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addy1991's review
3.0
2.75 stars
While I enjoy this series, this book took its sweet time getting to the point! Beth let personal irritations and other distractions get in the way of her doing the right thing sooner than she did. Her tendency to snoop is getting her into more trouble and this time, she needed to pay attention to the lesson. She's not going to since she thinks she has a right to being in the know. How does this make her any better than Belinda is what I'd like to know.
While I enjoy this series, this book took its sweet time getting to the point! Beth let personal irritations and other distractions get in the way of her doing the right thing sooner than she did. Her tendency to snoop is getting her into more trouble and this time, she needed to pay attention to the lesson. She's not going to since she thinks she has a right to being in the know. How does this make her any better than Belinda is what I'd like to know.
ljwrites85's review
4.0
(rounded up from 3.5)
We are back with Beth in the third instalment of London Murder Mystery series. I’m a huge fan of this series having read both Death in Dulwich and The Girl in the Gallery. I would recommend you read both or at least the previous book before you read Calamity in Camberwell because this does contain slight spoilers for The Girl in the Gallery.
After seeing her friend and fellow single mum Jen remarried after a particularly nasty divorce, Beth’s friends try to convince her to start dating again. But Beth is reluctant, as she feels something is off about Jen’s new marriage.
Her fears start to grow and Jen and her husband disappear. Unsure of what to do, she turns to DI York to help her.
Calamity In Camberwell has a different feel to it than the first two books, because it doesn’t involve Beth stumbling across a dead body or nearly dead body like in The Girl In The Gallery, instead it focuses a bit more on Beth, her life and her friendships.
Having read the previous novels, I feel like I know Beth so well now yet still I’m finding out new things about her, like more about her marriage to Ben’s dad (his name has escaped me as I’m writing this) who died eight years earlier.
The book is fast paced, well written and has a surprising twist at the end but I have to be honest I felt the mystery aspect of the book was overshadowed by Beth’s fears about her son’s new tutoring and Beth’s attempts at dating which was a shame.
I still massively enjoyed this book and I’m happy to see there will be at least two more in the pipeline, I can’t wait!
We are back with Beth in the third instalment of London Murder Mystery series. I’m a huge fan of this series having read both Death in Dulwich and The Girl in the Gallery. I would recommend you read both or at least the previous book before you read Calamity in Camberwell because this does contain slight spoilers for The Girl in the Gallery.
After seeing her friend and fellow single mum Jen remarried after a particularly nasty divorce, Beth’s friends try to convince her to start dating again. But Beth is reluctant, as she feels something is off about Jen’s new marriage.
Her fears start to grow and Jen and her husband disappear. Unsure of what to do, she turns to DI York to help her.
Calamity In Camberwell has a different feel to it than the first two books, because it doesn’t involve Beth stumbling across a dead body or nearly dead body like in The Girl In The Gallery, instead it focuses a bit more on Beth, her life and her friendships.
Having read the previous novels, I feel like I know Beth so well now yet still I’m finding out new things about her, like more about her marriage to Ben’s dad (his name has escaped me as I’m writing this) who died eight years earlier.
The book is fast paced, well written and has a surprising twist at the end but I have to be honest I felt the mystery aspect of the book was overshadowed by Beth’s fears about her son’s new tutoring and Beth’s attempts at dating which was a shame.
I still massively enjoyed this book and I’m happy to see there will be at least two more in the pipeline, I can’t wait!
jessbookishlife's review
4.0
Since this is the first book I'm reading of Alice Castle's series, I can't see the connections between this third book and the first two. Despite that fact, I found myself loving to discover about the characters and I'm curious to read the previous books so I can connect all the dots.
Nevertheless, I really liked this book, because of the plot and storyline. This book wasn't at all expected and didn't have the overused formula of a mystery. It had a lot of elements (characters, events, background stories,...) that turned this book into an unique experience.
Beth is a fantastic character, and the fact that she does attract a lot of problems just made me laugh. It was a cozy mystery that involved Jen, Beth's best friend, and seeing how Beth dealt with even though lots of things happened was great. Then there was Harry, and he was great too. Loved him! And I can't wait to read the books before so I can see when he appears, because I just know this is not his first appearance in the series.
