The Highgate Cemetery Murder

A Tate and Bell Mystery, Book 1

By: Irina Shapiro

Narrated by: Imogen Church

His heart pounding, the man scribbles the words in his notebook as fast as he can: “Woman dead in Highgate. Man in caped coat. Milky way and red streaks. I’m being followed.”

Hours later, the man’s cold body lies in the city mortuary, alongside the woman he couldn’t save. And his sister, unconventional nurse Gemma Tate, tracks down troubled police inspector Sebastian Bell to unravel the truth.

Sebastian has enough pressure to solve the murder of an aristocratic heiress without Gemma meddling in his case. But the cryptic sentences she brings him from her brother’s notebook could be a crucial lead. If only they knew what “milky way” meant. But as the trail of clues takes them away from the gilded drawing rooms of the nobility and into the dangerous slums of London, how far will their partnership be tested on the quest for justice, and will they both emerge unscathed?

©2024 Irina Shapiro (P)2024 Storm Publishing

The Voice of 2024 in 1858

The author’s voice can be heard too loudly in her narrator and the characters themselves. The type of heroine in this novel has become so familiar from television and other books that her personality is almost acceptable by default. She is a forward thinking independent spirit with no family, enlightened, somehow educated, and refined, but working class. It rings hollow. Her independence and personality are better suited to the 1920s or 30s than the middle of the Victorian era. Judgement of the class structure is not subtle either. Another tale where wealth and deviance are linked. The detective is too easily won over to attitudes that would have been extremely radical for Mid-Victorian society anywhere, but certainly in England . The author might have hidden her opinions better or at least made her heroine a radical social reformer. At one point she tells her new friend that there is no shame in addiction. Given the time and her position -even as a nurse - that would have an unlikely attitude. She might have helped him overcome it, but for his benefit she would have worked hard to conceal it and she would be unlikely to condone it. It wasn’t a bad book, but it felt as if ballpoint pens and battery powered clocks had made their way into a Dickens story.

Summer reading

A slight bit creepy but a relevant topic still today. Listened while I walked every morning. Crazy how art imitates life even today. Thank you. Performances were great and kept my attention.

Good, gruesome story—unfortunate narration

I enjoyed getting to know the two protagonists and suspect this will be a great series. It was overly (and unusually) gruesome. It read as if author Shapiro took special delight in depicting horrible violence. The narration was miserable—overly dramatic, breathy, poorly paced in places. I am very thankful for the previous reviewer who suggested listening at 1.2x speed. This was a brillant and effective intervention and allowed me to finish a good story.

Loved this!!

Irina Shapiro is a master storyteller with colorful expressions, brought to life by an incredibly talented narrator. Can’t wait to listen to the 2nd book in, what I hope is a very long, series.

excellent story

The book was excellent. It took a long time to adjust to the reader. When she emphasized a word or sentence it was like she was reading to children.