Fall of Angels

Inspector Redfyre Mystery #1

by Barbara Cleverly

Barbara Cleverly, bestselling author of the Joe Sandilands series, introduces an ingenious new sleuth who navigates 1920s Cambridge, a European intellectual capital on the cusp of dramatic change.England 1923: Detective Inspector John Redfyre is a godsend to the Cambridge CID. The ancient university city is at war with town versus gown, male versus female, press versus the police force and everyone versus the undergraduates. Redfyre, young, handsome and capable, is a survivor of the Great War. Born and raised among the city’s colleges, he has access to the educated élite who run these institutions, a society previously deemed impenetrable by local law enforcement.   When Redfyre’s Aunt Hetty hands him a front-row ticket to the year’s St. Barnabas College Christmas concert, he is looking forward to a right merrie yuletide noyse from a trumpet soloist, accompanied by the organ. He is intrigued to find that the trumpet player is—scandalously—a young woman. And Juno Proudfoot is a beautiful and talented one at that. Such choice of a performer is unacceptable in conservative academic circles.   Redfyre finds himself anxious throughout a performance in which Juno charms and captivates her audience, and his unease proves well founded when she tumbles headlong down a staircase after curtainfall. He finds evidence that someone carefully planned her death. Has her showing provoked a dangerous, vengeful woman-hater to take action?   When more Cambridge women are murdered, Redfyre realizes that some of his dearest friends and his family may become targets, and—equally alarmingly—that the killer might be within his own close circle.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery, Fiction, Historical, British Literature, Audiobook

385 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 15, 2018

About the author

Barbara Cleverly was born in the north of England and is a graduate of Durham University. A former teacher, she has spent her working life in Cambridgeshire and Suffolk; she now lives in Cambridge. She has one son and five step-children.

Her Joe Sandilands series of books set against the background of the British Raj was inspired by the contents of a battered old tin trunk that she found in her attic. Out of it spilled two centuries of memories of a family – especially a great uncle who spent a lot of time in India – whose exploits and achievements marched in time with the flowering of the British Empire.

Reviews

[Maine Colonial · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a free ARC for review purposes.

I was attracted by the set-up for this novel, the first in a new series. It’s set in Cambridge, and I do like my English mysteries. The time is 1923, and I’m attracted to between-the-wars period stories. I also liked the description, with young DI Redfyre investigating the attempted murder of a beautiful female trumpeter and the apparently related murder of another young woman that same evening. Is a misogynist at work, one who can’t stand the increasing presence of women in public life?

The execution of the story was another matter. The story begins with Redfyre being given a ticket to a Christmas season concert featuring the trumpeter, Juno Proudfoot, and an organist. As a music lover, he’s happy to have the ticket, but his interfering aunt had two tickets, which makes Redfyre suspect it will be less than delightful to find out his seat-mate. He’s pleasantly surprised to find out it’s a beautiful blonde, and even astonished that she is Eadwig Stretton (seriously), a relation whose brothers enjoyed ganging up on Redfyre when he was visiting as a boy.

Nice “meet cute,” as they say in the movies, right? Well, not so fast. Eadwig is alternately flirtatious and challenging, which isn’t cute at all; more clunky and tiresome. Eadwig is a friend of Juno Proudfoot, and Juno also irritatingly ping-pongs between being flirty and hostile. Both also seem to be economical with the truth, which hampers Redfyre’s attempts to find out who is being the attempted murder and murder. If there’s one pet peeve I have about mysteries, it’s characters who know vital information but conceal it. To me, it’s a sign that the author comes up short in the ability to construct a good police procedural plot.

Add to all this, the plotting is sloppy and muddled, and the writing often overwrought. The one strong point is the historical theme of early feminism and the resistance to it. Interesting stuff, but not enough to overcome the book’s other flaws.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catching up...

This apparently is the first in a new mystery series featuring Detective Inspector John Redfyre of the Cambridge CID. The story is based during the suffragist movement in England in the post-WWI era.

Supposedly this is going to play a major role in the story, but I’m not sure it fit well in how it was used.

