1 Jun3 2026.
ISBN: 978-1-90714795-0 (PB)
At the start of the First World War some clear-sighted members of the Metropolitan police realised that there were some roles that women could play more effectively than men. This resulted in a special task force being set up under the command of Detective Chief Inspector Peter Beech, an officer who was invalided out of the army with an injured leg. He is supported by two other male officers: one is an experienced sergeant, Arthur Tollman, who had retired and has returned to serve during the duration of the war, and Billy Rigsby, a young constable who was invalided out of the army. The women in the team include: Caroline, a doctor at the Women’s Hospital; Mabel a pharmacist at the same hospital; Victoria, a qualified solicitor, although as a woman she is not allowed to practice as a lawyer; Billy’s mother and aunt, Elsie and Sissy; and Lady Maud Winterbourne, whose house in Mayfair is the headquarters of the women’s work for the police.
The Propaganda Murders opens in February 1916 at a point where the British government has just passed The Military Service Act, which will introduce military service for all single men aged between 18-41. Victoria, who has already been widowed, is very distressed at this development because she fears that the new man in her life will be conscripted and die in the trenches. When she encounters a young woman who is shaming a young man by presenting him with a white feather, Victoria is very angry and after the resultant scuffle she is arrested. Beech manages to get Victoria released and insists on accompanying her home. This is fortunate because soon after this the young woman is discovered brutally murdered. Although the whole team know that Victoria would never deliberately kill anyone, they are relieved that she has got an unimpeachable alibi. The victim was a member of The White Feather League: women who present young men who are not wearing uniform with white feathers, which they use to indicate that they regard these non-combatants as cowards. The dead girl had her throat cut and the marks left by the murder weapon were so unusual and barbaric that neither the police officers nor the medical experts can identify what it could be.
As well as the murder investigation and their work at the hospital, Caroline and Mabel have been asked by Mabel’s friend, Lionel, to help him inspect a factory that constructs aircraft. There are concerns that the chemicals used in the process may be causing serious and permanent health damage to the women working in the factory. As well as examining the women, Caroline and Mabel do some serious research, which proves that their fears are correct. The female casualties whose lives are destroyed by this patriotic work are fewer in numbers than the young men who are dying in the trenches, but they are not insignificant, and Caroline, Mabel and Lionel are determined to make the government address this serious matter.
Another young woman is killed in an equally savage manner. This girl was not a member of The White Feather League but she was an art student who helped to design recruiting posters. The Mayfair team suspect that the murders are connected to propaganda, which is trying to persuade or shame men into joining the army. They want to warn women involved in promoting propaganda, but there are so many outlets that it seems like an impossible task. Despite the team’s efforts, the violence continues and more women are attacked, and the search for the killer becomes even more urgent and terrifying when one of their own team disappears without trace.
The Propaganda Murders is the seventh book in the Mayfair 100 series. It is a fascinating addition to an excellent series that shows life in Britain during the First World War with all its fears and frustrations, and the compelling plot is driven by superb historical detail and research. Although most of the female protagonists are educated and privileged, they also have to fight against the presumptions made by many men regarding their rights and capabilities. None of the protagonists are perfect, which makes them human and likeable, and they are all engaging because they are honourable and decent people.
The Propaganda Murders is a page-turner, which I thoroughly recommend.
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Reviewer: Carol Westron
Carol Westron is a Golden Age expert who
has written many articles on the subject and given papers at several
conferences. She is the author of several series: contemporary detective
stories and police procedurals, comedy crime and Victorian Murder Mysteries.
Her most recent publications are Paddling in the Dead Sea and Delivering Lazarus, books 2 and 3 of the
Galmouth Mysteries, the series which began with The Fragility of Poppies.
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