Publication: 27th March 2025 – Raven Books
The Maid meets Only Murders in the Building in this twist-packed cosy mystery set in the smallest residential square in London.
Marchfield Square was meant to be a haven from the outside world. A place for those who need somewhere safe from their pasts, or who could otherwise not afford to stay in the city they call home. That was Celeste Van Duren’s plan. One of her tenants being murdered in his own kitchen, and the police trying to pin it on his long-suffering wife, was not.
So Celeste does what anyone with a lot of money, a strong sense of justice and a bad hip would do: she recruits some help to track down the real murderer. Her cleaner, Audrey, knows everyone in the square and is liked by all, while failed crime writer, Lewis, is known by no one. He hates his job, hates his life, and he’s not that fond of Audrey either, but Celeste is persuasive. In theory his knowledge of police procedure and her way with people should help them find the killer – if they don’t kill each other first…
Despite their differences the two soon discover the victim’s dodgy art deals may hold the key to the mystery – but have they missed something closer to home? After all, how well do you really know your neighbours?
I really enjoyed 10 Marchfield Square, truly an excellent debut! Well-written, clever, and entertaining, I was hooked from the first to the last page. I loved the wonderful cast of characters, the intriguing mystery, and the setting of the gated community was well-thought.
The story is told from the perspective of three characters. First of all, 82-year-old Celeste Van Duren, the formidable owner of Marchfield Square who, from her window, watches over all her tenants. Then there is Audrey, smart and with a bit of a mysterious past, the friendly neighbour everyone likes, who cleans Celeste’s house every Friday. And finally, Lewis, the crime writer with a bestseller novel under his belt and two unsuccessful sequels that forced him to accept a job he hates while he spends all his free time trying to write a new book. He is the antisocial guy in flat 5 who’s been living there for years, but no one knows. Until, one day, a scream is heard in front of flat 10 where the body of its tenant, Richard Glead, is found shot in the chest. Everyone (except Lewis with his noise-cancelling headphones) knew that Richard was a bad man who used to beat up his wife Linda, so no one is sorry for his death, but when the police starts to look to Linda as his killer, Celeste asks Audrey and Lewis to investigate for her and find out who killed Richard. Celeste may have ulterior motives to team up Audrey and Lewis, but as the two dig deeper into the lives not only of the Gleads, but also the other tenants, they discover that they may not truly know their neighbours.
I found 10 Marchfield Square a fun and refreshing read. The story is full of twists, I was completely immersed in the mystery, and Audrey and Lewis make a fantastic duo of sleuths. I loved the ending and it gave me hope for more Audrey and Lewis’s investigations.
A huge thank you to Raven Books and NetGalley for a proof of this gripping novel.
After studying Drama at university, Nicola Whyte worked as a bookseller for several years before going on to work in the digital department at Waterstones. She now runs a small digital agency in the West Country. She was shortlisted for the 2023 Comedy Women in Print Prize and her work has also been listed in the Cheshire Novel Prize (twice), the BPA First Novel Award, and Mslexia, while 10 Marchfield Square was named as first runner up in the 2023 Daily Mail First Novel Award. Nicola lives near Stonehenge with her family.
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