A Model Murder by Celia Conrad is the first of three books in a series of investigative crimes. Alicia Allen is an English solicitor who lives in the suburb of South Kensington. She works in a small law firm and lives an ordinary life surrounded by good friends. One day, Alicia meets her new Australian neighbors, Tamsin (Tammy) and Kimberley (Kim), who temporarily rent the apartment in the same building Alicia lives in. Alicia's life stirs up after that day. Months have passed when all of a sudden Alicia receives a suspicious call which keeps her on the edge. A few days later, one of her friends is killed. While trying to cope with a friend’s murder, and help the friend’s family, more fishy calls come up. The calls are seemingly unrelated at first, but Alicia realizes that she needs to take action. She gets the help of a couple-friend, Josephine (Jo) and Will Brook. Together they connect the dots and get in with some clues. Things start to heat up. The last thing they know is that they are in for an adventurous ride.

A Model Murder by Celia Conrad is an electrifying thriller. The writing grabbed my attention until the end, and I just could not get enough of it. The plot is well written and it unfolds at the right pace. The characters are interesting and well developed. Most important of all, their own stories are interconnected in a way that makes the reading more stimulating. I liked the fact that Ms. Conrad inserted some Italian in the dialogues to touch off the main character's background and to bring the idea of romance into the story. The book reserves a lot of surprises by the end and does not let anybody down. For thrill seekers, this book is a must-read. I definitely recommend it.

A Model Murder by Celia Conrad is a contemporary murder mystery set in London, England, amongst the young and the beautiful of South Kensington and the dark corners of the legal industry. Half-Italian solicitor Alicia Allen is the story’s narrator. She lives in a small block of flats near friends, handsome Cesare – who has a soft spot for Alicia – and sprightly Dorothy. Her new neighbours are Australians Tammy and Kim, both looking for work. Kim finds a job as a legal secretary but Tammy struggles to make it in the UK model industry and instead starts a new job as a hostess at a Gentlemen’s Club. Alicia also has itchy feet in her current legal firm and starts a new job elsewhere, becoming enamored with hunky new colleague, Alex. Soon after starting her role at the Club, Tammy is brutally murdered and Alicia is determined to find the killer; she quickly identifies some likely suspects, but is she putting herself in danger? Can she trust her admirer Alex? And who is really responsible for Tammy’s death?

A Model Murder is an enjoyable mystery with a likeable lead character and good supporting personalities. The story flows and develops well, although loses a little pace during the middle with a couple of chapters repeating the theme of not much progress being made in the investigation. Celia Conrad’s insight into the workings of firms of solicitors was very interesting, her potentially romantic episodes are warm and enticing, and the dark side of London life is cleverly and unnervingly portrayed. The story is appealing and the mystery is engaging. I would recommend this to all lovers of modern murder mysteries.

A Model Murder by Celia Conrad is an appealing new modern crime story. Alicia lives in England and is half Italian and I quickly found myself rooting for her. Alicia is a lawyer who is starting a new job in a law firm that turns out to be not exactly what she had expected. Her neighbor Tammy, trying hard to become a model, is raped and murdered while working at a low life hostess club. Tammy’s roommate Kim is absolutely devastated by the murder and begs Alicia for her help. Dorothy, an elderly lady living in the same flat, is badly beaten for what she has seen. At Kim’s urging, Alicia investigates and is faced with threats and near death experiences. It becomes difficult to be sure which of her friends to trust and which are really not whom they appear to be. Twists and turns abound as we are taken into the sleazy nightclub world and the inner workings of a law firm looking for the killer rapist.

It took me a while to get used to some of the British dialogue and I have no idea of what the Italian phrases sprinkled throughout meant, but it made no difference in the reading of A Model Murder. I was hooked on page one and completely and pleasantly surprised when I reached the conclusion. A Model Murder is subtitled Alicia Allen Investigates 1 and I am anxiously awaiting number 2. Celia Conrad has jumped to the top of my favorite author list and Alicia Allen is without a doubt my favorite new fictional lawyer/investigator crime solver. This book should be on the top of every woman’s reading list.

A Model Murder is the first in a trio of books about Alicia Allen, an Anglo-Italian lawyer based in London, England. The books are British from the first word, "Strewth" (an exclamation), through to the end of the third book. Anglo/Italophiles will enjoy these books the most, and if you happen to be a lawyer (or solicitor or barrister), you should enjoy them even more.

The author calls the books "cosy-legals". These are not the "cute-cozies" that have taken the U.S. by storm lately. These are old-fashioned, British cosies that ask you to sit back, relax, and live vicariously through the protagonist, as she lets you into her life, in the first-person, and introduces you to her friends, family, colleagues, and all her adventures.

