Reviews

Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders by Tessa Arlen

caaleros's review against another edition

4.0

An English village called Little Buffenden is experiencing a “friendly invasion” as the American Air Force base is built outside town during WWII. When two girls are murdered, tensions run high as the Americans who came to help the war effort are seen as a threat to the village. Poppy Redfern is the village Air Raid Warden whose job is to patrol the town and remind people to keep their curtains closed at night (which feels like the WWII equivalent of walking around and telling people to pull their mask over their nose). Poppy, with her dog Bess and an American pilot, try to solve the case before the murderer strikes again. Firmly situated in the cozy side of the mystery genre, the heart of this story is the personal lives of average people going about their day far from the warfront.

theavidreaderandbibliophile's review against another edition

3.0

Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders by Tessa Arlen is the first A Woman of WWII Mystery. Poppy Redfern is a spunky woman who has become the Air Raid Warden for Little Buffenden, England. She spends her daytime hours working on a novel featuring her heroine, Ilona Linthwaite and her evening patrolling the village. But then someone begins killing off the young women in the town who are dating American soldiers. Poppy believes the wrong man was arrested for the crime and so does Lt. Griff O’Neal. The two work together to get to the truth. I thought Poppy was a great character with her red hair and zest for life. I appreciated that she had a unique position as Air Raid Warden. She is more progressive than the grandparents who raised her and she currently lives with in their small village. I wish the author had taken the time to establish the other characters. I would have liked more on Griff and Poppy’s grandparents. We are introduced to a number of villagers and I found it difficult to keep them straight. The author captured the time period with rationing, homes requisitioned, lack of men, air raids, planes flying overhead, Anderson shelters and bombs dropping out of the sky. I felt like I was transported back in time with the author’s descriptive writing. I did find the pacing to be on the slow side. I wish it had a little more pep. The mystery had some good components. There are two dead women, unique murder weapons, misdirection, and a unique takedown scene. Unfortunately, the guilty party stood out like a beacon on a dark night. I would have liked a complete wrap up instead of part truth and part supposition. I also felt the book needed more action and less of Poppy thinking (about her book, the town, Griff, the case). Little Buffenden is a typical small town. Poppy has known the residents her whole life. They like to offer advice plus pump her for information. Gossip spreads rapidly in this quaint hamlet. This is a good start to a new historical mystery series. The ending gives us a glimpse of what Poppy will be up to in the next book. Poppy Redfern and the Midnight Murders is an appealing new historical cozy mystery with bomb blasts, good natured gossips, ration regulations, a hijacked house and a conniving killer.

bookdreamer24's review against another edition

5.0

A really fun escape novel yet also some thriller elements.

julieannhummingbird's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

nullasalus3's review

3.0

I enjoyed the historical setting, and Poppy (and Bess!) is a likable lead character. I did want more of the investigation piece of the plot.

mamap's review against another edition

3.0

A cute mystery. Not particularly memorable as I can’t remember much of it.

booklover1974's review

4.0

Poppy Redfern is a witty, charming young lady who lives in the little village Little Buffenden, south of London. She's an air warden so she patrols every night in the village, to check so the people respect the blackout, in case the Germans come in their Messerschmitts. The only one that shows up is a murderer that strangle a girl from the village. Poppy starts to investigate...
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This may be considered as a cozy mystery but I think it's much more to it. Poppy has a wonderful sense of humor, the dry English kind, and I love it! The characters are drawn very lovingly and the writing is great. I just love Poppy and all the others. This book delivered!
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If you like a series with a funny, strong female protagonist and a hot American pilot

koalathebear's review against another edition

5.0

I loved this book. One of my favourite books for 2020 so far. I hadn't expected to like it so much, but was delightfully surprised.

I read it and also listened to the audiobook version which was beautifully narrated by Madeleine Leslay in a clear, expressive British accent.

I enjoyed Poppy Redfern, her beau, American pilot Griff O'Neal and a host of secondary characters who were as entertaining as they were well-written. I made a point of reading the negative reviews and didn't agree with any of them because I found the book very engaging, atmospheric and informative. Poppy was occasionally a bit of a silly heroine, making some questionable choices but overall she's a delightful character.

The author has an effortless style of writing which discusses wartime England's deprivations, way of life, the 'friendly invasion' and anti-US sentiment in a way that was very immersive.

I'm not sure if amazon was spying on me, but I happened about this book around the same time as I discovered the D-Day Darlings:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCE4MFi895Ru2FtRYXNu3f7w/featured so the music and the novel complemented one another rather beautifully.

I can't wait until the next book. A bit gutted that it's not out until December 2020. However shall I last until then?

milkteajeon's review against another edition

5.0

4.5; not the most complex of mysteries but very entertaining regardless. loved poppy and bess and excited to see what they get up to!

jeo224's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

3.0

I enjoyed this book - the ending was better than some of the middle parts - overall good and worth reading this and trying other books in the series.