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snappydog's review
4.0
This book is just cosy and lovely and so delightful to read. Y'know when you just want to feel comfortable snuggled up with a book, something you can just easily get through and it's just plain enjoyable? This is that.
I'll admit to not always following everything that was going on - I'm bad with names, and there are a lot of Mrses and Misses I sometimes lost track of a little bit, but I think that's me not being used to reading in the murder mystery genre. A reader paying more attention would, I'm sure, find it all very tightly plotted and satisfying, but I was very happy just kind of letting things unfold without working my brain too hard! I trusted that it would all come to a satisfying conclusion I could understand and it did, but - although this feels perhaps unusual for a murder mystery, the appeal of which I figure is often the end where all is revealed - I think the journey is more important here than the destination. I just really liked spending time with these characters in their believable relationships and getting to explore the issues that came up. Things like law versus morality, gender and sexuality and racial dynamics, even things like what obligations each of us has to those we care about and to society as a whole, all these things feel relevant in the 1912 setting but just as relevant today.
Speaking of, I don't often read period stuff, but this worked fine for me. It doesn't require any historical understanding or appreciation, and a lot of the time you can imagine it's pretty much any time period you like until you run into the occasional outdated technology, societal structure, or opinion (but then those are still around these days anyway, so eh).
So basically, whether you like murder mystery or not, whether you like historical drama or not, you'll probably still like this book.
I'll admit to not always following everything that was going on - I'm bad with names, and there are a lot of Mrses and Misses I sometimes lost track of a little bit, but I think that's me not being used to reading in the murder mystery genre. A reader paying more attention would, I'm sure, find it all very tightly plotted and satisfying, but I was very happy just kind of letting things unfold without working my brain too hard! I trusted that it would all come to a satisfying conclusion I could understand and it did, but - although this feels perhaps unusual for a murder mystery, the appeal of which I figure is often the end where all is revealed - I think the journey is more important here than the destination. I just really liked spending time with these characters in their believable relationships and getting to explore the issues that came up. Things like law versus morality, gender and sexuality and racial dynamics, even things like what obligations each of us has to those we care about and to society as a whole, all these things feel relevant in the 1912 setting but just as relevant today.
Speaking of, I don't often read period stuff, but this worked fine for me. It doesn't require any historical understanding or appreciation, and a lot of the time you can imagine it's pretty much any time period you like until you run into the occasional outdated technology, societal structure, or opinion (but then those are still around these days anyway, so eh).
So basically, whether you like murder mystery or not, whether you like historical drama or not, you'll probably still like this book.
katherineshawwrites's review
5.0
This period murder mystery is a delightful read, providing us with suspense, excellent sapphic + ace rep, Yorkshire charm, well-rounded characters, and a gripping story.
It is a relatively low-key murder mystery, but draws you in incredibly well. The characters and setting are so well-described you feel like you can see the scenes playing out before your eyes, and I particularly enjoyed following the ups and downs of Ada and Louisa's relationship alongside the main thrust of the story.
The author handles some delicate topics (abortion, domestic abuse, homophobia, racism) extremely well, expertly generating sympathy and outrage as and when it's appropriate.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and sincerely hope a sequel is on the cards!
It is a relatively low-key murder mystery, but draws you in incredibly well. The characters and setting are so well-described you feel like you can see the scenes playing out before your eyes, and I particularly enjoyed following the ups and downs of Ada and Louisa's relationship alongside the main thrust of the story.
The author handles some delicate topics (abortion, domestic abuse, homophobia, racism) extremely well, expertly generating sympathy and outrage as and when it's appropriate.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and sincerely hope a sequel is on the cards!
crunden's review
When they were two young women in love and Ada day-dreamed of the nights to come through long, dull days at the mill. They believed they could take on the world and win.
sapphic. mystery. 1912.
I don't read a lot of historical mysteries (Agatha Christie would not be impressed), but the description was just so intriguing and I'm on a costume drama roll~ television wise at the minute. (Cable Girls, yo! More historical lgbt+ awesomeness!)
Right, so The Murder Next Door follows Louisa and Ada throughout 1912 as they try to solve the mystery of, yanno, the murder next door!
Bell's writing and attention to detail shines throughout - very impressive for a debut! What I loved most, though, was seeing historical moments through a new perspective.
Sexology texts. All the theories she’d gathered to try to understand her lack of sexual interest. A search that only intensified when she first met Ada and realised she was falling in love but still with none of the subsequent desire attached.
I love this quote. So. Much.
It's things like this that remind you why rep is so important. It reminds me of this timeless quote, actually:
So Matilda's strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone. - Roald Dahl.
Bell's on page representation is just amazing, seriously. \o/ You can really feel how much Bell cares about her characters and the nuanced and kind way she approaches them, not to mention how well she draws you into their world.
For those who like historical fiction and crime solving ladies, check this one out!
☆ Blog | Twitter ☆
Be sure to check out my blog interview with author Sarah Bell here!
sapphic. mystery. 1912.
