Murder Comes to Call

Written by Jessica Ellicott

Narrated by Barbara Rosenblat

The lean years following World War I can lead to desperate acts--even in the quiet English village of Walmsley Parva. When a series of burglaries seems to culminate in murder, brash American Beryl Helliwell and proper, buttoned up Brit Edwina Davenport (and her dog, Crumpet) are eager to solve the case in Jessica Ellicott's fourth Beryl and Edwina Mystery...

World-renowned adventuress Beryl Helliwell cited for "reckless" motoring? Why, the very idea! Constable Gibbs just has it in for her. The solution? Charm the magistrate, of course. But days after Beryl's appearance before the bench, she and Edwina pay a visit to the magistrate only to find his home ransacked and the man himself lying dead at the bottom of a grand staircase.

Given the state of the house, his death appears to be connected to a rash of robberies in the village. Declan O'Shea, the handsome helper Beryl hired to assist their aged gardener Simpkins, falls under suspicion after having had his own run-in with the magistrate--but mostly, Beryl believes, because he's Irish.

While unofficially looking into the magistrate's murder, the ladies are hired in their official capacity as private inquiry agents to find census reports that have gone missing. Is someone trying to hide something from the census takers--and could that theft have anything to do with the magistrate's death? Beryl and Edwina are once again in fine form as they engage in a little reckless sleuthing to bring these assorted mysteries to a speedy conclusion...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Oct 27, 2020
• ISBN: 9781980075325

Jessica Ellicott

Agatha award nominee Jessica Ellicott loves fountain pens, Mini Coopers and throwing parties. A member of Wicked Authors, Sisters in Crime and International Thriller Writers, she lives in northern New England with her dark and mysterious husband, exuberant children and a precocious poodle named Sam.

Reviews for Murder Comes to Call

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beryl is in court because of a speeding ticket and meets and Irish immigrant who was arrested for drunkenness. She offers him a job as an assistant gardener so he can pay his fine. Beryl and Edwina head to the magistrate’s house and discover him dead. Meanwhile, they’ve been hired by the registrar to find stolen census forms. Because of prejudice against the Irish, Declan’s been arrested for house burglaries and the murder of the magistrate. A lot of questioning of the locals before our odd couple detectives solve the case.

[vesper1931 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

1921 Walmsley Parva. There have been a spate of burglaries in the village with the prime suspect according to Constable Doris Gibbs is the new Irish under-gardener Declan O'Shea of Edwina and Beryl. But then they come across the dead body of the magistrate in his ransacked house. When they are employed to investiage a theft they are pleased to get an official case whereby they then can unofficially investigate the death and the other burglaries. So they join forces with Constable Gibbs.
A well-written enjoyable cozy historical mystery with a cast of interesting people. A good addition to the series.
An ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[drebbles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

While Beryl Helliwell is less than pleased that she has to appear in from of the magistrate on a charge of reckless driving, she is even less pleased when she and her friend Edwina Davenport stumble over the magistrate’s dead body. His house was ransacked and it appears that his death may be connected to a series of burglaries in the Village of Walmsley Parva. The main suspect is Declan O’Shea – an Irishman Beryl recently hired to work in their garden. Beryl is convinced that Declan is innocent and while Edwina isn’t quite so sure, she agrees to investigate the case with Beryl. Add in their search for missing sensitive census papers and their work as Private Inquiry Agents is quite busy!“Murder Comes to Call” is the nicely done fourth book in Jessica Ellicott’s Beryl and Edina cozy mystery series set after World War I. I am loving the characters and setting more and more with each book and that is especially true with this book. Beryl and Edwina make a great pair even though they are seemingly opposites: Beryl is a World Famous Adventuress who will try anything but finds it surprisingly quite satisfying to be a Private Inquiry Agent in a small town; Edwina is a prim and proper Brit who knows the ins and outs of village life but is also learning to expand her wings – if only a tiny bit. I love reading as the characters grow throughout the series – they really do complement each other. The village setting and historical setting are also well done by Ellicott – especially the census taking which plays an important role in this book. Besides the murder mystery, there are a couple of smaller mysteries – all are well done – the solution to the murder mystery made me a little sad.“Murder Comes to Call” is a nicely done historical cozy mystery.

[rafram-951185 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When former celebrity adventuress Beryl Helliwell and local budding novelist Edwina Davenport are hired to investigate a series of burglaries, one with implications of national importance, they find local magistrate’s home burgled and the man himself dead at the bottom of the grand staircase. Murder Comes to Call is installment 4 out of 4 in A Beryl and Edwina Mystery series by Jessica Ellicott. The story is set in post WW1 English village Walmsley Parva where inquiry agents Beryl and Edwina are hired to investigate the theft of village census reports when they find the local magistrate dead in his home. Under cover of working on the census case, Beryl and Edwina take it upon themselves to investigate all cases of criminal activity in the village. They suspect all are somehow connected and do not shy away from using slightly unorthodox sleuthing methods to find the culprits.Main character former celebrity adventuress Beryl Helliwell tends to make somewhat rash decisions. She is a people person and relies on her glamorous and charming appearance to get her out of trouble whenever she colors a bit outside the lines. I find her an amusing character who is my favorite of the story.Second main character is solicitor’s daughter Edwina Davenport who tries to keep secret that she writes a book in-between investigating cases. She is very concerned with her reputation, but I like her reserved and very proper personality. She seems a very good sleuth which makes me wish she would have better self-confidence.I read it as a standalone and a first by this author, but I found the main characters so well crafted and relatable, I could have wished them to be my friends in real life. I was drawn in by the amusing parts describing Beryl and Edwina’s thought process as they were investigating. It highlighted their unique strengths and friendship which altogether seems to make them such a strong team. These elements I find make this story memorable. The writing and dialogue conveyed a slightly old- fashioned vibe. The opulent English countryside setting felt reminiscent of Agatha Christie with a bit of Downton Abbey environments thrown in. The best part of this story was the amusing description of when Beryl and Edwina visited the village gossip lady to get information without revealing anything themselves. Anyone who enjoys a well written historical cozy mystery set in post WW1 rural England would enjoy this story. As will fans of Jessica Ellicott. I am curious what comes next from this author, and will be on the look-out for any other releases from Jessica Ellicott. Similar authors to explore might be Alyssa Maxwell or Andrea Penrose. Thank you to publisher Kensington Books and NetGalley for this eARC which gave me the opportunity to share my honest review. All opinions in this review are completely my own.Conclusion: Murder Comes to Call is the captivating, charming and amusing cozy mystery about Beryl and Edwina as they solve murder and theft in post WW1 English countryside.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

England, cosy-mystery, murder-investigation, private-investigators, theft, 1920s, friendship*****Edwina is a fibre addict and avid knitter in addition to having a rather British reserve much of the time and owning a rather large home and gardens. Beryl has traveled the the world and has little sense of propriety as she is an American. The women had been at finishing school together and now, years later, are Private Enquiry Agents and have some financial backing from their elderly gardener. There have been burglaries in the village, a burglary with a death probably included in it, and a somewhat contentious constable inclined to listen to local gossip and blame Edwina's new undergardener simply because he is Irish and new to the village. And then there is the rather unusual circumstance surrounding the theft of the census documents. I think that it is a dandy cosy (or is that just because I share Edwina's addictions?). This is the first I have read in the series and I think that it stands alone, but I am curious about non-mystery goings on before this one. I loved it!I requested and received a free ebook copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you!