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A Gentleman's Murder
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The year is 1924, and Lieutenant Eric Peterkin, formerly of the Royal Fusiliers, is a new member of the Britannia―London’s most prestigious club. It's a family tradition, but an honor he's not sure he quite deserves. So, when a gentleman's wager ends with one man dead in the vault under the club, Eric is only too ready to tackle the mystery head on.
Eric’s quest to resolve ...more
Eric’s quest to resolve ...more
Paperback, First, 352 pages
Published
July 31st 2018
by Inkshares, Inc.
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"Nobody comes out of a war unchanged". The Britannia Club was a gentleman's club opened exclusively to male war veterans, many of whom fought at Flanders. The year was 1924. Shortly, new club member, Albert Benson would be found dead in the club's locked vault with a letter opener protruding from his neck. This intimate, puzzling murder was a shocking occurrence in a seemingly insulated, comfortable club.
Eric Peterkin, descendant of one of the club's founders, regularly sat in his "usual armchai ...more
Eric Peterkin, descendant of one of the club's founders, regularly sat in his "usual armchai ...more

Charming and delightful aren’t necessarily words I expect to ascribe to murder mysteries, but I was thoroughly smitten by this historical novel. It’s not a cozy mystery, in fact it deals with some heavy themes of war and PTSD, but Huang’s amateur detective Eric Peterkin has a quiet wit about him that you won’t be able to resist. The son of a white father and Chinese mother, Peterkin is sometimes forced to the outside of British high society despite his service in World War I, and thus his member
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This traditional mystery set in the aftermath of WWI follows amateur sleuth Eric Peterkin as he solves his first case. Peterkin, a war veteran, is a member of the Britannia Club, a gentleman's club for former soldiers (not like we think of it today, though). Members dine and relax in the club - they don't get murdered. But at the start of this novel, that's exactly what has happened: a man is dead as the result of a bet gone awry. Peterkin is a manuscript reader for pulp mystery publications, so
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I received an ARC of A Gentleman's Murder from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. This book had me from page one. I knew immediately that I was going to love it because the author's writing was so good. It was a joy to read. The story takes place in London in 1924. The main character is former army lieutenant Eric Peterkin. He is member of an exclusive gentlemen's club for former military men. There have always been Peterkn's in the Britannia Club, but because hi
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I appreciate the ambition to recreate a Golden-Age style of mystery, but the author doesn’t quite pull it off. I was sure I knew whodunnit within 10 pages of the murder, which is never a good thing. I kept reading anyway and I was right about the killer’s identity, but the pages in between were necessary to explain the motive.
The problem with the pages in between was that there was so much going on but without conveying a real sense of the characters. So much plot and not enough character develo ...more
The problem with the pages in between was that there was so much going on but without conveying a real sense of the characters. So much plot and not enough character develo ...more

A traditional murder mystery which sometimes reads as if it really was written almost 100 years ago. I found the plot somewhat convoluted in places, but the book accurately captures the language and mores of middle class England in the 1920's. Never too far away are the horrors of the First World War and the damage inflicted on survivors of that bloodbath.
Most of the characters are members of a long established London club, the Britannia, catering for army officers and a place where it transpir ...more
Most of the characters are members of a long established London club, the Britannia, catering for army officers and a place where it transpir ...more

An ARC was provided to me for free by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A Gentleman's Murder takes place in England in 1924, and is told from the perspective of Eric Peterkin. He's part of the Britannia Club, whose membership is only extended to soldiers. A harmless bet is wagered between two men in the club, Wolfe and Benson, and by the end of the night, one of them is dead. The story unravels as Eric attempts to discover the murderer and motive - and discovers a more ...more
A Gentleman's Murder takes place in England in 1924, and is told from the perspective of Eric Peterkin. He's part of the Britannia Club, whose membership is only extended to soldiers. A harmless bet is wagered between two men in the club, Wolfe and Benson, and by the end of the night, one of them is dead. The story unravels as Eric attempts to discover the murderer and motive - and discovers a more ...more