Sometimes I didn't believe a particular scene was actually happening, mostly because it was surprising, unexpected or bought some new piece of information that would help with the mystery. But over all, it was an WOW moment.
Those were two reasons why I loved this book: the characters and the fun scenes. Both gave the book that cozy feel that balanced well with the mystery. And that's refreshing for me, after reading some more suspense and mysterious books.
Do I recommend this book? Of course! I always recommend mystery books, because I do believe people should enjoy a great book that make us think and ask questions.
[I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Alice Castle for the eCopy of the book and for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour and give my honest review.]
Nevertheless, I really liked this book, because of the plot and storyline. This book wasn't at all expected and didn't have the overused formula of a mystery. It had a lot of elements (characters, events, background stories,...) that turned this book into an unique experience.
Beth is a fantastic character, and the fact that she does attract a lot of problems just made me laugh. It was a cozy mystery that involved Jen, Beth's best friend, and seeing how Beth dealt with even though lots of things happened was great. Then there was Harry, and he was great too. Loved him! And I can't wait to read the books before so I can see when he appears, because I just know this is not his first appearance in the series.
Sometimes I didn't believe a particular scene was actually happening, mostly because it was surprising, unexpected or bought some new piece of information that would help with the mystery. But over all, it was an WOW moment.
Those were two reasons why I loved this book: the characters and the fun scenes. Both gave the book that cozy feel that balanced well with the mystery. And that's refreshing for me, after reading some more suspense and mysterious books.
Do I recommend this book? Of course! I always recommend mystery books, because I do believe people should enjoy a great book that make us think and ask questions.
[I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Alice Castle for the eCopy of the book and for allowing me to be a part of this blog tour and give my honest review.]
stephbookshine's review
4.0
*I received a free ARC of this book with thanks to the author and Rachel Gilbey at Rachel’s Random Resources blog tours. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*
Calamity in Camberwell is the third of The London Murder Mysteries series, and whilst it can be read as a standalone novel, I would personally recommend reading the series in chronological order for the full Beth Haldane experience.
I was hooked straight back into Dulwich and Beth’s penchant for curiosity of the kind that is proverbially threatening to felines. I love both the order of her small world, (realistic to parents who know the constraints of work, schoolrun, teatime, bedtime, repeat) and the way that she constantly manages to break free of those bounds and walk blithely into excitement and , less enviably, danger.
Having read the previous two books, I was wondering how the author would develop the series, as it seems highly unlikely that the same school mum, however nosy, would keep tripping over dead bodies in her routine suburban life! I needn’t have worried however, as Alice Castle clearly has that firmly in mind and has varied the pace here with more of a slow-burning domestic mystery. Far from finding an immediate corpse, Beth (and the reader) develop a slow unease about her newlywed friend, Jen, that builds into anxious tension gradually as the plot unfolds.
This follows a pattern in this series of taking a difficult theme and exploring it sensitively: previously child abuse and social media peer pressure have been covered, this time it is domestic abuse. The abuse depicted is not graphic, but may be triggering to some as the details of emotional and mental control are depicted with realism and understanding.
In line with this theme, the author explores other aspects of adult romantic relationships: we see Beth worry about whether the tempestuous encounters between herself and Detective Inspector York would be harmful to herself and her son in a romantic relationship, and this is thoughtfully contrasted with other examples: Janice, Katie, Tim and Babs, and of course, Jen and Jeff.
The balance in this novel is therefore more weighted towards Beth’s personal life than before, where her personal life acted as setting and character development but did not play a major role in the plotline. Here we see more of a 50/50 split between Beth’s concern for her friend and investigating the concerning behaviour, but also her fears about her own (lack of) relationships and her reluctance to dip her toe back in the dating pool. Along with this there are, of course, some further appearances of the Detective Inspector, who has now won MY heart completely by scoffing chips as well as loving classic crime novels!
To sum up, another great cosy mystery here from Alice Castle, with a slightly larger helping of romance than before, though still delivered in Beth’s familiar awkward and emotionally reserved style. A highly recommended series for lovers of classic and cosy crime alike.
