The Picture House Murders

The Picture House Murders is the first book in an engaging historical cozy series by Fiona Veitch Smith. Released 29th Aug 2023 by Bonnier on their Embla Books imprint, it's 289 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. The second book in the series is also currently on KU, and there's a third book due out in June 2024. 

This is a light cozy set interwar London and featuring Clara Vale, a clever young woman well situated in life and with a formidable scientific mind. Temporarily thwarted by being a woman unable to obtain work because of her gender, she's working a desk job when circumstance lands her in a murder investigation.

The language is clean and the plot is woven around actual historical events whimsically and mostly successfully. It's a cozy, and without graphic, on page violence. It's not at all derivative, but it will definitely appeal to fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Catriona McPherson's Dandy Gilver books. 

Four stars. Light entertainment. It would be an excellent choice for public library acquisition, home use, or a short binge/buddy read.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.