The amateur detective, Peterkin, in this novel works for a publishing house selecting detective manuscripts. He is one of many soldiers recovering from World War I. Peterkin belongs to an exclusive club for combat veterans and that club is the site for the murder forming the basis of this mystery. The crime presents something of a locked room mystery as the victim is discovered inside the vault of the club. All the club members become suspect as does the inspector tasked with investigating the c
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We, at the Reading Badger magazine, are huge fans of good mysteries. We never pass the chance to read a book about a detective solving an intriguing case. Because of this, when we received an ARC of Christopher Huang’s “A Gentleman’s Murder” from Inkshares, we were thrilled.
Who is the murdered gentleman?
The book has its plot in the interwar period, more precise in 1924 in London. The main character is the ex-soldier, lieutenant Eric Peterkin. Soon, after being accepted in a prestigious club avai ...more
Who is the murdered gentleman?
The book has its plot in the interwar period, more precise in 1924 in London. The main character is the ex-soldier, lieutenant Eric Peterkin. Soon, after being accepted in a prestigious club avai ...more

Wearing its Golden Age Mysteries influence proudly, this wonderful story introduces Eric Peterkin, young gentleman and former Lieutenant in WWI, as he investigates a murder at his club. A club comprised of a long line of former soldiers and officers, of which a Peterkin forebear was one of the original founders.
When a new member is found murdered in the club’s vault, some of the members come under suspicion, including Eric, as, being half Chinese, he is automatically suspected thanks to the comm ...more
When a new member is found murdered in the club’s vault, some of the members come under suspicion, including Eric, as, being half Chinese, he is automatically suspected thanks to the comm ...more

A Gentleman's Murder
Certain books grab you from the first page and won't let go, this book was like that for me.
It is set after World War 1 when the world thought that another world war was impossible.
The main protagonist is Eric Peterkin who belongs to a gentleman's club. This club is for men who have served in action.
The story begins with a bet between two members. One of the member's bets the other that he can break into a locked vault and the member's box by the next day. A simple bet lea ...more
Certain books grab you from the first page and won't let go, this book was like that for me.
It is set after World War 1 when the world thought that another world war was impossible.
The main protagonist is Eric Peterkin who belongs to a gentleman's club. This club is for men who have served in action.
The story begins with a bet between two members. One of the member's bets the other that he can break into a locked vault and the member's box by the next day. A simple bet lea ...more

In Great Britain, the years immediately following WWI were a period of great change. New technologies were finding their way into people’s everyday lives. Women began to voice their dissatisfaction with being essentially second class citizens and unable to vote. And the men who survived serving in WWI returned to their homes scarred from the experience, both physically and psychologically. It is during this tumultuous time that debut author Christopher Huang sets his compelling new mystery: A Ge
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Set in 1924, the story revolves around Eric Peterkin, a veteran of WWI and a member of the Britannia Club, a club whose membership is composed of only veterans of the Great War.
When one members, Wolf, boasts he can break into the locked vault, his boast results in the bet being expanded to include producing proof. Another member, Benson, offers up his own box in the vault as way to prove the boaster is no more than hot air. Peterkin is chosen to see what is in the box in order to prove who won ...more
When one members, Wolf, boasts he can break into the locked vault, his boast results in the bet being expanded to include producing proof. Another member, Benson, offers up his own box in the vault as way to prove the boaster is no more than hot air. Peterkin is chosen to see what is in the box in order to prove who won ...more

Two men make a bet in a London Gentleman's club in 1924 and all hell breaks loose. This homage to Agatha Christy is utterly delightful.
Eric Peterkin, our protagonist, is a half-Chinese World War I veteran and member of the Britannia Club, where events take place. There, he must put up with racist snobs of the British upper crust. But it is there that the mystery is afoot!
Huang meticulously tells this tale, sending the reader to and fro in search of clues for a very strange murder, we are utterl ...more
Eric Peterkin, our protagonist, is a half-Chinese World War I veteran and member of the Britannia Club, where events take place. There, he must put up with racist snobs of the British upper crust. But it is there that the mystery is afoot!
Huang meticulously tells this tale, sending the reader to and fro in search of clues for a very strange murder, we are utterl ...more