Beth’s eyes flicked off to the right and, unbidden, a large policeman appeared foursquare in her thoughts. Ruffled dark blond hair; a direct blue gaze – usually through cross and rather narrowed eyes; a big, navy blue pea coat; and, for some reason, whenever she thought of him he was carrying a takeaway cup of coffee. But could she describe him as a great man, as Janice put it? A potential date, a possible stepfather for Ben, for heaven’s sake? When he was always so annoying? And usually very cross with her? She couldn’t remember their last exchange, but it was something on the lines of her being a total idiot, with a death wish, who wasn’t safe out alone. Hardly hearts and flowers.
– Alice Castle, Calamity in Camberwell
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/blog-tour-calamity-in-camberwell-alice-castle/
Calamity in Camberwell is the third of The London Murder Mysteries series, and whilst it can be read as a standalone novel, I would personally recommend reading the series in chronological order for the full Beth Haldane experience.
I was hooked straight back into Dulwich and Beth’s penchant for curiosity of the kind that is proverbially threatening to felines. I love both the order of her small world, (realistic to parents who know the constraints of work, schoolrun, teatime, bedtime, repeat) and the way that she constantly manages to break free of those bounds and walk blithely into excitement and , less enviably, danger.
Having read the previous two books, I was wondering how the author would develop the series, as it seems highly unlikely that the same school mum, however nosy, would keep tripping over dead bodies in her routine suburban life! I needn’t have worried however, as Alice Castle clearly has that firmly in mind and has varied the pace here with more of a slow-burning domestic mystery. Far from finding an immediate corpse, Beth (and the reader) develop a slow unease about her newlywed friend, Jen, that builds into anxious tension gradually as the plot unfolds.
This follows a pattern in this series of taking a difficult theme and exploring it sensitively: previously child abuse and social media peer pressure have been covered, this time it is domestic abuse. The abuse depicted is not graphic, but may be triggering to some as the details of emotional and mental control are depicted with realism and understanding.
In line with this theme, the author explores other aspects of adult romantic relationships: we see Beth worry about whether the tempestuous encounters between herself and Detective Inspector York would be harmful to herself and her son in a romantic relationship, and this is thoughtfully contrasted with other examples: Janice, Katie, Tim and Babs, and of course, Jen and Jeff.
The balance in this novel is therefore more weighted towards Beth’s personal life than before, where her personal life acted as setting and character development but did not play a major role in the plotline. Here we see more of a 50/50 split between Beth’s concern for her friend and investigating the concerning behaviour, but also her fears about her own (lack of) relationships and her reluctance to dip her toe back in the dating pool. Along with this there are, of course, some further appearances of the Detective Inspector, who has now won MY heart completely by scoffing chips as well as loving classic crime novels!
To sum up, another great cosy mystery here from Alice Castle, with a slightly larger helping of romance than before, though still delivered in Beth’s familiar awkward and emotionally reserved style. A highly recommended series for lovers of classic and cosy crime alike.
Beth’s eyes flicked off to the right and, unbidden, a large policeman appeared foursquare in her thoughts. Ruffled dark blond hair; a direct blue gaze – usually through cross and rather narrowed eyes; a big, navy blue pea coat; and, for some reason, whenever she thought of him he was carrying a takeaway cup of coffee. But could she describe him as a great man, as Janice put it? A potential date, a possible stepfather for Ben, for heaven’s sake? When he was always so annoying? And usually very cross with her? She couldn’t remember their last exchange, but it was something on the lines of her being a total idiot, with a death wish, who wasn’t safe out alone. Hardly hearts and flowers.
– Alice Castle, Calamity in Camberwell
Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpress.com/2018/08/13/blog-tour-calamity-in-camberwell-alice-castle/
louiseog's review
4.0
Further adventures in Dulwich.
Beautifully written and so we are comfortable with characters and the plot moves along quickly, while dealing with thought provoking themes.
A great series.
Beautifully written and so we are comfortable with characters and the plot moves along quickly, while dealing with thought provoking themes.
A great series.
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