Genre: Historical, Mystery
LGBTQ+ Category: Gay
Reviewer: Maryann
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About The Book
The stage is set for murder
It’s the summer of 1929 and there’s a serial killer on the streets of London.
Bodies of young women are dumped at the stage doors of London’s theatres.
Noël Coward’s assistant Florence Miles, known to her close friends as Bill, is dragged into the investigation when the body of her former secret lover is found outside His Majesty’s Theatre.
Bill forms an unlikely alliance with the Chronicle newspaper’s senior crime reporter Simon Sampson. Together they discover that the killer has friends in high places…
This is the prequel to the LAMBDA finalist A Death in Berlin. It explores the secret world of the 1920s, a time when your sexuality could make you a lawbreaker. When gay men and women were constantly on their guard, careful about how they presented themselves in a hostile society.
A Death At His Majesty’s is the first of a series that brings together Bill and Simon and follows them as they embark on a series of sleuthing adventures.
The Review
Florence Miles – aka Bill – is outspoken and opinionated. She has no problem expressing to others exactly how she feels and what she thinks. She lives in London, and at one time worked for the BBC. Bill is now personal assistant to her friend Noel Coward. He’s brought a new operetta to His Majesty’s Theatre, “Bitter Sweet”. Noel is both quite arrogant and helpless at times, and is driving Bill crazy. She’s about ready to just be done with him and find a new job – maybe even go back to the BBC.
Trouble has come to Bill – and the women of London – with the murder of Maureen Lyons, whose body is found outside His Majesty’s Theatre. Maureen and Bill had an affair at one time but they had broken up. With the commotion of the upcoming operetta and the upsetting news, Bill has gone upstairs to the Circle Bar. A reporter for The Chronicle, Simon Sampson, has been waiting there to try and meet Bill. At first, Bill is very cautious of Simon, but he takes her to the Salisbury, a place mainly occupied by the “others.” She’s the only woman in the pub.
As Bill and Simon become more familiar, she gets a little irate when she finds out he’s a senior crime reporter for “The Chronicle,” and wants to find out more about the murder. Since other women may be in danger, she agrees to take Simon to “Paradise Regained,” a women’s club owned by Sylvia and named for John Milton’s writings.
When Bill herself is attacked and there’s another murder, Simon and Bill team up to discover that there are those that believe they are above the law, and that women are an abomination.
Dawson does an outstanding job bringing Florence “Bill” Miles to life. “A Death at His Majesty’s” opens up a whole new world in the Simon Sampson Mysteries. It’s 1929 in England, and women have to fight to gain any type of freedom, especially those in the sapphic world with this novel. Just to be clear, this is not a sexually explicit story. It takes place against the background of the fight for equal rights for women and the Flapper Election, as women under thirty had just been given the right to vote, and just three years prior Parliament had given women the right to own and sell property. It’s clear that Dawson did a lot of research, and this history provides a wonderfully detailed backdrop throughout the novel.
I have to give credit to some of the most brave and interesting characters: Cynthia Buckingham aka Aunt Cynny; Sylvia, Grace Lucas, Maureen Lyons, and Jenny Casewell.
“The Simon Sampson Mysteries” have been mainly about Simon and Bill, who always has a role to play. This time around, we finally find out how Bill got the nickname “old thing.”
We also learn more about Simon’s expertise as a reporter for The Chronicle, his investigative skills, and how he hopes to be hired by the BBC.
His lover Calvin Schatz is always there to help Simon. Calvin has always encouraged Simon to move to Berlin, where gay men have more freedom. The novel also reflects the homophobia prevalent at the time – not only against men but women too – and how far and wide it spread throughout society and the world. How some religious cults looked at women as wicked, sinners and an abomination. And how even those of law enforcement reacted to women in a negative way.
There are also appearances of and references to a number of famous historical characters throughout the book, including Noel Coward, John Sankey, the Lord Chancellor, Irving Berlin, Christina Rossetti’s poetry, and John Robert Clynes, Home Secretary. Even Oscar Wilde gets a mention!
A Death in Bloomsbury and A Death in Berlin are the first two books of the “Simon Sampson Mysteries,” and well worth a read. They fill readers in on Simon Sampson and Bill and their unique friendship.
I have never been disappointed in one of Dawson’s novels, and A Death at His Majesty’s is no exception – a twisted, suspenseful tale that’s filled with surprises and heartbreak. Another excellent mystery.
The Reviewer
Hi, I’m Maryann, I started life in New York, moved to New Hampshire and in 1965 uprooted again to Sacramento, California. Once I retired I moved to West Palm Beach, Florida in 2011 and just moved back to Sacramento in March of 2018. My son, his wife and step-daughter flew out to Florida and we road tripped back so they got to see sights they have never seen. New Orleans and the Grand Canyon were the highlights. Now I am back on the west coast again to stay! From a young age Ialways liked to read.
I remember going to the library and reading the “Doctor Dolittle” books by Hugh Lofting. Much later on became a big fan of the classics, Edgar Alan Poe, Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker and as time went by Agatha Christie, Ray Bradbury and Stephen Kingand many other authors.
My first M/M shifter book I read was written by Jan Irving the “Uncommon Cowboys” series from 2012. She was the first author I ever contacted and sent an email to letting her know how much I liked this series. Sometime along the way I read “Zero to the Bone”by Jane Seville, I think just about everyone has read this book!
As it stands right now I’m really into mysteries, grit, gore and “triggers” don’t bother me. But if a blurb piques my interest I will read the book.
My kindle collection eclectic and over three thousand books and my Audible collection is slowly growing. I have both the kindle and audible apps on my ipod, ipads, and MAC. So there is never an excuse not to be listening or reading.
I joined Goodreads around 2012 and started posting reviews. One day a wonderful lady, Lisa Horan of The Novel Approach, sent me an email to see if I wanted to join her review group. Joining her site was such an eye opener. I got introduce to so many new authors that write for the LGBTQ genre. Needless to say, it was heart breaking when it ended.
But I found a really great site, QRI and it’s right here in Sacramento. Last year at QSAC I actually got to meet Scott Coatsworth, Amy Lane and Jeff Adams.