In some ways, Redfyre’s character feels like a combination of Lord Peter Wimsey and the TV version of Jack Robinson from Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries, if you are familiar with either of those series.

Like Wimsey, he is a bit upper-crust. University educated, and an officer of the Great War, although unscathed. In his actions, he is more like Jack Robinson (the TV version). The police officer version. Methodical investigator. Above reproach.

As well as…

Rather handsome.

Does all this matter? Not sure, but the points seemed to be important to the author.

The case is rather dark with a young female trumpet player receiving deadly poison pen letters and an attempt on her life after a Christmas concert at the college. Redfyre actually witnesses the attempt, because he happened to attend the concert.

As the investigation progresses, more bodies seem to fall.

And…

It is up to Redfyre to figure out the culprit.

I am just not sure I liked the style of mystery drama that was laid out for readers.

Maybe other readers might feel differently.

[Andrea]

Nothing jarringly wrong with this, but something about the tone didn't work for me. It was partly a great deal of guidebook-style conversation, and partly something about the voice/reactions of the detective. There was a lot of what I guess was supposed to be bright badinage that fell flat for me.

It wasn't enough to stop me listening to the end, but I don't think I'd pick up another book by this author.

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Sentence: “Hello? Detective John Redfyre, Cambridge CID here.”

It’s 1923, the age of the women’s suffrage movement, and DI John Redfyre has been invited by his aunt to a Christmas concert. It is a bit scandalous in that the featured trumpeter is a lovely young woman, Juno Proudfoot. Is someone so upset they would try to kill her through a triggered fall down stone steps? When the next attempt on another woman succeeds it’s up to Redfrye to uncover both the motive and the killer.

Cleverly’s voice perfectly reflects that of the 1920s and the Golden Age of mystery writers—“A threepenny bus-ride or a two-bob taxi fare and she could have been with him in person, pouring out her problems while he poured out a London Gin and added a slug of Rose’s Lime Juice.”

Redfrye and his Aunt Henrietta, through whom we learn about his background, boyhood, and the incident which gave him his resolve, are delightful characters. The introduction of Eadwig Stretton, creates a nice plot twist. Sargent Thoday is interesting and a character of whom one should like to see more.

Cleverly’s descriptions are a delight to read—“They looked up silently at the roof-tops of the colleges. Elegantly frosted by a slight fall of snow, a Gustave Doré landscape of pinnacles, turrets, domes, and cornices unfolded above them, outlined against the dark sky by a three-parts-rounded, hunchbacked moon.” She uses the story of Jezebel to illustrate the subjection of women through time and as a way of making the point of women fighting against the total control of men over the lives of women such as that it took only the signatures of two men to commit a woman to an asylum.

There are very good red herrings. Suspects are presented and dismissed. Or are they? With a murder, we have an association, but no motive.

It’s interesting reading a book set during a time when forensics existed but were still rather rudimentary.

“The Fall of Angels” is a delightful homage to the Golden Age, with a very relevant theme. Unfortunately, the story does get a bit lost in the details of the time period and the ending was rushed, but one hopes for better in the future.

THE FALL OF ANGELS (Hist Mys-DI John Redfyre-Cambridge, England-1923) - Good
Cleverly, Barbara – 1st of series
Soho Crime, May 2018

[J. Merwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! I love well-written mysteries, one's that are more like a full course meal and not a cozy but predictable snack. Barbara Cleverly's Fall of angels, set in the 1920's, Cambridge's academia is being set upon by the second wave of independent women, fully rouged and painted and fighting for their rights. Wittily described and elaborate in atmosphere and detail...it's a frothy champagne cocktail and a challenging mystery that doesn't give away anything...no guessing ahead of time. The other thing is, yes, she does remind me of that queen of mysteries, Dorothy Sayers, and of my favorite book of hers, " The Nine Tailors ". Cleverly even pays sly tribute to it by naming one of the 'coppers' after a character in the book. (Thoday) Can't wait for the next one.