Absolutely loved this book! I’m a huge fan of historical fiction and this debut novel is a great mix between historical fiction and murder mystery all in one. I had trouble putting this book down and first time I didn’t guess the victim’s killer before the first few chapters so love that kept me on my “toes” The author’s note after the story is just as interesting and def should read for more insight on the time period in which the story takes place and the inspiration behind the writing comes f
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A Gentleman’s Murder is about how Eric Peterkin, a lieutenant that served in World War I, who now reviews manuscripts for publication, turns detective. He’s a member of a gentleman’s club where he agrees to referee a bet between two other members. One of those men turns up murdered the next day inside the locked vault in the club. This club, The Britannia Club, is for those gentlemen that served their country in war, and one of Eric’s ancestors helped found it. Since “there had always been Peter
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A Gentleman’s Murder just made me a believer in reincarnation. In this case of Agatha Christie in this perfectly imagined locked room mystery set in 1924.
Eric Peterkin is a member of the prestigious Britannia Club, open to male war veterans only. When a wager ends in murder, Eric, an editor of mysteries, is first to find the body stabbed in the neck in the club’s vault. The list of suspects is long:
-Board members Norris, Aldershott, Bradshaw, Saxon and Wolfe
-“Old Faithful” Cully who works at th ...more
Eric Peterkin is a member of the prestigious Britannia Club, open to male war veterans only. When a wager ends in murder, Eric, an editor of mysteries, is first to find the body stabbed in the neck in the club’s vault. The list of suspects is long:
-Board members Norris, Aldershott, Bradshaw, Saxon and Wolfe
-“Old Faithful” Cully who works at th ...more

For Agatha Christie fans! (TW PTSD/ addiction/ suicides mentioned, with detail)
This is a great read for historical mystery and Agatha Christie fans as the mystery starts in an exclusive club: a murdered man is found in the vault of the club after a friendly bet. Lieutenant Eric Peterkin, currently editing mystery manuscripts, and a member of the club, immediately decides this qualifies him to solve the murder–especially when he finds the detective shady. I really enjoyed the characters–while thi ...more
This is a great read for historical mystery and Agatha Christie fans as the mystery starts in an exclusive club: a murdered man is found in the vault of the club after a friendly bet. Lieutenant Eric Peterkin, currently editing mystery manuscripts, and a member of the club, immediately decides this qualifies him to solve the murder–especially when he finds the detective shady. I really enjoyed the characters–while thi ...more

I enjoyed this period piece. The book’s hero, Eric Avery, is a retired soldier who has taken a position as a copy reader for a publishing house. Because his only affordable housing is a small flat he chooses to read at his club. This club membership goes back to the first Avery and is a spot of pride for him. He refuses to relinquish his membership even with his now modest living standards. The murder naturally occurs at this club and there begins the mystery. Avery decides to try to solve the c
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Wow. A strong debut by author Christopher Huang that tests the bonds of war through a page-turning golden-aged-style mystery. The story follows veteran Eric Peterkin in the aftermath of WWI. Peterkin spends his days in England evaluating mystery manuscripts in the comfort of his beloved Britannia Club, a luxury men's club for those who have returned from battle. All is turned upside down when a real life murder mystery takes place at the Britannia and fingers start to point at each other.
A Gen ...more
A Gen ...more