The London location is strong in the books, with street names, districts, restaurants, cafes and clubs mentioned. This may appeal to Londoners, and Anglophiles.

This British cosy is rougher than an American cozy would be. The nature of the murder, and the misogyny of many of the men in the book, is harsh and revolting. There are also probably more details than American readers are used to in their cozies, which have been pared down over the years to the bare essentials.

This book is full of details that are not there in relation to the mystery, but are there purely to create a scene or an atmosphere. Americans may find the pace slow, and the abundance of phone conversations unusual, and the lack of commas jolting. The story itself is not artificially condensed, as many American books like to do. The story in A Model Murder takes place, realistically, over quite a few months.

These are not criticisms. I am just pointing these things out so American readers understand that this is a British novel, written to different standards than mass-market American novels.

Please read my full and illustrated review at Italophile Book Reviews.

(5* Review originally posted on Amazon.com)

Celia Conrad's writing has a distinctive British slant, something for you lovers of British cozies to get your teeth into.

Her character, Alicia Allen, is an authentic London legal-eagle who gives readers a taste of the intriguing life of the single British professional woman and her friends.

This first book in a hopefully on-going series promises to keep her readers entertained for a satisfyingly long time.

(5* Review originally posted on Amazon.com)

A Model Murder by Celia Conrad is definitely a FIVE star.

This one kept me up at night reading. It is a page turner & the characters came to life for me. I enjoyed the character delineation very much.

The discussions of the 'bad' bosses was so on target. I suppose the universality of that event crosses the ocean. There were a few unfamiliar English terms but by context I was able to discern their meaning.

I'm so glad to have discovered this talented author & look forward to the rest of the Alicia Allen series.

I was eager to find out 'who done it'.

After many interesting twists & turns, Alicia Allen's suspicions are confirmed. The end came as a pleasant surprise. However, I'd grown fond enough of Miss Allen, I didn't want it to be over. That's the truest sign of a good book. Now I look forward to the next in the series.

I highly recommend it to any murder mystery readers.

(5* Review originally posted on Amazon.com)

Disclosure: I received an ARC in exchange for a straight forward review.

First let me say I’m not a huge fan of the average English mystery but, ‘A model Murder’ is not average. This insightful novel follows the everyday life of a British lawyer as she makes a new friend and then loses her to death. I also learned about the everyday life of a woman who is a lawyer, not a lawyer who happens to be a woman: there is a distinction. It was a good experience to see the protagonist grow in strength and character throughout the story. This novel is well written and while there are not a lot of cliffhangers per-se, the prose compels one to read on—not only to learn who the murderer is and why, but to follow the story through to its nicely constructed ending. I look forward to reading more in the Alicia Allen series.

(5* Review originally posted on Amazon.com

A MODEL MURDER is a craftily woven tale of friendship, deception, and murder. When Alicia's young friend Tammy is found murdered and the police lose interest in the case, Alicia takes the case upon herself. She risks her comfort and her life to find the killer. The characters in this novel are impressive. They present true friendship and caring for one another, a willingness to greet an unexpected guest at any hour with a cup of tea and some food, and a dedication that could cost one's life. I kept turning the pages to find out what happened next.

5* Review originally published on Amazon.com

I'm giving this fun book 5 stars for its hilarious and scary depiction of alpha males in the workplace...its tightly-written story that kept me guessing...and its classy, caring heroine, Alicia Allen, whose desire for crisp potato chips is only matched by her desire for justice. As a former legal secretary, I laughed out loud at the Law-Firm-From-Hell scenes. And as an American, I felt sorry that such office horrors are not confined to my own zip code, but are apparently worldwide. The title does not refer to a top model, but to a beautiful, naive young woman forced to make financial ends meet at the bottom rung. Celia Conrad paints unblinkingly unflattering scenarios of how vulnerable women can be exploited in prostitution rackets masquerading as "hostess clubs" and prostitution's evil twin: law firms.

What drew me in and made the darkness less menacing was that Alicia's personal comfort zone is made up of caring neighbors and good friends. I like that there's nothing superhuman about her powers of deduction; her ability to solve crime comes from her detail-oriented observations, and willingness to risk her life to bring a murderer to his/her deserved fate. I also enjoyed how London's immigrant cultures intersected throughout the story: Alicia's own half-Italian heritage; her smitten Italian wannabe boyfriend who plies her with pasta and opera; and the "Aussies" who abound with their good natures and high hopes. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes their mysteries helmed by smart, strong female sleuths who have not lost interest in romance.

(5* Review originally posted on Amazon.com)