10 Marchfield Square by Nicola Whyte Narrator: Nneka Okoye
Published by Dreamscape Media on April 1, 2025
Source: NetGalley
Genres: Mystery
Length: 10 hrs 27 mins
Pages: 400
Format: Audiobook
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Audible
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The Paris Apartment meets Only Murders in the Building in this debut murder mystery with an intriguing cast of characters inhabiting a quirky block of flats in modern-day London.
When a minor criminal is murdered in the smallest residential square in London, elderly heiress and landlady Celeste van Duren recruits two of her tenants to investigate. Her cleaner, Audrey, knows everyone and is liked by all, while failed 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.
As they hunt for clues in and around the Square, they discover everyone has something to hide, including their fellow residents. Audrey and Lewis must find a way to work together if they’re to find the killer in their midst. Assuming of course, there’s just the one . . .
Cozy crime enthusiasts will not be able to get enough of Marchfield Square and its residents.
I will admit I picked up 10 Marchfield Square based on the blurb alone. Granted, I’ve only seen a couple of episodes of Only Murders in the Building and haven’t read The Paris Apartment, but I know I would enjoy both of those and a mix of the two sounded. fun. And it was a good pick.
Marchfield Square is a close-knit, safe community—until one of its residents is found dead. The elderly and eccentric landlady, Celeste, doesn’t trust the cops and recruits two of the other residents of the square to solve the murder, Audrey and Lewis. Audrey, Celeste’s cleaner, is personable and knows everyone in the square and some of their secrets. Lewis is a crime writer who’s writing career has stalled. He’s socially awkward and lives a solitary life, but sees this as a way to kickstart his writing. The interactions between these two are funny and heartwarming.
The characters really drive the book. Audrey and Lewis of course, who are total opposites but end up working together well. The other residents of the square all have their own backstories and outlooks on the crime. Celeste, too is an interesting character. She doesn’t get a ton of screen time, but what she does is adds a lot to the book.
The plot moves along well and involves a lot of talking and questioning and theorizing. It’s a good puzzle with a nice twist at the end. I listened to the audio and the narrator did a good job. She gave each character a distinctive and appropriate voice.
About Nicola Whyte
Nicola Whyte has loved books for as long as she can remember, particularly crime fiction. She writes novels and short stories for both adults and children.
Her work has been listed for the Comedy Women in Print Prize, the Cheshire Novel Prize, the Daily Mail First Novel Competition, the BPA First Novel Award, and the Times Chicken House Children’s Fiction Competition.
She lives near Stonehenge in Wiltshire with her family, a ridiculous spaniel, and two demanding tabby cats.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
Added to my TBR list!