[Ann Woodbury Moore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This British mystery set in 1923 has been touted as the "new" equivalent of Dorothy Sayers. It's definitely not. It has immense potential, but it's far too wordy; there's way too much dialogue, along with endless, lengthy explanations; and the plot is overly complex, with too many characters to easily keep track of. I'll add some quotes from reviews that I agree with:
"Could have been cut by a quarter or third."
"Speechifying... goes on [and on and on]."
"Overwrought" writing.
The dialogue "just didn’t seem to ring true. It often seemed stilted and as if the character were trying to make a point to the reader, rather than having an actual conversation with another character."
"Labored."
"At times, it felt like there were two different novels going on here. One was a loving parody of classic British crime fiction, but the other was a very earnest story of early 20th century feminism, and the two didn't always marry well on the page. I wish the book's two aspects had found a happy medium that allowed them to blend more seamlessly."
I haven't read anything else by Cleverly, but several reviewers felt that this wasn't up to her previous work.

[Billie · Rating 3 out of 5]

At times, it felt like there were two different novels going on here. One was a loving parody of classic British crime fiction, but the other was a very earnest story of early 20th century feminism, and the two didn't always marry well on the page. Both aspects, individually, had considerable strengths and I enjoyed Redfyre and Earwig and Aunt Henrietta; I only wish the book's two aspects had found a happy medium that allowed them to blend more seamlessly.

[Andree · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, but I'm rounding up because I liked it well enough. It's post-war, set in a time period I tend to enjoy. I generally like the characters. The mystery was interesting enough to hold my interest. I do think some of the characterization could be tightened up a bit. Redfyre's a bit too hard to pin down, in a sense. I could use a clearer picture of his dynamic with his boss. At least it's not needlessly adversarial, or something, as it sometimes is in these things.

I also found some of the aspects of the group of feminists in this book hard to pin down. End goal, great. Methods of achieving it, a bit questionable. They all seem to be putting on an act and concealing information (mainly their roles in what's going on). Which is fine to a point, but starts getting a bit tedious once all the dead bodies start piling up. In particular, I felt Eadwig (long story short, her parents were eccentric and loved old Saxon names) a bit hard to get a handle on. Hard to tell to what degree she actually likes Redfyre, and to what degree she was using him. Which ties into it's hard to get a sense of her character. Which is going to be problematic, if she continues on with a major role. Juno Proudfoot was also clearly being a bit deliberately obstructionist, but I found that less irritating, given her role in the plot of the novel, and in relation to Redfyre. Eadwig needs to become a bit clearer as these progress.

Actually, the characterization and relationships between the characters in general probably could crystallize more. That said, it took me a while to get into this, but once I did, I enjoyed it enough that I'll probably give the series at least another book to convince me.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fall of Angels, the first Inspector Redfyre mystery, has all the trademarks fans of Barbara Cleverly's writing have come to expect: seamless period detail that puts readers right into the time and place of the book, witty dialogue, strong intriguing characters, and a mystery that keeps armchair sleuths guessing. These are all here in abundance, and fans should be thrilled.

Unfortunately, I wasn't. The book fell flat for me, and-- after reading books from Cleverly's Joe Sandilands and Laetitia Talbot series as well as this book, I have come to the conclusion that Cleverly just isn't a writer for me. Or more precisely, I'm not the reader for her. It's an extremely short list, but Cleverly is not the only author who doesn't light up my reading life. The time periods, plots, locations, and characters are all right up my alley, but there's something about the writing that just does not work for me. (And it always takes more than one book for me to arrive at this conclusion.)

So there you have it. If you're already a fan of Barbara Cleverly, chances are excellent that you're going to enjoy this book. If you're new to her work, you're probably going to enjoy it, too. This is just one of those times when I'm being a bit contrary, so take my opinion under advisement.

[Marlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published at Reading Reality

I keep wanting the author’s name to be Beverly Cleverly, but it’s not. Fall of Angels, however, is a very clever little mystery, filled with interesting characters and tempting red herrings – and a few flaws.

I picked this book up because I was looking for something a bit less weighty than the rest of my books this week. But while it is a bit shorter, after finishing it I’m not so sure that it was actually lighter, at least not in the end.

