Review: THE IN CROWD, Charlotte Vassell

• 
  This edition read as an e-book on my Kindle (AmazonAU)
  
• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CLKZMT6D
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber & Faber, Publication date ‏ : ‎ 2 April 2024
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 433 pages
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571376247
• Book 2 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp
• WINNER OF THE EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL 2025  

Synopsis (AmazonAU)

Being in is everything.

Calliope Foster is standing, Pimms in hand, under tasteful bunting at a Richmond garden party. She's here to toast her best friend's engagement.

Being out is murder.

Meanwhile, just a stone's throw away, police are pulling a body out of the river Thames. The drowning appears to be a tragic accident - but as Detective Inspector Caius Beauchamp is about to discover, the death is connected to this gathering of who's who in a way that could very well spell scandal.

There may be a wedding to plan, but a dead body will unravel even the best-laid plans . . .

My Take

 

Perhaps my enjoyment of this novel was too drastically affected by the fact that it is #2 in in the series, but to be honest I think I was too much turned off by the disclaimer "Agatha Christie meets Made in Chelsea in this witty and addictive whodunnit". Those of you who follow my blog know that I object particularly to the "coat-tails" syndrome, and in this case I saw little in this novel to remind me of, or to pay tribute to, Agatha Christie.

In fact I found this novel tedious reading. Hence my rating.

 

My rating: 3.3

 

About the Author
Charlotte Vassell studied History at the University of Liverpool and completed a Masters in Art History at SOAS, University of London, before training as an actor at Drama Studio London. Other than treading the boards Charlotte has also worked in advertising, executive search, and as a purveyor of silk top hats.