DI Caius Beauchamp Detective Series by Charlotte Vassell
Book Review: A quirky, humorous, cleverly written detective series that doesn’t shy away from contemporary and social issues. Highly recommended!
Category: Fiction
Genre: Detective, Mystery
Books in the DI Caius Beauchamp series:
THE OTHER HALF
THE IN CROWD
A DEADLY INHERITANCE
I was smitten and uber excited to have found this witty and addictive mystery series about an Irish-Jamaican DI, whose family history makes him not happy with his last name; he stubbornly pronounces it the French, phonetic way.
As it happens, Caius Beauchamp is drawn into the world of the upper class, a world he isn’t comfortable with and rather wouldn’t live in. But then the girlfriend of a namesake, this time pronounced as it “should be” (“Beecham”) is found murdered, and oh boy, those aristocrats and their privileges…
There are socialites galore in all three of the books, and it’s fun to see how close Caius and his team, DS Matthew (Matt) Cheung and DC Amy Noakes, are. How they watch each other’s backs, both personally and professionally. We get peeks into their personal lives, and watch relationships evolve.
I’m mindful of not giving away too much, because some characters on the side of the police, but also on that of the victims, suspects, and criminals, can be found throughout all three of the books. I highly appreciate the way the author weaves cultural history and contemporary consequences in her story. That awareness is laudable, and I feel authors do have a social responsibility. At Newcastle Noir some years ago, crime writer and poet Michael J. Malone stated this in a panel, and it was a lightbulb moment for me. Yes, crime writing is entertaining, yes, it’s enjoyable, but yes, authors can paint something that makes you think as well, makes you realise what is happening in our contemporary world.
*Read the full review on MEDIUM (with a free-to-read link for non-Medium members).