It feels as if there are two books in one in Fall of Angels, one a rather lightweight between-the-wars mystery, and the other an exploration of the suffragist movement in England in the post-WWI era counterpointed by the rise of misogyny as backlash to that same movement – with a few other even darker things thrown into the not completely well-stirred soup.

I’ve mixed my metaphors. Let me explain.

This is the first book in a new mystery series featuring Detective Inspector John Redfyre of the Cambridge CID. That part of the story feels like an homage to the classic mysteries of the era, with the attitudes of the principals updated a bit to appeal to 21st century readers. Redfyre feels like a combination of Lord Peter Wimsey and the TV version of Jack Robinson from Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.

Like Wimsey, Redfyre is from the upper-crust, although exactly how is not specified. So throw in a bit of Campion for spice on that score. Likewise, Redfyre is university educated, but Cambridge rather than Wimsey’s Oxford – although Campion was also a Cambridge man. Also like Wimsey, Redfyre served as an officer in the Great War, but seems to have come out relatively unscathed, at least in comparison with Wimsey’s horrific bouts of PTSD.

In his actions, Redfyre reminds me of Phryne’s Jack Robinson – the TV version and not the one in the books. They are both police officers, and even both have the same rank. And they are about the same age, somewhere in their 30s, and both came out of the war relatively unscarred. They are also both methodical investigators, and they are both above reproach as officers. And they are both rather handsome – but handsome is as handsome does, and they both do quite well.

The investigation that Redfyre finds himself in the middle of is dark and deadly. A young female trumpet player is receiving deadly poison pen letters, and an attempt is made on her life after a Christmas concert at the college – an attempt that Redfyre witnesses due to machinations on the part of his redoubtable Aunt Hetty.

As he investigates, he finds himself following a trail of bodies, all of young women who in one way or another challenged the status quo. A status quo that kept most women on their Victorian pedestals and subservient to or chattels of the men in their lives – even after all the changes wrought by the war.

Redfyre discovers that all the victims are members of an unnamed group of women’s suffragists who want universal female suffrage and so much more, and are willing to use rather underhanded means to reach their goals.

While those underhanded means fall short of murder, someone is willing to murder them to stop them from taking what he sees as places that are rightfully and properly reserved for men.

It’s up to Redfyre to figure out whodunnit before the killer gets to his Aunt Hetty’s name on his murder list.

Escape Rating B-: I have mixed feelings about Fall of Angels. I liked John Redfyre, his “beat” in Cambridge, and what looks to be his cast of regulars.

The between-the-wars period is always interesting. The way things used to be was the first casualty of the Great War, and most people are aware that whatever happens next is going to be very different. It is also the period called the “Roaring 20s” when everyone was celebrating hard to forget the war. That it all comes crashing down at the end of the decade is not yet on the horizon in 1923 when this series begins.

University towns, and Cambridge is certainly that, are also hotbeds for mysteries. The college brings in lots of outsiders, and the town vs. gown conflict is ever ready to produce criminal activities, whether violent or not. And the faction rivalry results in a lot of conflicting pointing fingers once the deed has been done.

So there’s a lot to like. But the crime that Redfyre has to solve in his initial outing feels anachronistic, or at least his attitudes do. Or both.

Not that there were not plenty of women agitating for universal suffrage after the war. They were eventually successful in 1928. But much of what this nameless group is proposing feels too serious for the story, while their actions to achieve their ends seem almost farcical. It felt like it should either be melodrama or drama, but not both at the same time. Other readers may feel differently.

So for me, the blend did not quite work. But I liked Redfyre enough that I’ll probably come back for the next book in the series, just to see how things turn out.

[Agnesxnitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't been able to get into the author's previous character, Joe Sandibanks, series, but the premise of this story and it being set locally grabbed me - and held me - through the entirety of this book.
1923, Inspector Redfyre is gifted tickets by his headstrong Aunt to a Christmas concert at St Barnabas College Chapel. The concert, being Cambridge, is a duet of church organ and trumpet which is safe enough - until the trumpet player is revealed as Juno Proudfoot, a beautiful and extremely talented young woman. Juno can not only wow with her talent, but has a genuine rapport with the audience. Initially taken aback, the staid audience - less Redfyre and his companion, a childhood friend, Eadwig - are in the palm of the young musician's hand. However, after the successful concert, Juno falls down unlit stairs and only Redfyre's timely arrival saves the musician's life. Eadwig (whose parents apparently named their children in the Old English/Nordic Legends tradition!) has grown into a lovely and intelligent young woman, and is a close friend of Juno, and she tells Redfyre that there appears to be a campaign of hate and threats against Juno.
Redfyre travels to Addenbrookes Hospital (still there in 2018!) to find out more details from Juno, but she becomes withdrawn and secretive - fleeing from the care of the medicos as fast as she can.
The same night, a young woman is attacked and killed near the Sewage Works on the other side of the city. Redfyre senses a connection - and his truculent Superintendent soon comes to the same way of thinking when a third girl is found stabbed and dumped directly outside a side entrance to St Barnabus.
What is going on in Cambridge? Is there a serial killer at large taking random young women out at his choice? Or is this killer a misogynist taking out women who he - or even she - feels are taking liberties in this fragile post-Great War world?
I very much enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next installment.
A library book, so returning this weekend.

[David Dunlap · Rating 1 out of 5]

[stopped reading at page 110: really wanted to like this one, but...] In 1923 Cambridge, England, Detective Inspector John Redfyre is surprised to be given a ticket to a holiday trumpet-and-organ recital by his aunt Hester. He is even more surprised, upon arriving at the venue, to discover that the trumpet soloist is a female, Juno Proudfoot. He suspects his aunt of ulterior motives: Will there be a riot? Following the concert, Juno is injured, falling down the stairs from the chapel balcony: was it an accident...or something more insidious? Even the appearance of a second female body, found along the banks of the Cam, did not sufficiently intrigue me. The tone of the book seems too arch, the characters (however intelligent) too 'joke-y.' Just could not get involved in the story, so stopped. First in a series, apparently, but I believe I'll give the whole thing a pass...

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars. The first in a series that is reminiscent Sayer's Lord Peter Wimsey novels but set in Cambridge instead of Oxford. Cleverly does a wonderful job in providing an authentic mood and details of the 1920s. The descriptions of Oxford are beautiful. The characters are complex and interesting. Sometimes, though, it feels a bit pretentious, especially when Redfyre is quoting literary works that just don't seem appropriate to the scene.

The main theme of the story--is murder a result of a misogynist male retaliating against women for their audacity to seek to extend their roles and opportunities in society challenging men's positions--gives the story a meaty subject matter different than many of the light 20s mystery series that are proliferating at an astonishing rate. Redfyre seems to be sympathetic to the women seeking more rights and chances but still presents some of the endemic prejudices that most men wouldn't even realize that they harbored. It is not easy to present a character that walks that fine line. As it is, he sometimes a bit offensive in being dense at how much society was stacked against women and too dismissive of women's heart-felt arguments. But that is realistic. If he was too aware of the many ways women were denied equal opportunities he would seem a transplant from the 21st century.

At times I thought the book was a little slow but it was a good mystery with plenty of suspects, good writing, and should appeal, especially, to people who like Dorothy Sayers and Lord Peter.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Redfyre is an impoverished aristocrat who did well in World War I and then joined the police. He's now a rising star in the Cambridge police force, as he is comfortable with both town and gown, who are, as usual, at swords' point. When he goes to an Advent concert, he's surprised that one of the soloists is a beautiful, talented young woman--usually forbidden in the Cambridge colleges. And he's even more surprised that there's an attempt on her life. The same evening, another intelligent, talented young woman is murdered, and a day later a beautiful, if lower-class, woman is killed as well. John's connections, and some of his police colleagues, lead him to believe that there's an organization of women engaged in a conspiracy to subvert Cambridge, and possibly English, society--and the group includes women he knows. But who is the madman targeting them? First in a series.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of a new series featuring DI Redfyre and set in Cambrifge in the 1920s. A young trumpeter falls on the stairs of a dark loft and its suspicious mainly because the trumpeter is female. Then another young woman is found dead in the river and it seems certain the two incidents are related.