I don't read a lot of historical mysteries (Agatha Christie would not be impressed), but the description was just so intriguing and I'm on a costume drama roll~ television wise at the minute. (Cable Girls, yo! More historical lgbt+ awesomeness!)
Right, so The Murder Next Door follows Louisa and Ada throughout 1912 as they try to solve the mystery of, yanno, the murder next door!
Bell's writing and attention to detail shines throughout - very impressive for a debut! What I loved most, though, was seeing historical moments through a new perspective.
Sexology texts. All the theories she’d gathered to try to understand her lack of sexual interest. A search that only intensified when she first met Ada and realised she was falling in love but still with none of the subsequent desire attached.
I love this quote. So. Much.
It's things like this that remind you why rep is so important. It reminds me of this timeless quote, actually:
So Matilda's strong young mind continued to grow, nurtured by the voices of all those authors who had sent their books out into the world like ships on the sea. These books gave Matilda a hopeful and comforting message: You are not alone. - Roald Dahl.
Bell's on page representation is just amazing, seriously. \o/ You can really feel how much Bell cares about her characters and the nuanced and kind way she approaches them, not to mention how well she draws you into their world.
For those who like historical fiction and crime solving ladies, check this one out!
☆ Blog | Twitter ☆
Be sure to check out my blog interview with author Sarah Bell here!
kelskiiz's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I tend not to like mystery/sleuthing novels bc I find the sleuth characters annoying, but our main leads were both compelling in their own ways, and I enjoyed both of their POVs. The relationship aspect was also really nice; you could feel the love and commitment they had for each other even when they weren’t in agreement. The supporting cast felt like distinct characters, and the plot lined up nicely as we went along each chapter.
motaki's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, and Sexism
Minor: Abandonment, Police brutality, Acephobia/Arophobia, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Racism
judeinthestars's review
5.0
4.5⭐️ – The Murder Next Door is Sarah Bell’s debut novel and what a debut it is! A historical mystery with a sapphic couple investigating and so much more.
Ada Chapman is a painter and a sketch artist for the police. She lives with Louisa Knight, officially as a companion but they’re really lovers. Ada is impulsive and creative, Louisa is rational and logical. When their neighbour is murdered and his wife and son disappear, Ada can’t resist getting involved, despite Louisa’s misgivings.
This is apparently not the first time the couple gets involved in police work, another case is mentioned a few times that may not have ended well. While both women’s past is alluded to, those mentions give them a past as a couple as well and add depth to their relationship. Speaking of which, their relationship is one of my favorite parts of this story (I liked plenty of parts, keep reading for more). Their love for each other is obvious but they’re not exactly on an equal footing. Louisa is wealthy and posh, Ada reins in the accent that betrays her origins. Ada is free and self-confident, despite birthmarks that make people stare, whereas Louisa grew up with an unloving and demanding father and is only now, thanks to Ada, coming to terms with her asexuality as well as her ability to love.
The secondary characters are as good as the two mains. Davey, Ada’s childhood friend and now a policeman, and Sophie, the couple’s young maid and protégée, were my favourite but most of them are multilayered and well-written.
The atmosphere is fantastic. The story is set in Leeds (England) in 1912. The language, both in the narrative and in dialogues, takes the reader back seamlessly. The author doesn’t shy away from social issues of the time (which aren’t so different from those we still face, a quite discouraging fact): classism, racism, sexism…
The mystery itself is effective, with twists and revelations. Unveiling the culprit isn’t what matters most (even though the suspense about what happened is very satisfying), it’s a pretext for a reflection on justice, the police and the dichotomy between legality and morality.
I don’t know if Sarah Bell has plans to bring Louisa and Ada back in another mystery in the future but I wouldn’t say no to a sequel, or a series.
I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Ada Chapman is a painter and a sketch artist for the police. She lives with Louisa Knight, officially as a companion but they’re really lovers. Ada is impulsive and creative, Louisa is rational and logical. When their neighbour is murdered and his wife and son disappear, Ada can’t resist getting involved, despite Louisa’s misgivings.
This is apparently not the first time the couple gets involved in police work, another case is mentioned a few times that may not have ended well. While both women’s past is alluded to, those mentions give them a past as a couple as well and add depth to their relationship. Speaking of which, their relationship is one of my favorite parts of this story (I liked plenty of parts, keep reading for more). Their love for each other is obvious but they’re not exactly on an equal footing. Louisa is wealthy and posh, Ada reins in the accent that betrays her origins. Ada is free and self-confident, despite birthmarks that make people stare, whereas Louisa grew up with an unloving and demanding father and is only now, thanks to Ada, coming to terms with her asexuality as well as her ability to love.
The secondary characters are as good as the two mains. Davey, Ada’s childhood friend and now a policeman, and Sophie, the couple’s young maid and protégée, were my favourite but most of them are multilayered and well-written.
