Murder on the home front

Set in Hull, England, at the beginning of WWII, Ellicott's second historical mystery featuring WPC Billie Harkness is an entertaining and lively read. Billie is one of only two females on the Hull police force, and she's proving herself to be a fine addition, even though her gender sometimes means that she's assigned duties thought to be "more female-appropriate," like typing reports, and she must fend off unwelcome advances from her male colleagues. Then a challenging murder case comes along--a man is found dead in an air raid shelter, surrounded by dozens of blank national identity cards--and Billie is thrilled to be working it with a respectful and professional partner, Peter Upton, and she displays her talent for making seemingly random connections and unraveling baffling leads. In this second in the series (following Death in a Blackout, 2022), we see Billie developing into a more mature but still thoroughly likable lead, and the WWII frame adds texture to the plot, evoking the early seasons of Foyle's War.

In Ellicott's intriguing second Billie Harkness mystery (after 2022's Death in a Blackout), naive rector's daughter Harkness is settling into her position as one of two women constables in the British city of Hull in the early days of WWII. Harkness may be inexperienced, but she has a talent for detecting, which doesn't sit well with her male colleagues, who believe policing is men's work. One afternoon, Harkness receives a report that a man posing as an air raid shelter inspector might be robbing shelters of supplies to sell on the black market. Harkness and her partner, Special Const. Peter Upton, follow up and find a man strangled to death in one of the emptied shelters. As the investigation unfolds, they discover the murdered man was involved in several shady enterprises, one of which may have gotten him killed. Harkness's colleagues don't think much of the case, but she suspects there are threads to pull--even if doing so might make her some powerful enemies. Ellicott seamlessly weaves the mystery plot into a fascinating look at life on the British home front. Historical mystery fans will find much to enjoy. Agents: Meg Ruley and Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (May)

A wartime female police constable confronts misdeeds both in and out of the nick. Only a national emergency like the Great War could allow a parson's daughter from Wiltshire to become a police constable in the bustling port city of Hull. But Billie Harkness hopes that her success at her job will open the door for other women to pursue careers in police work. Of course, not all her colleagues feel the same way, and getting groped by loutish Constable Drummond while making tea in the station's kitchen rattles her confidence. Still, Sgt. Skelton doesn't hesitate to team her up with Special Constable Peter Upton and send the pair out to investigate a murder. And Upton isn't afraid to let her take the lead in questioning witnesses. Billie's perceptiveness is impressive, and she shows real ingenuity in getting folks to spill the tea. The biggest treat for readers, however, is seeing the busy industrial city of Hull through her eyes. Country-bred Billie isn't naïve, but she's capable of finding excitement in a tram ride. Whether she's walking the pavement, finding the shortcuts known only to city natives, or enjoying the luxury of a coach ride, she uses her keen powers of observation to express her sense of wonder at her new world. She also cracks the case, earning well-deserved admiration from her partner and her canny sergeant. A worthy follow-up to Ellicott's series debut. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.