The plot is sufficiently involved so as to be interesting without being so knotted as to get difficult to follow. Redfyre is a likable character as are the subordinate characters in the investigation. They embrace the beginnings of the use of forensics and are portrayed as dedicated ... even the lower policing ranks ... while at the same time a acknowledging that they're not always respected.

I look forward to reading the next in the series as soon as my library gets it.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've found a new author that I like after listening to this novel. It's set in 1920's Cambridge. Between TV & novels, I find myself solving lots of mysteries in the environs of Cambridge. It's definitely an interesting setting & the era has some interesting issues to visit. Women in the post-WWI era were picking up their feminist work that had been waylaid by "patriotism to their country" during the war. Having worked on the home front & also on the war front, they want to be equal. Insp. Redfyre investigates the murder of a young woman whose life turns out to be more complicated than first glance. The clues & suspects swirl around him as he tries to sort it all out. I liked his character, who is intelligent, witty, & interesting. His use of the new methods of forensics to help in his investigation marks him as a modern man willing to learn.

[LaRae☕️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars.

I enjoyed this first installment of Detective Inspector Redfyre, set at Christmas. Somehow, Christmas feels more Christmasy with Holiday murder mysteries.

Two authors who left blurbs on the book compared Cleverly to Dorothy Sayers, but I certainly didn’t feel that. On its own, though, it has a tightly woven plot, with very enjoyable and likable characters.

I’ll keep my eye open for the second Redfyre mystery.

[Britt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

I liked the time period of the 1920s. I'm fond of historical mysteries. This one was a bit full of feminism. I've no idea if it was historically accurate or the author's bias. I liked the Inspector a lot. Good man. I dislike women who rail at men about how awful they are, particularly when they're (the man) trying to simply do their job and uphold the law. Fairly. It's tedious, at best.

[Olivia · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wee bit clunky and a tad too lengthy but ultimately a good read.

Quite liked John. Really liked Aunt Hettie but could have done without the unnecessarily combative females in Juno and Earwig.

Also thought that the supporting officers were all excellent.

Look forward to number 2 in the hopes that the author has worked though those first book problems.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but was slightly dry as far as explanations go. I felt like the pace was slightly off when the author was a little long-winded. I enjoyed the characters, and will try another in the series.

[Betsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly good read but wordy, befitting a book about Cambridge. The motive for the murders is one that has been done many times, but the detectives are interesting. Might be worth reading the next one.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cleverly written mystery plot; I did not see that dénouement coming, but I did not have a great handle on the personality of most of the characters (including Redfyre) and I also often felt like I was missing the jokes as if I needed more insider information to get it.

[Amy Harth · Rating 1 out of 5]

I started reading this book because an author I like (Rhys Bowen) compared it to the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Dorothy L. Sayers. I can understand that comparison based on the internal banter the main character has at the beginning of the book but this is immediately ruined by disconcerting that Inspector Redfyre is not a feminist. What makes Lord Peter so magnificent is that he is a feminist detective. His relationship with Harriet Vane as well as all the other women in the books is one of respect. Inspector Redfyre on the other hand is typical. He unnecessarily argues with Eadwig about police headquarters being comfortable. He worries more about what men think of women’s rights and power than about the actual importance of women’s rights. He is not self-aware or reflective. If you’re looking for a character and plotting like the Lord Peter Wimsey novels, this isn’t it. It’s not even worth it for what it is.

[Nell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too wordy by half for my taste, and the word "jovial" kept coming to mind—odd for a murder mystery, serial murder no less. The post–World War I time frame invites comparisons to Charles Todd's Inspector Ian Rutledge and Jacqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs. Clearly this is meant to be lighter in tone, and it doesn't lack seriousness, but for some reason it fell flat with me.

