Book Review –Brighton Belle by Sara Sheridan

This is the first book for years that I’ve been strongly drawn to by the cover.  I think it’s the author that described it as “cosy noir”- it’s a pretty good description, although I’d say there’s more noir than cosy.

Brighton Belle’s central character is Mirabelle Bevan, living in Brighton in 1951.  Bevan administers the McGuigan & McGuigan debt collection agency but has no real life of her own – it’s as if she’s numbed herself, trying to escape from her past as a wartime secret service agent and the memory of her married but dead lover.


The mystery starts with the search for a pregnant Hungarian refugee and soon expands into a trail that includes war criminals, a dodgy doctor and stolen Nazi gold.  Mirabelle is aided by Vesta Churchill, who is quickly drawn into shared danger as they both follow a trail which runs across the whole spectrum of Brighton life from the plush opulence of the Grand Hotel to the seediness of the racetrack.  There are plenty of dead bodies as well as some nice/nasty surprises along the way.


Sheridan paints a good picture of post war Brighton, with touches that make both the time and place authentic.  Both Mirabelle and Vesta are feisty ladies and as characters quite appealing.  I particularly liked Vesta’s honest but unspoken comments about Mirabelle’s appearance, which added a piquant depth to both their characters.


Because it’s not a “heart stopping thrills and excitement on every page” novel, this probably isn’t a book that you would rave about.  However my feeling is that its characters, plot and atmosphere make it a book that’s worth picking up and reading, particularly as its only £2.84 on Kindle (price at 22 November 2012).


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