Beattie Cavendish and the White Pearl Club by Mary-Jane Riley

Published by Allison and Busby,
21 August 2025.
ISBN 978-0-7490-3219-7 (HB)

London, 1948. It is the beginning of the cold war when nobody trusts anybody. Beattie is a feisty young woman. Having read languages at Cambridge and suffered enormous trauma and loss whilst working with the French resistance, she was never going to settle for an ordinary job. Working undercover for GCHQ suited her perfectly.

Her first assignment was to gain information about Ralph Bowen, the shadow foreign secretary, a powerful MP thought to have sympathies with the Russians. Beattie befriends Bowen’s son Ashley who introduces her to his sister, Felicia and her older, artist/playboy escort, Gerald Silver.  Before long Beattie is sipping cocktails in the Bowen’s posh drawing room and chatting with Ashley’s mother, Edwina. Whilst in the Bowens’ house, Beattie slips into a study where she discovers the young housekeeper, Sofia Huber, a German/Polish immigrant, with her throat cut. Somebody already hiding in the study attempts to strangle Beattie. Fortunately, a third person enters through the window and helps Beattie fight off her attacker.

The man who rescued Beattie was Patrick Corrigan, a one-eyed, highly decorated, war veteran with a gammy leg. He is now a private detective whom Edwina Bowen has employed to trail her husband. When Sofia’s murder is hushed up, Beattie ignores orders from her boss, Anthony Cooper, by joining forces with Patrick to investigate who had murdered Sofia and why.

Both Edwina and Ralph Bowen make visits to a church. Edwina plays the organ there and sings in the choir. Ralph is not religious, so why does he go? Ralph also frequents the disreputable White Pearl Club where Sofia used to work sometimes. Sofia’s brother Martin tells them his sister was writing a diary but he can’t find it now. To keep Martin safe, Beattie installs him at her parent’s house, but he is whisked away by strangers.

What is going on at the White Pearl Club? Who is watching its clients and why do seemingly harmless people get threatened or thrown in the Thames? Why does Beattie’s boss insist she concentrates on Ralph Bowen and ignore all the other odd things that worry her, and why is she being followed?

Overall, there is plenty to entertain and puzzle about in this story that is populated by a collection of well-drawn and varied characters. There are even hints of romance for Beattie. This, and future Beattie Cavendish stories would likely appeal to those who have enjoyed Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott series and Jim Kelly’s tales set in wartime Cambridge.
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Reviewer Angela Crowther.  

Mary-Jane Riley wrote her first story on her newly acquired blue Petite typewriter, when she was eight. When she grew up, she had to earn a living and became a BBC radio talk show presenter and journalist. She has covered many life-affirming stories, but also some of the darkest events of the past two decades. Then, in true journalistic style, she decided not to let the facts get in the way of a good story and got creative. She wrote for women's magazines and small presses. She formed WriteOutLoud with two writer friends to help charities get their message across using their life stories. Now she is writing crime thrillers drawing on her experiences in journalism.  

Angela Crowther is a retired scientist.  She has published many scientific papers but, as yet, no crime fiction.  In her spare time Angela belongs to a Handbell Ringing group, goes country dancing and enjoys listening to music, particularly the operas of Verdi and Wagner.