One reason might be that I didn't find the plot plausible, which makes me wonder why, without experience or deep knowledge of the times in which historical novels are set, some strike me as credible and some don't. I do enjoy Rhys Bowen's Her Royal Spyness series, in which the light tone and the plausibility, or lack of it, doesn't matter. Perhaps it's the characters, none of whom I could warm to. Something to ponder when I'm in the mood.

[Judie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since Barbara Cleverly is an author I've been reading for years, I decided to give this book another chance. This time around I liked it - perhaps being more tolerant of the 1920's language. Historically it is perfect and the mystery is good as well.
I will try the second in this series.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three and a half stars; I initially rounded it up to four to be generous. Then I had to round it down again because I was reminded of a quirk in the author's writing that sets my teeth on edge.

Though there's much to enjoy in this book, it doesn't come close to Sayers. The reason, honestly, is that I had no sense of the main character, John Redfyre. It's not just that I didn't know what he looked like (I'm fairly bare-bones with character description myself), it's that I didn't really know who he was. I got a much better sense of Earwig, Sergeant Thoday, and John's Aunt Henrietta (my favorite character so far).

So I alternated being gripped by this mystery, and being annoyed by it. The plot was very well done, and the basic situation (the situation of women in Cambridge in the early 1920s) reminded me of my favorite Cambridge mystery to date, Jill Paton Walsh's "A Piece of Justice". Good stuff! And the echoes of WWI and some of the descriptions of settings were also vivid. But - and here's the quirk--Cleverly is one of those mystery writers who withholds information from her readers. An example: Redfyre is talking to a possible suspect in a dark alley. He asks him a rather shocking question, and we don't get to hear the answer. Instead, Cleverly abruptly ends the chapter. The conversation gets reported second-hand in a later chapter. I can't think of any reason for this false suspense; it would have been far more satisfying to me as a reader to experience the conversation first-hand.

In short, it's a fun mystery but strikes me as just a little bit out of focus. The four stars will firm up if the later books in the series are in better focus. I would recommend it, with the caveat that your expectations shouldn't be too high. If you're expecting a well-plotted mystery with hints at interesting, but slightly cliched characters, you'll get it. If you're expecting something in the vein of the Lord Peter mysteries, you won't. I liked it, but didn't love it.

(Two series that actually remind me more of Lord Peter are Carola Dunn's brisk and breezy Daisy Dalrymple mysteries, and, oddly, Ruth Downie's "Medicus" series. I've described Daisy Dalrymple as: what if Lady Mary Wimsey were at the center of the stories instead of her brother? And the "Medicus" books have a gravitas, as well as dry humor, that are reminiscent of Sayers. I love her characterizations!)

[Virginia Tican · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Inspector John Redfyre, bachelor 4th son of a peer and Cambridge alumnus, was the perfect conduit in bridging interactions between Town and Gown... though such inter~relations border on the cautiously 'I will trust you as long as I can see you or as far as I can throw you' variety. And so it came to pass that Redfyre was set~up by his childless Aunt Hetty to attend a concert at the University chapel of St. Barnabas featuring a woman trumpeter and her renowned male friend as the organist... Redfyre's co~holder of the free tickets was a woman (all the while he thought the Stretton offspring were all males) whose brothers were collectively his childhood Nemesis. He and Earwig Stretton had front row seats just so he would be available for The Fall that happened after the much lauded Medieval musicale... when Juno Proudfoot, much admired female trumpeter and a bit of a 'dramatic actress' on her first public appearance, tumbled down the theatre's dark stairway (where the bloody hell was that supposed to be lantern~carrier?) like Humpty~Dumpty straight into Redfyre's arms and fortunately broke her fall and saved her from a broken neck. To revive her, like the fainting tightly corseted ladies of the Regency period and the Victorian era, somebody thought of smelling~salts, vinaigrettes, and even sal volatiles... all of which contain a mixture of ammonia and some other chemicals... perfect for a second attempt on her life. For before said concert, Juno had been receiving some threatening anti~feminist letters hence the presence of Redfyre who was already suspicious of something afoot upon setting eyes on an 'unfriendly to the Police' crime reporter. A very Good start... I was not so enamoured about the ending, though. I thought it was a bit lame but I suppose... where else could it go? Anyways, not bad for a new series plus I still liked the smart mordant humour and I can not fault the Atmosphere... to be taken to another Time... another Place.

