Post-WWI London - female lawyer + family drama + mystery = great reading

I enjoyed this novel, but at the same time, I kept wanting more — to like the heroine a little more, to care about the secondary characters more, to be more invested in the whodunit law case.

I really enjoyed this one. It started off as a "nice" story and added in tension and depth as it went on. Highly recommended.

An absorbing book. The protagonist is complex, and her voice is a wonderful anchor to the different story elements. I was intrigued by the story of a woman lawyer in post-WWI London, and the cases she follows each have curiosities of their own. The writing is thoughtful, and the pacing led me along with a measured yet expectant tone. I haven't been choosing much historical fiction (apart from discussion titles) lately, but this made me hungry for more.

re-read (audio): 10/10

audiobook note: Reader Josephine Bailey effectively distinguishes the many characters' voices, but I didn't care for the exaggerated flatness and abrasiveness of her Canadian inflection. Of course, this may well have been intentional, since the character herself doesn't exactly blend into the background.

At first I found it hard going, until I got into the story and got used to the author's style. I found the ending unsatisfying, until I found out there is a second book. Going to have to hunt it down so I can get some closure

I don't know why this one lost steam for me. I loved it through the middle, but during the trial I became less interested. I'm not really a fan of murder mysteries, so that is probably why this part dragged for me.

An enjoyable read with some interesting characters!

I have read a couple of the author's other novels and they haven't really sat well with me. But I'm really glad I gave her another chance, this novel set after the Great War hosts an intriguing set of characters that made it an enjoyable read overall.

Wow! Excellent! What a great novel. Evelyn Gifford is young women lawyer in 1924. She is trying to carve out a living as one the first women lawyers. Evelyn while working hard as the sole support of her family must come to terms with death of brother during the war, the mother of his child, a murder case, a love affair and trying to rescue the children of a poor London woman.

McMahon neatly ties all the strands together and creates a compelling story. The characters change and grow throughout the story and ending contains a few deft surprises. This book comes highly recommended. If you like Charles Todd or Anne Perry's World War novels you will this.