
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2018
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This book was ok but no one of the best mystery reads. I was annoyed with Cynthia to no end. Almost wished she'd been the one just to have her snap out of her attitude and vagueness.
Freddy never gr8 me cheering for him and it took forever before he got serious about investigating. Once that happened, the book became fun to read.
It's a good plane read or a beach read. I'm not sure I will continue with the series. Really did not care about the entire group of "friends" .
3 people found this helpful
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Abbigail Holmes
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Atmosphere & Fabulous Characters
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2020
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The reason why I like historical mystery novels is that somehow they have some special atmosphere which make me feel good. I guess part of that I can thank my childhood which I spent reading Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes but whatever the reason is, the fact still remains: give a good historical mystery novel and I'm gone for the rest of the day (or night).
This book is one of those books: it has plenty of that "I can live in that moment" atmosphere and the characters are so vividly created that I can almost talk to them (in fact, I did, because of some of them very so stupid and yet so cute). The plot is traditional, poisoning during the birthday party, but plot-twists are nicely done and really made my night (yes, I read it in one breath).
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A. Mayten
4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, very light and somewhat annoying
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2019
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The first in the Freddy Pilkington-Soames mysteries is a somewhat enjoyable, very-very light read. It has a bunch of suspects with plausible motive, and a satisfying, albeit predictable, solution. (Predictable because the murderer is the only character with the intelligence to do it — or, actually, to do anything let alone a murder.) Freddy’s comic machinations are, of course, implausible, but then that’s what makes them funny. However, it is a less than satisfying satire of nineteen-twenty’s British aristocracy. Most of the characters are so feckless they are ultimately uninteresting. And Freddy prates on and on and on — to the point where you wish he’d just shut up. (I enjoyed him better as a much less heard co-star in the Angela Marchmont series.) He might be a good companion when you’re sick in bed or on a long flight with a small child kicking the back of your seat. Unless I find myself in one of those situations, however, I doubt I’ll venture further into the series.
2 people found this helpful
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nan418mbc
5.0 out of 5 stars Delightful read
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2019
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Wonderful writing with a sense of humor and a very interesting set of characters. She draws the characters extremely well, and there is enough suspense to keep you turning the pages. Not a heavy book one needs to plow through, but well worth the time to sit back and enjoy it
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Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Slow to start but worth the effort
Reviewed in the United States on January 1, 2019
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I am discovering that I do enjoy Clara Benson's books. They are very entertaining. This one started out rather silly and I wasn't sure I wanted to continue with it. But I kept with it and I am glad I did. Clara Benson's books are very clever and they do contain a mystery to be solved. I found that I can sometimes determine who the guilty party is early on but the book is still good enough that I want to finish it up to get every little detail. I also enjoy the characters and I want to see how things go for them.
One person found this helpful
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Crime and Mystery Lover
3.0 out of 5 stars Leave us laughing
Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2019
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This is a whodunit among a select group of London's elite. It is a fast read with a relatively simple plot, some zany characters that are fun, and a fairly predictable solution. However, I found the ending to be too serious and philosophical, out of harmony with the book's overall humor and wit. The author should capitalize on her sense of humor
and leave us laughing!
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Top reviews from other countries

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jasmine
4.0 out of 5 stars Light read
Reviewed in Canada on July 17, 2021
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This is a very light-hearted read--good for the beach.
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Indrani Bhaduri
5.0 out of 5 stars An enjoyable mystery
Reviewed in India on October 22, 2021
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Written in an upbeat and homely style. Something one can relate to. A perfectly enjoyable read, the characters of this novel are well etched.
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Otto
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein schöner Krimi aus dem alten England
Reviewed in Germany on December 1, 2020
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Eine Detektivgeschichte.
Zugegebenermaßen habe ich das Buch "gekauft", weil es kostenlos war. Eine legitime Weise neue Leser zu gewinnen ist es ihn mit einem kostenlosen Buch anzufüttern. Tatsächlich ist es nicht ausgeschlossen, dass ich mir ein weiteres Werk der Autorin zulege.
Besonders gut hat mir gefallen, dass ich "den Fall" selbst lösen konnte und in der Lage war, den Täter zu überführen. Das schmeichelt natürlich dem Ego. Alles in Allem: Netter Zeitvertreib, überzeugende Charaktere, Setting stimmig. Angesiedelt im viktorianischen England. Frauen fallen in Ohnmacht, die Oberschicht ist die Oberschicht und Männer erleben noch echte Abenteuer.
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Dorset Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 25, 2019
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I'm a big fan of detective stories set in this period and this is one of the best. It romps along with a cast of delightful - and occasionally infuriating - characters. Lots of suspects with motive and opportunity. Great fun.
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Client d'Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars RAS
Reviewed in France on September 8, 2019
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