[Barb · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up

This book was chosen for this month’s F2F book group meeting. Not being familiar with the author, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Knowing who chose the book gave me a few hints – historical fiction, women’s rights and education are her hallmarks. The GR rating worried me, unnecessarily, as it turns out.

I have recently read several books set in the years between the two World Wars, a time that I find fascinating. Attitudes are changing, although not as quickly as some would like, and that turns out to be a central theme in this book. I really like the MC, John Redfyre – he served in the war, he’s educated, and he’s part of the ‘upper crust,’ although he uses that to his advantage as part of the Cambridge CID by gaining access to place and people most ‘coppers’ would not have. He appears to be very progressive in his thinking (for the time), which is another mark in his favor.

There were quite a few other characters to keep track of, but aside from some very unusual names, that wasn’t too hard to do. I liked some of these characters, disliked others and found a few to be hard to pin down. I didn’t necessarily care for some of the tactics employed by the suffragettes, but they did what they felt was necessary to garner attention to their cause.

There were several murders in this book, and it quickly became apparent that they were related, so the police could focus their attention in just one direction. There were also several serious suspects in my mind, but one of them – and the motive – stood out from the rest relatively early in the story. The confrontation scene kept me listening until its conclusion, and made me want to read the next (and only other) book in the series to learn what happens next.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

England 1923: Detective Inspector John Redfyre is a godsend to the Cambridge CID. The ancient university city is at war with itself: town versus gown, male versus female, press versus the police force and everyone versus the undergraduates. Redfyre, young, handsome and capable, is a survivor of the Great War. Born and raised among the city’s colleges, he has access to the educated élite who run these institutions, a society previously deemed impenetrable by local law enforcement.

When Redfyre’s Aunt Hetty hands him a front-row ticket to the year’s St. Barnabas College Christmas concert, he is looking forward to a right merrie yuletide noyse from a trumpet soloist, accompanied by the organ. He is intrigued to find that the trumpet player is—scandalously—a young woman. And Juno Proudfoot is a beautiful and talented one at that. Such choice of a performer is unacceptable in conservative academic circles.

Redfyre finds himself anxious throughout a performance in which Juno charms and captivates her audience, and his unease proves well founded when she tumbles headlong down a staircase after curtainfall. He finds evidence that someone carefully planned her death. Has her showing provoked a dangerous, vengeful woman-hater to take action?

When more Cambridge women are murdered, Redfyre realizes that some of his dearest friends and his family may become targets, and—equally alarmingly—that the killer might be within his own close circle.

This is a good book but it kind of drags in various places. It is well developed and has a list of characters that are very well written

[Linda Brue · Rating 3 out of 5]

FALL OF ANGELS, Barbara Cleverly, 2018
Barbara Cleverly is best known for her wonderful Joe Sandilands series. This new series features DI John Redfyre and is set in Oxford England in 1923.

Redfyre knows something is up when his Aunt Hetty presents him with a front-row ticket to St. Barnabas College's Christmas concert. The concert features a trumpet soloist accompanied by the organ. But the trumpet player is a young woman, totally NOT acceptable to the male-dominated and very conservative university. Somehow, Juno Proudfoot has wangled an invitation to play, and proves herself to be extremely talented as well as beautiful.

Redfyre is uneasy throughout the performance, worried by a vague feeling that something is wrong. His feelings prove justified when Ms. Proudfoot tumbles down the stairs after the performance, and he finds evidence that someone has plotted her fall. Were they hoping for an accident, or plotting her death?

I'm a serious fan of Cleverly's writing, but although this story brings forth some of the problems of the day, there is not much else showing the era. The women's issues of the day are perhaps dwelt on to the detriment of the story itself, and the story is bogged down by it. The characters, too, suffer from not being well-developed--another reviewer said that the most interesting character in the book was the victim, and I have to agree! Overall, I can't recommend this one as one of Cleverly's best. Read anything in the Sandilands series, and you'll get a better read.