Set in a Gentleman's club for ex-servicemen in 1920's London, this first novel from Christopher Huang features amateur detective Eric Peterkin racing to solve the mystery when a new club member is found stabbed in the basement vault. This was an engrossing mystery set in the changing world of the 1920's, where new technology, new social mores and new manners run up against issues of class, race and some of the psychological and physical scars that so many soldiers returned with from the Great Wa
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A Gentleman’s Murder is a mystery filled with twists and turns as amateur detective Eric Peterkin searches for the killer of a fellow member of the Britannia Club, a British club for gentlemen. It takes place in 1924 and the author has created an atmosphere that feels appropriate to the era. It is post WWI and the returned soldiers’ post-war experiences are depicted as “shell-shock” or what is now called PTSD.
Why was Benson killed? Why are there other murders that seem to be related to his deat ...more
Why was Benson killed? Why are there other murders that seem to be related to his deat ...more

A Gentleman’s Murder is a locked-room murder mystery that is both complex and compelling. Christopher Huang has created a protagonist who is both a classic insider through upbringing, while never quite being accepted as equal due to his mixed Chinese/English heritage. Eric Peterkin has a sharp mind and a grim determination to succeed in a situation where others want to maintain the status quo. Set against the backdrop of post Great War Britain, a time of changing values, Huang’s A Gentleman’s Mu
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Pitch perfect novel in terms of both the period and the tone. The additional points of interest are that Huang has succeeded in inserting a convincing character of both upper class British and Chinese extraction, as well as addressing the first World War and the toll it took on the returning veterans. I'm quite impressed that this Singapore born Canadian resident could work the magic to make this mystery novel convincing
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I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.
3.5* rounded up.
Set in 1924, the newest member of the Britannia Club is found murdered in the vault, and club member Eric, who has reason to distrust the police inspector assigned to the case, carries out his own investigation.
I had mixed feelings about this novel: it took a while to get going for me and I found it hard to understand why Eric was so loyal to a club whose members were uniformly unkind to him. I almost had to give u ...more
3.5* rounded up.
Set in 1924, the newest member of the Britannia Club is found murdered in the vault, and club member Eric, who has reason to distrust the police inspector assigned to the case, carries out his own investigation.
I had mixed feelings about this novel: it took a while to get going for me and I found it hard to understand why Eric was so loyal to a club whose members were uniformly unkind to him. I almost had to give u ...more

The first in a series starring amateur detective Eric Peterkin.
The Great War is over and the Brittania Club is Eric's home away from home. The Brittania Club is the Soldier's Club and a Peterkin has always been a member since the founding. Eric is the latest member of his family and that's a bit of a problem with some members as Eric's mother was Chinese.
One evening a bet is made between some members and that leads to a death. Then another death and several long held secrets start to come out. E ...more
The Great War is over and the Brittania Club is Eric's home away from home. The Brittania Club is the Soldier's Club and a Peterkin has always been a member since the founding. Eric is the latest member of his family and that's a bit of a problem with some members as Eric's mother was Chinese.
One evening a bet is made between some members and that leads to a death. Then another death and several long held secrets start to come out. E ...more

A Gentleman's Murder is a tour de force in the English mystery genre. Set primarily in London in 1924, it's the story of Eric Peterkin, a Chinese-English veteran of WWI whose men have traditionally been soldiers and members of the Brittania club in St. James. When a newly elected club member is murdered, Peterkin takes it upon himself to find the killer. To do this, he must delve into a decade-old murder and risk expulsion from the club of which was founded by one of his forebearers.
But A Gentl ...more
But A Gentl ...more

This is an excellent, deeply interesting story that features British WWI veteran Eric Peterkin, newly entered into membership in a distinguished soldiers' club in London. He comes from a very long line of celebrated soldiers, his late father being a key and highly respected member, and he is a soldier himself, from the killing fields of Flanders. But author Huang gives us an unusual twist - Eric's late mother was Chinese, and having taken after her features, he is a man of two worlds - society r
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Christopher Huang was born in Singapore. He migrated to Canada at the age of seventeen, but returned the following year to complete his two years of military service in the Singapore Army. He studied Architecture at McGill University, and lived for many years in Montreal, Quebec, before moving to Calgary, Alberta.
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