The atmosphere is fantastic. The story is set in Leeds (England) in 1912. The language, both in the narrative and in dialogues, takes the reader back seamlessly. The author doesn’t shy away from social issues of the time (which aren’t so different from those we still face, a quite discouraging fact): classism, racism, sexism…
The mystery itself is effective, with twists and revelations. Unveiling the culprit isn’t what matters most (even though the suspense about what happened is very satisfying), it’s a pretext for a reflection on justice, the police and the dichotomy between legality and morality.
I don’t know if Sarah Bell has plans to bring Louisa and Ada back in another mystery in the future but I wouldn’t say no to a sequel, or a series.
I received a copy from the author and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
sarah_bell's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Book Twitter told me it was alright to rate my own book 🤷♀️
Anyway, thank you to anyone who has read & reviewed 😊
And to anyone who's considering reading, here's a breakdown. If any of the following catch your attention, you might just enjoy it:
☕ 1912 Yorkshire
👭 Sapphic
♠️ Ace rep
📚 Logical bookish one + impulsive artsy one 🎨
🤝 Female camaraderie
💬 Sarcasm aplenty
☠ A murder victim who had it coming
🔍 Investigating despite being warned off
⚖ Legality v morality
Anyway, thank you to anyone who has read & reviewed 😊
And to anyone who's considering reading, here's a breakdown. If any of the following catch your attention, you might just enjoy it:
☕ 1912 Yorkshire
👭 Sapphic
♠️ Ace rep
📚 Logical bookish one + impulsive artsy one 🎨
🤝 Female camaraderie
💬 Sarcasm aplenty
☠ A murder victim who had it coming
🔍 Investigating despite being warned off
⚖ Legality v morality
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Abortion, Death, Infidelity, Murder, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Racism, Grief, Alcohol, Child death, Cursing, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Please note a lot of the warnings above relate to information the characters learn about in regards to their investigation and it is described to them, rather than it directly happening to them in the narrative.shanaqui's review
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
At first, reading The Murder Next Door felt like reading the nth book in an ongoing series. There were references to previous investigations, and bits of one of the protagonists' past were peeping through, and it just felt like there was a whole previous book or even series being referenced. I knew it was the author's debut, though, from other reviews, so I stuck with it and can confirm that the information you need is all contained within this book, that you don't need to know about the previous investigations (aside from that they were ill-received by the local police), and that the characters and their motivations all fully make sense by the end.
The story itself is not so unique: the couple next door have always seemed a little haughty and aloof, but beneath the surface, the husband was abusive and unfaithful, and the wife was terrified and fed up. Louisa and Ada become involved when the husband suddenly dies, and it's clear it was poison: Ada saw the wife fleeing with her young son, and is haunted by another woman who was once arrested for murder.
Where it becomes a little less typical is the fact that Ada and Louisa are a couple, with Ada acting as Louisa's 'companion' in order to hide the truth of their relationship. What's more, Louisa is actually asexual (though she doesn't have that word for it), and her relationship with Ada is a balancing act of trying to read cues she doesn't understand, and trying to ensure the relationship is also satisfying for Ada. That aspect of the book was handled pretty well: that navigation between them rings true.
Overall, it was a fairly enjoyable story once I got into it and felt sure that all the pieces would be present in the same book (and that I wouldn't have to find some other book to figure out why Ada was so affected by the case). I did find the characters a little... wooden, I suppose, in some ways? There were some scenes where things definitely rang true, and then others where it felt that the characters were arguing or agreeing solely because that's what the plot needed in order to proceed. Sometimes it felt like a bit of a shortcut, I suppose.
So I guess the upshot is that it was enjoyable, just not brilliant.
The story itself is not so unique: the couple next door have always seemed a little haughty and aloof, but beneath the surface, the husband was abusive and unfaithful, and the wife was terrified and fed up. Louisa and Ada become involved when the husband suddenly dies, and it's clear it was poison: Ada saw the wife fleeing with her young son, and is haunted by another woman who was once arrested for murder.
Where it becomes a little less typical is the fact that Ada and Louisa are a couple, with Ada acting as Louisa's 'companion' in order to hide the truth of their relationship. What's more, Louisa is actually asexual (though she doesn't have that word for it), and her relationship with Ada is a balancing act of trying to read cues she doesn't understand, and trying to ensure the relationship is also satisfying for Ada. That aspect of the book was handled pretty well: that navigation between them rings true.
Overall, it was a fairly enjoyable story once I got into it and felt sure that all the pieces would be present in the same book (and that I wouldn't have to find some other book to figure out why Ada was so affected by the case). I did find the characters a little... wooden, I suppose, in some ways? There were some scenes where things definitely rang true, and then others where it felt that the characters were arguing or agreeing solely because that's what the plot needed in order to proceed. Sometimes it felt like a bit of a shortcut, I suppose.
So I guess the upshot is that it was enjoyable, just not brilliant.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse
Minor: Homophobia and Abortion
The domestic abuse is reported, not directly witnessed. The homophobia is typical for the period being portrayed.
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